As the year comes to a close, we bid a fond farewell to Dr. Joyce A. Mitchell as Chair of our department as she retires. The Department of Biomedical Informatics has achieved many successes over the years - many successes that may not have been possible without the leadership of Dr. Joyce A. Mitchell.
Dr. Joyce Mitchell came to the University of Utah in 2005 to serve as the department chair for Biomedical Informatics. Since coming to the University, Dr. Mitchell has been instrumental in creating a robust program in which she has hired 18 faculty members across all ranks and tracks of medicine and biomedical informatics. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Mitchell has:
- revamped the curriculum across all biomedical informatics courses;
- created an inter-professional education/research program in conjunction with the Nursing Informatics Program and College of Nursing;
- developed a curriculum thread in the revised School of Medicine curriculum focusing on biomedical informatics and information concepts and competencies;
- and developed a program for inclusion, mentoring, and funding for the Biomedical Informatics graduate program, which included a partnership with the University of Texas, Brownsville.
Dr. Mitchell has worn many hats in her tenure at the University of Utah. Not only has she served as department chair, but she has also served as Associate Vice President for Health Sciences IT (2007-12) and director of the Biomedical Informatics Core for the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS). She has served as president of the American College of Medical Informatics, chair of the Board of Regents, National Library of Medicine (NLM), and member of the NIH Council of Councils.
We are fortunate to have had Dr. Mitchell at the helm for the last seven years and wish her continued success in her retirement. She has been an exemplary advisor, colleague, and friend to the Department of Biomedical Informatics.
Join us in honoring Dr. Joyce Mitchell by supporting the Joyce A. Mitchell, Ph.D. Endowment in the Department of Biomedical Informatics. This endowment to celebrate Dr. Mitchell’s legacy will be used primarily to fund student scholarships for areas with the greatest need. During the first year of funding the endowment will benefit post-doctoral students in the Division of Clinical Informatics. In the event that the required amount to fund the endowment ($25,000 total) is not secured by December 31, 2014, all gifts in support of this endowment will be placed in Biomedical Informatics’ general account to be used for annual scholarships and fellowships.
Make a gift by visiting http://medicine.utah.edu/bmi/giving.php and clicking on the link for the online giving form. In the special instructions, please type “Joyce Mitchell Fund.”
John Crosby once said, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” Help me thank our distinguished mentor and chair, Dr. Joyce Mitchell, for pushing us to become the department we are today. Make a gift to the Joyce A. Mitchell, Ph.D. Endowment Fund in the Department of Biomedical Informatics.
WAYS TO GIVE
Online donation
Go to http://medicine.utah.edu/bmi/giving.php. You will find a link to the online giving form for Biomedical Informatics. Click the link and in the special instructions write “Joyce A. Mitchell Endowment”.
Cash or check donation
Make your check payable to “The University of Utah” and in the memo section write “Joyce A. Mitchell Endowment”. Mail your check to:
Health Sciences Development
C/o Taylor Scalley
University of Utah
540 Arapeen Dr., Suite 120
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Payroll deduction donation
Email Taylor Scalley at t.scalley@utah.edu. In your email state that you would like to make a payroll donation for the Joyce A. Mitchell Endowment, the amount you would like deducted each pay period and the length of your pledge (1 year, 2 years, etc.)