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his year, on September 25, Jacksonville pain medicine physician, Bernard Canlas, MD, Medical Director of the Florida Institute of Pain Medicine, honored National Pain Awareness Month by hosting a free seminar at the Memorial Hospital auditorium entitled, “Current Clinical Concepts in Pain.” The event, designed for physicians, pharmacists, physician assistants and nurses, qualified for eight hours of continuing medical education credits. Sponsors included Memorial Hospital, Orange Park Medical Center, Florida Medical Association, Philippine Medical Society of Northeast Florida, Department of Health Florida Board of Nursing and Pharmacy. Over 200 guests registered to attend the seminar, which was also timed to acknowledge the end of the Decade of Pain Control and Research bill signed into effect in 2000 by then President Bill Clinton. The bill recognized the debilitating effects of chronic pain and was intended to raise awareness of the medical treatment of pain, foster research and education, decrease morbidity rates associated with untreated pain
and achieve better pain control through appropriate treatment. Now, ten years later, much has been learned about chronic pain and pain management. The ability to better assess pain and where it originates has changed the treatment approach. “We have a much better understanding of the mechanisms of pain, not just symptom control,” says Dr. Canlas. Boardcertified in anesthesiology and the subspecialty of pain medicine, Dr. Canlas uses an interdisciplinary, multimodal approach that includes targeting pain at various sites from the periphery to the brain. “When it comes to pain control, there’s no silver bullet,” he says. Medication, interventional procedures, rehabilitation (both physical and psychological) and surgery all play a role in rational pain management. The daylong seminar emphasized the need to respect the uniqueness of each patient and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to pain control. Pain Management experts provided updates on topics like headache management, (presented by neurologist, Dr. Erin Doty),
the importance of sleep and its effect on pain (discussion lead by Dr. Rahul Kakkar) and the expanding role of neuromodulation (Dr. Bernard Canlas was the presenter). New information was also presented on rendering appropriate pain management and upholding the dignity of patients with end-of-life pain (presented by Dr. Stephen Clark, CEO of Community Hospice), as well as integrative pain medicine (lectured by Dr. Marla Golden) and the diagnosis and management of neuropathic pain (lectured by Dr. Vic Maquera). The event was finalized in presentation on the topic of Chronic Pain Rehabilitation/Bringing it all together (by Virgil Whittmer, Ph.D., co-director of Brooks Comprehensive Pain Program). Another key focus of the event was a legislative update and review of a new Florida State law (2272) implemented in October of this year. The new law requires all pain clinics in Florida to be registered with the state. It also mandates clinics be physician owned and disallows advertising the use, sale or dispensing of narcotics. An ongoing challenge for reputable pain specialists has been the lack of regulation for pain clinics in Florida, and the abuse of narcotics due to inappropriate prescribing and dispensing. According to Dr. Canlas the need for opiates requires careful evaluation, documentation and proof that
6144 Gazebo Park Place South, Suite 102, Jacksonville, FL 32257
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other options have been exhausted. “Prescription pain medications are effective for the patients who need them, but if they make their way to the streets, society, and our own families are affected. When prescribing these medications, the responsibility is on the physician to make sure those receiving them are appropriate patients.” By continuing to work closely with physician colleagues and pharmacists, as well as law enforcement and other non-medical individuals in the community. This is the principal reason this event is being held free of charge. The goal is for Physicians and allied Health Professionals to update themselves with current knowledge on the science and laws governing the field of pain medicine. Dr. Canlas hopes to ensure those suffering from chronic pain receive adequate and professional care. And the stigma of being a patient in pain will be diminished.
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PUBLISHER’S
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As the publisher of healthcare magazines, I’ve had the pleasure of participating in several great causes.
PUBLISHER A.J. Beson
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Michael E. Hicks
EDITOR Vanessa E. Wells
ART DIRECTOR Christine Tarantino
OPERATIONS MANAGER Stacey Cotner
MARKETING CONSULTANTS Stephanie Autry Lori Robinson
MEDIA RELATIONS MANAGER Michelle Jacobs
MEDIA RELATIONS SPECIALIST Katie Whiteman
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Summer R. Morris
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Bradley Saad
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Laura Capitano Priscilla Goudreau-Santos Virginia J. Pillsbury Julie Watson
Last month’s cause, however, was a first for me. This past November, I grew a mustache in honor of Movember. What’s Movember, you ask? During the month of Movember (also called No Shave November), men grow a beard, shave the beard and sport a “mo” or mustache. (It’s called “mo” instead of “mu” since the movement began in Australia where it’s spelled moustache). The purpose of Movember is to raise awareness of men’s health issues, particularly cancers affecting men. Did you know one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer? That’s why I grew a “mo” and collected cash for the cause. This endeavor took a fair amount of commitment. It generated plenty of conversation in meetings, caused laughter among my staff and I can’t say my wife was particularly thrilled with the idea. But in the end I enjoyed embracing something new, something unique and something that supported a good cause. If
you’d like to donate, feel free to visit my “mospace”. http://bit.ly/AJsMo Now where’s my razor?
A.J. Beson aj@beson4.com
PHOTOGRAPHER Renee Parenteau
For questions or comments or to receive reprints, call 904-992-9945 or fax 904-992-9907.
Florida Doctor is published 12 times per year by Beson4 Media Group. Reprints are available — 13500 Sutton Park Drive South, Suite 105, Jacksonville, FL 32224. Content of the contributing advertisers does not reflect the opinions of the publishers. Advertisers have proofed respective articles, and content is assumed true and correct. Florida Doctor is not responsible for the care given by its advertisers. Florida Doctor is for informational purposes only and is not meant as medical advice. ©2010 Florida Doctor. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication, including articles, may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
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Send story ideas to editor@beson4.com or call 904-992-9945.
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...thanks to the physicians at the Borland-Groover Clinic, highly trained experts in research and education in the field of digestive health.
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FEATURES I DECEMBER 2010 ISSUE 80
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COVER PROFILE For Dr. Lewis J. Obi and Dr. John D. Murray, knowledge and passion translate to innovation. Cover photo by Renee Parenteau
SPECIAL SECTION:
Celebration of Doctors 18 Florida Doctor - North Edition Celebrates First Coast Doctors and all they do for patients and the community.
PLUS: What’s Happening 8
Jacksonville is America’s Health Center 35 An update on advancements on the First Coast that help position Jacksonville as a medical destination.
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Staff & Deliver 40 Smart hiring decisions help foster long, lucrative relationships.
Physical therapy is following a path similar to medicine.
Neurologic physical therapy resident Dr. McIver providing care to a patient with hemiplegia.
Brooks Residents and Faculty discuss a specific issue in between treating patients.
2EHABILITATION (OSPITAL s (OME (EALTH #ARE /UTPATIENT 4HERAPY s 3KILLED .URSING
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“While medical school graduates might have had a rotation in pediatrics, that doesn’t mean they have learned enough to successfully practice as a Pediatrician,” explains Dr. Bob Rowe, residency/fellowship program manager at Brooks Rehabilitation. “They go on to a residency program to attain the training in order to specialize.” The same is now true of physical therapy; whatever the physical therapy specialty, there is a robust body of knowledge to support post professional training. “Residency training is developing as the natural continuum of learning for physical therapists,” Dr. Rowe says. “The vast majority of physical therapy students are now graduating with doctoral degrees. The plan is that they continue with training in a specialty area of practice in a residency program,” he adds. Jacksonville-based Brooks Rehabilitation is offering this postprofessional advanced clinical education for physical therapists with residency programs in orthopaedics, neurology, and geriatrics, as well as a fellowship in orthopaedic manual physical therapy (OMPT). According to Dr. Rowe, each program’s curriculum is a year long. “What makes our programs unique is the combination of advanced clinical reasoning, focus on utilization of real time evidence-based practice methods, didactic knowledge within specialty areas of practice, and hands-on skill development that we provide,” he explains. “The programs are very challenging and are not for the faint of heart,” Dr. Rowe continues. “But that is where the value lies.” The residency programs at Brooks started in 2007. Its orthopaedic residency is the first orthopaedic residency program to be recognized with national credentialing for PT’s in Florida. The neurologic PT residency is one of the country’s largest
American Physical Therapy Association credentialed programs. “The geriatric program is unique because it is multidisciplinary,” explains Dr. Rowe. “It includes physical therapists, occupational therapists, nursing, and speech language pathologists as residents all in one program. The purpose is to build an interdisciplinary team for the management of geriatric patients.” An OMPT fellowship program is also available at Brooks. “The fellowship is the natural progression after the orthopaedic residency,” explains Dr. Rowe. “It’s the same model as medical school with the fellowship being a more advanced second level of training for musculoskeletal impairments.” Our orthopaedic fellows in training are eligible to become fellows in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT),” says Dr. Rowe. There are now only about 600 recognized AAOMPT fellows in the country. The eventual goal is for Brooks Rehabilitation to have residency and fellowship programs in multiple specialty and sub-specialty areas of practice. Currently Brooks has 28 staff in clinical practice who have either received and/or are training within one of the Brooks post-professional residency programs. In addition there are 19 physical therapists who are board-certified within a specialty area of practice. Now physicians referring patients to physical therapy can choose the physical therapist that has the particular specialty training that the patient needs. “There is a new level of comfort for both the patient and the referring physician,” says Dr. Rowe. Along with providing valuable specialty training for physical therapists, these programs also ensure the continued world class rehabilitative services that Brooks Rehabilitation provides our community.
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ST. VINCENT’S HEALTHCARE NAMES NEW CFO On November 1, Mark Doyle was announced as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for St. Vincent’s HealthCare (SVHC). Previously, he served as the Regional Chief Financial Officer for Broward General Medical Center (BGMC) and the Chris Evert Children’s Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. BGMC is the flagship hospital of the Broward Health System (BHS) also known as the North Broward Hospital District. BHS is the seventh largest non-profit system in the United States. Prior to working for Broward General, Mark served as the CFO for Tenet Healthcare in Ft. Lauderdale from 2005-2008. Mark Doyle He held CFO positions within Universal Health Services at two different facilities over a 6-year period preceding his Tenet experience. Mark understands the business of healthcare and has experience at both for profit and non-profit facilities, small and large. In his role as CFO with SVHC, he will have responsibility for patient access, HIM, revenue cycle, budget and reimbursement, financial analysis and decision support as well as payroll. Mark has a BS in finance and general business from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix. “I am so honored and excited about the opportunity to work at St. Vincent’s HealthCare as the CFO. I look forward to bringing my background and experience to contribute to the continued financial and operational success of the Catholic-based mission,” said Doyle.
ST. VINCENT’S HEALTHCARE NAMES NEW PRESIDENT OF ST. LUKE’S HOSPITAL On October 26, Donnie L. Romine was named President of St. Luke’s Hospital. The UNF graduate is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Weatherford Regional Medical Center in Weatherford, Texas. Romine brings more than 25 years of hospital leadership experience to St. Luke’s as a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer. He has a BBA in accounting from the University of North Florida and an MBA from the University of Texas, Permian Basin.
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At St. Luke’s, Romine will focus on volume growth, financial and quality performance, culture and associate engagement, community outreach and physician relationships. In addition to serving on various committees and boards at St. Luke’s and St. Vincent’s, he plans to be active in the community through service on various committees and boards. Donnie L. Romine “I am grateful to have the opportunity to be part of such a long-standing healthcare tradition. The St. Luke’s/St. Vincent’s ministry is committed to serving all who are in need of spiritual and holistic care and I look forward to being a part of that. My family and I are very excited to relocate to Jacksonville and become a part of this wonderful community,” said Romine.
JAGUARS QUARTERBACK DAVID GARRARD INSPIRES KIDS AT NEMOURS CHILDREN’S CLINIC On November 9, David Garrard, quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, visited Nemours Children’s Clinic. Garrard was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2004 and aims to increase awareness about the disease and encourage others struggling with the illness. In recognition of “CCFA (Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America) Sunday” at EverBank Field on
David Garrard signs Fran Heatherington’s IBD Kids t-shirt.
November 14, the David Garrard Foundation gave families living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) an opportunity to meet the quarterback and hear his story. Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Dr. Jonathan Evans, spoke at the event along with Fran Heatherington, who runs IBD Kids, a family centered support group for kids with Crohn’s and Colitis.
JEFF GOLDHAGEN, M.D., MPH, RECEIVES COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD In recognition of his more than 15 years of advocacy for underserved and disadvantaged children of Northeast Florida, Jeffrey Goldhagen, M.D., MPH, has been selected to receive the 2010 Community Service Award from the Duval County Medical Society. A professor in the Department of Pediatrics and chief of the Division of Community Pediatrics at the University of Florida College of MedicineJacksonville, Dr. Goldhagen develops and oversees programs for children who are marginalized by physical conditions and social and environmental determinants, including those who are homeless; terminalJeff Goldhagen, M.D., MPH ly and chronically ill; in foster care and in transition from pediatric to adult care. In addition, his volunteer service in support of these programs is significant. “On behalf of the Department of Pediatrics, I commend Dr. Goldhagen’s volunteer efforts throughout our community and congratulate him on this well-deserved honor,” said Thomas T. Chiu, M.D., M.B.A., professor and chair, Department of Pediatrics. “A strong advocate of child equity, he is dedicated to the physical and mental health and well-being of all children, particularly those with special needs.”
