Please read this message from Executive Dean Dr. Cristy Page and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Jennifer Wu regarding spring semester course formats.
Dear Colleagues,
We want to thank each of you for your time and effort as we work together to face another challenging COVID surge. You are handling rising numbers of patients, absences, logistical challenges, as well as uncertainty about what is to come, and this is no small feat.
Thank you for everything you are doing.
While many of us are involved in clinical care and research, it is important that we also keep in mind our educational objectives. To that end, we want to provide guidance as we enter the spring semester that builds upon the most recent information provided by Chancellor Guskiewicz, Provost Blouin and Dr. Barzin in light of the rise of the omicron variant.
Our community includes a wide variety of learners and learning environments, and our primary objective is to move forward with our mission and to do so safely. We have been in close communication with our associate and senior associate deans, and we would like to provide the following guidelines regarding spring semester plans:
- In-person instruction remains the default for all courses, including didactic courses.
- Consult with your respective associate or senior associate dean if a class or individual sessions should meet virtually for a limited time, and please consider whether (1) the remote option is important for your health or the health of your students and (2) your material can be delivered effectively.
- Donita Robinson for the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP)
- Beat Steiner for the MD Program
- Stephen Hooper for Allied Health Sciences
- Courses may not switch to virtual for the entire semester.
- Clinical placements, regional campus placements and laboratory experiences will continue as per program and/or site requirements.
Should you have additional questions, please reach out your respective associate or senior associate dean from the list above.
We will continue to monitor the evolving COVID surge, and we will stay in communication about any changes that occur. Thank you again for everything you are doing to help your teammates, to help our learners and trainees, and to keep our community safe during these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Cristy and Jennifer
Executive Dean Dr. Cristy Page
Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Jennifer Wu