HUPDATE H O S P I TA L O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y L VA N I A
APRIL 2017
Getting to Know HUP’s New CEO A Q&A WITH REGINA CUNNINGHAM Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, readily admits that following in Garry Scheib’s footsteps as HUP’s chief executive officer is “daunting!” But taking this leap — which she called an “incredible opportunity” — is not something she could have predicted when, as a child of 8 or 9, she had her heart set on being a nurse. Wanting to study nursing was no surprise in Cunningham’s family. She comes from a long line of nurses, including her grandmother, mother, and aunt. Even her interest in oncology stems from her youth. Her grandmother had Hodgkin’s disease and Cunningham said she “went through the experience of her illness with her.” Then, working as a bedside nurse at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, she fell in love with cancer nursing. Cunningham stayed as a bedside nurse for several years before moving into administrative positions. In 2011, she came to Penn Medicine as associate chief nursing officer of Cancer Services at the Abramson Cancer Center and soon became its chief administrative officer. Later, she increased her focus to all nursing specialties when she became HUP’s chief nursing officer and then the Health System’s chief nursing executive. Now, she is once again expanding her sights — to include all services at HUP. HUPdate sat down with HUP’s new CEO to learn more about her hopes for HUP and Penn Medicine, her biggest challenges… and an outside passion that few people know about.
What inspired you to pursue leadership instead of staying at bedside? At Sloan-Kettering, I observed how different nursing roles and different ways of organizing nursing seemed to make a difference in outcomes. I started thinking about how you could shape the practice environment to be better for patients and a good place for nurses to stay. After I finished my master’s degree, I went into a leadership role but I always stayed connected to the front line. If you’re too far out of the mix, it’s harder to make the right decisions. You need to understand what is happening at the point of service and it’s important to see this for yourself … not through any filters. You gain tremendous insight from observing and talking to staff directly. As CNO, I went up on the units, either formally through an executive rounding process or by just doing a quick a pop-in. This helps you understand the impact of decisions you are making.
What excites you most about being CEO of the hospital? I’m very much a team builder and a believer in shared accountability. Every single person who works here plays a critical part in HUPs success. I am really looking forward to working with and engaging our teams, especially those that I have not had as much opportunity to work with in the past. I want everyone to understand our goals and initiatives and how they personally contribute to achieving them. I think when you clearly connect these dots for people, it can have a very powerful effect.
IN THIS ISSUE »» Making an Impact in Guatemala
»» Updating Passwords Keeps us Safe
»» Helping Those at the “Crossroads” of Life
»» What’s Up at HUP?
We have amazing, talented people at HUP; they’re our most valuable resource. And there’s a strong, solid culture as well. This is visible in the way we work every day — doing the right things for our patients and families, while treating each other with respect and compassion. The HUP team has a history of pulling together as a collective to get the job done. I am absolutely confident that they are capable of surmounting any challenge put before them, bar none.
Will your being HUP’s first female CEO have any impact on how you lead the institution? I think it’s more about being the first nurse to lead the hospital. Having a clinical background is helpful as you think about value-based care and how you drive efficiency and improve patient care at the same time. Nurses understand that world.
What do you expect will be some of the challenges you’ll face? We need to continue our focus on quality and value. HUP is an incredible resource for patients with high-acuity and high-complexity illnesses but they need to be able to access our services. When we avoid complications and provide care more efficiently, our patients can get discharged faster, which provides better access for new patients. Also, we need to keep thinking about the whole continuum of care, not just the hospital stay but what happens before and after. For example, if we know patients have good support at home, we can discharge them earlier.
“I want everyone to understand our goals and initiatives and how they personally contribute to achieving them. I think when you clearly connect these dots for people, it can have a very powerful effect.” Another great opportunity is the Pavilion, that big hole across the street! The opening is four years away but that’s not really so far. In these next three years, we’ll need to focus on the detail work. We need to know everything we’ll be doing for the building, now and for the future.
Outside of work, what’s your biggest passion? I’m a gourmet cook! I went to cooking school and was an apprentice in a restaurant — that’s how I worked my way through school. My husband is our “sustenance” cook but I’m more of a performance cook. My time is more limited now but I do holidays and, if I can, some weekends. Cooking, food, and wine — I love entertaining.
THANK YOU DOCTORS! Every year, on National Doctors’ Day, HUP recognizes the contribution and dedication of its physicians, acknowledging their years of hard work and training and thanking them for the long and sometimes unpredictable hours in service to their patients and families. Left, Lawrence Shulman, MD, of Hematology and Oncology, with Holly Fera, BSN, of Cardiology, was one of several doctors who not only enjoyed a free cup of coffee but also received giveaways, including a credit card holder that ensures information security.
