Since the rollout of Inspiring Excellence, Katz’ Strategic Plan 2024–2029 this summer, the Lewis Katz School of Medicine community has come together to begin work on implementation. Implementation workgroups, composed of members from across the Katz community have been working steadily to build the foundation for advancing the plan’s initiatives.
A key component of the plan’s development was crafting new mission and vision statements for the school:
Our Mission
To align with our diverse communities to advance medicine and improve health through education, research, training, and the development of the next generation of clinicians, educators, and scientists.
Our Vision
To inspire a new standard of excellence in education and research while leading social change in medicine.
The plan is rooted in a deep commitment to not just saying or sharing our mission and vision, but living them.
"I begin every meeting with our mission and vision, and I encourage other leaders to do the same. It sets the tone and helps ensure that we keep a focus on these critical guideposts, both in our day-to-day work and as we build towards the future,” Dean Goldberg explained.
Tactics to Support our Strategic Priorities
The strategic plan lays out ambitious goals that align with Katz’s mission to advance medicine and improve health. These include expanding education and training programs, growing research capabilities, attracting and retaining top talent, fostering a sense of community and well-being, ensuring access to affordable education, and building a sustainable foundation for the school’s future.
Achieving these goals requires thoughtful tactics, developed as part of the plan and further refined by the implementation workgroups. For example, the focus on fostering a dynamic research environment includes enhancing and aligning organizational recruitment and retention strategies for research and clinical service areas, and establishing an Office for Research Development, including a formal operating plan. Tactics to enhance program offerings to attract and support diverse students include expanding support services like counseling and academic assistance, and conducting a targeted campaign to raise funds for tuition scholarships. These and other strategies are detailed in the initiative sections of the portal, where the full range of tactics can be explored.
Infrastructure to Ensure Momentum
In September, Samar Khan joined Katz as Project Manager for Strategic Initiatives, bringing experience from the Fox School of Business. As part of the Dean’s Office, Khan collaborates with school leadership, implementation workgroups, and various departments to oversee progress, ensuring that efforts align with the school’s long-term goals and that the school achieves its strategic vision through consistency, adaptability, and ongoing alignment.
Building on a Foundation of Collaboration
The implementation workgroups play a critical role in translating the strategic plan into actionable steps. Each group is led by dedicated champions who provide leadership, foster collaboration, and guide the group’s focus around implementation. These champions work together to ensure that processes are efficient, ideas are practical, and the overall goals are met.
The workgroups themselves represent the depth and diversity of the Katz community, drawing on members from various departments, roles, and locations, including the university and the health system. Faculty, staff, and other stakeholders collaborate to bring a wide range of perspectives to the table, ensuring that solutions are inclusive and effective. You can view the full list of workgroup members in the portal section dedicated to each initiative.
These individuals are not only leaders in their respective areas but also collaborators who are taking on this work in addition to their regular responsibilities. Their participation and engagement highlight their dedication to Temple’s mission and shared purpose.
Dean Goldberg shared her gratitude, saying, "I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the members of the strategic plan steering committee, and the implementation workgroups and their champions. They have embraced the important work of mapping how we will move our priorities forward. Together, our Temple Family is not just imagining the future of medicine - we are building it."
Reaching a Milestone: A New Regional Campus
A major milestone was reached in September with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and WellSpan Health to establish a new regional medical campus in York County. This proposed campus will mark Katz’s second regional campus, adding to the existing partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The collaboration will bring Katz’s nationally recognized medical education to central Pennsylvania, with the first class of approximately 40 students beginning in August 2027 and graduating in May 2031. The campus will employ more than 100 Katz faculty and a staff of 30, and it is expected to contribute to innovations in research and clinical trials while advancing WellSpan’s existing residency and fellowship programs.
Explore the Plan
