Ioannidis Elected to National Academy of Medicine

John Ioannidis, MD, C.F. Rhenborg Professor in Disease Prevention and professor of health research and policy and statistics, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Ioannidis is among the 85 new members who were inducted on October 15. Membership in NAM recognizes individuals who have demonstrated “outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service,” and is considered one of the highest honors in the field. Ioannidis, who also serves as co-director of Stanford’s Meta-Research Innovation Center, was selected for “his dedication to rigorous, reproducible, and transparent health science, for his seminal work on meta-research, for his calls for quality in evidence, and for the positive impact it has had on the reliability and utility of scientific information throughout the sciences.”

Nidhi Rohatgi Recognized as ACP Top Hospitalist

Nidhi Rohatgi, MD, MS, clinical associate professor of medicine and neurosurgery, has been named to the 11^th annual ACP Hospitalist Top Ten Doctors list. Following a nomination by colleagues, she was selected from a pool of 75 nominees by the magazine’s editorial board.

ACP Hospitalist says the recognition is based on accomplishments in areas of hospitalist practice including patient care, quality improvement, and medical education. Rohatgi’s achievements, specifically her focus on preventing medical complications in surgical patients and her contribution to creating an after-hours patient call service, earned her a place on the 2018 list. In a recent article, ACP Hospitalist detailed Rohatgi’s enthusiasm for her career. She sets an alarm but always wakes up earlier because she is “excited to go to work, and her work provides “a very rewarding experience” to see gratitude “in the patient’s eyes.”

Rohatgi graduated from Maulana Azad Medical College in 2002 and completed her residency at Case Western Reserve University/St. Vincent Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mark Cullen Named Senior Associate Vice Provost for Research

Mark Cullen, MD, senior associate dean of research and professor of primary care and population health, has been named senior associate vice provost for research, a distinguished advisory position to Dean of Research and Vice Provost Kam Moler. With significant changes regarding research policies, procedures and compliance regulations, Cullen’s new role will be essential in developing a strategic, university-wide plan for the future of the Stanford University Research enterprise. In a Stanford News release, Moler describes Cullen as “a great university citizen…[whose] expertise in social science research will be invaluable as we think about the future of shared resources and interdisciplinary collaboration at Stanford.”

According to the article, Cullen will focus on developing and implementing guidelines that prevent “foreign influence on federally funded research while maintaining a spirit of openness and the free exchange of scientific ideas.” He will also create an inventory of the Dean of Research’s Institutes, Independent Labs and Centers – entities that have expanded significantly “in both number and scope.”

Cullen tells Stanford News that the university is “an unparalleled research environment.” Because the programs are so prominent in the research world, he says, “Now is the right time to think strategically about the role they will play in the next decade and beyond.

Cullen started at Stanford in 2009 as chief of the division of general medicine disciplines in the School of Medicine. In 2015, he became the director of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences. He will continue in this role while acting as senior associate dean of research.

Joy Wu Elected to Endocrine Society Leadership Team

Joy Wu, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of endocrinology, has joined the Endocrine Society’s leadership team as a member of its council. In her role as Basic Science Seat, Wu will work towards the society’s mission to “promote optimal health by embracing advances in endocrine science, education and care.”

Wu is the past recipient of awards from the National Institutes of Health, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the Mary Kay Foundation. She attended medical school at Duke University School of Medicine, completed her residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School and held a fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Lisa Shieh and David Svec Receive Malinda Mitchell Award

Lisa Shieh, MD, PhD, clinical professor of medicine, and David Svec, MD, MBA, clinical assistant professor of medicine, are recipients of the Malinda Mitchell Quality Award in recognition of their work to decrease inappropriate use of Intermediate Intensive Care Unit (IICU) level care accommodations.

Their program, Decreasing Inappropriate Use of IICU Level of Care Accommodations through Systematic Processes and Physician Engagement, is projected to save over $4 million by creating a systematic sustainable method for primary teams to conduct daily evaluations and reduce the patient length of stay by 40%. Shieh, Svec and their extended team plan to implement the initiative with the following measures: Emails and meetings with designated physician champions, creation of a cost-benefit analysis dashboard, weekly audits of IICU appropriate use, development of IICU best practices and engagement of residents through Resident Safety Council and Quality Improvement electives.

The project aligns with Stanford’s ongoing commitment to improving quality care and patient outcomes, while reducing costs when possible.

As the former president and chief executive officer of Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Malinda Mitchell worked to develop a team-oriented approach to hospital management. The Malinda Mitchell Award, created in her honor, recognizes nurses and units for achieving excellence in quality and service. Past recipients of the award include the G1 Neurosurgical/General Care Unit, the Women's Cancer Center and the Nursing Administration.  

Jennifer Lee Appointed VAPAHCS Chief of Staff, Research and Development

The VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) has appointed Jennifer Lee, MD, associate professor of endocrinology, gerontology and metabolism, as its new associate chief of staff, Research and Development. Lee has been with the VAPAHCS since 2013 serving in many capacities, including investigator for key programs (such as the Epidemiology Center for Genomics, Million Veteran Program and the All of Us), chief medical officer for the VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinator Center and deputy associate chief of staff for Research and Development.

In addition, Lee is an active member of a number of committees and task forces, such as the VA/NCI BD-STEP Executive Committee, the Admissions Committee for Stanford's PhD Epidemiology and Clinical Research Program, the VA VISN21 Endocrine Task Force, the VA Palo Alto Center for Clinical Research Advisory Committee, the VA Palo Alto Women's Health Practice-Based Research Network , and the CHS Aging Working Group.

Lee has joint Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in biological sciences from Harvard, where she also attended medical school. She completed residency at Stanford and fellowships (one in women’s health and another in endocrinology and metabolism) at UCSF and returned to Stanford for a PhD in epidemiology.

Ben Priestley joins Stanford Health Policy as Associate Director

Ben Priestley, MPH, has assumed the role of Division Manager/Associate Director at Stanford Health Policy. Previously, Priestley worked as a Clinical Research Manager for the Cancer Clinical Trials Office in GI Oncology, where he managed a large team of research staff and oversaw research, finance, and HR. Priestley received his BS from the University of California, San Diego and his MPH from John’s Hopkins University.