BRETT CHAFIN, M.D., JOINS THE OTOLARYNGOLOGY DIVISION (ENT) AT NEMOURS CHILDREN’S CLINIC Nemours recently announced the addition of Brett Chafin, M.D., to the clinic’s Division of Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat or ENT). “The addition of Dr. Chafin demonstrates our commitment to providing quality pediatric specialty care for the community. His depth of knowledge in head and neck surgery will prove to be invaluable,” stated Michael Erhard, M.D., medical director of Nemours Children’s Clinic. “It will be a pleasure to have him as part of the team while we work to restore the health of children.” Dr. Chafin most recently served as the otolaryngology section chief at Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, WV and was a partner in River Cities Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists, PLLC. He is board Brett Chafin, M.D. certified in otolaryngology as well as head and neck surgery. Dr. Chafin earned his medical degree from the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown, WV. He joins the Division of Otolaryngology (ENT) that provides consultation, diagnosis, continuing care and therapy for infants,
children and adolescents with a variety of disorders of the ears, nose and throat. These include problems in the head and neck as well as hearing and communication issues.
JAMIE CESARETTI, M.D., AND MITCHELL D. TERK, M.D., NAMED AMONG BEST DOCTORS IN AMERICA® Jamie Cesaretti, M.D., and Mitchell D. Terk, M.D., were both named among the Best Doctors in America® for 2011-2012. This is the first time that Dr. Cesaretti has earned this prestigious honor and the fifth time that Dr. Terk has received this accolade. Compiled by Boston-based Best Doctors, Inc., the Best Doctors in America® database is the result of a survey of more than 45,000 physicians in the United States. Only those doctors recognized to be in the top 3-5% of their specialty earn the honor of being named one of the Best Doctors in America®.
MAYO CLINIC BREAST CANCER RESEARCHER AWARDED V FOUNDATION GRANT Derek C. Radisky, Ph.D., a cancer scientist at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research. His research is aimed at improving risk prediction for breast cancer. The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and Jim Valvano, the former North Carolina State University basketball coach and broadcaster as he battled cancer. The Foundation has raised more than $100 million and its Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of top Derek C. Radisky, Ph.D. physicians and research scientists, has, to date, awarded cancer research grants to 300 investigators whom they judge to have cancer research projects with the most potential. Dr. Radisky is one of nine scientists nationwide to be awarded a 2010 Translational Grant. “I am so pleased to be a recipient of a V Foundation award,” says Dr. Radisky. “I consider it a prestigious honor.”
BLOOD AND MARROW TRANSPLANT PROGRAM OF MAYO CLINIC, NEMOURS CHILDREN’S CLINIC AND WOLFSON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL EARNS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION RENEWAL The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) has awarded a three-year accreditation renewal to the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program of Mayo Clinic, Nemours Children’s Clinic and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. The foundation awarded the accreditation renewal after thorough site visits at all collection, transplantation and laboratory facilities at the three locations. “FACT accreditation is the standard of excellence for blood and bone marrow transplant programs in the United States,” WWW.BESON4MEDIA.COM
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Michael Joyce, M.D., Ph.D.
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said Michael Joyce, M.D., Ph.D., a hematologist/oncologist at Nemours Children’s Clinic and medical director of the pediatric blood and marrow transplant program. “FACT assures our patients that we are adhering to and meeting the highest standards in the field. The physicians, hematology/oncology nursing, allied health and laboratory staff at all three organizations worked extremely hard to achieve this goal.” “This is a unique program that combines forces between adult and pediatric specialists to create a unified transplant program that is efficient and effective. We are pleased to celebrate our third FACT accreditation since 2002,” said Vivek Roy, M.D., medical director of the adult blood and marrow transplant program, Mayo Clinic. “The success of the program, both academically and clinically, is attributable to a group of outstanding physicians and staff who continue to do what is in the best interest of their patients and the community-at-large,” says Jerry Bridgham, M.D., chief medical officer of Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
NEMOURS TOPS IN THE NATION FOR HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) announced that Nemours, a healthcare system for children operating in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida, is a 2010 recipient of its prestigious HIMSS Davies Organizational Award of Excellence. The award is presented to healthcare systems and facilities that effectively use health information technology, such as electronic health records, to improve the safety and quality of patient care. “For ten years, we have been creating a new level of quality patient care with NemoursOne,” said Gina Altieri, Nemours Vice President for Corporate Services. “Receiving this award is a tribute to our physicians and staff who are using the electronic health record each and every day to improve care for our patients.” All Nemours clinics and the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children are linked to NemoursOne across four states. Nemours Children’s Hospital in Central Florida will be online when it opens in 2012. NemoursOne, in combination with its data warehouse, has developed a streamlined medication reconciliation process, a challenge nationwide, with an outpatient system-wide rate currently at 88 percent.
FLORIDA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION PRESENTS FLAGLER HOSPITAL 2010 HEALTHCARE CAREER PROMOTION AWARD The Florida Hospital Association recognized Flagler Hospital with the 2010 Healthcare Career Promotion Award at the FHA 10
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Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida on October 13. The award is designed to honor hospitals that are exemplary in their promotion of health careers and this year the FHA specifically recognized the innovation and success of the Flagler Hospital Academy of Medical and Health Careers at Pedro Menendez High School. Patricia D. Moore, Vice President of the Flagler Life Patricia D. Moore Institute - Flagler Hospital’s education and research department - was on hand to accept the award. “It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Florida Hospital Association for our work with Pedro Menendez High School,” commented Moore. “The Life Institute philosophy is focused on increasing knowledge through education as the cornerstone of achieving excellence. The Health Career Academy is just one of many creative initiatives we have developed in cooperation with local educational institutions to inspire passion for healthcare careers and to ensure the highest levels of clinical excellence in our community.”
ORANGE PARK MEDICAL CENTER OPENS FIRST OF TWO NEW CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LABS Cardiologists at Orange Park Medical Center (OPMC) performed the first procedure on October 19 in the first of two new cardiac catheterization labs to open at the hospital. The two new cath labs are part of a $6 million expansion of the hospital’s cardiac care program. The expansion includes two new cardiovascular operating rooms and a new cardiovascular intensive care unit that will support OPMC’s open heart surgery program. Orange Park Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in the state to use Stentviz image magnification software as part of the newly opened cath lab’s state-of-the-art technology. The lab houses a versatile, new, digital imaging system from GE Healthcare, which allows cardiologists to perform both cardiac and vascular exams on patients with a single system. The GE Innova® 3100IQ all digital cardiovascular and interventional imaging system lets physicians clearly see the blood vessels and anatomy of the heart, as well as blood vessels throughout the entire body. Cardiologists use the system to view inside the body while performing diagnostic procedures and treating potential coronary artery blockages that could cause heart attacks or other serious cardiovascular damage. In addition, the new imaging system can also be used in angio-
OPMC’s GE Innova® 3100IQ all digital cardiovascular and interventional imaging system
graphic procedures to assist physicians in diagnosing and treating a wide range of vascular conditions throughout the body. The images produced by the imaging system are so detailed that cardiologists are able to see clearly enough to safely maneuver the smallest medical devices – such as catheters, stents and guidewires – during balloon angioplasties, vascular interventions and other clinical procedures.
PUBLIC FORUM HELD ON BREAST CANCER As part of her commitment to enhance breast health education, Dr. Shahla Masood, hosted a Public Forum about breast cancer on October 14 at the Omni Jacksonville. The panel consisted of Dr. Masood, Dr. Diana Edgar, Dr. Robert Smith, Dr. Andrew Kaunitz, Dr. Thomas Julian and Dr. Fauzia Shahla Masood, M.D. Rana. The forum held a question-and-answer session between the attendees and the panel covering the latest information on breast cancer.
ST. VINCENT’S MEDICAL CENTER OPENS NEW LUNG CANCER INSTITUTE St. Vincent’s Medical Center has opened a new Lung Cancer Institute that offers unique treatment, screening and support options for patients and their families. Lung cancer is typically diagnosed in late stages when the disease has spread to other vital organs. The reason is lung cancer can be largely asymptomatic in its early stages and patients with chronic lung conditions often bounce from doctor to doctor, resulting in delays in diagnosing and treating cancer. The hope is this innovative lung cancer program will eliminate delays and optimize the treatment process. “Our program features a nurse navigator who walks patients through all of their doctor’s visits to ensure they are not lost in the Cynthia Farah system. We also have a tumor board where a multidisciplinary group of physicians help chart the course for each patient’s cancer to give them the best chance for survival,” said Cynthia Farah, Director of Cancer Services, St. Vincent’s HealthCare.
BROOKS HOME CARE ADVANTAGE NAMED AMONG TOP HOME HEALTH PROVIDERS For the second year in a row, Brooks Home Care Advantage has been named to the 2010 HomeCare Elite™, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies from the 20,000+ home health and hospice providers in the US. Winners are ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement, and financial performance.
“We are very excited to see the quality of our staff rewarded again this year. It is difficult in this business to excel at quality of care, quality improvement to patients and financial performance, but our staff has worked hard to make this achievement a reality and we are honored to be included in the upper quartile of Home Health providers in the country,” said Eric Nixon Eric Nixon, Vice President of Finance and Operations at Brooks Home Care Advantage.
“FROM THE HEART OF JACKSONVILLE” PARTY The Patrons of the Hearts’ Artscapade 2010, held October 22, featured local artists from Jacksonville including dance performances by the Braided Light Dance Project and jazz and Motown sounds by the Reggie Haywood Band and the Jacksonville Mass Choir. Artscapade also featured local food, a live auction of art from local and regional artists, and a silent auction. Local sports personality Cole Pepper emceed the live auction. Artscapade 2010 was presented by FaverGray and honorary hosts were local philanthropists Sally and Bill Green. What made this event even more special was that a child who has benefited from Patrons’ help attended. This 14-year-old girl from Grenada recently received a pacemaker, placed by pediatric cardiovascular surgeon Eric Ceithaml, M.D., at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Attendees enjoyed The Patrons of the Hearts’ Artscapade 2010.
IN MEMORIAL: WILLIAM K. HATCHER, FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER OF WOLFSON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL William K. Hatcher, founding board member of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, passed away October 27. Hatcher served on Wolfson’s board for 25 years; he also served on the board of Baptist Medical Center for 39 years. “It is difficult to imagine the Baptist Health family without Bill Hatcher. He was involved in virtually every aspect of our organization’s life for so long as a faithful member of our Board and cared deeply about our mission,” said Hugh Greene, President and CEO of Baptist Health. William K. Hatcher WWW.BESON4MEDIA.COM
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1. Dave Benoit, Jane Lanier, Dr. Fulton, Dr. Paschall; 2. Tim Slater, Julie Noble, David Meyer, John Lyerly; 3. Dr. Gilberstadt, Moody Chisholm, Jeremy MacDonald, Michael Hicks, Paul Kerns; 4. Bill McCormick, AJ Beson, Dave Anderson, Brian Stone; 5. Dr. Pham, Shelby Pham, Christy Senesac, Andrew Senesac
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ST. VINCENT’S HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION HELD PHYSICIANS CUP GOLF CLASSIC On October 18, St. Vincent’s Health Foundation hosted the Physicians Cup Golf Classic at Timuquana Country Club. The proceeds from the event benefit the St. Vincent’s and St. Luke’s Physicians Giving Society. Over the past five years, the society has donated more than $250,000 to support initiatives and programs in the hospitals. Programs and initiatives include the installation of AEDs, the Reach Out and Read program for new mothers, nursing scholarships and mission trips to Haiti and Peru.
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Dr. Lewis J. Obi and Dr. John D. Murray with Plato’s Symposium on Socrates by Daniel Samuels
“Our goal is to service the entire community from both a medical and holistic standpoint. Our patients – men, women and children – will receive supportive and comprehensive care based on their individual needs and taking into account all of the facets involved in the process both pre- and post-surgery.” — Dr. John D. Murray
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RENAISSANCE MEN Dr. Lewis J. Obi and Dr. John D. Murray’s Passion for Beauty and Wellness Goes Beyond the Operating Room
By Julie Watson
What happens when two Renaissance men come together to form an alliance geared toward comprehensive plastic and reconstructive surgery? It’s a masterpiece in the making and quite simply a work of art and science.
