The most recent Credo Award and Five Pillar Leader Award winners were announced at the Nov. 11 Clinical Enterprise Leadership Assembly at Langford Auditorium, along with the Team Award, a new honor given out for the first time.
Art Wheeler, M.D., professor of Medicine and medical director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit, received the Five Pillar Leader Award, given for leadership in service, quality, growth/finance innovation, and the promotion of staff and faculty satisfaction and commitment.
Wheeler’s nominating letter read, “There isn’t a better physician than Dr. Wheeler … He truly is a role model in every aspect of his interactions with others and his care of patients … He doesn’t do anything without evidence. And if there isn’t any evidence, we generate the evidence by conducting a study. He is excellent with people … He always supports his staff in whatever way he can, above and beyond a normal director … Even when he isn’t the attending on duty, he is around to help, to educate, to support.”
Credo Awards honor staff and faculty who exemplify the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Credo.
The latest Credo Award winners are: Molly Knostman, Pharm.D., manager, Central Pharmacy Dispensing, and DeeDee Webster, R.N., a nurse (RN2) with the pediatric cardiology clinic.
Knostman’s nominating letter read, “She truly cares about everyone’s well-being. Molly is such an amazing servant-leader, with quiet, unpretentious strength. It is not uncommon for her to offer her intuitive support even in those scenarios where you may not have recognized you needed support.”
Webster’s nominating letter read, “DeeDee Webster has been the face of the pediatric cardiology clinic for nearly 40 years. She is a dedicated advocate for children with heart disease and a lynchpin for the practice … DeeDee could handle anything! She treated every patient with the utmost respect and compassion and with her relaxed, folksy manner, helped put frightened patients and families at ease. Every day, patients and parents ask whether DeeDee is around, wanting to update her on the latest news of softball games, proms, graduations, weddings and births.”
The new Team Award recognizes efforts by two or more people to improve a process, solve a problem or advance organizational culture. The inaugural award went to the House Staff Choosing Wisely Steering Committee— Daltry Dott, M.D., Cristina Estrada, M.D., Bob Hoffman, M.D., Ph.D., Wade Iams, M.D., Meghan Kapp, M.D., Patty Kleinholz, M.D., Heather Koons, M.D., David Leverenz, M.D., Matt McEvoy, M.D., John McPherson, M.D., Cody Penrod, M.D., Kyla Terhune, M.D., and Michael Vella, M.D.
The committee formed in 2013 to direct the House Staff Choosing Wisely project at Vanderbilt, dedicated to avoiding wasteful or unnecessary medical tests, treatments and procedures. The project has focused on curbing ordering of CBC (complete blood count) and BMP (basic metabolic profile).
The team’s nominating letter read, “A major innovative aspect of this project was aligning residents from across multiple departments toward a common goal to impact patient care and resident understanding of how they could change culture within the larger institution.
As of May 2015, the project to reduce daily CBC/BMP lab draws has avoided more than $420,000 in medical bills, over 1,100 misleading lab results and more than 4,000 unnecessary labs.”
To nominate someone for any of these awards, visit the Elevate website.
