Dear Colleagues,
It has been a busy start to the new academic year and I am delighted to share with you the accomplishments and honors of some of our faculty over the past month.
In early September, Dr. Douglas Golenbock, professor and chief of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Dr. Kathryn Edmiston, associate professor of medicine in Hematology/Oncology, and Dr. Vaikom Mahadevan, professor and chief of Cardiovascular Medicine were honored at the UMass Convocation ceremony. Dr. Golenbock received the Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Scholarship, Dr. Edmiston received the Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Clinical Excellence, and Dr. Mahadevan was invested as the Edward Budnitz, MD, Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine. Additionally, later in the month, Dr. Kevin Donahue was honored with an endowed professorship as the David J. and Barbara D. Milliken Professor of Preventive Cardiology. Please join me in congratulating Drs. Golenbock, Edmiston, Mahadevan, and Donahue.
I am also pleased to highlight the work of Dr. Sarah McGee, clinical chief of Geriatric Medicine. Dr. McGee is a clinician-educator whose career in Geriatric Medicine has spanned more than 30 years. Our team recently talked with Dr. McGee about her work and what makes her chosen field of practice unique. In part, she said, “…my work in geriatrics, [is] personally and professionally very rewarding…Every day is different and I get a sense of satisfaction knowing that we're helping people with their day-to-day lives and that even if it is a small change…it could make a huge difference in someone's life.” Dr. McGee has been a dedicated advocate for older adults in her practice and in the community and I am grateful for her many contributions. Read Dr. McGee’s full interview.
Additionally, I am pleased to highlight the work of Dr. Michael Devine of the Division of Hospital Medicine, in our new Innovation Spotlight. Dr. Devine is leading innovative pilot initiatives to accelerate discharge orders at UMass with goals that include reducing length of stay, improving patient flow, and increasing patient satisfaction. In a new conversation with our team, Dr. Devine discussed the drivers of these initiatives, results thus far, and goals for future applications. “[In our initial pilot], we specifically looked at the metric of discharge orders before noon because when we initially reviewed the data, we found that the resident teams were about 10% lower than uncovered attendings…[We] decided the goal for our internal medicine resident teams would be to improve discharge by noon to around 25% from 15%. Over the last year, our residents were able to reach that goal.” Read more about Dr. Devine’s quality improvement initiatives.
I also want to acknowledge our many faculty, staff, and trainees who participated in community events over the last month including the Multicultural Health Fair and the annual UMass Cancer Walk. Beyond your dedicated work in the clinic, lab, classroom, and office, you have shown your commitment to the community through this service. Thank you!
Finally, to our colleagues and trainees who observe Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, I hope you enjoyed these times of celebration and reflection.
Sincerely,
Dave
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