“The best example of leadership is leadership by example.”
~Jerry McClain
June 24, 2011
Dear Colleagues and Friends:
Partnership and Collaboration Cemented … A BIG Thanks to our University Hospital Partners …
We are extremely pleased to have reached a new partnership with University Hospital which will jointly expand an academic affiliation. This collaboration will support undergraduate, graduate and health professions education of students and residents. We want to thank Mr. Jim Davis, Dr. Randy Smith, Mr. Lee Smith, and Dr. Azziz for their exceptional leadership in forging this partnership and we are looking forward to working with our colleagues at University Hospital to bring this exciting opportunity to fruition. This IS great news for our community.
Synchronicity … Big BANG!!! …
The big bang go-live is Tuesday June 28 and we ARE ready. Thanks to all of you for your hard work and diligence in ensuring a remarkable 100% enrollment and now almost full completion of the training … This is an outstanding achievement in itself … The Command Center has worked hard to be responsive in fixing the initial slowness of Synchronicity operations and this now appears to be resolved … of course, we know that all of us will still be slow getting acquainted with Synchronicity in the clinics next week … That is why we have adjusted clinic schedules to support implementation of Synchronicity. Thanks to all of you for your support and engagement. For FAQs, please visit http://ehr.georgiahealth.edu/. We also have a PowerNote tutorial and it can be found here http://hi.georgiahealth.edu/trainmedia/. We thank everyone for your continued perseverance with this very important initiative … more later …
SE Georgia Open House …
As reported in a previous Dean’s Diary, our SE Georgia Clinical Campus will begin classes July 1. We recently had the pleasure of attending the open house for the new facilities at St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital. We want to thank Mr. Paul Hinchey, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s/Candler and to Mr. Gary Colberg, COO of Southeast Georgia Health System, for support, partnership and leadership with the SE Georgia Campus. We also want to thank Dr. Kathryn Martin and Dr. Wayne Rentz for their leadership in developing this clinical campus which will span both Savannah and Brunswick. We also appreciate the visionary leadership and support of Dr. Dan DeLoach and the many others who helped realize this educational initiative. The region has a thriving medical community and we are excited about building a first class educational experience there for our students.
Interim Associate Dean for Admissions Named …
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Kathryn Martin on succeeding Dr. Geoff Young as Interim Associate Dean for Admissions. Fortunately for all of us, Dr. Martin will continue in her role as Campus Dean for our SE Georgia Campus in Savannah as well. We also want to thank Dr. Young for his exceptional service and to wish him and his family well as they prepare for their new adventures in Washington, DC.
Free Medical School Tuition? …
Recently there was a provocative op-ed piece in The New York Times raising the issue of whether medical school tuition should be free. The authors are physicians as well as prior advisors on health policies. The main concerns raised were physician shortages and the high cost of medical school. Naturally there will be those that are staunch supporters and those that are fervent critics. Huge medical school debts may be influencing medical students to go into high paying specialties to be able to pay off that debt. If there is no medical school debt, will more students stay in primary care, therefore, helping the shortage of physicians in primary care? This is a very complex issue balancing direct personal impact with societal needs and instititutional resources. At GHSU, we have been sensitive to these concerns and accordingly we are making (just) a modest increase in tuition this coming year.
MS Clinic … Making A Difference …
We recently received a note from a patient in the MS clinic highlighting our staff and the treatment received. We wanted to recognize the staff and providers and to share with you the “particularly good people there”; “fantastic job”; “high level of care”; and “grateful to the staff” comments that we’ve heard. We want to offer our sincere thanks for your dedication to our patients and our institution. We are very proud of our team members for “making a difference”.
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Board of Directors Appointment … A BIG Deal …
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rhee Fincher, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, on the recent appointment as an at-large member to the AAMC Board of Directors. Her tenure on the Board of Directors will begin following the 2011 AAMC annual meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity for Dr. Fincher and is a testament to her continued dedication and support of medical education. It also builds on our leadership momentum and AAMC collaborations. We congratulate Dr. Fincher and duly acknowledge that “The best example of leadership is leadership by example.”
Many thanks for your leadership and support.