INSPIRED INNOVATION - the Hoag Hospital Foundation

LEADERSHIP PROFILE
Here
to Serve
Kris V. Iyer, M.D., Medical Director
The first thing you notice about Kris V. Iyer, M.D., is a disarming mixture
of intense focus and unflappable calm with a heavy dose of compassion. You
donÕ t know whether to shake his hand or give him a hugÑ the truth is he would
probably prefer the hug. Dr. Iyer brings his unique point of view as a renowned
endocrinologist, visionary leader and Type 1 diabetic to his role as Medical
Director of the new Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital.
Ò Due to the way the health care system has evolved there is a great deal
of waste and inadequate and disorganized care,Ó says Dr. Iyer. Ò At the Allen
Diabetes Center we want to get very good people together to implement a
collaborative model to improve the care and management of diabetes. We are
doing this because itÕ s the right thing to do.Ó
According to Dr. Iyer, he could not have found a better
place to do this than at Hoag. Ò On a personal note, I have
felt very privileged to be able to contribute to continuous
improvement in patient care as a physician at Hoag for the
last 23 years,Ó he says. Ò ItÕ s a nurturing environment that
allows people with ideas to blossom. The leadership at
Hoag recognizes what needs to be done to improve patient
care and is helping me to do it.Ó
What Success Looks Like
Success to Dr. Iyer is nothing short of having the Allen
Diabetes Center recognized as a premier diabetes center and
major resource for everyone in our community. Ò We will
be the home base for all people connected with diabetes,Ó
he says. Ò That means people struggling with diabetes and
their families, agencies who are trying to help people with
diabetes, providers, educators, and the like.Ó In fact, he
intends for the Allen Diabetes Center to touch every person
with diabetes in our community through education, support
and care.
Dr. Iyer is anxious to break new ground through education
and outreach. Ò We will create guidelines for young adults
transitioning from pediatric to adult care and help them
manage their diabetes in an appropriate way by developing
a national benchmark and methodology which we will share
with other institutions,Ó he says. He also looks forward to
developing standards of care for improving the lives of those
diabetics with socio-economic challengesÑ they too shall
be served.
Ò We will participate in research activities with major
institutions and become a center for learning about diabetic
care for social workers, public health minded personnel,
nurses, medical students, residents and fellows,Ó shares Dr.
Iyer. Ò We will be a center that people will look to and say,
Ô This is the best way to take care of a chronic disease.Õ Ó
Gratitude and appreciation infuse all of Dr. IyerÕ s plans
for the future of the Allen Diabetes Center. He is not only
grateful to Hoag and to the community for their generous
support of the Allen Diabetes Center but also to his family
for their love and support of his dreams. Ò I could not have
done this without the loyalty and unflinching support of my
wife, Dr. Gracita DaCosta-Iyer and my daughter, Gilly,Ó
he beams. Ò Those two are my foundation and give my life
its meaning.Ó
Ò We will be
a center that
people will look
to and say, Ô This
is the best way
to take care of a
chronic disease.Ó
Ò It Takes a VillageÓ
It is Dr. IyerÕ s intention that the Mary & Dick Allen
Diabetes Center be the hub of diabetes care in our
community. To that end, the Allen Diabetes Center has
developed strategic alliances with CHOC ChildrenÕ s,
Pediatric Adolescent Diabetes Research and Education
Foundation (PADRE), UC Irvine, Newport Mesa Schools,
Latino Health Access, Share Our Selves (SOS) and many
other organizations dedicated to the health and well being
of our community. The Allen Diabetes Center will identify
gaps in current diabetes care and use these partnerships to fill
in the needed services. Through involvement with university
led research, the Allen Diabetes Center will participate in
efforts to improve diabetes care far beyond Hoag Hospital.
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