From the President

Mon, 23 May 2022 01:04:00 EDT

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” HENRY FORD

Nearly a half century ago, leaders from Hampton Roads’ civic, philanthropic and medical communities came together around a novel idea. They started a medical school, EVMS, founded by the community, for the community. The concept proved transformative. In the 49 years since, EVMS has trained thousands of skilled medical and health professionals and attracted some of most respected and forward-thinking clinicians, researchers and educators in their fields — including, of course, Dr. L.D. Britt, whose ongoing legacy of excellence is highlighted in this month’s issue.

Through EVMS’ community partnerships, clinical services and research — along with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion — we continue to live and breathe our founding mandate. We strive to reduce health disparities. We lift up and work alongside others. We educate and train students and care for our community members to the best of our abilities with a spirit of optimism and compassion and an eye, always, to the future.

From the beginning, trusted partners who believe in EVMS’ mission have invested in our work, but in the face of rising costs in healthcare and education, our position as an independent school of medical and health professions is becoming more challenging to sustain. Meanwhile, the stakes are high. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic brought into greater focus the many public health issues that demand our attention — highlighting the need for enhanced mental health support; better resources for chronic disease research and management; new tools and strategies to address health inequities; and more time, talent and technology to better prepare our educators, learners, providers and community for future health crises — not to mention the significant workforce shortage that is anticipated in Hampton Roads.

That is why EVMS signed an agreement with Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University last fall to start the ONE School of Public Health, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the Commonwealth, and one that Sentara Healthcare generously supported with a $2 million gift. In December 2021, EVMS, ODU and Sentara also signed a separate Memorandum of Understanding to explore ways closer alignment or affiliation between EVMS and ODU could enhance our collaborative efforts to strengthen our educational programs and healthcare outcomes in Hampton Roads.

Since then, leaders from each institution have met regularly to discuss ideas while engaging independently with our respective school communities to ensure questions and concerns — along with our overarching values and cultures — are shared among all parties. There is much work still to be done, and no foregone conclusions, but the discussions so far have been meaningful and enlightening because all groups involved share a deep commitment to the health of people living in Hampton Roads.

During this process, people sometimes ask me, “Why is EVMS exploring this kind of partnership now?” Collaboration is in our DNA. The community leaders who established EVMS acted boldly to address challenges they saw in Hampton Roads. To meet our community’s health needs today, and far into the future, we need similarly forward-thinking solutions. I am confident we will find them.

As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2023-2024, I am so proud to say that EVMS is most assuredly still a school founded by the community, for the community. We are committed to building on our strong foundation, so that EVMS staff, faculty and students can continue to work, learn and teach with the highest possible levels of efficiency, engagement and innovation toward a healthier, more equitable and more resilient future for everyone.

Read more magazine stories from issue 14.2 or read stories from past issues.