Dean's Update
July 19, 2024 - Aron Sousa, MD
Friends,
I trust people are enjoying the turn to a more Michigan-like summer and have dried off since the brunt of Beryl was borne by the lowlands of mid-Michigan. I lost my potato crop to the floods following last week’s rain, but I presume my family will not be short of calories this winter. So it goes.
As you know, I enjoy rounding with the residents and students on our internal medicine service. This week, I received some performance numbers for the service, and it is gratifying to see that these teams are providing such high-quality care to our patients. Despite taking on sicker patients than standard, they have better mortality and fewer hospital re-admissions. Even the length of stay is better than expected. While the faculty matter in these results, it is the residents who really determine the care we give. They are more present, more engaged, and more curious than other providers. Frankly, they are also better at following the rules, which means protocols and documentation function better for patients. We all know that being cared for by learners is how we create the next generation of physicians, but having learners in on your care is good for you too.
This week, the partners announced a joint venture between MSU Health Care/Michigan State University Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology and University of Michigan Health-Sparrow for a combined neurology service in mid-Michigan. This effort has been more than three years in the making, so the work predates UM coming to Lansing. In essence, UM Health-Sparrow and MSU are pooling their inpatient and outpatient clinical work and then sharing in the economic costs and benefits. Fundamentally, it solidifies the financial basis of the department, which is joint between COM and CHM, as well as the hospital’s access to excellent physicians. There is joint branding (Neuro Care Network) for the endeavor, and the faculty remain MSU faculty. In the end, it is a good agreement for our faculty and staff, community, and patients.
I am almost three weeks into my six-month gig as executive dean in the provost’s office and working with the three human health colleges. (So far, supervising myself turns out to be one long interior monologue on time management.) I am not going to expound on that job in my CHM update, but you can catch Lunch with Norm and Aron on Tuesday, July 23 from 12:30-1:30 on Zoom. We will talk about what we are doing and answer your questions. Lunch is BYOPBJ.
I am delighted to share that one of our own, Dave Walsworth, MD, has been selected by the Michigan Academy of Family Practice as their 2024 Michigan Family Physician of the Year. The MAFP rightly describes Dave as a physician “who exemplifies the spirit of leadership and advocacy the field of family medicine demands.” Dave is a practicing family physician in our department clinic and is the department’s associate chair for clinic affairs. He is also a member of the board of directors for both the Ingham County Medical Society and the Michigan State Medical Society. I like this line from the award announcement, “It is his gift to all of us that he uses his vast intellectual gifts to heal, guide and shape the lives of his learners and the people under his care.” Congratulations, Dave.
Serving the people with you,
Aron
Aron Sousa, MD, FACP
Dean, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine