In this issue:

  Acibadem emphasizes training through broad-based education initiative

  HMI, Wockhardt recognize achievements of leaders in Indian medical community

  HMI and University of Nice partner to promote the art of medical education

  Around HMI: Executive education, medical school assessment, and continuing medical education

From left to right: Mehmet Aydinlar, Robert K. Crone, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally open Kozyatagi Hospital.

Acibadem emphasizes training through broad-based education initiative
In collaboration with HMI, Acibadem Healthcare Group is hosting a series of education programs aimed at enhancing key health care services, building the capabilities of its medical staff, and promoting advanced knowledge in the Istanbul medical community.

This has already been a busy year for the HMI-Acibadem partnership. In a ceremony in January attended by the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Acibadem formally opened Kozyatagi Hospital, a center for cancer and neuroscience that was completed last year. Robert K. Crone, MD, president and chief executive officer of HMI, joined Mehmet Aydinlar, chairman of Acibadem, to cut the ribbon on the state-of-the-art, 80-bed facility. Then in February, Acibadem received word that one of its other hospitals had been accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the world’s recognized certifier of quality health care facilities.

In March, Acibadem hosted a continuing medical education program on colorectal cancer. Daniel Chung, MD, who directs the high-risk gastrointestinal cancer program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Paul Busse, MD, MGH’s clinical director of radiation oncology, joined specialists from Acibadem and other hospitals in Istanbul for a series of interactive discussions on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of this disease.

Dr. Daniel Chung

In addition, Chung and Busse led a discussion on building a multidisciplinary program to support the treatment of colorectal cancer. “The approach to diagnosis, management, and treatment spans many fields, so it’s important that a variety of specialists be able to work together as a group to manage individual patients,” said Chung.

In April, David Scadden, MD, director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, led a two-day program on stem cells and their therapeutic potential. “While using stem cells to create replacement tissues is the most direct and most discussed means for stem cells to alter health, there are a number of other opportunities of at least equal potential and impact,” said Scadden, including using stem cells to model disease, as a drug target for regenerative medications, and to change cancer drug development.

In May, Patrick Brennan, MD, of Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Boston, led a program on pediatric neurology. The topics covered included management of cerebral palsy and spasticity, and Brennan participated in a discussion of these issues with members of the general public.

More programs are on the way in June. HMI will send three faculty to Acibadem for a program entitled “Issues in Women’s Health: Infertility and Pregnancy.” Raymond Powrie, MD and Gary Frishman, MD, both of the Women and Infants Hospital at Brown University, and Ian Grable, MD, MPH of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) will lead discussions on a range of topics, including prenatal counseling, managing medical problems during pregnancy, assisted reproduction, and patient safety in obstetrical practice. On the second and third days of the program, they will be discussing these issues with lay audiences.

Also in June, Philip Anderson, MD of the Emergency Department at BIDMC, will lead Acibadem through a disaster management training exercise.

In the next issue of HMI World, we will present the latest news on Acibadem’s extensive nursing initiative. Recently two nursing professionals from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center joined HMI’s Elizabeth Brown, RN, MSN and Saliha Koc, RN, director of nursing at Acibadem, in Istanbul for a three-day program designed to further the development of Acibadem’s nursing management team.

From left to right: Dr. Kantilal Sancheti, Dr. Dinesh Doval, Prof. Vishwanathan Mohan, Dr. Hemraj Chandalia, Dr. Suresh Advani (seated), Dr. Bhimsen Singhal, Dr. K. M. Cherian, and Mr. Habil Khorakiwala.

HMI, Wockhardt recognize achievements of leaders in Indian medical community
On February 5th, Harvard Medical International and its partner Wockhardt, Ltd. awarded the second annual Wockhardt Lifetime Achievement Awards to seven medical professionals whose leadership has left a lasting imprint on health care in India. The awardees were chosen for their achievements in the areas of patient care, teaching, institution-building, leadership in medical and public health organizations, and research.

Dr. Joseph Murray

The ceremony, held in Mumbai, featured two guest speakers from the faculty of Harvard Medical School. Joseph Murray, MD, professor emeritus of surgery, participated via a live feed from Boston. Murray, who was awarded the Nobel Prize after performing the first kidney transplant in 1954, delivered an address on the history of transplantation and congratulated the awardees. “Service to society is the rent we pay for living on this planet,” he said. David Scadden, MD, director of the Stem Cell Research Institute at Harvard Medical School, discussed the potential for stem cell technologies to impact patient care in the near future.

