Current environment and VP&S

Dear VP&S Community, 

When I arrived as a medical student on the campus of what was then known as the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, I realized that I had joined a community like no other. Every day since then, as a student, resident, researcher, faculty member, or administrative leader, has been filled with learning, adapting, teaching, caring, and discovering. This institution has given me more than I will ever be able to give back to it.

Over the past months, we have been presented with a series of existential threats to our academic medical center that were previously unimaginable. In August 2024, Dean Armstrong was asked to step in during a crisis of leadership at the University. She did this with a sense of duty to others before self and a courage to face the moment that few of us would have displayed. During her time as interim President, she worked tirelessly to protect the freedom of expression and inquiry of all members of our community while ensuring a climate of civility, respect, and discipline. She has now chosen to pursue a well-deserved sabbatical leave, and I am thankful for her leadership and service over these past seven months.

As we watch what is transpiring at our peer institutions around the country, we will need to stand together to protect our vital missions of healing, teaching, and discovery, no matter what storms rage around us. I am honored to contribute to the leadership of this great school and medical center during these challenging times.

With your support, and in close partnership with Acting President Claire Shipman, the University Board of Trustees, my fellow Deans, and the leadership team of NewYork–Presbyterian, I am confident our community can continue to uphold our values as we navigate this difficult moment together.

Sincerely,

James M. McKiernan, MD
Interim Dean, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Acting Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences