Volume 27 • No. 3
PET/CT scanner offers improved cancer diagnosis, treatment
SHC reports positive earnings, successful turnaround effort
New medical staff Web site provides useful information
School of Medicine retreat strengthens support, collaboration on strategic planning effort
Principal-investigator status approved for MCL faculty members
Lane Library hosts event celebrating National Doctors Day
Activities planned for national Patient Safety Week
School of Medicine retreat strengthens support, collaboration on strategic planning effort
The seeds planted more than a year ago in the School of Medicine's plan to transform its future - and the face of academic medicine - have begun bearing fruit, and leaders throughout the medical center are enjoying the taste of success.
At a retreat Jan. 30-Feb. 2 in Carmel, Calif., a group of 76 department chairs, students, postdoctoral scholars, executives and staff representing the school, the two hospitals and the university gathered to discuss the medical school's strategic planning effort. A similar group assembled a year ago to prioritize goals and establish a road map for the project.
"I think many people were very pleased to see that what had begun a year ago was being acted on," said David O'Brien, institutional planning director, who is managing the process. "There was a tremendous sense of community. In every area that was discussed, the group found many opportunities to support what we're doing."
Dean Philip Pizzo, who has led the strategic planning effort, said he felt the retreat "helped secure and significantly amplify our commitment to changing the culture of medicine and to working together so that Stanford can transform the future of academic medicine."
O'Brien noted that last year there was broad agreement that the school should become a leader in translational research and medicine. While it proved a bit difficult at that time to define the "translational" research concept, "everyone this year expressed a better understanding of what it means," O'Brien said.
He pointed to a recent effort by Judith Swain, chair of the Department of Medicine, and Lucy Shapiro, director of the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, to jointly fund and support interdisciplinary collaborations between physician-investigators and scientists conducting basic or applied research.
The accomplishments of the past year linked to the strategic-planning effort include:
A
revamped first-year curriculum for medical students is expected to be in place
by this fall. The curriculum for subsequent years will be rolled out sequentially
in the following years. The new curriculum will feature scholarly tracks in
which students will engage in in-depth study of a particular aspect of medicine.
It will also better integrate courses in basic and clinical sciences.
The
appointment and promotion criteria for the medical school professoriate were
clarified, and principal-investigator status was granted to faculty in the
Medical Center Line.
Coordination
was strengthened among the school, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile
Packard Children's Hospital to maintain and enhance the high quality of care
delivered to patients.
A
comprehensive plan addressing the school's technology needs is being developed.
The plan is focused on such issues as greater access to information, better
privacy protections, developing Lane Library as a "knowledge-management center"
and developing a clinical informatics center.
Planning
is under way for a new library and instructional facility. A comprehensive
facilities plan is also being developed.
A
communications strategy has been developed to ensure that a variety of audiences
understand Stanford's role in transforming academic medicine.
A
fund-raising campaign to address the school's facility and equipment needs
is scheduled for launch this year.
O'Brien said retreat participants were enthusiastic about continuing the work, although they also recognize the challenges it entails. "Everyone was united in their support for the school's agenda," he said.
