New Health Innovations Grand Rounds Features UAHN President and CEO

TUCSON, Ariz. - Providing high value, patient-centered care involves a team approach but many teams in health care, while focusing on improving the care they provide, are unaware of innovative practices implemented in other specialties.

To improve inter-professional shared access to cutting edge information in health care delivery innovation and to promote the importance of high value care and patient-centeredness, the new Health Innovations Grand Rounds takes place on Thursday, February 6 from noon to 1 p.m. at the DuVal Auditorium.

The first in a planned series of multidisciplinary grand rounds events on New Health Innovations is targeted for physicians, professors, fellows, residents, students and staff at the Arizona Health Sciences Center and others interested in health innovation.

The new Health Innovations Grand Rounds will feature innovations in inter-professional practice with local and national speakers selected by members of the new UA College of Medicine – Tucson Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare Distinction Track.

Michael Waldrum, MD, MSc, MBA, president and chief executive officer of the University of Arizona Health Network (UAHN) will be the first Health Innovations Grand Rounds speaker.

The Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare Distinction Track is a faculty‐mentored experience for UA COM – Tucson students that draws upon the expertise of leaders from the Arizona Health Sciences Center, the UA main campus and the Health Care Transformation Institute, among others, to explore the many facets of health care education, administration, finance, delivery and policy.

The distinction track ensures that these select future providers achieve competencies in health leadership and advocacy—in addition to patient care—and will assume critical roles as a generation of physician leaders in healthcare innovation.

Though the Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare Distinction Track is exclusive to COM students, the Health Innovations Grand Rounds will focus on bringing together health care students and professionals from a variety of departments. 

“With the Grand Rounds, we are looking to learn how to work more efficiently in health care, with a focus on improving the whole system, we can’t change the big picture without working collaboratively,” said Kevin Hummel, a fourth year medical student at the UA Com – Tucson and member of the recently approved Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare Distinction Track.

With plans to present at least one Grand Rounds each semester, the goals are to:
• Disseminate cutting edge information in health care delivery innovation and provide a platform for a vibrant and informed inter-professional community of healthcare leaders
• Promote the importance of high value care and patient-centeredness
• Special emphasis on UAHN efforts with national examples of innovative excellence

Dr. Waldrum is the president of and CEO of the University of Arizona Health Network, overseeing the state's premier academic medical system that includes two hospitals, dozens of physicians’ offices and clinics, health plans and the practice plan of the physician faculty of the UA COM.

Before joining UAHN, Dr. Waldrum served as CEO of the University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham and as vice president of the UAB Health System, where he was professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care.

Contact Laura Vitkus, Arizona Center of Aging, with any questions.

Media Contact: Rebecca Ruiz Hudman