Our discoveries change care. Our care changes lives: Michigan Medicine team members reflect on organization’s vision

Last month, Headlines gave readers an in-depth look at the organization’s vision: Our discoveries change care. Our care changes lives.

Since then, faculty and staff have had a chance to reflect on the vision and what it means to the work they do every day.

From clinicians to the security team to quality staff members, here’s what they had to say:

Chris Alcala, M.B.A., BSRT(T), chief radiation therapist, radiation oncology

“I can relate to the vision. Being part of this academic institution allows us to learn about how research can change how we care for our patients. We can also see how we as professional radiation oncology technicians can have an impact on the institution at large. Being part of that helps us strive for a high level of compassion and accuracy in our work.”

Andrea Lum Freeman, R.N., B.S.N., O.C.N., Brighton Center for Specialty Care adult infusion 

“Our vision statement certainly resonates with me. As nurses, when practice changes are made, we see over time how patient care has improved. We see, directly, how using evidence-based practices based on sound studies have provided more compassionate care for our patients. It’s incredible to see when we can make a change for the better.”

Beth Moore, Ph.D., Nancy Williams Walls Professor and chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

“In the basic science departments at Michigan Medicine, we resonate with many aspects of our organizational vision. Collectively we strive to create communities that are inclusive spaces for education, service and research. Our mission is to create transformational knowledge. That takes many forms. We want to equip trainees with the skills they need to be life-long learners and to tackle important problems in science and health. We also strive to conduct innovative and impactful research that will lead to new understanding. No one does or learns science alone, so teamwork is key to all of our missions – and we have an awesome team!”

Erica Raymond, director, Patient Food and Nutrition Services

“Nutrition is essential to advancing health and optimizing patient outcomes. Nutrition care requires teamwork, focused on an inclusive and transformative patient experience. In PFANS, our team and our work are grounded in the vision for changing lives through service and collaboration.”

Cathy Kendrick, M.S., B.S.N., R.N., chief nursing officer, Adult Hospitals

“My daily work ensures that the Adult Hospitals’ staff and faculty are resourced to provide safe care and offered the opportunity to think innovatively to discover ways to change the care that changes the lives of the patients who place their lives in their hands.”

Alex Nosnik, M.P.A., faculty compensation and analytics lead, Faculty Affairs

“As with any large organization, we can sometimes become absorbed by the day-to-day and disconnected from mission. When I pause and think about the work being done by colleagues across Michigan Medicine, I am filled with pride. Despite not working directly in research, teaching or patient care, I know that I am supporting tangible and meaningful work that affects thousands of patients and learners and that advances science.”

Devin Lippert, administrative director, Office of Patient Experience

“Working with the Office of Patient Experience, I love seeing the dedicated staff, faculty and learners impact patients and their families. Despite our diverse roles and responsibilities, we are all connected by our shared vision to improve the lives of the people we serve.”

Blaire Tinker, special program manager, Office for Health Equity and Inclusion

“Through our vision, I see myself as a direct leader and steward of the work to create and sustain equitable and accessible care, despite the fact that I do not have direct contact with patients. My work to create and deliver training that impacts faculty, staff and learners generates opportunities for our community to see that we cannot just be in the midst of diversity, we have to appreciate, accept and leverage that diversity to develop the inclusive spaces we hope to form. … Our work has far-reaching impact and transferability; the vision allows us to see that.”        

Charlie Rauland, chief operations integration officer and member of the newly-formed enterprise triad leadership team which supports U-M Health

“As a new member of the leadership team here at Michigan Medicine, our vision means – to me — fulfilling our role as a public trust.  The people of Michigan and beyond look to us for responsible leadership in medicine and in the health of our communities.  And the scientific rigor that our investigators bring to the table, and which our clinicians, supporting staff and trainees translate into meaningful and caring service to our patients, is a vision that reminds me why I trained in public health, and why I have devoted my career to academic medicine.”

Nicki Schmidt, continuous improvement advisor, Quality Department

“I support a team of specialists who enable extraordinary care for patients by facilitating scientific problem-solving. Our projects are aimed at discovering more effective ways to deliver care and services that positively impact staff and patients. We do this through improving processes and developing systems and capabilities to sustain and continually improve. With every effort, the vision helps to ensure we are working on the right things by asking how this will change care and positively impact lives.”

Brian Uridge, director, Michigan Medicine Security

“Although as a member of DPSS I am not providing direct patient care, I am responsible for providing an exceptional patient experience. Using relationship-based security, I focus on ensuring our patients, staff and visitors are safe and, just as importantly, feel safe. Our vision reflects that.”

Daniel Ellman, internal communications manager

“While I may not be carrying out research or providing direct patient care, my work directly impacts those who do. By doing my job well, I am helping our teams change the lives of everyone they work with on a daily basis. That’s what I think about when I see our vision statement.”

Julie Ishak, chief nursing officer, Ambulatory Care services

“I love it. I think it resonates well because it speaks to how our research impacts our clinical care and how our personal care directly impacts the patients. I also think it is easy for our patients to relate to and understand.”

What does the organization’s vision mean to you? Let us know at headlines@med.umich.edu!