Over the past two years, the need for a more defined clinical leadership infrastructure has become increasingly apparent as we manage increased patient encounters alongside preparing for an unpredictable future. In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our faculty stepped in to fill the void, and it is time some of them are officially recognized for their increased workload.
Dr. Rebecca Dezube is an assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and associate program director for resident clinical operations for the Osler Medical Residency. We are incredibly grateful for the important role she took on for both the department and the health system leading inpatient operations throughout the COVID pandemic. She has graciously agreed to continue these efforts and more as our Vice Chair for Inpatient Operations at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In this role, she will continue to work with Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs Dr. Kim Peairs, as well as other DOM vice chairs, administrators and housestaff to oversee and implement major inpatient initiatives, as well as lead discussions with JHH leadership on a variety of patient care topics.
Dr. Flora Kisuule is an associate professor and director of the Division of Hospital Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. She has spearheaded the department’s inpatient operations at Bayview for years as an associate vice chair, and we are very pleased to officially announce her role as Vice Chair for Inpatient Operations at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. She is already a respected leader of clinical operations on the Bayview campus, and this change in title is designed to bring her expertise and thoughtful approach more central in the DOM. In this role, she will continue to work with vice chairs including Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs Dr. Kim Peairs, administrators and housestaff within the DOM to support strategic imperatives of JHBMC and advise on how budgetary decisions might affect operations.
Dr. Melinda Kantsiper is an assistant professor and director of clinical operations for the Division of Hospital Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. In her role as Associate Vice Chair for Inpatient Quality and Safety at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, she will oversee the interdisciplinary quality improvement, safety, service and value activities of Department of Medicine inpatient services at JHBMC. She will work with hospital leadership as well as Dr. Stephen Berry, Vice Chair for Quality, Safety and Service, to ensure medical service and divisional leaders set and implement quality improvement and safety plans that align with Johns Hopkins Health System priorities and respond to the complex set of external metrics and safety concerns that affect JHBMC services. Her role will cover inpatient services. Dr. Samantha Pitts, who was named Associate Vice Chair for Ambulatory Quality and Safety last summer, is charged with overseeing quality and safety for ambulatory practices based at the Bayview campus.
With these appointments, we hope to have filled out the infrastructure surrounding our clinical resources in a way that satisfies the current needs of our department as well as the new challenges we are sure to face in the future. We invite you to learn more about the recent restructuring of our DOM clinical vice chair team at the upcoming Clinical & Education Retreat on Friday, May 13. Learn more and register here.