D (Top to bottom): The entrance to the Renaissance Center for Cosmetic Renewal at Obi Plastic Surgery Clinic; Dr. Obi’s office adorned with artwork from his collection; One of two operating suites at Obi Plastic Surgery Clinic, a fully-licensed ambulatory surgery center
r. Lewis J. Obi and Dr. John D. Murray have many passions. Art, music, education, health, wellness, family and providing the most cutting edge and comprehensive plastic and reconstructive surgery. Together, they are pursuing a vision of excellence in the Jacksonville medical community with a multidisciplinary approach to detection, treatment and prevention of breast cancer, as well as the most advanced cosmetic plastic surgery. “Our goal is to service the entire community from both a medical and holistic standpoint,” said Dr. Murray. “Our patients – men, women and children – will receive supportive and comprehensive care based on their individual needs and taking into account all of the facets involved in the process both pre- and post-surgery.” Dr. Murray joined the Lewis J. Obi, M.D., Plastic Surgery Clinic after nine years at the University of Illinois in Peoria where he served as assistant professor of surgery and helped to establish the first accredited Comprehensive Breast Care center in the country. Dr. Obi has been practicing in Jacksonville for more than 35 years and is a well-respected member of the global medical community, pioneering new methods of plastic and reconstructive surgery. “Dr. Murray and I will continue to carry on the legacy of superior plastic and reconstructive care that I have built in Jacksonville, while maintaining the highest level of surgical achievement and outcome, vertical research and participation in surgical advancement,” said Dr. Obi. “I am thrilled to have him as a member of my team and look forward to developing our partnership further.”
TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING The alliance between Dr. Obi and Dr. Murray can be traced back to a patient’s routine follow-up appointment in Atlanta about 10 years ago. Dr. Murray was working as a senior fellow with Dr. John Bostwick III, director of the Emory University plastic surgery program, mentor of Dr. Murray, and colleague of Dr. Obi. The patient, an Atlanta resident, had been referred to Dr. Bostwick by Dr. Obi for follow-up treatment.
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“I was extremely impressed with Dr. Obi’s work and the excellent results that the patient was exhibiting,” said Dr. Murray. “At the end of my training at Emory, when it came time to decide whom I might approach for professional partnership, Dr. Bostwick suggested I reach out to Dr. Obi. I initially met him shortly thereafter.” Partnership wasn’t in the cards for the two doctors at that point due to a number of factors, but they kept in touch when Dr. Murray was recruited to the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois in Peoria. However, the delay in their alliance proved to be a benefit in the long run as Dr. Obi continued to grow his practice in Jacksonville while Dr. Murray had the opportunity to make strides in breast care research and development in Peoria. Seven years after their initial discussions, Dr. Obi and Dr. Murray began revisiting the idea of forming an alliance. They completed the process of identifying the medical potential in Jacksonville and in October 2010, Dr. Murray
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Atrium with glassencased garden at Obi Plastic Surgery Clinic.
“The two disciplines have a natural integration and it soon became very clear to me that a profession in plastic surgery would unify my passions for creating art and helping others.” — Dr. Lewis J. Obi
(Top to bottom): Recovery rooms at Obi Plastic Surgery Clinic.
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joined Dr. Obi in Jacksonville. The result is an even stronger alliance between the two doctors, who bring a vast breadth of knowledge and experience to the surgical table, as well as to the Jacksonville community. “Although Dr. Murray is a junior partner, we will both serve as mentors to one another in the advancement and implementation of new practices and procedures to provide the highest level of care to our patients and the further development of our field.” A WAR ZONE REVELATION Born to immigrant parents with seven brothers and sisters, Dr. Obi has always been an artist at heart. However, reality dictated that he could not make a living as a painter or sculptor, so at the age of 16, Dr. Obi joined the United States Marine Corps. During his enlistment, he encountered many wounded Marines and civilians with injuries and congenital defects in need of reconstructive surgery. He also had the opportunity to witness surgeries that opened his mind to the connection between art and plastic surgery. “The two disciplines have a natural integration and it soon became very clear to me that a profession in plastic surgery would unify my passions for creating art and helping others.” Today, Dr. Obi specializes in a wide variety of plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery procedures
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for nearly every aspect of the body, from breast enlargements and breast reconstructions to non-surgical and facial rejuvenation treatments. He recently introduced the newest and cutting-edge liposuction procedure to date with the Lifesculpt SlimLipo Laser Liposuction. Lifesculpt SlimLipo is one of the most advanced ways to remove fat in unwanted areas by means of laser. This procedure is less invasive than typical liposuction and produces a quicker recovery time with the added bonus of skin tightening. His passion for fine art has never diminished, and through his international art firm, Obiarts, Inc., Dr. Obi received a unique nomination as a Fellow to the Royal Society of Art in London. His extensive collection of art spans museums, universities, churches and private collections throughout the world, but much of it can also be found adorning the walls of his surgical clinic. His own personal works of art are created every day in the operating room, with patients who are cared for by the hands of both a surgeon and an artist. EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO ENLIGHTENMENT With a surgical oncologist father and a family history of breast cancer, it is easy to understand why Dr. Murray excels in his field. However, his success is largely based on his own personal desire to advance the field of reconstructive and plastic surgery by actively participating in the education of both patients and medical professionals. This is best demonstrated through Dr. Murray’s efforts in establishing the first international Breast
Cancer Symposium, held in Peoria, which he spearheaded and chaired in 2008. “The Breast Cancer Symposium was designed to educate all physicians and healthcare personnel regarding the current diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary fashion,” said Dr. Murray. “This year marked the third annual event and more than 260 health care professionals attended, ranging from physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurses, surgical technologists, radiologic technologists, occupational and physical therapists, and medical office staff.” With his relocation to Jacksonville, Dr. Murray hopes to continue working to educate medical professionals in the field, perhaps bringing aspects of the Peoria symposium to Jacksonville. Dr. Murray furthers his own education by maintaining his certification as both a board-certified plastic surgeon, as well as a boardcertified general surgeon. He will also be working with resident education programs at Shands and the University of Florida. “You could say that if Dr. Obi is the artist, then I am the scientist. By converging our own personal passions and interests into a practice as a team, we are aptly positioned to provide unparalleled leadership in our field and the best possible care to our patients.” “Medicine and surgery are both in the realm of science, but plastic surgery is truly medicine‘s contribution to art,” said Dr. Obi. “We always try to reduce the art of plastic surgery to a science, but the bottom line is that the artist has to always be present in the operating room.”
Frederic Porcase, D.O. Family Practice James Fetchero, D.O. Family Practice Rebecca Renault, A.R.N.P. Family Practice Carly Strickland, A.R.N.P. William Bosworth, D.O. Family Practice Benjamin Goh, D.O. Family Practice Kent Braeutigam, D.O. Family Practice Mary Jo Sutherland, P.A. Family Practice Robert Dajac, M.D. Family Practice Gene Harris, D.O. Family Practice Casey Meaker, A.R.N.P.
There’s strength in numbers. With 50 providers and 25 locations, you can bet that Family Medical Centers & Affiliated Physicians is going the distance with our patients and their families. If you’re interested in joining our ever-growing group of professionals please contact Jeff Burkhart at 904.699.0218 or email him at jburkhart@pcpfinancial.com.
Mary Ray, D.O. Family Practice M. Hassan Aboushaar, M.D. Pediatrician T. Michael Hardin, D.O. Pediatrician Jaime Revollo, M.D. Family Practice Francis DeCandis, M.D. Family Practice Edward Secunda, D.O. Family Practice Jorge Caballero, D.O. Family Practice Anthony Hamaty, M.D. Pediatrician Barbara Trunzo, A.R.N.P. Pediatrics Brittney Schmidt, A.R.N.P. Douglas Pennington, D.O. Family Practice Georgia Doyle, D.O. Family Practice Darlene VonTobel, A.R.N.P. Pediatrics Gloriosa Antiporda, M.D. Internal Medicine
Family Medical Center/Argyle 7855 Argyle Forest Blvd. Ste. 601 Jacksonville, FL 32244 778-3389 Family Medical Center/Mandarin 9765 San Jose Blvd. Suite 4 Jacksonville, FL 32257 268-2227
Marc Berger, M.D. Pediatrician Tia Sea, A.R.N.P. John A Fetchero, D.O. Otolaryngology Michelle Mendez, D.O. Family Practice Zenaida Lavina, M.D. Pediatrician Nicole Avens, A.R.N.P. Laura Triola, A.R.N.P. Maria Mora, M.D. Pediatrician Ayumi Cardoza, P.A. Pediatrics Celeste Soberano, M.D. Internal Medicine Michael Soberano, M.D. Pediatrician
Family Medical Center/Middleburg 3839 Country Road 218 Middleburg, FL 32068 282-5474 Family Medical Center/Norwood 5445 Norwood Ave. Jacksonville, FL 32208 765-7075 Family Medical Center/Orange Park 1409 Kingsley Ave. Suite 6A Orange Park, FL 32073 264-7517
Joseph Stillword, M.D. General Surgeon Samuel Walters, D.O. Family Practice Chitra Kuthiala M.D. Allergist Steven Simmons, A.R.N.P. Tina Voisin, A.R.N.P. Anthony J. Pacitti, M.D. Ashley Southwick, A.R.N.P.
Physician Opportunities:
904.699.0218 Sponsored by PCP Financial. Participation with all hospitals.
Family Medical Center/Pediatrics 1555 Kingsley Ave. Suite 601 Orange Park, FL 32073 264-0264 Family Medical Center/Riverside 2726 St. Johns Ave. Suite 101 Jacksonville, FL 32205 355-3556 Family Medical Center/San Pablo 14011 Beach Blvd. Suite 120 Jacksonville, FL 32250 223-6400
Family Medical Center/ San Pablo Pediatrics 14011 Beach Blvd. Suite 120 Jacksonville, FL 32250 223-6400 Family Medical Center/Southside 1906 Southside Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32216 724-3083 Normandy Medical Center 8225 Normandy Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32221 378-8520
Normandy Pediatrics 10250 Normandy Blvd. Ste. 201 Jacksonville, FL 32221 652-0870 Celeste Soberano 8833 Perimeter Park, Ste. 401 Jacksonville, FL 32216 996-8090 Michael Soberano 1301 Plantation Island Dr. Suite 608 St. Augustine, FL 32080 824-5437
Riverview Medical Center 2040 Riverview Street Jacksonville, FL 32206 713-8074
Michael Soberano 493 Prosperity Lake, Suite 201 & 202 St. Augustine, FL 32092 461-8906
Marc S Berger 7855 Argyle Forest Blvd. Ste. 302 Jacksonville, FL 32244 594-6044
Joseph Stillword 800 Zeagler Drive, Ste. 320 Palatka, FL 32217 386-328-9977
John A Fetchero 1542 Kingsley Ave. Ste. 140 Orange Park, FL 32073 278-3820
Samuel Walters 6531 103rd Street Jacksonville, FL 32210 772-2727
Mendez Family Care 14444 Beach Blvd. Ste. 315 Jacksonville, FL 32250 992-6681
Chitra Kuthiala 9765 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32257 262-9135
Middleburg Pediatrics 3839 County Road 218 Ste. C Middleburg, FL 32068 861-1034
Coastal Surgical Associates 205 Zeagler Dr., Ste 203 Palatka, FL 32177 386-312-8519
Medicine is the only profession that labours incessantly to destroy the reason for its own existence. — James Bryce, 1914
By Virginia J. Pillsbury
A
s we celebrate the legacies of area doctors, our gratitude goes out to all doctors who dedicate their lives to helping others. When you read the profiles of these doctors, we hope that you notice the thread of compassion each of them shares. While many of them say they embraced science at an early age, clearly they also embraced people and the desire to make the lives of others better. The doctors you are about to read about value their patients and oftentimes consider them family. Yes, they wish they had more time to spend with each patient, but they consider the time that they do spend as sacred. We tip our hats to these tireless professionals and are so very thankful that the Jacksonville area is blessed with such a wealth of wise, skilled and compassionate physicians.
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Christine Pierre M.D., and Ronnie Bond, M.D. Orange Park Medical Center
Husband and wife neurologists, Ronnie Bond, M.D., and Christine Pierre, M.D., are on many new frontiers – newlyweds, and having just completed their neurology fellowships, they have recently arrived at Orange Park Medical Center.
Both physicians have completed their training at the University of Miami. Dr. Pierre went on to complete her fellowship in sleep medicine and Dr. Bond completed his fellowship training in neurocritical care. “It’s a great combination,” says Dr. Bond of their particular focuses. “I refer my patients to my wife and the patients seem to love that continuity of care,” he says. “Once they leave the hospital I might not see them again, but because they see my wife, I can stay in touch.” Dr. Bond chose neurology and neurocritical care because he enjoys the complexity and dynamics associated in the acute care setting. “Every patient is a mystery,” he says. “There are treatments still yet to be unraveled.” In the acute care setting, he is able to provide various interventions that are not typical of general neurology. “We have a vast number of stroke patients coming through Orange Park Medical Center each day, all of whom are provided top quality care,” he says. Dr. Pierre became interested in medicine watching her older brother pursue his own career in medicine. Observing him going through the process of assisting others, she found it to be her passion as well. Ultimately, Dr. Pierre and her brother share the same dream of one day being able to help those in Haiti. “My parents are
from Haiti,” says Dr. Pierre. “We hope to one day be able to give back and help the people there considering the conditions of the country over the past several years.” “As doctors we have the opportunity to help people in need. I always feel compassion for people who are in a vulnerable state,” she says. “You really don’t know what to expect when you walk into the room. I have always enjoyed putting the pieces together to solve the puzzle,” she says of patient care. How do two doctors balance marriage and work? “We can’t always keep our heads in medicine,” says Dr. Pierre. “It’s important to do what you love to do and take time out of your week or month to do it – that helps keep a clear head to focus on work,” she says. “We are able to do that – we both love similar things so we can balance well.”
