news PS - Columbia University Medical Center

Cooperstown is now home base to these Columbia-Bassett Program students
for the next few years as they “begin the work of becoming great clinicians,” says
Dr. Weil.
The 10 Class of 2014 students at Cooperstown (and their undergraduate schools) are
Blake Alberts (University of South Dakota), Andrew Gomez (University of Arizona),
Allan Guiney (Hamilton), Mark Harris (Dartmouth), Monika Laszkowska (Harvard),
Daewoong Lee (Dartmouth), Haley Masterson (University of Kansas), Freda Ready
(Cornell), Katherine Schwartz (SUNY Geneseo), and Krista Suojanen (Williams).
During the New York City segment of their education, the students attended
monthly lectures led by Drs. Weil and Franck and guest lecturers as part of the
unique Bassett SLIM (Systems, Leadership, Integration and Management) curriculum.
“Physicians are the de facto managers of the largest industry in the world, but
we offer students virtually no practical management training,” says Dr. Weil. “We
are the only medical school program teaching medical students why money is wasted
in health care and how to change the system.”
“By engaging students in discussions with public health and business school faculty,
we have started to prepare students to be active participants in 21st century
health care reform,” adds Dr. Franck.
“It has been a phenomenal experience to be able to discuss problems and potential
solutions in the health care industry with the high-powered doctors, hospital
administrators, insurance representatives, and IT specialists that have come to speak
with us,” says student Mark Harris. The Columbia-Bassett students will have the
opportunity to complete their required scholarly projects on topics related to the
SLIM curriculum.
Included among the competencies expected of students through the SLIM curriculum:
develop and manage standardized processes of care to improve the health of
individuals and populations; work effectively in integrated, team-based health care
systems; become critical users of evidence-based health care information; and use
problem-solving methods to improve clinical, operations, and financial performance
in a health care micro system.
The Columbia-Bassett students will complete their Major Clinical Year in Cooperstown
in March 2013. Bassett will remain their home base thereafter, regardless of
their travels, though their P&S fourth year will include at least three four-week rotations
at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. During part of their time in Cooperstown,
they will work alongside the second Columbia-Bassett class when it heads upstate in
January 2013. The first class also will participate in the August 2012 orientation of
the third Columbia-Bassett class, which enters P&S this fall with the Class of 2016.
For Allan Guiney, one member of the Columbia-Bassett 2014 class, the move to
Cooperstown was a homecoming: He graduated from Cooperstown Central School.
He and fellow Columbia-Bassett student Blake Alberts are half of the Columbia P&S
2014 Band (Mr. Guiney is guitarist and lead vocalist and Mr. Alberts plays drums).
The other half of the band – bass player Eric Braunstein and guitarist/vocalist Chris
Mardy – have started clinical rotations in Manhattan but will rotate through Bassett
for surgery or primary care rotations. (Mr. Braunstein was in Cooperstown early this
year for his surgical rotation.)
The Columbia-Bassett students will return to New York City for three Mechanisms
& Practice weeks (intersessions scheduled during the clinical year to allow
students to process their clerkship experiences in classroom-based, small-group settings).
That break in their clinical rotations also will bring the P&S 2014 Band back
to the same location. “We’re hoping to maybe get the band back together then,” says
Mr. Braunstein.
Strategic Planning Builds
on School’s Strengths
P&S has launched a strategic planning process expected
to be finished in June 2012. “The plan will build on our
school’s extraordinary historical foundation of exceptional
people who have been integral to P&S and our success,”
says Lee Goldman, M.D., dean. “The energy and creativity
across our campus are inspiring, and this manifest success
is a great base upon which to build even further success.”
A strategic planning steering committee, four task forces
(clinical care, research, education, and campus life), and
two subcommittees (translational research and student
life) have been at work for several months. NewYork-
Presbyterian Hospital, other CUMC schools, and other
Columbia schools are represented on the committees, task
forces, and subcommittees.
“This process will help us clarify our overall purpose
and identify results and how results will be achieved,”
says Dr. Goldman. Through a visioning process, P&S will
develop mission and vision statements then develop measurable
goals, strategy, and tactics to achieve the goals. The
implementation phase of the project will include monitoring
with feedback as goals are implemented and measured.
The second phase of the strategic planning process –
developing the five-year plan – kicked off in January with
reports from the four task forces, and a February retreat
brought together reports from task forces and subcommittees.
The final phase of the process began in April.
To learn more, visit http://ps.columbia.edu/strategicplan/
for details and updates.
The Fall 2012 issue will include a recap of strategic
planning recommendations and implemention.
Spring 2012 ColumbiaMedicine 5