OSU Medical Center pursues mission balance, focused growth

The very location of the State of the Medical Center address this year was representative of the focused growth and synergy among the three-part mission of research, education and clinical care that will define the coming year at the University Medical Center.

Fred Sanfilippo, senior vice president for health sciences and dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health, delivered his annual address Jan. 30 in Rhodes Hall Auditorium -- which in a few months will become the construction site of the new Ross Heart Hospital.

Fred Sanfilippo is senior vice president for health sciences and dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health.

The Heart Hospital will expand support of the academic mission through the combination of top-notch clinical research facilities housing world-class physician-scientists and students providing the best possible patient care. Achieving such a balance in a knowledge-driven environment that stimulates innovation and promotes collaboration is critical to ongoing Medical Center success, Sanfilippo said.

"The James provides a wonderful model for this type of interaction,"he noted.

A Biomedical Research Tower also is proposed as part of an overall Biomedical Research Plan, representing one of the three identified priorities of the University's Academic Plan. Implementation of the plan is designed to leverage existing strengths at Ohio State and develop new interdisciplinary programs, Sanfilippo said. The plan calls for the combination of state-of-the-art research space and the recruitment of up to 100 new research faculty leading to advancements and programs in areas ranging from cancer and neurobiology to infectious disease and aging.

Acknowledging an ongoing debate over the value of people vs. facilities, Sanfilippo said, "Without excellent facilities, it's pretty hard to recruit and retain the best faculty. And without the best faculty, it's hard to recruit the best students. So facilities are very important."

However, Sanfilippo also described an intensive investment in people, primarily through carefully designed leadership development.

The Medical Center has teamed with the Fisher College of Business to create a Leadership Academy through which 30 Medical Center personnel will undergo an Executive Leadership Program and another 70 will participate in a Leadership Program, which will be an ongoing program eventually offered to faculty and staff throughout the Medical Center to support the development of individuals who are seen as emerging leaders. A Management Skills Program will be offered to individuals who want to hone their skills in various leadership areas, Sanfilippo said.

Development of the academy followed assessments of the overall Medical Center culture. An organizational culture inventory conducted a year ago and confidential interviews with dozens of leaders have indicated that the current culture is characterized by a lack of teamwork, low expectations, a focus on process over outcome and a sense of entitlement vs. performance-driven rewards. However, there is strong interest in change to create a more participative, supportive, constructive and performance-driven environment, Sanfilippo said. New processes and programs initiated in the past year are already having an impact on helping the Medical Center move toward its desired culture, and effective development of leadership on numerous levels is intended to have a continuing domino effect throughout the entire Medical Center, he said.

Change is afoot in a number of areas. Sanfilippo referenced many noted accomplishments in a review of the past year, particularly emphasizing a number of important personnel appointments. Among those cited were Caroline Whitacre, associate vice president for health sciences research and vice dean for research; Daniel Sedmak, associate vice president for health sciences education and vice dean for education; Chris Ellison, vice dean for clinical affairs; Leon McDougle, assistant dean for diversity and cultural affairs; and Pete Geier, senior associate vice president, business development and strategic planning. In addition, there have been many chairs, faculty, scientists and clinicians recruited to key positions throughout the Medical Center.

In addition to discussion of the Biomedical Research Plan, Sanfilippo noted the redesign of the MD/Ph.D. program, creation of an MD/MBA program, a 12 percent increase in extramural research funding, and the completed installation of the filmless radiology system Picture Archive Communication System (PACS) and the new minimally invasive surgery suites. A significant upcoming change will be faculty practice unification, consolidating 15 separate plans into a single practice. Sanfilippo said the consolidation will result in improved quality of patient care, an enhanced reputation in central Ohio, increased negotiating leverage with managed care companies and a growth in the market share.

While the Medical Center continues to face significant challenges in many areas, including decreased state funding, the Health System deficit, and recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, Sanfilippo said the emphasis continues to be on growth. "We will be successful as long as we continue to change how we think and how we act,"he said. "We are a knowledge-based organization where ideas and intellect fuel our success. We need to make sure they are channeled in the most productive manner possible. It's the innovation and discovery that is happening here every single day that will have impact across all three of our missions."

Charity drive perseveres, exceeds goal

In spite of fears that Sept. 11 fund-raising efforts would drain support away from local charitable donations, Ohio State's faculty, staff, students and retirees overwhelmingly chose to continue their support for the Community Charitable Drive. This year's Bucks for Charity drive on the Columbus campus raised $787,842 for local health and human resource charities, more than $25,000 above the $760,000 goal.

"Toward the end of the first month it really wasn't looking like we would make the goal,"said Kam Sigafoos, chair of the 2001 Community Charitable Drive and associate executive director of University Hospitals. "A lot of people worked very, very hard, and based on their persistence, we came through."

Nine federations of charities were the recipients of funds: the Black United Fund of Central Ohio; Community Health Charities of Ohio; Earth Share of Ohio; Greater Columbus Community Shares; The United Negro College Fund; and United Way of Central Ohio and Delaware, Fairfield and Union counties. Each group serves as an umbrella organization for several independent member agencies.

A new recognition program this year was Leaders Circle, with membership determined on a graduated scale. Depending upon their salary level, faculty and staff who donated between half of 1 percent to 2 percent of their annual salaries were recognized as Leaders Circle participants, and were invited to the Leaders Circle Celebration on Dec. 5 in Nationwide Arena, with entertainment provided by Bill Cosby and Lionel Richie.

"I'm very happy to say there were 100 OSU faculty, staff and retirees that gave at that percentage level of their income,"said Ned Cullom, program manager for human resources.

This year's drive continued a trend of record-breaking grand totals. In 1998, Ohio State raised $651,000; in 1999, $717,871; and in 2000, $746,800.

"I am very excited about chairing the campaign for next year,"said David W. Andrews, dean of the College of Human Ecology, who served as co-chair for this year's drive. "Next year, I'm sure we'll be looking to make that final number even higher. I'm up to the challenge."

next page...