Fall/Winter 2006 - University of Rochester Medical Center
Fall/Winter 2006 - University of Rochester Medical Center
Fall/Winter 2006 - University of Rochester Medical Center
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
The Emergency Department at Strong<br />
Memorial Hospital is under review<br />
for possible expansion and operational<br />
changes.<br />
What will be done to deal with the<br />
impact <strong>of</strong> cuts in the growth <strong>of</strong> the<br />
NIH budget<br />
We are in the process <strong>of</strong> expanding our<br />
bridge funding program. This funding<br />
will provide support for investigators<br />
who have experienced lapses in funding.<br />
We will have a program and a mechanism<br />
in place by December 1 for people<br />
to apply for funds to continue their<br />
research programs. The goal is to keep<br />
good scientists and their labs here.<br />
You also have named the emergency<br />
department as an area that you want to<br />
address quickly. What will happen there<br />
We are hard at work on the E.D.<br />
A consultant has given us a report with<br />
50 key items that we can change. We<br />
will be creating additional beds for<br />
patients who have to board in the E.D.<br />
We realize we have a nursing shortage<br />
in the E.D. and we’ll address that. We’re<br />
looking at more efficient registration<br />
and better ways to handle non-acute<br />
patients. We are putting together a<br />
comprehensive plan to address several<br />
elements that have resulted in long<br />
waiting times and a less than satisfying<br />
experience for patients, faculty and staff.<br />
In one year or five years, how will you<br />
determine whether you have gotten to<br />
where you want to be<br />
Some <strong>of</strong> the metrics we will use would be<br />
the U.S.News & World Report rankings,<br />
NIH rankings, faculty awards and honors,<br />
the number <strong>of</strong> people in the National<br />
Academy <strong>of</strong> Science and Institute <strong>of</strong><br />
Medicine. We also will monitor the quality<br />
<strong>of</strong> care that we provide within our hospital<br />
and patient and employee satisfaction.<br />
Finally, our ability to deliver new technology<br />
is a key measure.<br />
Why have you decided to keep your clinical<br />
practice<br />
I think it’s very important to see patients.<br />
That’s who I am. I’m a clinician-scientist.<br />
I will not see patients in the hospital for<br />
a while. I used to do six to eight weeks <strong>of</strong><br />
service in the hospital and I’m not doing<br />
that now. However, I have a strong relationship<br />
with my ambulatory patients. They<br />
see me as their doctor and it would be hard<br />
for me to stop seeing them and taking care<br />
<strong>of</strong> them.<br />
What do you want from alumni<br />
I will seek their support and enthusiasm.<br />
We have alumni across the country.<br />
I expect them to support the hospitals<br />
where they practice, teach and conduct<br />
research. But I also know our alumni are<br />
loyal to <strong>Rochester</strong>, where they received<br />
their education and training. My goal is<br />
to convince them that giving philanthropically<br />
to programs at the <strong>Medical</strong><br />
<strong>Center</strong> is a best use <strong>of</strong> their money.<br />
What is the biggest hurdle you face<br />
Time. Our biggest problem now is we<br />
have outgrown our facilities. Hospital<br />
occupancy is at 100 percent and research<br />
space is 100 percent full. We need to<br />
build facilities, and that takes time.<br />
How do you view the future <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Medical</strong> <strong>Center</strong><br />
I would stress the opportunities. We<br />
have huge opportunities with the River<br />
Campus. Our new president, Joel<br />
Seligman, is a very energetic individual<br />
who will partner with me to develop<br />
many joint programs. We have a terrific<br />
hospital, outstanding faculty and superb<br />
students. The real danger is not to take<br />
advantage <strong>of</strong> the opportunities. From my<br />
perspective, in eight years we’ve made<br />
sensational progress and I see even<br />
greater progress ahead.<br />
26<br />
ROCHESTER MEDICINE