Everyone loves inspiring beginnings and happy endings; it is just the “middles” that involve the hard and messy work. “In the middle, everything looks like failure,” says Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, whose tenet is known as Kanter’s Law.

Yet, it’s in the messy middle that new ideas are born; new collaborations occur. The stories in this issue are a testament to that. In the middle of this mess, we know as the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of health care and TTUHSC is taking shape.

Our faculty and staff have delivered exceptional health care education online for many years. COVID-19 brought an opportunity for innovation in delivering virtual experiences in simulation and gross anatomy as well as other areas.

TTUHSC was among the pioneers in telemedicine. In recent years, we’ve branched out to offer nontraditional services such as mental health and speech therapy. COVID-19 ushered in a new era in telehealth, gaining more payer support, which will allow us to establish a comprehensive telehealth program that encompasses all campuses and academic programs.

And finally, we’ve been able to look at collaboration in a much different way than ever before. Look at what the West Texas 3D COVID-19 Relief Consortium accomplished. We can build an infrastructure that will support collaboration, bring barriers down around it and move forward.

I’m beyond grateful to lead my alma mater during the thick of what may be the hardest, messiest work any of us have ever done.

TTUHSC is a national leader in academic health care education, research and patient care, poised to make an even greater impact. We have over 40 academic health programs that are the top in Texas — and when you’re in the top in Texas, you’re among the top in the nation.

I genuinely believe that on the other side of this messy middle, the lessons learned and innovations achieved will enhance our delivery of health care specifically in West Texas, but applicable worldwide.