Illinois Medicine

I L L I N O I S M E D I C I N E | 23 Blouin remains grateful for the leadership and scholarship skills she honed through the department of medical education's MHPE and PhD programs. "UIC opened my eyes to new horizons in medical education," she says. "My initial goal was only to become a better teacher, but I soon found myself part of a greater medical education community that I wanted to become more involved in." Close to home AFTER 36 YEARS AT THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, improving the education of medical students remains energizing for Jorge Girotti, PhD '90, EMHA '17, an assistant professor in the department of medical education, director of the Hispanic Center of Excellence and associate dean for admissions and special curricular programs. After completing the University of Illinois at Chicago's Executive Master of Healthcare Administration program in December 2017, he plans to use this most recent training to enhance education at the COM. "The program illuminated for me the delivery side of health care and what our graduates face beyond clinical competency, from dealing with health policy issues to organizational and leadership challenges," says Girotti. "It's prompted me to think about what we can do earlier in the educational pipeline to better prepare our students." UIC added the EMHA program to its educational offerings in 2015, and at its genesis the program was established as a collaborative effort between the College of Medicine and the School of Public Health to expand leadership and knowledge of the business of health systems. Similar to an executive MBA program, but broader in scope and intention, EMHA integrates the clinical and administrative aspects of managing and working within healthcare organizations. Girotti sees several opportunities to incorporate what he learned into the COM curriculum. For example, as director of the college's Urban Medicine program, Girotti believes students could benefit from a deeper understanding of the socioeconomic forces that influence the ability of urban health systems to address healthcare disparities. "The EMHA program exposed me to the many challenges that frustrate and discourage practitioners in the delivery of care, especially to the economically disadvantaged," says Girotti. "Tweaks to our curriculum could include the concept and importance of physician leadership in working more effectively within organizations and overcoming obstacles to better serve the underserved." Nurturing future physician leaders PREPARING TOMORROW'S PHYSICIANS means educating them for a future of nonstop change. "The current health care landscape is chaotic at best," says Michele Mariscalco, MD, EMHA '16, associate dean for systems- based practice at the COM and assistant vice chancellor for health sciences academic affairs. "How do we best raise our students to find their place as medical professionals and clinician leaders in a constantly changing health care world?" To that end, the COM launched the Clinician Executive Medicine program (CEMED) last fall to provide budding physician leaders with the insights required to navigate the complex organizational and health policy changes that often impact delivery of care. A key faculty member of the new four-year program for students in Chicago, Peoria and Rockford, Mariscalco became passionate about instilling business savvy in medical students after her own experience completing the EMHA program. Earning the degree gave her a much greater understanding for the need to nurture clinician leaders at the outset of their medical careers. "Clinician leadership comes in many forms," she says. "From managing peers in a small group practice to directing a clinical service in a large health enterprise, physicians can't think of themselves as widgets in a big worker wheel. They must learn to take ownership. That's what we can impart to our students early on." A seasoned educator, Mariscalco embraced the chance to acquire new knowledge via the EMHA program to enrich her career. In fact, she was one of a half-dozen COM leaders who participated in the program's first cohort of students. "Lifelong learning always provides additional insights that you can choose to use or expand upon if you need more. It's what education is about, after all." in the U.S. dedicated to the study and improvement of medical education. Michele Mariscalco Jorge Girotti 433 Number of Masters of Health Professions Education alumni 2017 Clinical Executive Medicine (CEMED) program launched at COM

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