At the College of Health Sciences, our faculty, staff, students and alumni are driven by a commitment to serve. Everything we do leads toward one outcome: helping people achieve optimal health. I’m always humbled as stories unfold declaring this mission in the Commonwealth and beyond.

You see, it’s the people behind our successes who are changing the world. Our college would simply be four walls and a roof without faculty who are dedicated to educating the next generation of competent, passionate health care providers; students who are determined to learn and serve; researchers who desire to shake up the health care landscape; and clinicians who are devoted to providing frontline patient care.

This issue of Synergy will bring you face to face with many of those stories. You will hear about an undergraduate student who bridged a gap between ordinary citizens and health care legislation, a CHS alumni who was so moved by the needs of Kenyan children that she built a home there to serve, and many other examples of how the people behind the College of Health Sciences are embracing the values of excellence and selfless service.

With the right people, anything is possible. Every day, the people who are the fabric of CHS remind me that we can leave here at our best because of our promise to foster every person’s potential and brilliance.