National, local publications honor CMO, transplant surgery faculty; IHL lists psychiatry faculty among diversity honorees

Published on Wednesday, February 24, 2021

National publication taps UMMC leader as ‘CMO to Know’

Dr. Michael Henderson, UMMC chief medical officer, has been named among the “100 Hospital and Health System CMOs to Know” for 2020 by Becker’s Hospital Review.

A surgeon with specialty interests in hepatobiliary pancreatic and liver transplant surgery, Henderson has served as CMO at the Medical Center since 2015. During his tenure, the hospital has improved many quality metrics, increasing hand hygiene compliance and reducing hospital-acquired infections by 60 percent by the end of 2019.

He also launched Chasing Zero, a patient safety initiative focused on eliminating harm, in 2018. The crux of Chasing Zero is to use adverse events as learning opportunities, and not opportunities to be punitive.

Before joining UMMC, Henderson was chair of general surgery and chief quality officer at the Cleveland Clinic.

Becker’s is a national publication for hospitals and the health care industry that provides a forum for exchanging ideas and conversations about the most critical issues in American health care. According to its website, physician leaders named to its annual list are “dedicated to strengthening their organizations through clinical leadership development, patient safety initiatives, health IT and quality improvement.”

The publication’s editorial team accepts nominations for the list and selects CMOs and other equivalent titles through an editorial review process. Henderson also was chosen for the honor from 2017-19.

Local paper dubs UMMC transplant surgeon ‘community hero’

Dr. Felicitas Koller, UMMC assistant professor of transplant surgery, has been featured as a Community Hero in the Clarion-Ledger newspaper.

Koller’s volunteerism with the national Stop the Bleed program was a highlight of the story that appeared in the Feb. 20 issue. She gives of her time to provide life-saving education to bystanders on how they can keep someone from bleeding until emergency responders arrive.

A faculty sponsor of the Medical Center’s chapter of the Association of Women Surgeons, Koller worked with medical students to make Stop the Bleed the chapter’s signature service project. She leads the students in community outreach, traveling to schools and other community organizations to demonstrate how to stop someone from bleeding and to perform basic trauma response. The training also includes how to handle potential danger and distractions at the scene of an emergency, including distractions caused by other bystanders.

Since taking on the faculty sponsor role, Koller has trained about 150 people in Stop the Bleed and in basic first responder skills.

UMMC psychiatry faculty listed among IHL award nominees

Dr. Mohadetheh Moulana, UMMC assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior, was among the nominees for Diversity Educator of the Year honored Feb. 20 in Jackson by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

To celebrate "Black History Month," each year the IHL Board of Trustees hosts its Diversity and Inclusion Awards ceremony to acknowledge leaders from each of Mississippi's public universities and the community at-large for their work to improve diversity and support underrepresented populations.

Moulana, who is also director of curriculum development in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, was one of 10 candidates for the 2020 award that ultimately went to Dr. Susan Mayfield-Johnson, associate professor in the School of Health Professions at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Moulana’s efforts to foster inclusiveness were also recognized in January, when she became the faculty recipient of the Beacon Award presented by The Pillars to those who promote diversity and a “climate of inclusion” at the Medical Center and elsewhere. Moulana has degrees from Kuwait University and received her Ph.D. in molecular immunology from UMMC, where she is also a postdoctoral fellow in cardiovascular disease.

Last year’s winner was Dr. Michael Ryan, UMMC professor of physiology and biophysics. Dr. Jodi Skipper, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Mississippi, also was a nominee for the award. Dr. Eddie Holloway of Hattiesburg, a retired administrator and community volunteer, was the winner of the Karen Cummins Community Service Award.