To the YSM Community:
Times of disruption provide an opportunity for innovation and creativity. To this end, as I shared on March 20 and in the State of the School, we have begun the work to refresh our strategic plans as a single, overarching strategic plan as we move forward and thrive.
During the first phase of this strategic planning refresh, approximately 700 faculty, staff, and students completed a survey regarding our strengths and areas in need of improvement. You provided rankings of priorities and more than 85 pages of free text comments on what differentiates Yale School of Medicine (i.e., what are our unique strengths) compared to other schools of medicine and areas for improvement. We have read and synthesized these comments and provide them for your review here. During the next phase of our strategic plan refresh, we invite faculty, students, and staff to sign up for focus groups so that we can dive deeper into these questions. Please expect details about how to join a focus group the second week in July.
Complementary to this work, on Thursday following the State of the School, the Executive Group (chairs and deputy deans) and leaders from Yale New Haven Health System convened for our annual retreat focused on strategic initiatives that capitalize on our strengths, address areas in need of improvement, and lead with creativity in a changing environment.
The first session of breakout groups centered on innovation in (graduate) Education and Career Development. A group led by Ron Breaker, PhD, Lauren Sansing, MD, and Lisa Lattanza, MD, discussed the growing number of master’s programs at Yale School of Medicine. The group discussed the role of such programs in the school but also as a mechanism to create collaboration across the university and with government, industry, and international partners.
Yale New Haven Hospital President Kate Heilpern, MD, and Steve Huot, MD, PhD, led a related breakout group on collaborative educational opportunities within the clinical enterprise. They identified potential opportunities to provide career trajectories for community members and address workforce needs in healthcare.
Leaders in the basic sciences addressed innovative ways to enhance predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs in the current environment, again often emphasizing cross-disciplinary and industry collaboration.
Lastly, clinical and scientific leaders considered ways to attract clinician scientists to residency programs and bridge the period between fellowship and career development funding as a mechanism to enhance support for clinician scientists even in times of uncertainty.
On the topic of Research and Innovation, Peter Glazer, MD, PhD, Murat Gunel, MD, and Josh Geballe, MBA, of Yale Ventures led a breakout on diversifying research funding through industry collaborations, foundation-supported academic collaborations, philanthropy, and team science.
At the same time, Deputy Dean Margaret McGovern, MD, PhD, John Krystal, MD, and Lawrence and Memorial President Rich Lisitano, MS, led a group on innovation and diversification in the face of clinical disruption. The group identified several areas for new ventures that leverage YSM strengths and extend current models of healthcare delivery.
Deputy Dean Tony Koleske, PhD, and Gillian Griffiths, PhD, led a group discussion on driving research impact, while Deputy Dean Lucila Ohno-Machado, MD, PhD, Deputy Dean Brian Smith, MD, Yong-Hui Jiang, MD, PhD, and Valerie Reinke, PhD, led a conversation on next steps in implementation of artificial intelligence and personalized medicine in the clinical setting.
In the last session on Climate and Engagement, leaders from the school and Yale New Haven Health system wrestled with how best to make progress on engaging and empowering clinical leaders and faculty in the aligned academic health system. They concentrated on the role of the chairs as chiefs with oversight of quality across the system.
Deputy Dean Darin Latimore, MD, Deputy Dean Bob Rohrbaugh, MD, and Lisa Leffert, MD, led a session on promoting dialogue and developing a culture of psychological safety. Dr. Latimore has already begun to conduct focus groups with members of his advisory council and other faculty groups across the school to consider the next strategic initiatives in pursuit of our mission and core values.
Two groups addressed the topic of achieving administrative excellence by increasing efficiency and accountability and reducing administrative burden. Operational excellence is one of the themes articulated by President Maurie McInnis after her campus listening tour. Our community has consistently identified improving operational efficiency and reducing the administrative burden as goals that would have the biggest impact on the quality of work life.
This report does not do justice to the energy in the room, but I hope that it gives you a sense of the ways we can innovate to advance our mission and support the development of our community members. Please join in this strategic thinking by signing up for focus groups beginning in July or attending departmental town halls.
Sincerely,
Nancy J. Brown, MD
Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine
C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine