Strategic Initiatives 2021-2026

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has grown into one of the country’s leading academic medical centers and a destination for the finest healthcare. In each of our mission areas, we have made tremendous strides and our forward momentum shows no signs of slowing.

This year, a new set of strategic initiatives will guide us into the next stage of our development. Created with the vision and passion of many among our community, these initiatives serve as milestones on our journey forward and guideposts on our path to what is next for CU Anschutz.

To look forward, we first take a look back: Five years ago, we set a number of strategic priorities to guide our campus in key areas.

Those priorities were:

• investing in clinical excellence
• increasing and diversifying research funding
• investing in innovation
• escalating our work in mental health and wellness
• and boosting marketing efforts on a regional and national scale

With a focus on these priorities, we have made rapid advancements and elevated our competitive profile. Looking ahead, we will sustain progress in these areas while embarking on ambitious new initiatives that will further differentiate CU Anschutz as a leader and innovator.

Throughout 2020, we dedicated ourselves to charting our course from this foundation of strength. Our Office of Strategic Initiatives convened more than 700 stakeholders to help us cast our sights on our next chapter. From this intensive and inspiring work, we have developed five strategic initiatives that will take us into the future.

We are grateful to all of those who gave time and energy to the development of these initiatives including members of the steering committee and working groups, our partners at InWorks, and members of our extended community at UCHealth, Children’s Hospital Colorado and the cities of Aurora and Denver.

On this page, you will learn about these strategic initiatives, and where we are headed through 2026 and beyond. I hope you will share my excitement about these efforts, and all that lies ahead for our campus and our community.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Donald M. Elliman, Jr.
Chancellor

The future of healthcare is in the harmonization and smart application of data. We will build an integrated data infrastructure by investing in data analytics, health AI and bioinformatics.

By closely coordinating the vast amounts of information available to our work, we bring real-time data to our fingertips and make vital insights more accessible. Integrating data will help us uncover possibilities in research and patient care to improve more lives across the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. Creating a stronger data infrastructure will also give us an opportunity to monitor our success in diversity, equity and inclusion, and hold ourselves accountable to our goals.

Working across disciplines is key to the continued success of CU Anschutz. A healthcare innovation institute will accelerate collaboration and speed breakthroughs to market.

Such an institute is more than a building or a center - it is a vehicle to  create new partnerships and pathways to propel research discoveries. A healthcare innovation institute will step up the collaboration across disciplines already taking place on campus and attract more industry partners interested in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and delivery of  patient care.

At our core, we are an academic medical campus supporting learners to be the best in the healthcare workforce.

Connecting existing student support services and scaling up others will help ensure future leaders training here benefit from a strong sense of  belonging and thrive in an environment that promotes wellness. Growing our base of services and making resources for mental health and wellness easy to access will help us accomplish this goal.

As our campus continues to expand and attract the best and the brightest students from diverse backgrounds, we are also committed to investing in their success. With an eye toward diversity, equity and inclusion, we will make the CU Anschutz Medical Campus a welcoming and accessible destination for a diverse community of learners.

One of our primary missions on this campus is to save and improve lives – not just in Colorado, but across the region, country and globe. Ensuring that  patients are informed and have access to the resources they need to make  educated decisions about their own care is a big part of how we do that.

Working closely with UCHealth, Children’s Hospital Colorado and other healthcare partners, we will make medicine easier and more accessible for  patients.

By bringing the latest and best technologies to improve access and care – telehealth, econsults, remote monitoring and more - we will empower our  patients by giving them the tools to navigate their own care and by putting their own data to work for them.

Our people are our greatest asset. By investing in their growth and development, we help them reach even greater heights.

Over the next several years, we will identify new ways to help our  employees advance in lasting, fulfilling careers within the University of Colorado system.

That is why we will be designing career pathways to expand access to employment, inspire professional growth, promote mental health and wellness, and accelerate career advancement.

We will also be pursuing hiring practices that promote a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as evaluating innovative approaches to  tenure and promotion.