Becker's Hospital Review

65 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Weill Cornell medical school to eliminate student debt By Emily Rappleye T hanks to $160 million in donations, New York City-based Weill Cornell Medicine is wiping out medical school debt for all its students who qualify for financial aid, the school an- nounced Sept. 16. The debt-free scholarship program kicks off with the 2019-20 school year. It will provide scholarships for student loans that cover tuition, housing and living expenses. Weill Cornell plans to continue the program "every year thereafter in perpetuity." "Students whose passions, skills and talents point the way to medicine can now pursue their career aspirations, unencumbered by the pres- sure that comes with significant debt burdens," Jessica Bibliowicz, chairman of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Overseers, said in a press release. "We are immensely thankful to our visionary donors, who are committed to making this program possible for our students." Weill Cornell Medicine's announcement comes as many other med- ical schools are beginning to step up scholarship offerings, particu- larly among New York City schools. New York University announced last year it would make tuition free for all medical students, Colum- bia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons rolled out a debt-elimination program, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai pledged to cap student debt at $75,000. St. Lou- is-based Washington University School of Medicine and Pasadena, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine are also offering students free tuition. n NINR reopens search for director after nurse backlash By Gabrielle Masson T he National Institute of Nursing Research reopened its search for a new director Sept. 16 after facing backlash for appointing a dentist to lead the organization, according to a tweet by NINR. The federal research institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, named Lawrence Tabak, DDS, PhD, interim director. The move came after a national search earlier this year failed to identify a suitable candidate, according to NIH. Dr. Tabak's appointment was met with immense backlash from nurses, who said NINR should be run by a nurse. NINR said it was reopening its search in a Sept. 16 tweet, which in- cluded a link to the job posting. The posting calls for candidates with a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in nursing science, om- ics disciplines or other relevant sciences. Applicants must also have achievements in nursing-related research. Some controversy around the candidate search still exists, with mul- tiple Twitter users citing the lack of a nursing-specific degree in the posting's qualifications section. n AMA recognizes 22 healthcare organizations for physician burnout efforts By Mackenzie Bean T he American Medical Association recog- nized 22 healthcare organizations for their ef- forts to address the root causes of physician burnout. To achieve the AMA's Joy in Medicine Recognition, hospitals had to demonstrate achievements in five of the following six competencies: commitment, assess- ment, leadership, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork and support. e 22 recipients of the recognition are: • Ascension Medical Group (St. Louis) • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston) • Boston Medical Center • Cleveland Clinic • Geisinger Health System (Danville, Pa.) • Gould Medical Group (Modesto, Calif.) • Heartland Health Centers (Chicago) • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York City) • Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.) • National Capital Region Military Health System (Bethesda, Md.) • Northwestern Medicine (Chicago) • Oak Street Health (Chicago) • Ochsner Health System (New Orleans) • Southern California Permanente Group (Pasadena) • St. Vincent Medical Group (Indianapolis) • Stanford (Calif.) Health Care • University of Colorado School of Medicine (Aurora) • UNC Health Care (Chapel Hill, N.C.) • UPMC (Pittsburgh) • University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center • Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle) • Wake Forest School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, N.C.) n

• Cover