Utah
Rachel Hess, MD, MS, Named Chief Research Officer for University of Utah Health
Rachel Hess, MD, MS, has been named the inaugural System Chief Research Officer for University of Utah Health, effective immediately.
University of Utah Health has established the position of System Chief Research Officer (CRO) to provide strategic leadership for University of Utah Health’s research enterprise, fostering alignment, innovation, and growth across all health sciences disciplines. Reporting to the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, the CRO will be responsible for defining the research vision, overseeing research operations, and ensuring the effective integration of basic, translational, clinical, and population science across the system. The CRO will also guide strategic investment, promote collaboration with campus and community partners, and enhance the institution’s national and international research profile. This systemwide role underscores University of Utah Health’s commitment to advancing discovery and translating science into meaningful health outcomes for patients and populations.
“With this new role, we are positioning University of Utah Health to lead the next era of academic research and innovation,” says Bob Carter, MD, PhD, CEO and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences at University of Utah Health. “The System Chief Research Officer will help align and elevate our research mission, fostering collaboration, driving excellence, and amplifying the impact of our work locally and nationally. Rachel Hess’ leadership reflects a deep commitment to improving lives through science and strengthening the research community that makes it possible.”
Since joining University of Utah Health in 2014, Hess has held numerous leadership roles advancing research excellence and translation across the health system. She served as Associate Vice President for Research for Health Sciences, Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Science, and Chief of the Division of Health System Innovation and Research. She is the H.A. and Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair and Co-Principal Investigator of the University of Utah’s NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Awards (CTSA) program. Throughout her tenure, Hess has championed collaborative, data-driven approaches to improve population health and patient outcomes, strengthening Utah’s national reputation as a leader in clinical and translational science.
Over the course of her tenure as Associate Vice President for Research for Health Sciences, research awards across U of U Health have grown by $60M, exceeding $531M in FY25, while research proposals have increased by $500M to over $2.2B in FY25. Two new initiatives in data science and digital health have grown into integral, impactful parts of our university while another, the Center for Metabolic Health (formally the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center), has been officially recognized as a university center. Recognition of our faculty, both in national forums and through local celebrations, has become an annual tradition.
Hess is a board-certified internist and physician-scientist with extensive expertise in clinical research and population health. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis and a medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital and served as chief resident at the West Penn clinical campus, followed by a fellowship in general internal medicine and women’s health at the University of Pittsburgh and VA Pittsburgh Medical Center. Hess also earned a master’s of science in clinical research from the University of Pittsburgh.
“I’m honored to take on this new system role within University of Utah Health,” Hess said. “As chief research officer, I look forward to working with our teams to accelerate discovery from the lab to the clinic, expand our research funding through philanthropic and commercial partnerships, and invest in the exceptional talent that drives our innovation. Together, we will translate research into real-world impact, improving health and transforming lives across Utah and beyond.”
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.
Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.
Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.
“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”
When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.
An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.
In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.
Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.
Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.
In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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