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Friends, 

I’ve spent the last three weekends visiting with alumni and university friends. There has been a good deal of time on , and I have met many wonderful people who love this university and the multitudes it contains. Our alumni in particular are brimming with stories and memories, and one of the joys from last weekend was watching alumni from find each other for the first time since graduation. My thanks to Betty Kung CMS ‘94 and Albert Shen CMS ‘94 for hosting us at their lovely home last weekend as we brought together a group of Northern California alumni to talk and hear what is new at RFU.

It was a fun event and not just because there was a taco truck, although a taco truck is always a good start for a gathering.

Visiting and meeting alumni is very useful to me as I try to learn as much as I can about the university, past and present, and events like these give me a chance to talk about the work of our people, present and future. You can probably guess what I talk about: our great students, our spectacular staff, and our faculty, who not only run excellent educational programs but also do great research and lead important community programs that support our neighbors in need. They are always interested to hear that about 20% of our students donate time to one of the country’s best student-run, free clinics each year, and that our care coach provides vaccination and health care to people who have no other opportunities, and that we have innovated to provide health care to Child Advocacy Centers. I also talk about how Helix 51 is Lake County’s only biomedical startup, and how we have leading research and clinical programs. Basically, I remind them why they should be proud of their alma mater and what can come next. 

Universities, like ours, are known mostly for educational work, but we fill an essential economic role for our community. As an example, our university operations, employees, and students create nearly $250 million in economic activity for the Chicagoland economy each year. That is remarkable, and there is more we can do. Universities are the linchpin of innovation economies; we produce the talent companies need, and, in the biotechnology world, discoveries by faculty, staff, and students lead to new companies and opportunities. 

We are the only research university in Lake County, which is one of the most successful biomedical economies in the country. Helix 51 and the Innovation and Research Park are part of our investment in the growth of the Chicago area and the job opportunities they bring to our neighbors. 

Those of you who are regular readers of this update know that I want us to be active in our communities and provide opportunities and support to our neighbors. Sometimes our contribution is direct care, sometimes it is education, sometimes we provide jobs, and sometimes our innovations contribute to products that help people. That last piece, the translation from discovery to a product people can use, is the purpose of Helix 51 through supporting early businesses. We do a great job, and as Lake County moves to further expand the biotechnology economy around us, our investments and talent enhance opportunity. There are next steps for us, such as supporting faculty who file for patents and create spin-off companies, and we are forming a task force to work on our student entrepreneurial programs. We also need to work on venture capital opportunities that support our community and partners. These are all opportunities for partnership with foundations, businesses, and the NGO community around us.

We each can play a part in the work before us - none of us has to do everything, and each faculty collaboration, staff partnership, alumni patient visit, and student study session on the brink of finals contributes to our work, especially if we share our lives with our neighbors. Amongst the noise and haste, life’s desiderata are everywhere for discovery—assuredly at the taco truck where everyone has a story worthy of our time and attention.

Improving the wellness of all people with you,
Aron

Aron Sousa, MD
President