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Scot Ackerman, M.D.
Aaron M. Bates, M.D.
First Coast Oncology
Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute
As a former college athlete who incurred injury, Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute orthopaedic surgeon Aaron M. Bates, age 39, is always ready to help an injured athlete make a comeback. “I had a patient who had been highly recruited for college basketball,” remembers Dr. Bates. “The patient tore both the ACL and the meniscus and was very distraught.” Having had a similar experience playing college football, Dr. Bates was able to relate to and encourage his patient. “I did the reconstructive surgery, helped her through rehabilitation and got her back to In Haiti, Dr. Bates evaluates a child’s wrist.
Scot Ackerman, M.D., had his career choice epiphany at age 15. “I looked at the friends of my parents and their career choices,” Dr. Ackerman remembers. “The ones who were professionals, active in their communities and had families all seemed to be content. I was impressionable and knew that was the life I wanted.” As a member of the math team and part of the future physicians’ society in New Jersey, Dr. Ackerman realized he wanted his focus to be on medicine – healing and helping patients. “All of those things that I saw when I was fifteen, I love now,” he says. “I love interacting with people and the diversity of the patients that I see. And they are diverse in every way – socially, mentally and ethnically.” As a radiation oncologist at First Coast Oncology, Dr. Ackerman enjoys caring for
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his patients. “Most of our patients have early stage cancer and are cured,” he says. “Sadly some patients have diseases that have spread and are in later stages and for those patients I can help to improve the quality of their life by the things that we do.” He and his wife Alexandra have three children: two daughters in college and a son in high school. He credits his wife for his ability to balance family and work. “She is very independent, and that allows me to focus on work while she focuses on our family.” Still family time is a priority outside of work. “We spend a lot of time together as a family – we go on vacations together and have dinner together as many nights as possible.” Dinner, especially, is a nightly practice that he thinks is a great way to balance family and work.
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doing her thing,” he says. “It is always a great experience for me to help like this and it exemplifies why I do what I do,” he says. It was his injury that helped Dr. Bates decide to pursue medicine and he served in the Navy as a flight surgeon before pursuing a fellowship in sports medicine. “I love to work with my hands and I get the chance to affect someone’s life every day,” he says. He has served as team physician for a variety of high schools and he has volunteered with the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program.
Dr. Bates traveled to Haiti in August with the CRUDEM Foundation (www.crudem. org). “That was such a rewarding experience to be able to go after the earthquake,” he says. He was part of a team of four orthopedists who mostly did revision amputation and fracture work in Milot, Haiti, north of Port Au Prince. “We were in the only full service hospital,” he says. “And not all of the patients could be housed in the hospital; some had to stay in tents,” he says. “We slept with mosquito nets, without lights at night and the only air conditioning was in the operating rooms,” says Dr. Bates who says that the team treated about 34 patients during their week long stay. Dr. Bates and his family live in Fleming Island. He and his wife have three daughters who are involved in sports, drama and chorus. “My wife is very supportive, strong, and uplifting,” he says. “Without her I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”
Ronald Carzoli, M.D.
Carlos M. Castillo, M.D.
St. Vincent’s HealthCare
21st Century Oncology
St. Vincent’s neonatologist, Ronald Carzoli, M.D., made his first medical trip to Haiti with one of his daughters in 2003.
“She wanted to go to Haiti so I suggested that she go with me on a medical trip,” he remembers. “She was obviously motivated to go to agree to go with her dad,” he jokes. His daughter has made another trip since then, his two sons have also made two trips each, and Dr. Carzoli has been more than 20 times. In a team effort with St. Boniface Haiti Foundation in Boston, St. Vincent’s Medical Center and other local hospitals send medical and surgical teams to Haiti. “We usually take ten to 12 people down for a week and do 30 to 35 surgeries,” he explains. “We started with four teams a year and now we take eight or nine teams annually,” he says. “We take medical supplies and work with the four or five fulltime Haitian doctors there who have
also become friends over the years,” Dr. Carzoli says. The hospital, located in a rural area of Haiti, has grown from a 30 to a 60 bed facility, with 300 outpatient visits daily. “We work to get the staff and nurses what they need – for the first time they now have an x-ray machine, and much of the hospital equipment they use we have had to hand carry in our suitcases,” he explains. We also have training programs, including neonatal resuscitation courses to help them care for the more than 600 babies born in the hospital each year. His other passion in Haiti is education. “I have a sister who is a teacher, and she has also become involved with our Foundation. We have worked to build up the school systems there, and to see to it that more children have access to education,” he says. At St. Vincent’s, Dr. Carzoli is the Director of the NICU and Pediatrics. “I have four younger siblings and always knew that I wanted to be in pediatrics,” he says. “ I love neonatalogy because it is exciting and intense. Most of our babies do well, but when they don’t it also takes skill to be able to help parents through a hard or traumatic time,” he says.
Carlos M. Castillo, M.D., believes that God wanted him to be a medical oncologist. “We are [all] being called to do something and it doesn’t have to be a big thing. It might be a small thing, but love that small thing that you are doing,” says Dr. Castillo, medical oncologist at 21st Century Oncology. “I grew up in Puerto Rico, in a family of liberal arts actors and I always appreciated good music, but I also liked the science behind human beings,” explains Dr. Castillo. “I am the first doctor in my family and I feel like I pursue the humanities with a scientific approach. I always keep the complexity of the human body in mind, and I want to be a doctor who comes at medicine with a holistic approach,” he says. Along the way to his career decision, Dr. Castillo considered the priesthood. His father pointed out that being a doctor encompassed the three things most important to his son: humanities, philosophy and the body. “My father told me
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that I have a calling to minister to the human body and I am using the three aspects of what I want in life,” says Dr. Castillo. “After that I never had a doubt.” Dr. Castillo has seen his father battle a brain tumor, and he has personally been treated for lymphoma. He believes that God led him through these turmoils to help him be a better oncologist. “I don’t want to be the smartest one, but I want to be the one who loves his patients and takes care of them,” he says. “I want to help that soul that struggles with the issue of cancer,” he says. His desire to help others also led him to cycling. “I started riding a bike because of Lance Armstrong,” says Dr. Castillo. Dr. Castillo now rides to raise money for both the MS 100 and the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure. “I ride to help other people.”
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Andrew Coley, M.D. Memorial Hospital
Rui P. Fernandes, DMD, M.D. UF&Shands
Rui P. Fernandes, DMD, M.D., is the first oral and maxillofacial surgeon in the country to remove a tumor from a patient’s throat using a DaVinci Robot.
Andrew Coley, M.D., has been in practice in Jacksonville at The Clinic for Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases since 1976. His father was a high school principal and he credits both parents for encouraging him to go into medicine; he is the first in his family to do so. Dr. Coley grew up on a farm in Georgia, went to Emory University for undergrad and attended University of Miami Medical School. He remains a Georgia Bulldog fan and enjoys getaways back to the family farm. Dr. Coley says that practicing medicine has always been fun for him. “I’ve never been in it for the money,” he says. He and his wife Kathy, who is a nurse at Mayo and the “love of his life,” still live in the first house they bought when their first child was born. “Interacting with patients is what I love,” he says. “We talk about their illnesses but also about them as people.” His caring and patience is evident in all he does, and he says that many patients refer to him as ‘Dr. Hugs.’ “We’re privileged in medicine to be able to put hands on people and we should
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be very aware of that. Human touch is important even if it is just putting our hand on an arm to check the pulse,” he says. Perhaps touch is important because of the tragedy that has touched his life. Dr. Coley and his wife have two children who have passed away. “We have a close sense of family and that helps keep us together,” he explains. And they’ve reached out to others in an effort to heal. Causes they support include a fund to provide a forum for homosexual theory at the University of Georgia, and JASMYN (Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network). While Dr. Coley finds the future of healthcare potentially troubling, he still encourages others to enter the medical field. “Choose carefully which field of medicine you want,” he suggests. In December, he will be eligible to become “emeritus” at the Duval Medical Society – to him that signifies many wonderful patient memories.
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He says that it is exciting to be able to do this procedure for patients because of its great results “Before robotic surgery, a patient with an oral pharyngeal cancer underwent surgery that split the face to get to the tumor,” Dr. Fernandes explains. “With the robot we can do the surgery in a fraction of the time and the patient can usually go home on the same day. It’s pretty exciting to have the ability to do this now, especially knowing how the surgery used to be done and the potential for problems to occur. I want to let this community know that we are able to do this,” he says. At age 40, Dr. Fernandes, Assistant Professor of oral and maxillofacial, microvascular and head and neck surgery at UF&Shands, has spent almost half of his life training for his specialty. “I knew that I wanted to be a surgeon during my clinical rotations in medical school. I liked head and neck and the reconstructive aspects of surgery,” he says. By his third year in residency he knew he wanted to focus on cancer and complex reconstruc-
tive surgery. As both a dentist and a physician, Dr. Fernandes draws from both disciplines to focus on head and neck cancer and reconstruction. “My passion is microvascular reconstruction,” says Dr. Fernandes. “I like having a concrete problem and being able to surgically fix it and improve the lives of my patients.” Dr. Fernandes has been in Jacksonville for six years. “Every day and every patient is different,” says Dr. Fernandes. “Anyone can get cancer; it could even be my own family member. Because of this, I do my ultimate best to treat my patients well so they can go back to being the father or the grandfather that they’ve always been with a good quality of life.”
Larry Fox, M.D.
Michael O. Gayle, M.D.
Nemours Children’s Clinic
Wolfson Children’s Hospital
Every summer, Larry A. Fox, M.D., his wife and two daughters spend a week volunteering at Camp JADA, a local day camp for children who have diabetes.
“It’s fun for me and it allows me to show the campers that I’m not just a doctor but I like to do all of the things that they like to do,” says Dr. Fox, from the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Research at Nemours Children’s Clinic, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Mayo Medical School and Medical Director, Northeast Florida Pediatric Diabetes Center. “It is good for them to see their doctor as a person and not just someone who does doctor things,” he adds about the camp that is sponsored by the local American Diabetes Association. He also loves seeing the campers, many of whom are his patients, mingle and learn with other kids who also have diabetes. “So much comes out of camp – every year I hear stories of patients who realize they can give themselves shots,
start on an insulin pump or even realize that even with diabetes they can do a sport or activity,” says Dr. Fox. Not only does Dr. Fox interact with the campers, he also has become the official photographer and videographer. His wife, a pediatric dietitian, and their two daughters Erin and Megan enjoy Camp JADA as well. Both daughters have been campers, and may someday be counselors. Dr. Fox always knew that he wanted to be a doctor. “I went to medical school thinking that I wouldn’t like pediatrics because I didn’t know how I could deal with patients who cried so much,” he remembers. But an 18-monthold girl, being treated for ingesting rat poison, was the first patient of his first rotation as a third year medical student. She changed his mind. “Her family never came to visit so I played with her when I had time. She is a big reason why I went into pediatrics.” The physiology behind endocrinology and diabetes is what attracted him to the specialty. “With endocrinology we can take away if there is too much hormone, or replace if there is not enough. Many things we can’t fix permanently but we can often replace what is missing,” he explains.
Michael O. Gayle, M.D., Associate Professor, UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville, Co-medical director of pediatric transport program at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Medical Director of Wolfson Children’s Hospital Outreach Program, remembers visiting a hospital while in high school where sick and terminally ill patients left an impression on him and a desire to help. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, he completed his training in pediatric medicine in Canada and worked there prior to coming to Jacksonville. “I had an interest in science and wanted to interact with people. I knew that I wanted to work with children and felt like they needed more help than adults,” says Dr. Gayle. “I wanted to be actively involved with my patients and found that critical care was a very dynamic specialty because it can be minute to minute and hour to hour,” he says. “With pediatric critical care, you have two patients, the child and the parent. That can be challenging as you need to develop skill sets for both,” he explains. “This is a rewarding profession because you can make a difference in the life of a family, especially when a critically ill child comes in with a life threatening illness and a team of professionals comes together and is able to see that child get well and go home,” he says. He’s been at the hospital for 18 years and has worked hard to help establish the
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hospital as a regional center for children. As medical director of the outreach program, he works to promote the hospital’s medical experts and programs. He also helped established an inpatient referral telephone system to assist with the transfer of patients to the hospital. He hopes the hospital is recognized as a national pediatric hospital of excellence one day. At day’s end, Dr. Gayle tries not to take work home. “You need to keep yourself mentally and physically in good condition,” he says. To do that, he likes road cycling and going to the gym. He and his wife, who have two grown children, also enjoy travelling and trying new food and cultural experiences.
