Folklore says that “topping-out” ceremonies come from an ancient Scandinavian rite where builders put trees and branches on top of new structures to ward off evil spirits. Whether that is true or not, the rain held off long enough for the Translational Research Center's topping-out ceremony on Monday, May 2.

UMMC representatives joined Fountain Construction and Foil Wyatt Architects at the construction site north of the Arthur C. Guyton Research Center to celebrate the successful end of this construction phase. But instead of a tree, the crane raised a white iron construction beam bearing their signatures to the roof.

For the record, Dr. Dan Jones is neither retiring nor dying.

However, Jones, professor and interim chair of the Department of Medicine and director of clinical and population science in the obesity center, did deliver UMMC's first Last Lecture. Students, staff and faculty filled the Norman C. Nelson Student Union on May 4 to listen to the former vice chancellor and UM chancellor present, “Lessons from My Patients.”

Last Lecture speakers are encouraged to deliver the message they would give if they knew this was their final chance to speak publicly. Dr. Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, popularized the Last Lecture in 2007 when he gave a talk one month after learning he had metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Jones encouraged faculty members to consider what they might say in their own last lectures then shared his message. He addressed the students and other learners because “medicine is a life-long learning experience.

The Medical Center is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff.

The state legislature honors UMMC's "CMO to know," the first cohort completes the Medical Center's leadership program and dental hygiene students garner national acclaim.