The awardees are:
      Dr. K. M. Cherian (cardiac surgery)
      Dr. Dinesh Doval (oncology)
      Prof. Vishwanathan Mohan (diabetology)
      Dr. Kantilal Sancheti (orthopedics)
      Dr. Bhimsen Singhal (neurology)

Two of India’s most distinguished medical figures were honored with lifetime achievement awards. They are Dr. Suresh Advani (oncology) and Dr. Hemraj Chandalia (diabetology).

Habil Khorakiwala, chairman of Wockhardt, said of the awardees, “They have brought cheer to thousands of ailing people in India. More importantly, they have mentored a new generation of doctors which we can trust to take care of our sons and daughters. Some of them have created outstanding institutions that will outlive them.”

From left to right: Crone, Estrosi, and Benchimol at the signing ceremony on March 21st at the Palais des Rois Sardes in Nice.

HMI and University of Nice partner to promote the art of medical education
HMI and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Nice Sohia-Antipolis have agreed to collaborate on a series of programs to enhance medical education, clinical care, and hospital management. The partners formalized the strategic alliance in March at a ceremony attended by Professor Albert Marouni, the university’s president; Christian Estrosi, the president of the Conseil General des Alpes Maritimes; and members of the faculty, as well as key representatives of the Prefecture of Alpes Maritimes.

The French Riviera has long been a magnet for the rich and famous, and likewise the University of Nice has no difficulty attracting students. However, as the medical school nears its fortieth anniversary, the faculty is focused on developing Nice into a center of medical excellence in France. The purpose of the partnership with HMI is to promote high standards of medical education and clinical care through curriculum development and specially developed workshops for faculty. The medical school leadership also wants to ensure that their students remain motivated, and strongly believe in taking advantage of the cultural environment of Nice to accomplish this.

Daniel Benchimol stands in an otherwise windowless classroom transformed through the work of Patrick Moya.

“Contemporary art is inspirational in Nice and through the School’s use of art the medical students also develop a respect for our institution,” said Daniel Benchimol, MD, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine. Benchimol, who is also a practicing gastrointestinal surgeon, has high hopes for his students, and expects to see their names appear in the top ranks of the French national medical student assessments. He and the administration of the School use contemporary art such as that of Ben Vautier and Patrick Moya to encourage the students to question traditions, to think creatively, and to engage in dialogue with each other and with their faculty.

The University of Nice also plans to collaborate with HMI to further develop its programs in emergency medicine. The beautiful geography combining the Alps and the Mediterranean that inspires so many artists in Nice has a downside in the context of health care. The need to navigate small roads, the inaccessibility of many villages, and the local tourist industry are all factors putting extra pressure on the efficiency of emergency services. In fact, the World Health Organization predicts that if current trends continue, by 2020 road traffic accidents could be the third leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Benchimol, along with Jean-Jacques Romatet, the Director General of the Centre Hospatilier of the University of Nice, hopes that through its alliance with HMI, the University can work with faculty from the Emergency Department of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to enhance emergency medical services.

Plans are in the works for a curriculum workshop, to be held in Nice later this year.

Around HMI: Executive education, medical school assessment, and continuing medical education
HMI has agreed to collaborate with Tsinghua University in Beijing to develop an executive training program for health care executives. The course will be held under the auspices of the university’s School of Public Policy and Management.

For the second year, HMI will join the University of Lausanne in Switzerland to deliver “Your Future in Health Care: Matching Costs and Benefits,” a health care management course for leaders in Europe. Dr. Miles Shore of HMI will again co-direct the course with Dr. Alberto Holly of the University of Lausanne. The program will be held May 23-27, 2005. For more information about this program, visit the course website.

HMI has completed a medical school review and quality improvement report for the Kuwait University Faculty of Medicine (KUFM). The purpose of the survey was to help KUFM develop initiatives to support improvements throughout the school, including input regarding its educational programs (including graduate medical education and continuing medical education), research, and governance and administration.

In partnership with St. Luke’s Life Science Institute in Tokyo, HMI is planning the fourth annual Practi-Med program for health care professionals in Japan. Scheduled for October 23, this year’s even will feature interactive discussions on advances in cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, and endocrinology. For more information about Practi-Med, visit the program website at www.practi-med.com.

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