Welcome challenges

“Welcome the challenges. Look for the opportunities in every situation to learn and grow in wisdom.” ~Brian Tracy

 

August 12, 2011

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

Wealth of Knowledge and Experience …

Please join us in welcoming Jeanette K. Balotin as Chief of Staff of the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University. Jeanette brings nearly 20 years of leadership knowledge and experience – including as Chief of Staff – to our College and she will work with GHSU’s Advancement and Community Relations office to create and implement a five-year development plan to increase philanthropy. She will also work with Human Resources on recruitment and leadership development and she will help develop a five-year strategic plan. She will help increase knowledge of the excellent work of our College through her contact with you as well as our colleagues in University Communications and Government Relations. Jeanette will be an advocate for our College and we are most fortunate to have her on our team as we strive to better serve you and our entire community.

Congratulations …

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Kathryn Bollinger, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Director Glaucoma Service on the award of a KO8 grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) entitled, “Molecular Mechanisms of Sigma Receptor 1-Mediated Neuroprotection”. To be successful on a first submission is a superb achievement … Congratulations Katie!

Congratulations … You’re 100! …

We also want to say Happy 100th Birthday to our colleagues and friends at Phoebe Putney Hospital and congratulations for the wonderful article in this month’s Georgia Trend magazine. In 2004, GHSU partnered with Phoebe Putney hospital to expand our medical education to Southwest Georgia. Our clinical campus is host to 3rd and 4th year medical students under the watchful eye of Mr. Joel Wernick, CEO, Dr. Doug Patton, CMO of Phoebe Putney Health System, and Interim Campus Assistant Dean Dr. George Chastain and the many volunteer faculty of the Southwest Georgia Region. We also appreciate how this partnership has extended to Pediatrics and other areas. We look forward to continuing our partnership with our colleagues in Southwest Georgia.

Classes Are In Session …

Just last week we held Freshman Orientation on campus for all our new students and their families. There were many things to do, lots to see, and much to accomplish. Many thanks to all the faculty and staff that put the event together. Our students heard about the legacy of leadership at GHSU, our medical traditions, and the community services and research opportunities before them. They were encouraged to participate fully as the newest members of ‘the GHSU family’. We are excited to have our class of 2015 and they are off to a great start on campus here and in our GHSU-UGA Medical Partnership. Please join me in welcoming them and wishing them much success in their 4 years with us.

Unique Opportunities for Students … Dual Degree …

Physician-scientists play a vital role on the interface between medical care and biomedical research. Our dual degree MD/PhD program here trains our future physician-scientists. Experiences during medical school may awaken scientific curiosity and passion to be a leader in biomedical research. We are grateful to Drs. Jennifer Pollock and Nevin Lambert for their leadership and effort in redesigning our vital dual degree program. For more information, please contact Dr. Pollock (jpollock@georgiahealth.edu) or Dr. Lambert (nlambert@georgiahealth.edu). Also check out their website http://www.georgiahealth.edu/medicine/mdphd/l

GHSU Diversity Summit …

The inaugural GHSU Diversity Summit was recently held at the new Salvation Army’s Kroc Center. We had a great turnout from GHSU and our community. We were able to hear several invigorating and motivating speeches. The keynote remarks by Ms. Charlayne Hunter-Gault as a social advocate were particularly inspiring. What a remarkable American. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to show our support of this excellent summit and great addition of the Kroc Center to our community.

Synchronicity … Week 7 …

We are at week 7 now with our ambulatory electronic medical record, Synchronicity. We are working on specific issues including medication reconciliation, cleaning up the problem list, correcting roles in Powernote and medical student documentation. Our physician champions, Dr. Phillip Coule and Dr. David Freeman are working hard with our physician community to revise processes and workflow … simple things like taking out the repeated signature requirements. Our appreciation continues to go to all our providers, clinic staff, and others for their hard work, dedication and patience on this project. We know that this is a challenging phase of implementation. After all, this is a HUGE project and what we are experiencing is also happening at other hospitals and academic medical centers throughout the country.

Great Customer Service …

Recently, a patient shared the care experience in Cardiology as “professional”, “compassionate” and “reassuring”. “The whole team was great” along with “the accommodations on 6 North were up to date and clean”. Our patient wanted to make sure that we recognize our staff who perform their services with utmost professionalism and care for our patients. We would like to thank Dr. Robert Sorrentino, Dr. Adam Berman, Ms. Tracy Campbell, Ms. Megan Mueller, Mr. Kyle Smith, Ms. Cara Tanner, Ms. Kemela Reese, and Mr. Bryan McQuerns for their excellent customer service and team work for our patients.

Upcoming Dates and Events …

August 15, 2011 – 2011 STaR Conference Submission Deadline

The Southern Translational Education and Research (STaR) invites all investigators in the field of clinical and translational science to submit abstracts to be considered for presentation at the 2011 STaR Conference “Diabetes and Obesity: Lose to Win” being held September 15-16, 2011. Please visit http://www.rxugace.com/programs/details/568 for more information. We encourage your participation.

August 23, 2011 – President’s Lecture Series

The President’s Lecture Series begins at noon on August 23 in the Lee Auditorium with Dr. Azziz giving the inaugural lecture titled “Sculpting in Clay: Transformative Leadership in Shifting Times”. Distinguished, national leaders and scholars have been invited to speak in upcoming months on issues and trends affecting the academic community in general and academic health centers specifically. We encourage you to attend the inaugural lecture and place a hold on your calendar for the future dates (September 28, March 7, and April 24).

September 15, 2011 – Career Development 101 Program

Looking to jumpstart your career in medical education? Please contact Ms. Cora Harper (charper@georgiahealth.edu) for more information regarding this great program.

September 15, 2011 – New Faculty Reception

We are most grateful for the Richmond County Medical Society to be joining us as we welcome our new MCG faculty at the New Faculty Reception which will begin at 7:30 at the Enterprise Mill. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us on September 15. For more information contact Laurie Lane (llane@georgiahealth.edu)

September 24, 2011 – GHSU Family Day and MCG White Coat Ceremony

Family Day encompasses the entire GHSU Family. The MCG White Coat Ceremony will be held at 2:30 pm at Warren Baptist Church with a reception immediately following. We encourage you to place this on your calendar and plan to attend.