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Vikram Gopal, M.D. The Borland-Groover Clinic
Timothy G. Groover, M.D. Baptist Medical Center
Vikram Gopal, M.D., jokes that he is a doctor because his mother stressed the importance of education and gave him the choice of doctor, lawyer or engineer
Seriously though, Dr. Gopal appreciates the values instilled in him at a young age where he was exposed to science and medicine through his father’s veterinarian practice. A native of Jacksonville, born at St. Vincent’s, Dr. Gopal was delighted to return home and practice at the Borland-Groover Clinic. “It is a win win situation,” he says. “Borland-Groover is well respected, well run and provides the top level of quality care that you want to provide to your patients.” “I decided to be a doctor because of my love of science and my desire to interact with people. Being a physician affords you the chance to make a difference in peoples’ lives,” he says. As a gastroenterologist at Borland-Groover Clinic, Dr. Gopal enjoys the procedure-
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oriented side of his specialty. “I like to interact, examine and diagnose patients,” he says. “Then it is very fulfilling to provide therapeutic and diagnostic procedures.” “When there is a high stress situation with a patient, such as active GI bleeding, and I can stop the patient from having a significant hemorrhage, there is a moment of extreme satisfaction for me that I have provided comfort,” continues Dr. Gopal. “There are other situations where I can affect someone’s life by preventing something catastrophic such as colon or esophageal cancer.” Dr. Gopal’s wife, Suma, is an internal medicine physician currently taking a sabbatical to raise their children. “Being married to a physician is very beneficial in dealing with the stresses and demands of the job,” he says. “My wife relates to the time commitment and the mental fatigue, and that makes all of the difference in the world.” Time is set apart, without pagers or cell phones, for family. “I carve out time in my schedule for them. I value those moments and that is what keeps me going.”
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When Timothy G. Groover, M.D., was in sixth grade his mother died. This huge life event caused him to start thinking about medicine and how her death might have been prevented. That desire, along with the mentoring of a local pediatrician, and his father who is a local pastor, led him to a career as an anesthesiologist. “My dad is a primary mentor in my life,” says Dr. Groover, an anesthesiologist at Baptist downtown and chief-of-staff elect. “He taught me that helping people is the right thing to do,” he says. “Medicine is an avenue to help people in an organized way.” He chose anesthesiology because of his interest in math and human physiology, and he likes its immediate sense of doing something helpful. “I know that I am doing something that is necessary and during my time with the patient before an operation I can allay their fears and calm them. I think that works better than any of [the] drugs,” Dr. Groover, age 45, says. “When a patient is facing a difficult time in terms of stress
I get to help make them feel better,” he says. “They are my sole purpose while they are in my care and they are in good hands.” Dr. Groover also serves as the minister of music at his father’s church, Greater Refuge Temple. “I feel like I have two ministries – one is music and the other is medicine,” he says. “The ministry takes a lot of time,” says Dr. Groover who has traveled to Africa on mission trips. Juggling church, home and the hospital requires a lot of finesse, Dr. Groover admits. “I say that I am a short order cook and I keep things from burning,” he jokes. “I have a wonderful wife and we have a four-year-old son who is a charmer,” he says. The Groovers recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary with a ceremony in Rome that his father officiated.
R. David Heekin, M.D. Heekin Orthopedic Specialists
R. David Heekin, M.D., of Heekin Orthopedic Specialists remembers the standing ovation he received from the Army Rangers at the Annual Ranger Ball. It came after he treated Rangers at Fort Benning, Georgia who were involved in the Black Hawk Down episode in Somalia. “We saw some pretty severe injuries, had to do some amputations and did some complex reconstruction of limbs,” remembers Dr. Heekin. “We did a lot of work with bone transport and innovative devices – we were able to restore a lot of guys back to full duty.” For a West Point graduate and military physician, the care he gave and the ovation he received means a lot. Dr. Heekin won a Healthcare Hero award in 2008 from the Jacksonville Business Journal for his service to those Rangers. He not only restored their mobility, but also helped bring attention to the need for more advanced prosthetics throughout the armed forces for military returning home. As an Army physician, Dr. Heekin enjoyed military life; he began his career with five years in the artillery during the Vietnam War. “I like helping people and dealing with people and medicine seemed [like] a nice combination,” he says. “It’s a mix of science and interpersonal skills.” He chose orthopedics because while at West
Point, Dr. Heekin injured his own knee. “I understand what a difficult recovery it can be – it takes a lot of hard work to get back in the game,” he says. He retired from the Army in 2000 and returned to his hometown of Jacksonville. “I was born at St. Vincent’s so it nice to return home after 25 years,” he says. He started Heekin Orthopedic Specialists and will soon be celebrating its tenth anniversary. The work and family balance is important to Dr. Heekin. “The balance is hard – I can fix a fracture but finding the balance is hard. My wife works part time for our office and I try to spend time with her every day – we get together for lunch or dinner,” he says. Their three children are grown, and the Heekins enjoy spending time in Key Largo on the weekends.
Amber Isley, M.D. Mayo Clinic
Amber Isley, M.D., hated wearing heels so decided to go to medical school. “I hated my job in advertising and I was married to a Navy pilot who was very happy with his work. I wanted to be happy too,” she says of her long considered venture into medicine.
She loved Morehouse School of Medicine. Her first patient during her OB rotation, was not only high on crack, but was pregnant and didn’t know it. “It was in caring for that patient that I knew that I was in the right field,” says Dr. Isley. “The patient realized that her life was in a shambles and asked for help. Two years later I saw her again and she was back in school,” she says. “I feel privileged to be in medicine and to be a family doctor,” says Dr. Isley, age 42. She worked in family medicine and now works at the Breast Center at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville – a location that feels like an extension of family medicine to her.
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“I’m a laid back doctor and I like to share one on one with my patients,” she says. Dr. Isley is also involved in the Florida Academy of Family Physicians. “It is important that my profession survives,” she says, “and that we can continue to do the job we are meant to do.” She believes that a physician can only be as good as the patient. “Patients need to have no reservations about sharing any and everything with their doctor,” says Dr. Isley. “I’m not there to be your best friend but to be your physician. If you feel any reservation about being in my care or the care of whoever your doctor is, then that is not the right doctor for you,” she believes. Still family comes first for Dr. Isley. “In our household we have a big board for our calendar. Everyone knows to write down the important events. My family is proud of me and they understand that I have to pick and choose the things that are most important,” she says. “I might not be at the practice, but I’ll be at the game.”
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Commander Robert Jackson, M.D.
Yazan Khatib, M.D. First Coast Cardiology Institute
Naval Hospital Jacksonville (NHJax) Commander Robert Jackson, M.D., Medical Corps, United States Navy, has enjoyed two naval careers: he spent his first ten years as a Naval Aviator and then went to medical school.
“Like most physicians, I love the sciences and I have also always wanted to serve others – going into medicine was a good mesh,” Cmdr. Jackson, age 49, says. After completing medical school and specializing in anesthesiology, Cmdr. Jackson stayed in the military. “Who wouldn’t want to take care of the folks who take care of our country?” he asks. “I love being a doctor and taking care of people who sometimes are at their worst moments in life and just need help,” he says. “I get to be that person and touch lives in a different way.” Patient care and safety are of prime importance to Cmdr. Jackson who has been very involved with TeamSTEPPSR – a Department of Defense patient safety initiative. “Patient safety centers around the medical staff working as a team,” explains Cmdr. Jackson. With TeamSTEPPSR in place, everyone, no matter what rank or rate, is empowered to speak up if they notice a safety hazard or violation that concerns the patient. “We’ve had it in place at NH Jax for two years now and it works extremely well in terms of patient safety,” he explains.
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Cmdr. Jackson thinks that TeamSTEPPSR is one of many good things currently happening at NH Jax. “We are part of a caring community collaborative with Nemours, Shands and Mayo Clinic,” he says. “We have an annual patient safety symposium with these hospitals. We do a lot in the community and are opening up our gate more so that people can see what we are doing here,” he says. Still, as much as he loves his work, Cmdr. Jackson says that he always knows when it’s time to go home. “My family is even more important than my job,” he says of his wife of 20 years. “She has been very supportive through aviation, medical school and residency,” he says. They have a daughter, son-in-law and grandson.
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A mother’s intuition may have led Yazan Khatib, M.D., of First Coast Cardiology Institute down the path to medicine, but it is his own passion that has fueled him along the way.
“My mother told me that I was going to go into medicine,” he says of the decision that he made as a 16-year-old in Damascus, Syria. Early in his medical training Dr. Khatib discovered his passion for cardiovascular disease. “I also love to interact with my patients and get to know them and their families,” he says. “I get a huge fulfillment when I have a patient who comes to me after they have been told that they need to have an amputation and I am able to help them keep their limb. That is what keeps me going when the job gets physically draining,” he says. “My parents instilled in me a dedication and passion to help others and do what’s right,” he says. Two profes-
sors mentored him in a profound way as well. “One who had a tremendous influence on me taught me to think in terms of what I would do if my patient was my mother or father,” he says. “I hope that I never forget that.” The other one taught him the importance of perseverance and being aggressive in the right way with patient care and treatment. Patient care is vital to Dr. Khatib. “I hope that all of us as physicians can keep from taking our frustrations with health reforms, changes and insurance complications out on the wrong person. We must transcend those worries when we walk into the patient’s room so that we can offer support and give our best care,” he says. The hard part for Dr. Khatib is juggling a career that he loves with a family that he loves. “It is tough to balance work and home. When you love and are dedicated to your career, you also have to make time for your family who is equally important. My wife is a lovely woman and we have three beautiful daughters,” says Dr. Khatib. “They are my passion too.”
Mark Kramp, M.D.
Jason Lang, M.D.
Baptist Medical Center & Baptist South
Nemours Children’s Clinic
Mark Kramp, M.D., an anesthesiologist with Baptist Medical Center, Baptist South and president of Florida Anesthesia Associates has been an anesthesiologist with Baptist Health for the last 28 years. It is a job that he loves though his first career goal was to be a commercial scuba diver. “I majored in biology to become a marine biologist,” says Dr. Kramp, who double majored in biology and chemistry and took pre-med classes at Lamar University. An interest in medical marine research caused him to pursue a medical degree at University of Texas Medical School at Galveston, and he went on dives with marine researchers during medical school. “They signed me in as the medical officer,” he remembers. When Dr. Kramp started clinical rotations he found that he loved taking care of people. “It’s very rewarding and you go home with that warm fuzzy feeling every day,” he says. “Our anesthesia department was strong and had a powerful educator,” Dr. Kramp says. “He would bring medical students into the operating room to observe the anesthesiologists,” he says. He remembers making rounds in a pediatric intensive care unit when a child arrested. “A guy came in wearing scrubs and carrying a tackle box. He put an IV line in her neck, intubated her, gave her drugs and revived her,” Dr. Kramp says. “He was
an anesthesia resident and I remember thinking I want to be that masked man.” He loves the fast paced nature of his work and adrenaline rush of helping a patient at a crucial time. You might find Dr. Kramp at 2 a.m. helping to save someone’s life or giving an epidural to a mother-to-be. “No matter how rough it is and how tired you get, once the dust settles you have a really good feeling that you have done something great,” he says. As busy as his days and nights can be, Dr. Kramp also enjoys taking time off to scuba dive or travel with his wife. They recently returned from a trip to Egypt, Israel and Jordan. “My wife is a former nurse and is very understanding of my time,” he says. He also has two grown children and two granddaughters.
As a pediatric pulmonologist with the division of pulmonology, allergy, immunology pediatrics at Nemours, Jason Lang, M.D., enjoys the mix of daily clinical care of his young patients and research. “I have the privilege of taking care of patients and also doing research that will help my patients,” he says. He is also passionate about community outreach for asthma. “I want to spread the word about asthma,” says Dr. Lang who serves as the chair of the Jacksonville Asthma Coalition. Dr. Lang’s main area of research is pediatric asthma. “One study involves environmental tobacco smoke and genetics and how that impacts asthma and control. We know that asthma is made worse for kids who are exposed to tobacco smoke, we just don’t know how,” he says. “Another research study is about asthma and obesity. Both kids and adults who are overweight are also more at risk for asthma, and it makes asthma harder to control,” he explains. “We are looking at how nutrition might change asthma’s severity.” Growing up in Vermont, Dr. Lang says that there wasn’t a particular moment when he knew that he wanted to be a doctor. “I was always interested in science and the body,” he says. “I also had adults in my life who were in medicine, so I saw that medicine was a flexible endeavor that I could take
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in a lot of different directions and grow professionally,” he says. “I found it very attractive to do something that I was interested in and also help people to heal.” He says that the medical school road is long from deciding and arriving at what to do. “I had my ‘Aha!’ moment when I did my pediatrics rotation,” he says. “It was a great experience and I loved taking care of children and interacting with the families.” At the end of the work day, Dr. Lang enjoys his role as husband, father and soccer coach of his two daughters. He and his wife, a pediatrician in the Wolfson Children’s Hospital emergency room, have two daughters and one son ages nine, seven and three. “It is a fun and busy balance,” he says.
