Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning at Harvard Medical School
Phase I: September 2007-September 2008 Report by Jeffrey S. Flier, MD Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Introduction
This report summarizes the yearlong strategic planning process that I initiated in September 2007 and formally launched in November, soon after being named dean. It has been my great pleasure to see our extraordinary community rise to this challenge and to personally get to know and work closely with so many wonderful individuals. I am deeply grateful to all who have contributed their good will, ideas, time, and energy to this important effort. The Harvard Medical community is truly remarkable, with excellence that spans the full spectrum of biomedical education, clinical care, and research. This enviable position is the result of organic growth: the product of the ideas, initiative, and independent action of our students and faculty, our basic science and clinical departments, and the School and our partner institutions. This grassroots approach has served us well, and it is critical that we value the individual elements that collectively make us great. I am fully committed to nurturing our faculty, departments, and partners and the spirit of curiosity-driven learning and investigation—as well as the excellent clinical care—that they embody. At the same time, we cannot rest on our laurels or be satisfied by individual accomplishments. Our mission is to serve society by making medical discoveries and translating them into improved public health, and by training the next generation of scientists and clinicians. All our efforts, including strategic planning, are founded on this mission. Our goals require not only that each of us thrive on his or her own, but also that we work together toward a larger purpose. While celebrating the successes of our past and present, we must also envision and prepare for the future that these innovations have created—the one in which our students and our children will live and
Phase I: September 2007-September 2008 Report by Jeffrey S. Flier, MD Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Introduction
This report summarizes the yearlong strategic planning process that I initiated in September 2007 and formally launched in November, soon after being named dean. It has been my great pleasure to see our extraordinary community rise to this challenge and to personally get to know and work closely with so many wonderful individuals. I am deeply grateful to all who have contributed their good will, ideas, time, and energy to this important effort. The Harvard Medical community is truly remarkable, with excellence that spans the full spectrum of biomedical education, clinical care, and research. This enviable position is the result of organic growth: the product of the ideas, initiative, and independent action of our students and faculty, our basic science and clinical departments, and the School and our partner institutions. This grassroots approach has served us well, and it is critical that we value the individual elements that collectively make us great. I am fully committed to nurturing our faculty, departments, and partners and the spirit of curiosity-driven learning and investigation—as well as the excellent clinical care—that they embody. At the same time, we cannot rest on our laurels or be satisfied by individual accomplishments. Our mission is to serve society by making medical discoveries and translating them into improved public health, and by training the next generation of scientists and clinicians. All our efforts, including strategic planning, are founded on this mission. Our goals require not only that each of us thrive on his or her own, but also that we work together toward a larger purpose. While celebrating the successes of our past and present, we must also envision and prepare for the future that these innovations have created—the one in which our students and our children will live and