My Gratitude for Our Meaningful Connections this Season

Dear Colleagues, 

As we wind down the semester and enter a new holiday season, I want to express my deepest gratitude for all you have done and continue to do for our students, for our university and for each other.   

This year has undoubtedly been marked with challenges we have had to face — challenges we faced as a united front. We came together to chart a new path forward.  

For example, you helped convene the Consortium for Understanding and Reducing Infectious Diseases in Kentucky (CURE-KY) to help our state address urgent health issues. This transdisciplinary effort is marked by collaborations from clinicians, epidemiologists, behavioral researchers and basic scientists — working as one to effect change in our communities and their health.  

If our goal is to advance Kentucky in all that we do, we must help prepare the next generation to continue that mission. Educating our students happens in your classrooms, your research spaces and your studios. It takes place during your office hours, review sessions and in tutoring centers.  

But guiding them to realize their full potential — that is an effort each one of you put forth every day in concert with your colleagues, peers and partners across UK. 

I see that effort in the partnerships you create with each other. I see it in the ways you mentor and guide your students. I see it in the care and dedication you devote to your patients.   

I see each of you, and I am profoundly grateful for all you have done and continue to do — together.   

If there is one thing I have come to realize in my career working with faculty, staff and students, it’s that our impact is magnified when we work together to reach a shared goal. 

This year, you came together to build new bridges and connections. Next year, I hope we reach even greater heights — united in our mission to advance Kentucky. 

I want to extend my deepest thanks to you for inspiring each other — and me — to be our best selves.  

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. 

Warmest regards, 

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D.  
Provost