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Aug. 11, 2025

 

Dear SOM community,

 

Like many of you, I spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s shooting at Emory Point. I know you all join me in gratitude for the law enforcement agencies and the Emory Police Department (EPD) who responded so quickly, and especially to DeKalb County Officer David Rose, who gave his life to protect our community.

 

We are also grateful to so many of our teams and individuals across Emory University, the School of Medicine, and Emory University Hospital who did not hesitate to engage and respond. I was relieved to learn late Friday evening that our community members were all physically safe, yet I know that the mental and emotional effects of this tragedy may be difficult and lingering, especially for those who were on or near campus. Please remember that support resources are available if you need them.

 

As you may have seen in a message over the weekend from Interim President-elect Sears and President and Chancellor-elect Fenves, comprehensive security measures are in place across Emory University. Emory Healthcare CEO and EPVHA Joon Lee also confirmed that Emory Healthcare is accelerating security enhancements.

 

We encourage all employees and students to also take individual measures to enhance security.

  • Keep your badge with you at all times. All School of Medicine buildings remain badge-access only, with the exception of 1462 Clifton (a shared building).
  • Be sure you are signed up for text alerts from the University.
    • Log into OPUS (for students) or Peoplesoft (for employees) to enter your cell phone number and provider information.
    • Staff and faculty: After logging into Self Service at HR.emory.edu, go to “Personal Information,” then “Emergency Notification System.” Enter your cell phone number and select “yes” beside this statement: "I am willing to allow emergency text messages to this phone." Be sure to update your information if you change your cell phone number or mobile carrier.
    • Students: After logging into OPUS, go to “Emergency Alert” and verify your information.
  • Download the Emory Safe app. After downloading the app, go to “About/Preferences” tile, then “Notification Settings.” Ensure your notifications are enabled. We recommend checking this setting periodically to confirm you are still receiving notifications.

The Emory Ready page has more information about ways to be prepared for an emergency. As always, if you see any activity that seems suspicious, please report it to Emory Police Department. You can easily reach all emergency contacts through the EmorySafe app, or save the number for EPD in your phone: 404-727-6111.

 

I am so proud of how our faculty, staff, and students were checking on each other during and after the event. Thank you for continuing that support of each other.

 

My best,

 

Sandra

 

Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS 

Dean, Emory University School of Medicine 

Chief Academic Officer, Emory Healthcare 
 
 
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