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Kenneth Ngo, M.D.
Trevor Paris, M.D.
Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital
Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital
As the new medical director for the brain injury program at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, Kenneth Ngo, M.D., oversees the whole spectrum of care for brain injury patients from inpatient to outpatient care and followed by further programs that patients need in order to return as much as possible to their previous lives. He is delighted to be at Brooks and serve the Northeast Florida community. While Dr. Ngo began his education in engineering he found, after volunteering at a hospital, that medicine was the best fit for him. And part of that is because he loves patient care. “It is hard work but I feel so good about what I do – helping people and making them better - and that is what sold me on pursuing medicine,” Dr. Ngo says. “A unique opportunity in physical medicine and rehabilitation, unlike many other specialties in medicine, is the team approach to patient care,” says Dr. Ngo. “We focus on a patient’s function,
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rather than his or her illness. That focus on function is what I enjoy most about patient care – being able to facilitate their functional improvement so that they can return to their previous roles at home, work and in the community,” he adds. “I strive to provide the best care for my patients and I am dedicated to improving the health of our community. One of the most rewarding times for me is to be able to pull a chair up by a patient’s bed and talk to the patient. I believe that is sacred time between a patient and a physician, and I hope to better our community by caring for one patient at a time,” he says. Dr. Ngo, age 30, was born in Vietnam and moved to Milwaukee with his family in 1992. He and his wife, who is a pharmacist, moved here a few months ago; they are glad that they did. “We love the beach and the weather,” says Dr. Ngo, who has seen many beaches around the world. “I think we have one of the best beaches right here,” he says.
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Trevor Paris, M.D., feels called to rehabilitation medicine because he believes those patients are often forgotten.
As the medical director of Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, the stroke rehabilitation program and the vice president of the Brooks Rehabilitation Medical Group, Dr. Paris makes a difference in the lives of the disabled. “This is an underserved need and I get to build long term relationships with my patients. I get to know them and their families,” he explains. “Working with our interdisciplinary team at Brooks is a great opportunity to work with people whose different skills work to plan a good patient outcome.” Both his great grandfather and grandfather were physicians and early work as a hospital orderly gave him a sense of the ministry
that medical care and helping people is to him. At Brooks, Dr. Paris has been able to develop the stroke therapy team and specifically develop the expertise of stroke care with therapists. “I work on the science behind what we do, and how to develop a solid repertoire that includes science and research,” he explains. “What encourages me are the patients who are motivated to work and the families who are anxious to help the patient. They help to make it possible for them to get back to life in their community and family setting,” he says. Dr. Paris has been married for 29 years and he and his wife have three children, ages 26, 24 and 21. “It is challenging to balance family and work,” he admits. “We make priorities and for us it is ultimately family, church and work.”
Guillermo Pierluisi, M.D., MPH, FACEP
Leandro Rodriguez, M.D. Baptist Beaches
Flagler Hospital
Guillermo Pierluisi, MD, MPH, FACEP - VicePresident of Emergency Medicine Services, Flagler Hospital, Inc., St Augustine has also served as a medical officer with the Army National Guard for the last 22 years. He was deployed to Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks in New York City, and he has been to Afghanistan twice and once to Iraq. At the end of his latest deployment to Afghanistan, in the spring of 2010, Dr. Pierluisi visited the location of his 2002 deployment. Most physicians who are deployed overseas feel the call of a dual mission. “We take care of our own, but we also help the local community with their public health needs,” he explains. “I was able to see the progress that we had made in the healthcare delivery services infrastructure in Afghanistan,” he says. “To see that we are making a lasting difference makes the sacrifice of being away from home and from our families acceptable,” he says. “The practice of emergency medicine in the field is different only because the area where we work isn’t secure,” Dr. Pierluisi explains. “Soldiers have medical needs like everyone else. Every doctor in the military feels that we can make a big difference in the life of these soldiers.” Dr. Pierluisi’s desire when he chose medicine was to help improve the quality
of life of those with medical needs that required immediate attention. Very early in his career he also discovered his interest for administration of healthcare services and systems. “Having the opportunity to be involved in the development and management of services aimed at helping others improve their quality of life and at the same having the clinical skills to help them directly is very rewarding,” he says. “Emergency Department work is hard work but knowing that throughout the course of the shift you helped many people is extremely gratifying.” He tries to avoid placing barriers between work and family. “My family is very supportive of what I do,” he explains. “I always include them as much as possible in what I do.”
When Leandro Rodriguez, M.D., a Baptist Beaches OB/ GYN is out in Jacksonville and runs into a patient or sees a baby that he has delivered, his day is made.
“It never gets old to have a family stop me and show me the baby that I delivered,” he says. “There is something very special about running into people that I’ve helped in the past. Seeing them again never gets old.” The lone physician in a family of engineers, Dr. Rodriguez explains, “I always wanted to know how things worked, but engineering did not provide enough interaction with people. With medicine I can figure out how to fix things and have a lot of interaction with people.” He chose obstetrics and gynecology because of the continuity of care. “It was very appealing to have a specialty where I could perform surgery and also care for patients throughout their lives,” he explains. “I get to see patients when they are healthy and
when they need help. I get to care for them when they are young, when they are having babies and as they get older,” he says. “I enjoy the contact with patients.” After his residency in Miami, Dr. Rodriguez and his wife and son moved here five years ago. His son is now five, and the family has grown to include a three-year-old daughter. “We feel very blessed that my wife can stay home with our children,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “My work is sometimes difficult with an unpredictable schedule,” says Dr. Rodriguez about balancing work and family. “But because I live close to the hospital, I can go home for lunch or a quick visit with my wife and children every opportunity that I get,” he explains. “This is a great place to raise a family,” says Dr. Rodriguez who thinks the area offers a lot for a family, including the beach and the zoo. And at age 33, Dr. Rodriguez looks forward to many years of watching his children as well as the patients that he’s delivered grow up.
Photo credit: Scott S. Smith | www.sssphotographic.com
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Eric Rosemund, M.D. Baptist Primary Care
Robert E. Safford, M.D., Ph.D. Mayo Clinic
Eric Rosemund, M.D., an internal medicine specialist at Baptist Medical Center, says that his reasons for going into medicine might be considered archaic and quaint. “On good days, doctors can help people remodel their lifestyle, implement life changes and see the effects in their patients,” he says. He was also attracted to medicine because it is challenging, requires self discipline and allows autonomy. “It feels good to be able to figure something out when a patient, who has been among specialists, comes to you and you diagnose something that others have missed,” he says of the gratification that comes with the ability to “pull people through strange symptoms and solve a problem.” “I feel that in a very real sense that as a doctor I make a covenant with my patients to be there and help them with their daily struggles,” he says. “Faith is crucial,” he adds. He tries to keep in mind that he is the servant and the patient is the customer or person in need. That desire to care for patients has caused him to serve those in the community without access to insurance through Volunteers in Medicine. Dr. Rosemund, age 58, has also been on mission trips with his church to Jamaica and Central America. While he says that it can be easy to get frustrated by health-
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care today, he doesn’t think doctors should complain. “We need to remember that this is a profession and an ambition and we are in it for the problem solving and the patient care,” he says. And that’s what he tells medical students. “We might have hassles, but where else can you use your brain and help people like this?” he asks. “We need to look at the big picture of what we do and not sweat the small stuff,” he says. He says that without a doubt, he could go into medicine again if he had it to do over. He and his wife moved to Florida in 1981 and raised two children here. They chose Florida because they liked the climate and the warm weather hobbies of waterskiing and white water rafting. He also enjoys studying history, theology and science.
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Cardiologist Robert E. Safford, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the original Mayo Clinic Jacksonville physicians.
“I feel very lucky to have found something that I enjoy and I feel sorry for those who don’t like their jobs,” he says. “You need to find your passion and run with it.” Dr. Safford started out as pre-med in college then, anticipating future employment, he switched to chemical engineering and earned a doctorate in the field. “In grad school in the late 1960s we were designing artificial hearts, but I was much more interested in the biology of what was happening to the dogs with the hearts than with the devices,” he remembers. So he decided to pursue medicine. He remembers the first patient he sent for a heart transplant in 1986. “She was 67 years old and even today that is considered the outer edge of the age range,” says Dr. Safford. “She was per-
fectly healthy except for her bad heart and it took eight different medical centers before I found a location that would transplant her,” he explains. The patient lived another ten years after the transplant. “She saw her daughter get married and have children,” says Dr. Safford, “She got to live a period of her life that she would have missed.” On her Florida vacations, the patient would reunite with Dr. Safford and his wife, a former nurse, for dinner. “In cardiology you have little control over your life; it controls you,” says Dr. Safford. “I hope that I successfully balanced home and work,” he says. “When my kids were younger I rarely missed a recital, game or meet,” he says. “There are some things that you can do late in the evening after everyone else is in bed,” he says. He thinks practicing medicine is harder for physicians now than when he first started. “With more innovations and technology, medicine is busier,” he says. “I hope that 15 or 20 years from now I can look back and say that medicine and our next generation of physicians made it successfully through all of the transitions.”
Scott L. Silliman, M.D.
Edward Tribuzio, M.D.
UF&Shands
Baptist Nassau
Scott L. Silliman, M.D., associate professor, UF Department of Neurology, says that he practices the art and not the science of medicine. He first had an interest in biology in high school that was fanned by summer programs where he explored medicine. The real turning point came in college when he worked with a neurologist who was working with neurofibromatosis, also known as elephant man disease. “He was working on an incurable disease, but he was also improving the quality of life and giving patients hope – there was both a bonding and a therapeutic relationship with patients,” says Dr. Silliman. From that he learned the importance of treating the illness, not the disease he says. At Shands, Dr. Silliman runs the stroke and the multiple sclerosis programs. “I treat diseases with deficits that impede my patients’ function in society and at home,” he says. “I develop long lasting therapeutic relationships with them and work to do the things that will put a smile on their faces. It’s very gratifying.” When Dr. Silliman arrived in Jacksonville in 1996, tPA had just been approved by the FDA for use in stroke. “I had been involved in clinical trials with tPA and there were no other neurologists here with a background with tPA, so it was a very fortuitous time for me,” he says.
Away from work, Dr. Silliman values family time and solitary pursuits. “I think that most good physicians might have an element of OCD and we need to recognize when we spend too much time at work. Family is always number one. I’ve never taken up golf because I didn’t want to spend that time away from my family,” he says. He enjoys running and says there is nothing prettier than running the Jacksonville bridges at sunset. He also likes painting and watching classic movies. “I also enjoy going to Jaguar games and yelling – it gets out any aggression,” he jokes. And while he knows that there is a lot of pressure on physicians now, he would do it again. “There is nothing more gratifying than providing outstanding care and making a positive impact on the quality of life,” he says.
Edward Tribuzio, M.D., had just been to visit one of his patients in the hospital. The patient is dying of cancer. “The fact that he is dying is sad, but the point I want to make is that he was smiling. He told me that his family stayed here instead of moving away because they wanted me to take care of him,” says Dr. Tribuzio. “And that is the reason that I love what I do.” Dr. Tribuzio has practiced medicine for 27 years. “My practice is my family – I am their doctor and I take care of them,” he says. He is board certified in family medicine and geriatric medicine, and is a Baptist Nassau family practice doctor. At age 58, Dr. Tribuzio says he was a child of the 1960s who loved teaching, helping others and science. “That combination led me to medicine,” he says. He attended medical school in Paris, France where he met his wife, Dominique, who is a nurse in his practice. “She under-
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stands the hours involved in my work and we have a good balance because of that,” he says. Twenty seven years ago they moved to Fernandina, with their six-month-old daughter. That baby girl is now in a physical medicine and rehab residency. The Tribuzio family has three more children, all in their twenties. He and his family have loved Fernandina and Dr. Tribuzio has thrived with his family centered practice that covers all ages and stages of life. “At first I was delivering babies and watching families grow,” he says. “Now I am treating more elderly people – and trying to keep their lives happy with good quality,” he says. “I feel like what I do is what medicine is all about,” he says.
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Albert Volk, M.D.
Theodore Wingard, M.D.
Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine
Memorial Hospital
Albert Volk, M.D.,an orthopaedic surgeon for Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine who also sees patients at Flagler Hospital, registered on the volunteer sign up list to go to Haiti shortly after the earthquake. The next day he got a call asking him when he could leave. “My wife is a nurse and we want to do orthopaedic work overseas once we retire,” says Dr. Volk. “She suggested that this was my chance to see if I am cut out for it,” he says. So three weeks after the earthquake, Dr. Volk went to Haiti with the University of Miami project Medishare. He spent a week serving in Haiti. “Within 72 hours of arriving we had set up a mini field hospital for emergency treatment right on the airport grounds,” Dr. Volk says. The area was like a war zone. “I trained at a big trauma center in Los Angeles, but what we had in Haiti was like the trauma center multiplied by a hundred,” says Dr. Volk who saw hundreds of patients with open fractures, amputations and did second operations trying to align broken bones that had been set without x-rays. The night before he went to Haiti, he asked Flagler Hospital for supplies to take with him. “They told me to take whatever I needed,” he says. “After a day or two in Haiti new supplies were opened up and it was the stuff that I brought from Flagler,”
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he says with appreciation. “It definitely changes your perspective when you get back – you get the feeling that there is more of a purpose to what you do,” says Dr. Volk who hopes to go back in January. “It will be a totally different experience and I’ll be doing reconstructive surgeries,” he says. His wife would like to join him on this mission, though that might be difficult because they have four children still at home. A college football knee injury caused Dr. Volk to choose orthopaedics. “I like the instant satisfaction of seeing someone who can’t walk and helping them until the last time I see them [when] they walk out of my office,” he says.
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Football and surgery have similar components believes Theodore Wingard, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon and former college football player.
“My football experience helped with doing heart surgery,” he explains. “There is a lot of pleasure and excitement. Not only do you get the adrenaline flowing and know that you have to do well, but you also have to be prepared and have your mind in order for every step. In surgery you do one play at a time and do it right and do your best. You don’t go on to the next step until you’ve done that one perfectly. Each small step correctly becomes a nice result. You don’t take shortcuts, you do everything by the book and you do it correctly,” he sums up. And that is how Dr. Wingard has successfully treated his patients for the last 32 years. His father was a pharmacist whose business was located between two doc-
tors, and so from an early age Dr. Wingard knew that he wanted to be a doctor. At first he considered a career as an orthopedic surgeon might be for him, but during his rotation in cardiology he decided on that field. After studying at both Johns Hopkins University and Emory University, Wingard went into private practice here in Jacksonville. He has seen his surgery group grow from 4 to 12 surgeons, and from doing surgery at two local hospitals to all of the hospitals. “I enjoy my work,” says Dr. Wingard. “I’ve done more than 10,000 heart operations because I’ve been doing them longer than anyone else in town,” he says. He has also seen a lot of changes. “I’ve seen carotid stenting, angioplasty and less invasive surgery become popular,” he says. Now in the twilight of his career, Dr. Wingard expects to retire soon. “I would rather quit a little too soon, than stay too late,” he says. “I’ve always looked forward to going to work each day and coming home to my family each night, and that is a good combination,” he says.
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UPDATE
By Priscilla Goudreau-Santos
Jacksonville’s medical tourism initiative that began two years ago to highlight the city as a destination for patient care, medical businesses and tourism is gaining traction and driving new business to Northeast Florida.
Visit Jacksonville and its 11 anchor partners including Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Shands Jacksonville, St. Vincent’s and the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute are working together with colleges, universities and biotech companies to showcase the city’s world-class medical facilities known for groundbreaking research, education, cancer treatment and cardiovascular and children’s care. JACKSONVILLE POSITIONED AS A REGIONAL HUB “We have these wonderful assets here that make us a regional hub from Miami to Atlanta,” said Dr. Yank Coble, Director for the University of North Florida Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy. “We have a trauma center that’s recognized as being the best (UF&Shands) and Jacksonville is a huge referral area. The most important thing is that we have this vast majority of assets that are collaborative.” Dr. Coble also points to the area’s training facilities that distinguish it as a healthcare hub. “So many of our medical care
institutions are also educational institutions like Mayo, UF&Shands and Nemours that have large numbers of medical students rotating at all times.” In addition to top-notch medical facilities, the bioscience industry is a major employer in this region and is helping the community gain more significance. “Bioscience companies such as Medtronic Zomed, Vistakon and Nova Bone should be recognized as major employers. One-sixth of our employment is in this industry and bioscience has a higher per capita income ($4,000 more).” Along with his role as head of the UNF Center for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy, Dr. Coble is the Chair of the Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida and serves
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on the boards of Research America, the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research and Medicine, and the Campaign for Public Health. INNOVATIONS IN RESEARCH Ground-breaking research, like Duke University’s brain cancer vaccine study Dr. Yank Coble brought here by neurosurgeon Dr. Kent New, is a part of why Jacksonville is fast-becoming a medical mecca. “There are not very many neurosurgeons in the country with a background in these types of clinical trials,” said Dr. New. “I did my residency training at Duke and worked on tumor vaccines “I think Wolfson Children’s Hospital is a in the lab. When huge asset to this community that has very I opened the trial quietly gone about its mission of providing at Mayo several the best quality of care initially for the greater years ago, we got Jacksonville area and now, to the point that it a fair number of inquiries from all attracts patients from overseas.” over the country. — Dr. Jose Ettedgui I joined the Spine & Brain Institute at St. Luke’s Hospital with the goal to bring gliobastoma trials here,” he said. Dr. New hopes to enroll 100 patients in the first trial for treatment of recurring glioblastoma, the same type of malignant brain cancer that made headlines when Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed and later died of the disease. “Once diagnosed, the average lifespan is only 15 months,” said Dr. New. “It affects people in their 40’s and 50’s as well as older patients. No one knows what causes it because there are no lifestyle indicators.” Patients who enroll will have access to a vaccine that’s customized to target their own specific tumor and so far, the new vaccine is doubling the life span for those with the cancer. “Most of the vaccine trials are targeted for specific antigens. This trial is different because it’s going to be specifically designed for that patient’s tumor. It isn’t brand new science but it’s new for gliobastoma and hasn’t been available in very many human trials. Right now, patients using the vaccine have a median survival of about 113 weeks versus 63 weeks without the vaccine, and we’re hoping for even better prognosis. The
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vaccine targets multiple antigens on the cellular level,” he said. This vaccine trial is not available anywhere else in Florida, says Dr. New. “The nearest location is probably Duke and maybe Birmingham. We’ll start with the Duke trial that patients wouldn’t normally have access to and hopefully expand the number of trials and our level of participation so that we can offer the vaccine here in the near future.” SPECIALIZED CARE OF CHILDREN Jacksonville is also gaining prominence as home to the only children’s hospital between Orlando and Atlanta, says Dr. Jose Ettedgui, Chief of Staff for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Division Chief for Pediatric Cardiology at UF. “Wolfson is a children’s hospital which is always a big plus rather than a hospital within a hospital because the needs of children and the family are better met,” said Dr. Ettedgui. “We’re much more child and family friendly. Nemours is a separate entity. It’s an outpatient clinic that delivers hospital care within Wolfson Children’s Hospital.” According to Dr. Ettedgui, there’s an intense collaboration within the hospital between Wolfson, UF and Nemours doctors. “The regional draw of the hospital is huge. We receive patients from southeast Georgia and westward to Lake City and Tallahassee towards the panhandle and further south to the Space Coast.” Several programs within the hospital tend to attract patients from even further away, he continued. “Randall Bryant, M.D., is a national expert in heart rhythm problems in children and the pediatric neurosurgery program is superb. Consistently, the care that’s delivered here is outstanding as are programs like hematology and oncology through Nemours and the pediatric urology program,” Dr. Ettedgui said. Patients also come from other parts of the world for care at the hospital, he says. Some are patients that directly seek services and others are part of a charitable foundation knows as Patrons of the Hearts for children with congenital heart disease that don’t have access to care in their local communities. Now
in its fifth year, Patrons of the Hearts has treated 39 children from 16 different countries. “I think Wolfson Children’s Hospital is a huge asset to this community that has very quietly gone about its mission of providing the best quality of care initially for the greater Jacksonville area and now, to the point that it attracts patients from overseas,” he said. “What we’re all anxiously awaiting is the new building that will begin this year that, when completed, will really enhance the capabilities and the visibility of the hospital.” The planned, 11-story hospital addition is designed as a tower where the bottom stories are dedicated to expansion of the children’s hospital and the top stories for the adult hospital [Baptist Health]. Completion is anticipated in latter 2012 or first quarter 2013. “It preserves the separate care and dedicated units of the hospital and allows the expansion of the behavioral health and cardiac units, additional hospital rooms and operating rooms and expansion of all of the perioperative area,” Dr. Ettedgui said. CUTTING-EDGE ADVANCEMENTS With the only Gamma Knife Center between Orlando and Atlanta, the Baptist Cancer Institute and Jacksonville “are a regional center for excellence for many things,” according to Dr. Douglas Johnson, radiation oncologist and co-director of the Gamma Knife Center with the Baptist Cancer Institute (BCI). “One of the biggest things now is radio surgery or operating without incisions,” he said. “We use very highly precise proton beams so that we can vaporize the tumor without the main risks of infection, bleeding and any wound problems. It’s done on an outpatient basis and we were the first to do it in 1998 and then we got the Gamma Knife – one of only 70 in the U.S.” Many patients come to the Gamma Knife Center for brain tumors. The Gamma Knife is one of the first radio surgery techniques and the Novalis TX is the latest. It’s a radio surgery machine that was the first used to treat other parts of the body. “The Novalis TX is the most sophisti-
cated in the world and we’ve treated 260 patients so far in the first 14 months,” Dr. Johnson said. “We can target spots in the brain and spinal cord, bone, Dr. Kent New liver, you name it. One of the biggest uses is lung cancers. The only other machine is in Miami or one at Duke with ellipsis lung cancers. Treatments are done within a week and cure rate is similar to surgery but patients don’t need to go through major surgery.” BCI is also renowned for its prostate seed program that uses radioactive seeds combined with regular photo beams to treat prostate cancer. “It offers a great cure rate. We do 400 to 500 implants a year and have a 95 percent cure rate in early stage cancer and an 85 percent cure rate for more locally advanced prostate cancer,” he said. “BCI is also one of the few places that specializes in pediatric radiation oncology. We do this for children from all over and offer treatments including total body radiation in preparation for bone marrow transplants, and all types of children’s brain tumors and sarcomas.”
Dr. Jose Ettedgui
RENOWNED REHABILITATION PROGRAM Another huge draw to the area is Brooks Rehabilitation that offers the only inpatient rehabilitation facility in this region and is one of only two inpatient rehabilitation centers in the state that treat infants and young children. Brooks is also distinguished as the only American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) credentialed orthopedic residency program in Florida and one of the largest neurologic physical therapy residency programs. “People sometimes come from outside the country for treatment at Brooks,” said Patricia Seibold, Director of Provider Relations, outpatient division. “We have strict accreditations and there are only a handful of places that patients can come for brain and spinal cord injury. Brooks also offers programs on the outpatient side for rehabilitation
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Dr. Douglas Johnson
“We use very highly precise proton beams so that we can vaporize the tumor without the main risks of infection, bleeding and any wound problems. It’s done on an outpatient basis and we were the first to do it in 1998 and then we got the Gamma Knife – one of only 70 in the U.S.” — Dr. Douglas Johnson
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Patricia Seibold
Nancy Skaran
“Mayo Clinic draws patients from across the country and internationally for many of its specialized programs, particularly its organ transplant program that is one of the largest in the U.S. In Jacksonville, 124 transplants including 54 liver transplants have been performed” — Nancy Skaran
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and re-entry into the community. The continuum of care is what really distinguishes us in terms of care.” In addition to its 143-bed inpatient facility, there are 27 outpatient therapy clinics; 26 throughout the state and one in Brunswick. Research is also an important dimension of Brooks Rehabilitation. The facility partners with Duke, UF and other prestigious institutions to conduct trials where patients can receive free rehabilitation services leading to new innovations in technology and patient care. “Countrywide, there are maybe a handful of rehabilitation centers that parallel the extensive services that we provide,” Seibold said. TOP-NOTCH TRANSPLANTATION PROGRAM Mayo Clinic draws patients from across the country and internationally for many of its specialized programs, particularly its organ transplant program that is one of the largest in the U.S. In Jacksonville, 124 transplants including 54 liver transplants have been performed, says Nancy Skaran, International Administrator for Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville.
