Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,  

We are pleased to announce that Victor Rizzo, PhD has been appointed as the permanent Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, effective November 1. Dr. Rizzo has served as Interim Associate Dean since September 2023, and his leadership during this period has strengthened the Graduate Studies program, fostering a collaborative environment for students and faculty alike.  

Since joining Katz in 2004, Dr. Rizzo has made significant contributions to the school's research and education missions. As a member of the Cardiovascular Research Center, Dr. Rizzo received funding from the NIH, AHA and other agencies for his original research. As a Professor in the Dept. Of Biomedical Education and Data Sciences, Dr. Rizzo has instructed students in many of our professional programs. His expertise and dedication to biomedical sciences and student mentorship have been integral to his success, making him a natural fit for this expanded role.  

As Associate Dean, Dr. Rizzo will oversee the registration, curriculum coordination, and academic progress of MS and PhD students, ensuring the highest standards of education. Dr. Rizzo will also manage the MD/PhD Program in partnership with the Programs Director, all while continuing his active involvement in graduate student teaching, advisement, faculty collaborations, and research initiatives.  

Dr. Rizzo’s commitment to excellence and his passion for mentoring students will continue to guide our Graduate Studies program toward further growth and success. We look forward to the impact he will have in shaping the future of our graduate education. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Rizzo on his well-deserved appointment! 

Sincerely,

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

Please see below an announcement from Mary Burke, Vice President for Institutional Advancement for Temple University naming Georgeann Moore as Katz's permanent Assistant Dean of Development and Alumni Relations. Georgeann’s dedication and influence have been instrumental to advancing our mission. Throughout her tenure here, she has built impactful relationships, aligning donor passion with the school’s strategic goals and fundraising priorities. Her work has strengthened our ability to drive forward Katz’s vision for advancing medical education, research and patient care, and we look forward to all that she will continue to accomplish on behalf of our school and alumni.

Please join me in congratulating Georgeann as she steps into this well-deserved role.

Sincerely,

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine

A team at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, part of Temple Health, has been awarded nearly $1 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to help improve antibiotic prescribing for children with acute respiratory tract infections.

“Many children with symptoms of upper respiratory tract illness who are taken to see a pediatrician end up being prescribed antibiotics, even though they aren’t always needed,” explained Janet Lee, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Dr. Lee and Claire Raab, MD, President and CEO of Temple Faculty Physicians, will co-lead the new PCORI initiative.

“Working with physicians and families, we want to contextualize for the community the significance of inappropriate antibiotic use and potential for antibiotic resistance,” Lee explained. Assuring appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use in pediatric populations can help prevent drug-resistant infections and avoid adverse side effects.

“Thanks to the new funding award, Dr. Lee and I can now spearhead vital progress toward greater antibiotic stewardship,” Dr. Raab said. “This funding will enable us to conduct groundbreaking work that will significantly benefit our community. The initiative also aligns perfectly with our commitment to evidence-based care.”

"The funding from PCORI further strengthens our mission at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine to deliver care that is both innovative and deeply rooted in the needs of our community," said Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean, Lewis Katz School of Medicine. "We are proud to lead initiatives that improve clinical outcomes and engage families and clinicians in ways that make care more accessible and effective for our youngest patients."

“This PCORI funding award will support Temple Health in promoting antibiotic stewardship for children with acute respiratory tract infections,” said PCORI Executive Director Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH. “This project exemplifies PCORI's commitment to advancing the uptake of evidence into health care delivery settings to enable parents, caregivers and clinicians to make informed health care decisions and improve care delivery and health outcomes. We look forward to following the project’s progress and collaborating with Temple Health to share its results.”

In a previous PCORI-funded patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) study, researchers found that broad-spectrum antibiotics carry a greater risk of side effects relative to narrow-spectrum antibiotics, even though the two are equally effective in treating acute respiratory tract infections in children. The new initiative aims to implement and leverage these findings to improve antibiotic prescribing and stewardship.

“Along with implementing prior research to decrease broad-spectrum antibiotic use, we also are involving patients and families in focus groups and engaging with providers who see adult patients to help elevate the pediatric voice and guide messaging on antibiotic use,” Dr. Lee explained. Ultimately, these efforts could help delay the prescribing of antibiotics until their use is deemed absolutely necessary.

Temple Health is a participant in PCORI’s Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII) and was selected for funding through a PCORI opportunity in which HSII participants were recruited to promote evidence-based practice, based on findings generated from PCORI-funded patient-centered CER. HSII aims to reduce the estimated 17-year gap between evidence publication and clinical application. The initiative recognizes that practical experience and real-world insights acquired in diverse health care settings and health systems are crucial for sustainable, large-scale implementation of practice-changing findings in clinical care.

The funding support for Drs. Lee and Raab has been approved pending completion of PCORI’s business and programmatic review and issuance of a formal award contract.

PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress with a mission to fund patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research that provides patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information they need to make better-informed health and health care decisions.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the latest addition to the Dean's Office at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Please join me in welcoming Katie Griffin as our new Executive Assistant to the Dean. I would also like to recognize and thank Michaela Baus for her tremendous support during this transition. 

Already a member of our Temple family, Katie brings over 20 years of dedicated experience in administrative roles within higher education, streamlining processes, enhancing communications and supporting senior leadership. Most recently, Katie served as the Executive Assistant to Temple’s Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications, where she provided high-level executive support and played a key role in office operations, HR processes, and financial management. Prior to her work at SM+C, she spent six years at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine in the Office of Institutional Advancement, where she was involved in managing Board of Visitors meetings and supporting key development initiatives.  

In her new role as Executive Assistant to the Dean, Katie will report to Kendra Kirk, Associate Vice Dean, Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff, and manage Michaela and Sharri Reese-Banks. She will lead the Dean’s Office administration to ensure the efficient functioning of the office and be a key liaison between the Dean’s Office and internal and external partners. 

We are excited to have Katie join us and are confident that her skills and experience will greatly contribute to the school’s continued success. Please join me in welcoming her back to Katz. 

Sincerely,

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine