Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1337263
43 CLINICAL LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT Thinking too far ahead can be overwhelming, so I tend to limit my focus to small chunks of time or one project at a time. Q: What is your daily mantra? AS: I have a few mantras that I enjoy sharing with my son, Dylan. Before bedtime or when things are tough, we oen say them togeth- er. Work hard and play hard. Dream big. Your destiny is to save the world. Open the door and explore. Q: What do you consider your greatest career success? AS: I have several career successes that I am proud of. A recent success involves how Northwell Health managed and continues to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were impacted heavily, and we were one of the health systems in the epicenter of this pandemic. My role at Northwell is senior vice president of medi- cal affairs and associate medical director. My responsibilities include leading medical affairs throughout Northwell Health, including credentialing and privileging of providers, standardizing policies and procedures, and recruiting and mentoring talented physicians. In response to COVID-19, I co-chair Northwell's clinical advisory committee, which is responsible for oversight on clinical decisions related to standardization of COVID-19 treatment guidelines, the usage of personal protective equipment, patient testing and cohorting, patient visitation, and the approach to team member COVID-19 exposures. Our clinical advisory committee collaborated with several other committees to ensure the best care was delivered to all our patients. We participated in load-balancing initiatives where we transferred patients throughout the system to avoid any one hospital from being overwhelmed, in addition to moving around medications, ventilators, vital equipment and team members. Our team members were key to make our success happen. I am so proud of Northwell, all our heroes, and my contribution in our response to this pandemic. Another great career success is mentoring and inspiring others, espe- cially other women. Over the past 10 years, our organization has been on a journey to formalize our approach to diversity, inclusion and health equity. We know that women currently make up about 50 per- cent of medical school classes, yet we know that at the senior level the percentages for women are much lower. Change is in the air. Diversity, inclusion and health equity is so important to me. One of my goals is to recruit, retain and engage diverse faculty, physicians, and team members so that our organization better reflects the communities we serve. Having the opportunity to coach, educate and guide the next generation of physicians and team members is such a privilege. It is empowering when I see them succeed and become leaders. Q: What leadership skills have you learned/sharpened during the pandemic? AS: During times of uncertainty, like a pandemic, many skills are needed. I have definitely sharpened/strengthened my skills in team-building, communication and decision-making during this crisis. Rapid change during this pandemic created anxiety and un- certainty. e speed of making decisions and communicating in an urgent, clear and transparent way was needed, although it created an extraordinary challenge. e risks of delaying decision-making and wasting vital time during a crisis can be dangerous and may lead to even greater devastation. During the pandemic, we were making important decisions by the hour. We were creating and implementing guidelines and policies on a daily basis. We build teams of subject matter advisers and team members who were engaged and offered diverse opinions to guide us on important decisions. Communicating with transparency meant providing honest and accurate information of our situation and being as clear and concise as humanly possible about what we knew, what we anticipated and what it meant for us in our health system. It was important to communicate frequently and constantly as new information came to light. Other important skills that were strengthened during this crisis were the ability to be flexible and innovative. We needed to think differ- ently and deliver care in ways that had never been done before. n Beaumont adds 3 physicians to board after negative staff surveys By Alia Paavola S outhfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health added three physicians to its board of directors Dec. 21. The move increased the number of physicians on the board from three to six and bumped the total number of board members to 19. The three physicians who joined the board are: • Abed Asfour, MD, vice chief of staff at Beaumont Hospital-Trenton (Mich.) and cardiology section chief and director of interventional cardiology • Ashok Jain, MD, CMO at Beaumont Hospi- tal-Wayne (Mich.) • Robert Welsh, MD, physician executive for surgi- cal specialty with the Beaumont Medical Group The appointments come after several physician and nurse surveys conducted last summer revealed a lack of confidence in the health system's leadership and concerns about a now-squashed merger with Advo- cate Aurora Health, which has dual headquarters in Milwaukee and Downers Grove, Ill. The appointments are intended to help thwart clinician dissatisfaction with leadership decisions. "We made a commitment [in 2020] to increase phy- sician representation on our board. Many physicians were nominated, and we went through a comprehen- sive review process that ultimately led us to select these three esteemed physicians," John Lewis, chair- man of Beaumont Health's board of directors, said in a news release. "All of our board members volunteer their time and talent to support Beaumont in advanc- ing our efforts to provide compassionate, extraordinary care every day to the communities we serve." n