May 31, 2006

Dear Colleagues:

As many of you know, for the last two years each of our medical students has had a “home” in one of four Advisory Colleges in the School of Medicine, organizations that bring them together with specially assigned faculty who are their master teachers and professional advisers throughout their student careers. Until now the colleges were simply called “A,” “B,” “C” and “D.” As they became a target of historical opportunity, however, momentum built for richer nomenclature, names that would reflect the rich traditions of medical education at the School.

It was therefore with great satisfaction that we officially announced on Tuesday, May 30 at the White Coat Ceremony that, based on recommendations of a widely representative group and a rigorous process, Colleges A, B, C and D will now be called, respectively, Sabin, Thomas, Nathans and Taussig. These names honor not only the memories of Daniel Nathans, Florence Sabin, Helen Taussig, and Vivien Thomas, but also the contributions they made to the educational excellence that is so much a part of their legacy to current and future students.

It is time to thank the very able members of the naming committee, organized to take full advantage of student participation and chaired by Rob Shochet, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine and director of the Colleges Advisory Program. The committee included 16 students (representing all classes and the M.D./Ph.D. program), five faculty, and representatives from Development, the Chesney Medical Archives and Marketing and Communications.

Beginning last fall, committee members asked not only students and faculty, but also alumni for names that captured the core values -- humanistic, professional, and scholarly – to which all students and faculty aspire, and which we could proudly link to the Colleges for all time.

In total, the committee fielded nearly 150 naming suggestions, including Baltimore landmarks and personalities, ancient cities and physicians, and values (in Latin) of professionalism. Ultimately, the committee decided the colleges should be named after prominent Hopkins educators. Those alive today were not eligible and those already formally honored received less preference. Emphasis was also placed on diversity. After careful consideration of all candidates, the committee finally narrowed their search down to the four names they felt best embodied the tradition and mission of the Advisory Colleges.

Dan Nathans, a winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize for his discovery of the chemical knives that cut DNA, was a superb mentor and brilliant voice for academic integrity. Helen Taussig was honored for her pioneering work in congenital heart disease and for her clinical teaching and devotion to her young patients. Vivien Thomas, an African American surgery assistant, was one of the heroes of the blue-baby operation who went on to teach generations of prominent surgeons at the School. And Florence Sabin, a dedicated pathologist and anatomist who made significant contributions to the field of histology, became, in 1917, the School's first woman full professor.

Sincerely,

Edward D. Miller, M.D.
Dean/CEO
Johns Hopkins Medicine

David Nichols, M.D.
Vice Dean for Education
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine