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Stephanie Hatcher
Stephanie Hatcher, MD, Internal Medicine
Assistant Professor
University of Tennessee/Baptist
Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program
As a specialist in hospital medicine, Dr. Stephanie Hatcher’s work days are divided between clinical care, training young physicians and implementing performance improvement projects.
“I really have the perfect job,” she said. “Caring for acutely ill patients and seeing the immediate impact that lifesaving medical treatment can have, combined with close interaction with a young and energetic house-staff, is very rewarding.”
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Nancy Denning Martin
Nancy Denning Martin, Executive Director
Hospital Hospitality House
On a summer break from teaching English at the collegiate level, Nancy Denning Martin decided to try her hand at something new … working in crisis intervention.
“I was drawn to non-profit work because I felt that it provided the opportunity to engage all my skills and interests –– left brain and right brain –– in a way that truly touches and changes lives on a daily basis,” she explained.
In July 2005, after working with other area agencies, Denning Martin took the helm at Hospital Hospitality House.
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Lynn Matrisian
Lynn Matrisian, PhD, Professor and Chair
Department of Cancer Biology, and
Vanderbilt-Ingram CancerCenter
If you can’t go left, go right … as long as you’re moving, you aren’t stuck!
That bit of pragmatic wisdom from Dr. Lynn Matrisian’s father, a Pennsylvania bus driver, was offered to help her navigate snowy streets as a young driver. The words, however, have stuck with the renowned cancer biologist and become something of a personal mantra.
Matrisian, who originally trained to become a medical technologist, fell in love with the discovery process after being exposed to a biomedical research laboratory.
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Anna-Gene O’Neal
MSN, MBA Vice President, Quality and Performance Improvement
Cogent Healthcare, Inc.
Calling upon her clinical experience as a nurse, Anna-Gene O’Neal is translating bedside knowledge into broad-based initiatives to improve patient care.
“While I no longer provide direct patient care, I know healthcare is still fraught with room for improvement,” she said. “I am fortunate to be in a position to help drive some of the necessary improvements for an impact much greater than the few I could ever personally touch.”
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Jennifer Pietenpol
PhD, Director
Vanderbilt-IngramCancer Center
and B.F. Byrd Professor of Oncology
An analytical thinker, Jennifer Pietenpol was always drawn to the sciences. Although she may have selected her career path at a young age, it is unlikely she imagined the route she would follow from her laboratory to leading one of the nation’s most respected cancer centers.
“Cancer research is all about using analytical tools to make biological discoveries,” she said of her field’s appeal, adding, “I know far too many people who have suffered from cancer. It’s what’s always propelled me..."
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Margaret “Meg” Rush
Margaret “Meg” Rush, MD, Chief of Staff
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Growing up in Ohio, Meg Rush was exposed to health professions through a co-ed Explorer Troop based out of the VA Hospital. “Each night after the meeting, I came home with a new career choice,” she recalled.
Although physician was on the list, it really took a father’s nudging to get her to commit.
“I can remember having these long conversations,” Rush said of sailing with her dad while on family vacations. On one outing her father asked why she wasn’t thinking about medical school since she clearly loved healthcare. She replied there weren’t very many female physicians, and she didn’t know how she’d manage a doctor’s hours with motherhood.
Rush recalled him telling her, “You’ll just sort of have to figure that out, but you’re the kind of person who can.”
… And so she did.
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Dee Anna Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Memphis native Dee Anna Smith was first introduced to the healthcare industry as a CPA for accounting giant KPMG. Working with well-known device manufacturer Smith and Nephew further broadened her knowledge of the healthcare business climate.
“Those experiences piqued my interest as to how I could bring more effective business practices and more efficient systems to an industry that had such an impact on all people,” she recalled.
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2008 Women to Watch
Interestingly, since beginning “Women to Watch,” a running theme often seems to emerge among the honorees.
This year, many of the outstanding women profiled on the following pages talked about the importance of striking a balance between their busy professional careers and rich personal lives.
