Erica Carbajal -
Large
University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City has tapped James Murphy, MD, to serve as chief quality officer. He will begin the position May 1. Dr. Murphy spent more than 17 years at Boston Medical Center, working in areas including quality improvement, patient safety, and critical care and pulmonary medicine. In his new role at UI Health Care, he will lead all patient quality and safety initiatives across the organization. Additionally, Dr. Murphy will hold a faculty appointment in the department of internal medicine and division of pulmonary and critical care medicine. Dr. Murphy earned his medical degree from Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He completed a residency in internal medicine at New York City's NYU School of Medicine and a pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at Boston University School of Medicine.

UI Health Care names new chief quality officer

A team of University of Illinois Chicago researchers is projected to receive approximately $22 million from the National Institutes of Health over four years to research long COVID-19. The emerging health condition causes many COVID-19 patients, even those who were not hospitalized, to have continued and new symptoms months after their initial illness. As part of the NIH’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, UIC is leading an Illinois-based research consortium, called ILLInet RECOVER, which has been selected to participate as one of the cohorts in the NIH initiative. The Illinois consortium is focused on understanding long COVID-19 in adults and its impact on vulnerable communities in both urban and rural areas. The team includes UIC researchers in Chicago and Peoria who are working with patients, public health departments, health care providers and community-based organizations to understand how to best help people infected with SARS-CoV-2 avoid long COVID-19 effects. These effects can include ongoing fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, sleep disorders, fevers, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, and depression. Symptom severity can range from mild to completely debilitating. Some people, especially those who were severely ill during their COVID-19 illness, may have other health problems. Enrollment for the study in Chicago is now open. In the Peoria and central Illinois area, enrollment is anticipated to begin later this spring. UIC’s health sciences researchers have a steadfast commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration and a strong history of designing and implementing patient-centered research that informs community-focused programs. This award is yet another example of how the university’s academic health enterprise, UI Health, has a long-lasting, positive impact on the health and wellbeing of our neighborhoods across the state, the nation and beyond. We look forward to partnering with the NIH and RECOVER’s clinical sciences core to tackle long COVID, one of the greatest health challenges we will face over the coming years and perhaps decades.”  
Dr. Robert Barish, UIC vice chancellor for health affairs
Specifically, the UIC researchers are studying what makes an individual vulnerable to long COVID-19, which is among the conditions known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, researchers are exploring factors that might be protective and what interventions are needed to help patients get back to normal as quickly as possible if they do experience these long-term effects. “We want to better understand whether a patient’s recovery differs according to the strain of SARS-CoV-2 that caused COVID-19; health history and lifestyle, including vaccination status before infection; and the role of social and environmental factors,” said Dr. Jerry Krishnan, UIC associate vice chancellor for population health sciences, professor of medicine and public health, and contact principal investigator. “Answers to these questions will help us to support the people and communities most impacted by COVID-19.”
Krishnan says that recent estimates suggest that up to 50% of patients may experience long COVID-19. “The ILLInet RECOVER multidisciplinary team is ready to provide resources to people who need care, both through UIC’s Post-COVID Clinic and through engaging services throughout Illinois,” said UIC’s Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, executive dean of the College of Medicine, which has campuses in Chicago, Peoria and Rockford. “Through our commitment to education, research, clinical care and social responsibility, our faculty are dedicated to helping all Illinoisans achieve better health and wellness.”  
Through a combination of community outreach and new and long-standing partnerships with community-based organizations, the researchers hope to enroll, conduct baseline health assessments, and follow about 1,000 Illinoisans 18 and up from Chicago and Peoria, and surrounding communities. A COVID-19 diagnosis is not required to participate in the study. Study participants will fill out a survey about their health, get a brief physical exam, and have some lab tests periodically – every three to 12 months for up to four years. Test results will be shared with the participant and if requested, with their health care providers. Dr. Jonathan Klein, UIC associate vice chancellor for research and the Savithri and Samuel Raj Professor and executive vice chair of pediatrics, is the study chair and provides overall administrative leadership for the consortium. Related Stories
“We know that as a public research university we have a twofold responsibility to the people of Illinois – we not only need to bring in high-quality COVID-19 research programs like RECOVER to understand long COVID in our local communities, but we also need to provide the best care possible to people who need medical support after COVID-19 illness,” Klein said. UI Health, which is UIC’s health system, is the main clinical research site for the study in Chicago. OSF St. Francis Medical Center – an affiliate of the College of Medicine in providing clinical training to medical students, residents and fellows in Peoria – will be one of the main clinical sites for the study when it launches in central Illinois. Study co-principal investigator Dr. Sarah Stewart de Ramirez, associate professor of emergency medicine and director of equity innovation medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria and medical director of population health at OSF HealthCare, said the study “allows our community of patients, especially those historically underrepresented in research but immensely impacted by COVID, to contribute to the collective understanding of long COVID.”
The researchers are also partnering with community organizations and local health departments to connect area residents with opportunities to participate in the study. Chris Harris, the pastor of Bright STAR Church, is one community member working with the UIC research team in Chicago to engage the community in the project. Harris’ congregation, located in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side, has helped hundreds of Chicagoans get vaccinated but he says people in his community still need support. “I am extremely committed to this very important project and all of the partners,” Harris said. “We have a moral and spiritual responsibility to inform, inspire and involve every person we can when it comes to the virus. Lives are at stake.”  
Monica Hendrickson, the administrator of the Peoria City/County Health Department, said the city has been “ground-zero in seeing impacts of COVID-19” in the area but that the study will provide valuable information about the virus and how it will impact the community’s health. Additional community partners will include Illinois UNIDOS, Envision, Teamwork Englewood, Central Illinois Friends, Friendship House, Chicago Urban League, and Tri-county Peoria Urban League. The research team also includes co-principal investigators Dr. Wayne Giles, dean of the School of Public Health; Bellur Prabhakar, senior associate dean for research and professor of microbiology and immunology; Dr. Heather Prendergast, associate dean for clinical affairs and professor of emergency medicine; and Dr. Terry Vanden Hoek, professor and head of emergency medicine and chief medical officer at UI Health. Additional co-investigators are Robin Mermelstein, distinguished professor of psychology, and Dr. Richard Novak, the Harry F. Dowling Professor of Medicine and head of the division of infectious diseases, who are co-directors of the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Research, a federally funded center for supporting translational research. The NIH funding for ILLInet RECOVER is provided by other transactions authority (OT2HL16184701). According to the NIH, other transactions allow for much greater speed, flexibility, and accessibility in performing research and prototyping activities than standard procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. The funding builds upon multiple federal grant awards to UIC for COVID-19 research, such as awards to:
Bolster research and outreach to help communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Offer free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities and perform genomic sequencing to monitor variants. Understand vaccine hesitancy across different communities and the best interventions to improve vaccine confidence and uptake. Support multiple COVID-19 clinical trials for drug and antibody treatments, blood clot prevention and vaccines. How to take part in ILLInet RECOVER long COVID-19 research  
Anyone interested in taking part in long COVID-19 research can contact [email protected] or visit illinet.org for more information. Source:

