Message from Interim President Armstrong to CUIMC

Dear CUIMC Community,

As you are learning of the University's leadership change and my appointment as interim president, I want to share my thinking about the decision to take on this role. First, the ethos of this medical center is one of standing up when called on to serve. Each of you personifies this spirit through your work and appreciates its fundamental importance. I am no different, and I am honored to have been asked to provide leadership to the University at this consequential moment. I believe deeply in the work we do together at Columbia and our shared responsibility to make the world a better place.

Second, CUIMC and each of its four schools possess the leadership, the resources, and the strategic vision needed to sustain our progress on every front, without interruption. If I had any reservations at all about our ability to continue providing the best learning environments for our students, offering world-class patient care, conducting groundbreaking research, and attracting the top faculty, I simply would have declined this assignment.

During the period I am serving as interim president, I will retain my role as chief executive officer of CUIMC. Dr James McKiernan has agreed to serve as interim dean of VP&S during this time. As you know, Dr. McKiernan, chair of the Department of Urology since 2013, has for the last year been providing exemplary leadership as senior vice dean of Clinical Affairs at VP&S and CEO of ColumbiaDoctors, where he reorganized the clinical governance structure and has focused on quality and patient safety. He has made great progress in strengthening ColumbiaDoctors' partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian in anticipation of major growth opportunities on the horizon. You will soon be hearing more from Dr. McKiernan about his plans. For now, suffice it to say that he is one of the most exceptional leaders I have ever had the privilege to work with, and I am deeply grateful for his willingness to assume this responsibility.

I also have asked Wil McKoy and Jenn Williamson to expand their already substantial portfolios and to assume larger roles in the management of CUIMC. In addition to serving as chief financial officer, Wil has been appointed interim chief operating officer of CUIMC, overseeing Facilities, Information Technology, Campus Services, Human Resources, Communications, and Community and Government Affairs. Jenn has taken on a newly created position as my chief of staff at CUIMC and will be essential in navigating this transition and the period during which I am interim president. The two of them not only are deeply experienced and talented but are also among the most thoughtful colleagues I have known, committed to Columbia and to the success of every person and project they encounter. My gratitude for their selfless dedication to our institution is enormous.

For my part, sustaining the progress we have seen on 168th Street over the past two and a half years remains my highest priority, and I will continue to oversee many of the strategic initiatives launched since my arrival at the medical center. These include the continued evolution and growth of the Vagelos Institute of Biomedical Research Education, advancing the Precision Medicine Initiative, and solidifying our leadership in the field of cell engineering and therapy. My close partnership with Roy and Diana Vagelos, dedicated to advancing all aspects of VP&S, will remain unchanged, and I will keep in close contact with Interim Dean McKiernan and the rest of the exceptional VP&S leadership team. There are many opportunities before us to achieve greater integration with the University and to elevate the functions of the medical center. While I can say that I am committed to returning as dean of VP&S, more to the point is that I intend to remain visible, accessible, and actively engaged in ensuring the success of CUIMC and each of its schools during my time as interim president.

You will receive more information about this transition in the days ahead, and we will do all we can to answer your questions. As I say to you often, there is no more important work than what you do each day at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and no group of people whom I more deeply admire.

All my best,

Katrina A. Armstrong, MD
Interim President, Columbia University
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences
Chief Executive Officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor of the University