MAKING AN IMPACT IN GUATEMALA Earlier this year, seven staff members decided to “vacation” together. But the trip did not include lounging on a beach or hitting tourist attractions. Instead, they worked 12- to 14hour days, helping members of the indigenous populations of Guatemala get the health care they need. The outreach was done through Children of the Americas, a nonprofit organization that provides free medical and dental care to indigenous women and children in Guatemala. Robin Gibbs, MSN, of HUP’s Cardiothoracic SICU — who led this year’s team — has volunteered her time and expertise for the past 11 years but each visit brings them to a different area of the country. Joining her from HUP this year were Jennifer Digian, BSN; Nicole Struthwolfe, BSN; and James Smith, BSN, all of the CT SICU; and Duffy Mccaughan, BSN, of the Rhoads 5 SICU; and Denise James, CST, OR technologist. The clinical staff started their week-long effort at a 7 a.m. triage on Sunday. This year, like every year, hundreds of women and children were lined up waiting. Surgeons performed 143 cases this year, ranging from repairing cleft palates and lips to hernias and hysterectomies. Following surgery, all patients head to the PACU — where Gibbs generally works — and are then sent to either the women’s or pediatric ward. This year the team cared for more than 2,200 patients!
Updating Passwords `` Joining Robin Gibbs (third from right) on the outreach effort to Guatemala were (from left) Duffy Mccaughan, Denise James, Nicole Struthwolfe, James Smith, Jill Schweitzer (from CHOP), and Jennifer Digian.
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PATIENTS HELPED
To read more about this global outreach, go to https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog.
KEEPS US SAFE Updating passwords more regularly helps prevent hackers from intercepting and reusing credentials. With this in mind, over the next few months, Information Services will incrementally reduce the password life span to 180 days for all users. End users will be contacted two weeks before they are personally affected by this change. When their new expiration date has been applied, users will be required to reset their password upon the next login. End users also have the option to proactively reset their passwords now to get on the 6-month schedule without a forced reset. To learn more about setting a secure password, go to http://uphsxnet.uphs. upenn.edu/is/security/passwords.html.
Helping Those at the “Crossroads”of Life Mark Mumbauer of Information Services started going to the Crossroads Community Center in North Philadelphia — the oldest grassroots organization in the city — when he was in the fourth grade. “I would visit my aunt and ride my scooter around the neighborhood,” he said. “It started in the mid-1960s and my aunt was a part of it from the beginning.”
programs to an emergency food cupboard for senior citizens. Mumbauer volunteered at the Center when he was in college and after receiving degrees in Bible, IT support and elementary education, he became the Center’s director of Operations. “I wore many hats – mentor to middle schoolers, computer instructor, social worker. “ He left that job in 2010 but continued to volunteer as an IT consultant. And it’s in that area that he’ll use his Penn Medicine CAREs grant. “The Center’s computers are seven years old. We’ll upgrade the hard drives and operating system, and install a new version of Microsoft Office.”
The Center serves all ages in that community, ranging from after-school
But, while his efforts now focus more on computers, he still maintains ties and
what’s up at HUP? A
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serves as mentor to some of the people he met when he was director 10 years ago. “Different kids still check in,” he said. One in particular stands out: a young man Mumbauer knew from when he was a toddler. “He used to sit on my knee when he was 3 and now he’s like three times my size!” he said, laughing. But what he did for this young man was no laughing matter. The young boy hit a low point in middle school when he started getting suspended and was sent to Crossroads to do community service. Mumbauer connected him with a therapist at one point and even drove him there a couple times. “A few months ago he told me ‘You were instrumental in turning my life around, putting these connections in my life and staying with me.’
If you could have any super power, what would it be?
“It’s pretty neat to see how he’s developed over the years… and that’s just one story. There are so many,” Mumbauer said.
“When you’re working with kids and they’re in crisis, they don’t want to hear what you’re saying. But, 10 years later, they realize the advice was good. It’s long-term gratification!” To learn more about the Penn Medicine CAREs grant, go to http://uphsxnet. uphs.upenn.edu/community/CARE/ grant.html.
HUPDATE EDITORIAL STAFF
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Domenic Sanginitti of Human Resources The ability to read minds!
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Lee Williamson of Security The power to educate children. They’re the pillars of our future.
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Daniel Gower of Patient Relations The ability to heal others.
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Emily Spencer of Oncology The ability to teleport — go where I want to go and when I want to go!
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Deidre Johnson of Gastroenterology Provide worry-free shelter for people.
Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer
Lisa Paxson & Alexa Creter Graphic Designers
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Corporate Director of Communications CONTACT HUPDATE AT: 3535 Market Street, Mezzanine Philadelphia, PA 19104 phone: 215.662.4488 fax: 215.349.8312 email: sally.sapega@uphs.upenn.edu HUPdate is published monthly for HUP employees. Access HUPdate online at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate.