Pride (in the name of love)
I have not had a long career, but I have been in the
workforce for two decades.
Interestingly, half of that career has been as a CIO in an academic
medical center in Dallas. Before that, I
have worked as a clinic manager, as an analyst and as a consultant. This background has allowed me to work with
many healthcare organizations, many physicians, many administrators, and many
patients --- across 20 different states.
But tonight, before I go to bed, I am met with one emotion that I have
never felt before in my professional career: pride.
This note is not meant to disrespect any previous employer
or any prior accomplishment. I have
learned a great deal in all of my professional opportunities. I have been fortunate and I have been lucky. I have been grateful and I have been
happy. In fact, happy and satisfied are
probably the two most common emotions that come to mind when I think of my
professional history. OK, lucky comes up
a close third.
Why Pride? Why Now?
On December 6th, our organization, UT
Southwestern Medical Center, opened Clements University Hospital in Dallas, TX,
a state of the art facility to serve our community. I was a part of the team that helped design,
build, prepare, test and open this new facility. More specifically, information technology and
the team that delivered it were at the forefront of this effort.
Many hospitals are opened every year in this country and
even in this community.
This building is greater than the sum of its parts.
This building brings together patient care, teaching and
research in a way that could not be done separately on this campus. This building brings together people, process
and technology in a way that could not be done without thoughtful design. This building brings together the collective
aspirations of clinicians, investigators, and patients to improve the health of
their community.
It also brings together an IT organization that has proved
to be greater than the sum of its parts.
The three-year journey has tested our team: it has tested our people, it
has tested our systems, and it has tested our patience and resolve. We had to constantly re-invent ourselves to
evolve our thinking, challenge our assumptions and innovate (not only in
technology, but in preparation). The
journey has brought the team together as we have seen the many sacrifices that
everyone has made, the many times that a team member has come to our rescue,
and the great courage that so many showed in the face of adversity and setback.
Our work is only beginning, and we are all well aware that
there is a long road ahead of us before we reach our ultimate goals of transforming
care in our community. What a great team
to be a part of….
I am lucky to be a parent of two wonderful children that
constantly remind me of what pride feels like.
Tonight, my professional life has its first taste of pride
(in the name of love).
http://www.utswmedicine.org/hospitals-clinics/clements/
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