February 15, 2023
Dear Healers and Leaders:
On Monday as I returned from Michigan and upon landing at JFK, I noticed Thaddeus and Ashley had sent a text alerting me that there was an active shooter at Michigan State University (MSU). I was numb. I remember getting ice cream at the Union and our bucolic campus with mischievous squirrels located on the banks of the Red Cedar River. I was attracted to MSU College of Human Medicine for their mission of serving the people; very similar to the CUNY School of Medicine. MSU is where I learned how to be a doctor and to serve those who were vulnerable and marginalized. I am proud to be a Spartan MD.
This week, our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Michigan State University community. Once again senseless gun violence continues to plague our nation and has shattered another university campus. I am incredibly sad and angry that anyone can determine the last day of life for so many innocents while critically wounding others due to the failure to address gun violence. We, the CUNY School of Medicine, extend our support to the victims of this violence, as well as all of the faculty, students, and staff at Michigan State who have been affected by this tragedy. These senseless tragedies diminish us all. It is time to view this as a population health issue that can be dismantled and must be eliminated.
As an alumna of the MSU’s College of Human Medicine and alumna board member, the MSU campus and community has and will always hold a special place in my heart. I am deeply distressed that several young people on campus were prior victims of Sandy Hook and Oxford. I have reached out to my friends and colleagues at MSU including, Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Dean Aron Sousa, Senior Associate Dean Wanda Lipscomb, and others to extend my condolences and to offer our school’s support to their community. No words can change what has happened, but please know that we will be keeping the MSU community in our thoughts, and holding them in our hearts. I will be sending the College of Human Medicine a sympathy card and hope you will come by and sign the card located in the Dean’s Office.
As a community of healers and leaders, I am asking you to take good care of yourselves and to find ways to support each other. If you or if you see that someone is struggling, please say something. We remain the home of healers and leaders only if we all are healthy and well. I encourage every member of the CUNY School of Medicine family to support one another during this difficult time. I remind you that support resources are available on campus for students, faculty, and staff though our Counseling and Wellness Office. You can contact them through their e-mail
counseling@med.cuny.edu
or office number at 212-650-8429.
Lastly, I share a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson to inspire the MSU community and us all in the days and weeks ahead, “like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.”
With heartfelt support,
Carmen Renée Green, MD
Dean
Last Updated: 02/16/2023 15:30