A message from Dr. Paul Ramsey
Consistent with our mission to improve the health of the public, UW Medicine leaders are committed to advancing research, education and clinical care programs to improve brain health. We have launched multiple programs over the last several years, including the Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions that began in 2019 under the leadership of Dr. Jürgen Unützer, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Recognizing that medical conditions impacting brain health constitute the largest adverse impact on the health of the public (followed by heart disease and cancer), visionary donors Mike and Lynn Garvey provided generous funding to establish the multidisciplinary institute focused on solutions.
I write today to recognize and thank many individuals across UW Medicine who are leading work to improve brain health. There are hundreds of staff and faculty who are making important contributions. I will only mention a few in this message. In addition to Dr. Unützer, Lisa Brandenburg (President of UW Medicine’s Hospitals & Clinics) and Cindy Hecker (Chief Executive Officer of UW Medical Center) have been working with their leadership teams to prepare for the new UW Medicine Behavioral Health Teaching Facility that is under construction at UW Medical Center’s Northwest Campus. Jürgen and Lisa are also working with Sommer Kleweno Walley (Chief Executive Officer of Harborview Medical Center) to coordinate plans for UW Medicine’s behavioral and mental health programs with plans for advancing behavioral healthcare at Harborview, including the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center.
We are extremely grateful to Gov. Jay Inslee and the numerous behavioral health champions in the Washington State Legislature for supporting enhanced training programs for mental health professionals, advancing the use of telepsychiatry and funding the UW Medicine Behavioral Health Teaching Facility. We are also very grateful to Connie and Steve Ballmer and other local philanthropists for their support for training the next generation of mental health professionals. This vital support from our state and local governments and from private donors like the Garveys and Ballmers enables UW Medicine faculty and staff to develop innovative approaches to address mental and behavioral health challenges statewide.
This commitment across UW Medicine to focus efforts in areas that are adversely impacting health is an outstanding example of integrating research and educational programs with clinical care across our health system to advance the mission of improving health for all people. I deeply appreciate the excellent work of our staff and faculty. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Paul G. Ramsey, M.D.
CEO, UW Medicine
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and
Dean of the School of Medicine,
University of Washington
Photo caption: Community leaders celebrate groundbreaking Oct. 15 at UW Medical Center-Northwest for the UW Medicine Behavioral Health Teaching Facility (from left to right): Gov. Jay Inslee, David Frockt, Rogelio Riojas, Frank Chopp, Rashi Gupta, Ana Mari Cauce, Larry Brown, Cindy Hecker, Jürgen Unützer.
