MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN OF MEDICINE
April 27, 2007
It is an exciting time at UTMB and in the School of Medicine. I wanted
to write and update you on the activities in the Dean’s office and the
School of Medicine, and let you know what is planned for the following
months.
I am pleased to announce that Dr. David Callender, the sole finalist for
the Presidency of UTMB, will be coming to UTMB for a Town Meeting on
Monday, May 7 at 4 p.m. in Levin Hall. President John D. Stobo will host
the meeting and be joined by Dr. Kenneth I. Shine, UT System executive
vice chancellor for health affairs and chair of the presidential search
committee. There will be time allotted for discussion and questions, and
a reception will follow.
In April, I joined other campus leaders at a conference with the Studer
Group, a firm that specializes in creating a culture of patient-centered
care in hospitals. We were impressed with what we heard, and will be
sending another group of leaders in the areas of patient care and
service to a conference in May to evaluate Studer’s program and its
applicability to UTMB. We should be making a decision before September
on whether or not to engage them as we strive to improve patient care in
the clinical enterprise.
In addition to creating a culture of patient-centered care, we are
developing strategies to increase patient volumes. As part of that plan,
we are implementing a full web marketing strategy, including a robust
clinical web presence that will integrate our physician directory,
up-to-date health care information, and many “one-stop shopping”
features for patients, including the ability to make appointments and
pay their bills on line.
To assist us in this endeavor, we have contracted with Photobooks and
Greystone, both leaders in the field of web marketing strategy for
academic medical centers. Their clients include Duke University Medical
Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Mayo Clinic. This process will be led
by an Internet Strategy Group (ISG), co-chaired by Donald Prough, M.D.,
Chief Physician Executive, and Peter R. Hoffmann, M.D., Assistant Vice
President for Clinical Activities and Chief Medical Officer.
Members of the ISG include representatives from the School of Medicine,
Campus IT, Public Affairs, the Hospital, Community Outreach, the Office
of Marketing and Planning and the Faculty Group Practice. The planning
process will begin in May.
The month of May will be a busy one, as we conduct Budget Review
Sessions with all of the Department Chairs and Directors. We are on
course to break even with the School of Medicine budget, and we will
know more definitively about our budget for the next year at the end of
the Legislative Session.
On May 16 at 11:30 a.m. in Levin Hall North, UTMB’s Center for
Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health will celebrate National
Women’s Health Week with a lecture, “Strokes in Women: What You Learn
Could Save Your Life,” featuring Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern, director of
the Stroke Program at the University of Michigan Health System. The
lecture is free and open to all.
In the coming months I will be holding a series of faculty focus groups
with faculty from across the School of Medicine, to discuss the state of
the School of Medicine, the most effective forms of communication from
the Dean’s office, and future plans. In the meantime, if you have a
question or concern, please feel free to email me at
ganderso@utmb.edu.
Thank you for your continued commitment to UTMB.
Garland D. Anderson, M.D.
Dean of Medicine