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“That’s our largest program among the different organs transplanted here. There’s a shorter wait time for donor organs and among the highest survival rates for transplant recipients,” Skaran said. “Overall, Mayo offers an integrated team of specialists that are all at one location. There’s a single electronic medical record (EMR) and we provide outpatient care at our clinic and inpatient care at our hospital.” Skaran says that the benefit of this coordinated system is that it’s very efficient for patients who can undergo a number of tests in a matter of days rather than weeks. About two percent of Mayo’s patients are international and in 2009, they came from 87 different countries including Guatemala. Mayo Clinic, she says, is well-known for finding solutions to difficult medical problems especially in the areas of cardiology, cancer, neurology and neurosurgery, neurosciences and transplants. “We also have very strong laboratory research programs in Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases and in cancer including a very strong breast cancer care program. The benefit to patients is that new findings in the lab can be
quickly translated into patient care.� EXECUTIVE HEALTH Patients are also seeking out Mayo Clinic for its Executive Health Program that focuses on wellness and prevention for busy executives. Executives from around the region – mostly from Florida and Georgia but some from as far away as Colorado and Arizona-come in for a one-day or two-day comprehensive physical. “In 2009 we had about 2,300 executives come through our program,� said Skaran. “Most of them are sent by their companies to make sure that they’re living a healthy lifestyle. Because many are running companies and traveling frequently, they don’t have time to exercise or eat right. This program is designed for top professionals and many companies promote it because we all believe that our employees are our biggest assets.� MORE OPPORTUNITY ON THE HORIZON As Jacksonville becomes better known for its wealth in medical services, UNF’s Dr. Coble anticipates more opportunity for increasing the number of international patients through physician and self referral. “It has potential but it’s very competitive. Areas like Bangkok and other places in the world are draws, too. The exciting thing is the way the community comes together to pinpoint medical problems and implement best practices and solutions. All the hospitals in town are part of that.� Medical meetings lend the area greater visibility and this year, the World Medical Association (WMA) Caring Physicians of the World Initiative held its regional conference in Jacksonville, and a number of major conferences are on the slate for 2011 and beyond including the American Hospital Association and the Association of Oncology Social Work. “It’s a smart choice to come to Jacksonville,� said Lyndsay Rossman, senior director of corporate communications with Visit Jacksonville. “These groups are just a few of the ones that are planning on coming here. We believe that promoting Jacksonville as a premier destination for medical tourism positions our city in a unique light. Medical tourism is a viable industry and we’re going to continue promoting it to bring in a larger audience for patient care and medical services.�
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By Laura Capitano
As the economy struggles to rebound and the jobless recovery overstays its welcome, employers’ resume pools run deeper than ever. Navigating the hiring process from the initial stack of resumes, through the interview process and on to selection and retention of the best candidate for a job opening at your healthcare facility takes patience and perseverance.
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hile implementing best hiring practices can be time consuming, employers need to consider the potential cost of a bad hire compared with the investment it takes to ensure a good fit. PUT HIRING STRATEGIES TO WORK Linda Barry, a Jacksonville-based human resource consultant, sees her client companies struggle with the hiring process. “A person walks in the door, they like him and they hire him,” she surmised. This gut instinct is not a hiring strategy she recommends. Instead, Barry suggests organizations use telephone screening before a candidate is brought in for a face-toface interview. “You can do one in five to ten minutes and know whether or
not you want to bring the candidate in. Phone screenings work especially well with customer service positions because you can hear the voice, tone and level of enthusiasm,” Barry explained. Lynda Swetz, practice administrator for the Jacksonville Spine Center feels that having potential hires complete a detailed job application is critical to narrowing candidates down to the best-qualified ones. “With the economy the way it’s been, we’ve had more good people and more not-so-good people looking for jobs. The biggest thing that we have seen is that a lot of people aren’t telling the truth on applications.” The Spine Center checks the application references for potential team members, sometimes finding them to be exaggerated or falsified. This process helps to weed out undesirable candidates before more expensive or times consuming hiring strategies are employed, including face-to-face interviews, drug screenings and credit checks. Barry also notes red flags on applications to which hiring teams should be aware. At the most basic level, employers should consider the way a person fills out the application information. Was it done in a sloppy manner? Did the applicant leave out a lot of information? Does the data coincide with what’s on the resume? More subtle red flags Barry urges organizations to watch out for include scattered employment history, gaps from one job to another, short duration at each job post, and strange or no reasons listed for why a candidate left a former employer. These are areas where employers should further question the job candidate if any information raises a concern. Suzanne Origlio, Ph.D., has picked up a thing or two concerning hiring strategies in her work as a consulting psychologist. “I’ve interviewed thousands of people for employment. I’m not kidding,” Origlio said. She’s spent years helping companies to select the right people for job openings, and some of her critical tasks include completing a job analysis for the open position, revising or creating job descriptions, helping companies develop a full selection process and developing,
scoring and interpreting personality assessments on job candidates. Origlio explained that for practices looking to fine-tune their hiring strategies, having a detailed job description is an important element. Once the job description is clear and understood, the hiring team can agree on the desired knowledge, skills, abilities and personality for the job opening. “At that point, you are able to figure out what selection tools are needed to measure each of those things,” Origlio said. “Come up with a list of here’s what they [potential hires] need to have, so here’s what we [hiring team] need to select for. Once you have that, you start working from the other end. Are there enough people coming in on the recruiting side? Are they sourcing in the right places to have enough candidates in the funnel? You can’t be selective if you don’t have the right people.” Getting the proper job description in order works to identify the organization’s needs and then find the right person to match the demands of the job. Barry agrees that a job description should identify the essential functions of the job, and from there hiring teams can formulate how they will advertise for the job. “Basically, the job description should identify what the majority of the day is spent doing,” Barry said. “What kinds
Lynda Swetz
Chad Bailey
“With the economy the way it’s been, we’ve had more good people and more not-so-good people looking for jobs. The biggest thing that we have seen is that a lot of people aren’t telling the truth on applications.” — Lynda Swetz
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of things have to be done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? That’s often why people don’t write job descriptions: they can’t identify the essential job functions.” ASK QUALITY QUESTIONS Once a clear job description is established and applicants start flowing into the pipeline, Origlio recommends organizations use an online candidate personality screening (eTest and OPQ32 (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) are popular examples) to weed out undesirable applicants early on. Online screenings are inexpensive and can be standardized or customizable to provide enough position specific information that the applicant gets a “realistic job preview,” as Origlio called it. Oftentimes, applicants will self-select out of the hiring process, either because they weren’t motivated to finish the screening, or they didn’t feel they fit with the job information that came up in the questions. Either way, a job candidate who chooses not to complete a brief questionnaire would probably not have the positive attitude physician practices are seeking.
Chad Bailey, director of human resources at the Borland-Groover Clinic implements an interviewing-by-committee strategy once the resume pool has been narrowed to top candidates. “You want to have more than one person do an interview. And if the goal is to look for a positive person, make sure all people involved in the interview are on the same page,” Bailey explained. Bailey particularly suggests involving a physician in the interview since what the hiring manager thinks would be a good fit may not be what the physician thinks is a good fit. “It can be difficult to work around the physician’s schedule, but probably the most important piece is that the physician feels comfortable with that person.” Swetz agrees with a team approach to the interview process. “When we’ve reached the top two or three candidates, we have them come back for a second interview which I sit in on, and they sit [in] with other members from the team they would be joining. If they want a check-in position, they sit in with the check-in folks. Those folks let us know how they feel about the candidates, what they observed.”
“People will tend to stay if people are concerned about them. They want to feel like they’re useful and making a difference. What employers can do is make sure employees feel that way.” — Suzanne Origlio, Ph.D. Suzanne Origlio, Ph.D.
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The types of questions asked in the interview can be as important as who’s asking them. Origlio suggests hiring teams ask job relevant questions when it comes time for structured behavioral interviews. When the question format is, “Tell me about a time when…” Origlio said it’s hard for candidates to make up answers, so you can tell if a person really has the work experience you are looking for or not. Barry notes that, “When doctors and dentists struggle with hiring, they aren’t asking really good questions. They don’t delve into how the candidate functioned at the last employer or why they want to come and work here.” She feels questions should lead to discovering candidates who are familiar with the company and feel positively about the doctors in the practice. Interviewers should focus on employment history, communication skills, organizational skills and workplace motivation. She urges practices to use open-ended questions to gain insight about an applicant — “What kind of people do you find to be difficult to work with?” or “Describe the best/ worst manager you’ve ever had,” can be effective and revealing. PAY ATTENTION TO RETENTION Just because your practice tells a job candidate, “You’re hired!” doesn’t mean that’s the end of the hiring process. Employers have a responsibility to ensure a new hire receives proper orientation and training and to make sure efforts are made to retain the great hire who the healthcare facility worked so hard to recruit, interview and employ. Barry identifies “onboarding” of employees as a part of the hiring process that employers sometimes forget. Often, no one is tasked with following up with new hires to see how they are adjusting. “It’s interesting the number of supervisors that don’t have one-on-ones with their employees,” Barry said. Employers need to stay in touch with new hires. Do they have what they need? Do they have the resources they need? Have they been aligned with a mentor? A mentoring system is a retention strategy Bailey supports at the BorlandGroover Clinic. “When we hire someone we don’t just start them working. We have an orientation process for three days before they go to the job. We put
the new hire with a mentor during their probationary period. This helps to make for more comfortable training, and that way the new hire has someone to ask questions when they don’t want to ask their manager and look incapable.” Swetz feels that at the Jacksonville Spine Center, the monthly staff meetings help with staff retention. “Our doctors don’t see patients after noon on Fridays, so once a month we have lunch brought in for the staff and we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and share any thank you notes from patients. We have a ladybug award, and that is where an employee is nominated for doing over and beyond. Anyone can get up and report or talk about any concern they have. I think because we’re always recognizing our different team members for the different things they do, it shows we’re listening to our team members and making them feel like a team.” For organizations looking to retain their quality hires, Origlio urges them to research why employees leave and why they stay. Gallup surveys suggest that in larger companies, people usually leave because they feel someone doesn’t care about them. According to the psychologist, “It’s about so much more than pay. You hear, ‘I left because no one would notice if I was gone,’ or ‘No one cared about me.’ People will tend to stay if people are concerned about them. They want to feel like they’re useful and making a difference. What employers can do is make sure employees feel that way.” Origlio also warns physician practices not to discount the possibility of problem managers leading to employee turnover. “Do anonymous surveys and see if there are managers who have more turnover, and those are perhaps some of the problem managers,” Origlio said. In the end, Origlio attests that effective hiring requires full disclosure on both sides of the hiring line. “The employer has to provide accurate information on what the job requires. Job candidates have to be straightforward about their strengths and limitations.” When this transparency and honesty is achieved in the hiring process, it sets the stage for a satisfying employee-employer relationship.
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( +6*;69 >/6 +6,:5»; >(32 (>(@ in the past. Dr. Carey did not recommend the use Opening your eyes and realizing you’re in of drugs to mask the pain, but searched for real a hospital bed is traditionally not a good sign. answers. The first thing they tried was inserting a Many have had this experience, and though there nerve stimulator in her side. Soon after this proceare many reasons why they ended up in the dure, luck turned against her again. She was in a hospital, the feelings they have upon the realizacar accident last spring, where the nerve stimulator tion they’re there are very similar. Confusion and was knocked out of place. The pain persisted, and disbelief flooded Dawn’s head as she came to, Dawn was still dependant on the narcotics. Her noticing Dr. Carey standing over her bed. “How situation was different than before, however. This are you feeling?” he asked as she was getting time she had a doctor by her side. “He doesn’t adjusted to the situation. Last she knew she was John Carey, M.D., M.S. give up on me, and I’ve seen a lot of doctors, in a rehabilitation clinic for her dependency on narcotics. How she ended up in this situation is a story that they’ve all walked away,” said Riley. Dr. Carey was concerned about Dawn’s excessive use of began with back pain. Before her back pain began, Dawn Riley enjoyed her prescriptions, and suggested that she enter a rehabilitation life as a care-taker and provider. She cared for her two clinic. He supported her in doing what was best for her overdaughters and her father who suffers from dementia. all health before continuing the treatment for her back. He She said of her time with her girls, “Walking and riding signed the clearance letter for her to be admitted to the clinic. bikes; we were always busy”. She even made a career Once at the clinic, Dawn’s experience was extremely difficult. out of caring for others, as a Child Care Provider since She stopped eating for two weeks, and lost about 30 pounds. the age of seventeen. Her days were full of activity Dawn recalled that she became so sick, she couldn’t tell the and life until something slowed her down. She had difference between fantasy and reality; she was living in a haze. a nerve condition that was difficult to diagnose. When her weight loss and lack of nutrition became a threat to She underwent many procedures seeking an her life, she was admitted to the hospital. “I went through a lot. I almost died. Dr. Carey was there the answer to her increasing pain, the condition hard to pinpoint on scans and tests. After a gamut of whole time,” Dawn remembers. When she was permitted to physicians and specialists who all discounted leave the hospital, she was ready to return home. She is now her pain and prescribed her to narcotics as a free of the narcotics that blurred her mind, and continues to solution; she was forced to resign from her go to Dr. Carey for treatment. “The pain hasn’t stopped, but job. Stuck at home and still in pain, she was he hasn’t stopped trying to make it livable,” she says. Dawn taking four different narcotics. She became receives muscle relaxers for her pain, and Dr. Carey continues “a lump in the bed”, not able to care for her to work with her for a more permanent solution. In the meantime, she is happy to reclaim her role as care-taker for her children the way she used to. Still seeking answers, she was referred to family and looks forward to her upcoming job interview as a Dr. Carey by her brother, who had seen him Child Care Provider.
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10475 Centurion Parkway North, Suite 201 Jacksonville, FL 32256 * iÊ ä{®ÊÓÓÎ ÎÎÓ£ÊUÊ >ÝÊ ä{®ÊÓÓÎ Ó£È ^^^ QH_ZWPUL JVT
Most Insurances Accepted Christopher Roberts, M.D., Claudio Vincenty, M.D., Patrick Burns, D.O., and John Carey, M.D., M.S.