As with the two previous groups of women selected, the ‘Class of ‘08’ is intensely passionate about their respective fields. Whether its stopping cancer in its tracks, giving a child the chance to thrive, reaching out to the underserved, providing solace and support to the worried families of patients, striving for parity among mental and physical health options, or training young physicians, these healthcare leaders turn barriers to care into the stepping stones of innovation. After all, these women aren’t just dreamers … they are doers.
The same passion this dynamic group brings to the hospital, clinic, lab, and office is evident when they turn their thoughts to off duty hours with family and friends. Whether it’s gardening, traveling, acting as chief cheerleader for their children or simply relaxing with a
good book, the 10 women noted their need to achieve some sense of balance between their work and home life. Of course attaining a perfect equilibrium is rarely feasible. When plans go awry, these 10 amazing women have found it always helps to maintain perspective …
and a sense of humor.
Dr. Connie Graves, one of our past honorees who works as a maternal fetal specialist at Baptist Hospital, provided a quip last year that could easily be the motto for our distinguished 2008 group …
“Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.”
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A Letter from the Publisher
For the past three years, we have chosen our “Women’s Health Month” issue to highlight and honor several of the amazing women in the area who are making a difference around the corner and around the world.
These women are changing outcomes for individuals, institutions and for the larger population through hands-on care, diligent research, efficient and compassionate administration, intuitive leadership and effective policymaking.
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2008 Women to Watch
Interestingly, since beginning “Women to Watch,” a running theme often seems to emerge among the honorees.
This year, many of the outstanding women profiled on the following pages talked about the importance of striking a balance between their busy professional careers and rich personal lives.
As with the two previous groups of women selected, the ‘Class of ‘08’ is intensely passionate about their respective fields. Whether its stopping cancer in its tracks, giving a child the chance to thrive, reaching out to the underserved, providing solace and support to the worried families of patients, striving for parity among mental and physical health options, or training young physicians, these healthcare leaders turn barriers to care into the stepping stones of innovation. After all, these women aren’t just dreamers … they are doers...
Cindy Sanders |
Nancy Anness
Nancy Anness, MSN, APN, Vice President of Advocacy,
Access and Community Outreach
Saint Thomas Health Services
Healthcare that’s safe … healthcare that works … and healthcare that leaves no one behind –– these are the three mandates of Ascension Health, parent organization of Saint Thomas Health Services.
For Nancy Anness, an advanced practice nurse and a leader in STHS’ efforts to bring quality care to the underserved, the mandates aren’t just dry words in a corporate document but a physical call to action.
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Mary Bufwack
Mary Bufwack, PhD, Chief Executive Officer
United Neighborhood Health Services, Inc.
Although anthropology might not be the typical route to launch a healthcare career, for Mary Bufwack, her educational background has provided a solid foundation on which to build trust and understanding among the urban population she serves.
“After I had taught at Colgate University for several years, I decided to get into non-profit work because I wanted to move beyond studying society and teaching about it to actually trying to change it,” she said.
Bufwack said her mentors, teachers and role models were those involved in the social movements of the 1960s.
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Debbie Cagle
Chief Executive Officer
Advantage Behavioral Health
Growing up in a small town outside of Shreveport, Louisiana, Debbie Cagle was blessed with a strong support system.
“My high school algebra teacher, Mrs. Drake, instilled strong leadership skills in me, as well as the tenacity to realize solutions to complex problems and the reward of taking informed risks,” Cagle recalled. “My father inspired me with an entrepreneurial spirit and taught me to stand up for my beliefs and for people less fortunate than me,” she continued. “My mother and grandmother gave me a strong sense of self, independence and grace.”
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Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy |
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Meharry Researchers Instrumental in Reproductive Health Discoveries
Researchers at Meharry Medical College have played a prominent role in two recent discoveries impacting women’s reproductive health, showing great promise for future therapy options to combat premature ovarian failure and to reduce the risk of preterm labor.
CINDY SANDERS |
New Molecular Tests Detect and Identify High-Risk HPV Types
Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) accounts for more than 95 percent of all cervical cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that in the United States this year, about 11,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 3,700 will die — making this the seventh most common cause of cancer in the nation and the second most common cancer in women worldwide.
NICHOLAS T. POTTER, PHD, FACMG |
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice |
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Meharry’s Center for Women’s Health Research
In October 2006, the Center for Women’s Health Research (CWHR) at Meharry officially opened its doors, but the mission of developing culturally sensitive models of research and interventions is one the medical college has long embraced.
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Life After the Women’s Health Initiative
Confusion over HT Remains
When the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial of estrogen plus progestin was halted based on findings that the combination carried significant health risks that outweighed its benefits, women and healthcare providers around the country were left to navigate menopausal symptom management in a strange new world.
CINDY SANDERS |
Dr. Jordan Asher, Saint Thomas Health Services |
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Nashville Proves a Popular Locale for Physician Recruits
When it comes to recruiting physicians to a community, recruiters in Middle Tennessee have a distinct advantage: Doctors like the Nashville area.
“It’s a great place to recruit to from a physician standpoint,” said Dr. Jordan Asher, a physician network executive with Saint Thomas Health Services. “Now there’s lot of competition, but it’s a very good medical community.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Caroline Young |
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Caroline Young to Head Nashville Health Care Council
The Nashville Health Care Council (NHCC) tapped an in-house source of experience and expertise in naming Caroline Young as its new president.
Young was serving as interim president for the council in addition to heading the NHCC’s Leadership Health Care organization when she was selected for the permanent position.
KELLY PRICE |
Nursing students pack the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville for the annual Tennessee Nurses Association Legislative Summit in April. |
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Tennessee Nurses Take Issues to Capitol Hill
“Tennessee’s nurses have always had a strong voice — not only for your profession, but for your patients as well. As caregivers and advocates, you are influential forces in the healthcare landscape in Tennessee. You are all here to make those voices heard on issues that affect the nursing profession … today is the day to make your priorities known.”
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Gov. Phil Bredesen at a recent Long-Term Healthcare Roundtable. |
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Bredesen Pushes for Long-Term Care Reform for TennCare Recipients
In a tight budget year, Gov. Phil Bredesen has declared the need to set priorities. For Tennessee’s chief executive, his 2008 streamlined agenda places heavy emphasis on continuing education initiatives and implementing fundamental change to the state’s long-term care system.
CINDY SANDERS |
BEST PRACTICES:
Skin Cancer: Incidence Trends and Treatment Approaches
In the United States, the incidence of both non-melanoma skin cancer and melanoma is increasing. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer were diagnosed last year. While traditionally considered a disease of older patients, new data suggests an increase in incidence among patients under age 40. A recent retrospective study from the Mayo Clinic showed a significant increase in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) incidence in women under 40.
Dr. Michel McDonald |
Mike Hassell |
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Healthcare Enterprise: Provisio’s iTrials Identifies Promising Patients for Clinical Trials
Eighty percent. That’s the percentage of patients who answer an advertisement looking for candidates for a clinical trial who aren’t eligible to participate. That’s also the percentage of clinical trials that “end up in rescue mode,” according to Mike Hassell, president and CEO of Nashville-based Provisio Inc. “They do not meet their deadlines nor their quotas for number of people they’re seeking. A lot of sites are set up that never recruit enough people, and they have to be shut down.”
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Knoxville Professional Driver Medical Depot |
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Knoxville Company Establishes Clinics for Truckers on the Road
America’s independent truck drivers usually pull into a travel center for a fill-up, a quick meal, a hot shower and a lot of coffee. Thanks to a company based in Knoxville, Tenn., healthcare is something else truckers can get on the road.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Physician Recruiters Offer Tips to Docs on the Market
If you’re a physician looking for a job and a recruiting firm asks for money to help you secure employment, walk the other way. That’s the first word of advice to doctors from two physician recruiters who collectively boast more than five decades of experience in the profession.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Vital Signs
What was previously being chalked up to normal executive attrition is beginning to seem like more at Vanderbilt, where, in the span of one April week, the dean of the medical school, the chair of cardiovascular medicine and the chair of ob/gyn all left for other institutions.
Walker Duncan - 1 opinion posted |
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