UIC researchers projected to receive $22 million to study long COVID-19

Katie Adams -
Large
UI Health achieved stage 7 on the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's eight-stage Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity, Anwar Jebran, MD, a clinical informatics fellow at the Chicago-based system, said Feb. 11 via LinkedIn . HIMSS Analytics, a subsidiary of HIMSS, created the Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity in 2016 as a framework and benchmarking system to help hospitals guide and measure their data science efforts. Similar to HIMSS Analytics' EMR Adoption Model, the analytics model runs from stage 0 to stage 7 and measures the success of a hospital's data analytics strategy. Factors considered include infrastructure, processes, technology and leadership. "We join an elite group of about 7 percent of U.S. hospitals and clinics that have achieved this stage 7," Dr. Jebran said in his post.

UI Health achieves stage 7 on HIMSS' analytics maturity model

New position of chief diversity and community health equity officer created to sharpen University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics’ focus on community health equity

UI Health’s Rani Morrison on Setting Up an Equity Office

Accomplished Health Care Leader to Take Helm of Preeminent Academic Medical Center and Health System
WEBWIRE – Thursday, January 20, 2022
Suresh Gunasekaran, MBA, was named new chief executive officer of UCSF Health effective March 1, 2022. Photo courtesy of UI Health Care
His longstanding dedication to health equity and compassion for the most vulnerable families in our communities, alongside his expertise in transforming health care operations, will guide UCSF Health well in the next stage of its growth. -UCSF CHANCELLOR SAM HAWGOOD
UC San Francisco has named Suresh Gunasekaran, MBA, as the new president and chief executive officer of UCSF Health, bringing an accomplished leader to the world-renowned health system. The appointment was formally approved today by the University of California Board of Regents, effective March 1. Gunasekaran brings more than 20 years of experience in health care administration and information technology, with a focus on quality and safety, patient service, collaboration, and operational excellence. In his current role as CEO of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, he oversees the operational, strategic and financial performance of Iowas only comprehensive academic medical center, a more than $2 billion operation with 11,000 employees. He also serves as senior associate vice president for University of Iowa Health Care, which includes UI Hospitals & Clinics, the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, and UI Physicians, the most comprehensive multi-specialty medical and surgical group practice in Iowa. Before joining UI Health Care, Gunasekaran served as chief information officer and then as chief operations officer for the University of Texas Southwestern Health System, in Dallas. As president and CEO of UCSF Health, Gunasekaran will take the helm of the clinical care enterprise of one of the nations preeminent health care organizations. He will have oversight of UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide, as well as two  UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospitals ,  Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics ,  UCSF Benioff Childrens Physicians , the UCSF Faculty Practice, and an expanding network of affiliate relationships. Suresh brings an impressive track record of health care leadership marked by strategic vision and strong financial performance, in service of his commitment to putting patients first, said UCSF Chancellor  Sam Hawgood , MBBS. His longstanding dedication to health equity and compassion for the most vulnerable families in our communities, alongside his expertise in transforming health care operations, will guide UCSF Health well in the next stage of its growth.
Gunasekaran succeeds  Mark R. Laret , who retired Dec. 31 after leading UCSFs clinical enterprise for 21 years. During that time, the academic medical center was transformed into a premier health system with multiple hospitals and outpatient facilities, serving more than 1 million patient visits each year. Since joining the University of Iowa in November 2018, Gunasekaran worked closely with UI Health Care leaders to advance the organizations three-part mission of biomedical research, medical education and training, and patient care. He also oversaw significant growth for the system over three years, consistently improving the health systems operating margins and forging collaborations that increased investments in the academic enterprise. He brought transformative quality changes to the UI Hospitals & Clinics, improving both the Vizient quality rankings and the CMS star rating. At the same time, Gunasekaran led the organizations response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a dual focus of supporting the faculty and staff in their tireless efforts and serving the community. He also led the development of a clinical strategy with targeted investments in strategic service lines and the construction of new facilities to build additional capacity, while developing regional pathways and new market partnerships to expand the systems scope. We have a truly unique opportunity to change the way care is delivered in the Bay Area and beyond by delivering the latest advances and supporting our people in delivering high-quality care, Gunasekaran said. We will achieve this by working with our partners to deliver a system of care that meets patients where they are in a compassionate way. At the heart of this system will be an unwavering commitment to overcome systemic barriers to health equity.
Gunasekaran brings a longstanding commitment to addressing systemic inequities and health disparities. At UI Health Care, he led several diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including expansion of recruitment efforts, increased scholarships, and a focus on creating safe and inclusive workplaces for health care workers. He previously held leadership positions at both UT Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville, Tenn. Gunasekaran has significant background in information technology, having worked as an analyst for Gartner and IBM/Healthlink. Gunasekaran earned his Master of Business Administration with honors at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he received the universitys Entrepreneurship Prize. He joins UCSF Health during an ambitious period of growth, revitalization and transformation, which includes the construction of a new state-of-the-art hospital at  UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights  that will serve the regions fast-growing need for specialty medical care. For more than a century, UCSF at Parnassus Heights has produced world-class research, trained generations of medical care providers and scientists, and served as a destination for complex medical care. UCSF Health is known worldwide for innovative medicine, advanced technology and compassionate care. It is the nations leader in both research and care in neurology and neurosurgery, and is among the top centers nationwide in cancer, diabetes, otolaryngology, geriatrics, ophthalmology, psychiatry and rheumatology. At UCSF Health, Gunasekaran will earn a base salary of $1,850,000, which falls between the 75th and 90th percentile of salaries for chief executives of academic medical centers nationwide, consistent with the UC Regents policy on executive compensation. Further details can be found in the UC Regents approval package. About UCSF Health: UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide, as well as UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Childrens Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit  http://www.ucsfhealth.org/ . ( Press Release Image: https://photos.webwire.com/prmedia/6/284184/284184-1.jpg )

Suresh Gunasekaran Tapped as Chief Executive of UCSF Health

CipherHealth helps hospitals avoid government penalties by reducing preventable readmissions, improving outcomes, better coordinating care, and creating a positive patient experience. CipherHealth reaches out over the phone, through tablets, via email, text, or the web, better engaging patients in their care and building stronger relationships between patients and providers. The company was formed through a partnership of New York eHealth Collaborative and Partnership Fund for New York City.

CipherHealth

Morrison and her team at UI Health continue to partner with CipherHealth to better support their community , provide personalized patient communications and transform data insights into actionable improvements for the entire health system .

Spotlight on Rani Morrison, UI Health Chief Diversity and Community Health Equity Officer - Cipherhealth

PhysIQ enables proactive care delivery models through its proprietary, FDA-cleared Personalized Physiology Analytics technology. PhysIQ offers a platform designed to process multiple vital signs from biosensors to create a personalized dynamic baseline for each individual. By mapping vital sign relationships, physIQ's analytics detect subtle deviations that may be a precursor to disease exacerbation or change in health.

PhysIQ

Chicago Medical Society (CMS) is a hospital and health care company that offers physicians the opportunity to learn about trends in the practice of medicine through committee participation, policy development, educational seminars, and publications. It is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Medical Society

University of Illinois at Chicago is a public research university with a hospital and health sciences system.

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