Ten Years
Tomorrow is a significant date for me. It was March 1, 2015, when I began my new position as vice chancellor and dean of the School of Medicine. Upon being selected for the job in February, I anticipated a July 1 start date. However, my predecessor, Dr. Jimmy Keeton, strongly suggested that we move earlier with the transition – so March 1 it was.
Today I will share some reflections and highlights from the past 10 years.
While any new job comes with its share of challenges, my first few years as VC presented several really tough financial obstacles. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 we experienced daunting challenges in the form of multiple unexpected mid-year budget cuts – in state appropriations as well as unforeseen cuts in Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital funding. DSH payments are funds received from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to offset some uncompensated care costs. The formula by which they are calculated involves projections and retroactive corrections. It’s complicated, to say the least. Seemingly minor adjustments by CMS can result in drastic swings for us in funding. When budget cuts of this magnitude occur in the middle of a year, the correction options are extreme.
And, we all know the headwinds that hit the world in 2020. I have come to have a strong aversion to the phrase “unprecedented times.” Thinking back to those days, however, one silver lining was the increased pace and intensity around our internal operational processes. Of late, it seems like the sense of urgency has slipped. It is so important we retain the approach of embracing speed and innovation in our dealings with each other and external entities. More to come on this in a future column.
Through all of this, we persevered, not simply endured. In fact, we have grown and become stronger. How? Because of all of you. When I reflect on the last 10 years, overwhelmingly, my thoughts go to the wonderful things WE have accomplished together.
I will touch on only a few of the key achievements of the last decade.
Our quality journey: Wow! We moved from the infamous Oct. 31, 2015 Clarion Ledger “Leapfrog F” headline to a strong B today. We have traveled miles and moved mountains. This has been amazing work.
All of our schools have grown. When speaking about the growth of our schools and education programs, I always make the point that while the schools and education programs are growing in quantity, we are also keeping a keen eye on quality. Our students today are so intelligent, thoughtful and driven.
It’s not very often that we open a completely new school, so we were thrilled when we established the John D. Bower School of Population Health in 2018. And we expanded our School of Nursing in Oxford last year to now offer the traditional BSN along with the accelerated BSN program.
We grew our statewide footprint in many clinical services, especially in the pediatric specialties. If you look at the map of our clinical sites, you will see our reach extends across the entire state north to south and east to west. This has not occurred by happenstance. It is the result of strategic partnerships and relationships and efforts by clinical leaders to extend our expertise and support to communities where they are needed.
We completed a successful $100 million capital campaign (with heroic support from the amazing Joe and Kathy Sanderson) to support the construction of the $180 million Sanderson Tower, which opened in the fall of 2020. It is continuously filled with patients who are the sickest children in Mississippi.
We opened these spaces: Clinical Trials Unit, School of Medicine Education building, Translational Research Center, Mississippi Center for Emergency Services, Sanderson Tower, Garage C, renovated 2 West and 6 West, new Interventional Radiology suite, Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and, just a few months ago, 50 additional adult beds.
We grew our research programs and funding in remarkable fashion. Our funding has grown 128% since FY15 – $51.8 million to $118 million. And we’ve had almost a 50% increase in the total number of awards over that same period. Over the past 10 years, The MIND Center averaged roughly $3 million a year in extramural funding with FY24’s total being $4.8 million. And we continue our success in Institutional Development Awards, currently holding three COBRE awards and a CTR-N award.
We are especially proud of the unique specialized services we offer at UMMC that are not available anywhere else in Mississippi. In just 10 years, our liver transplant program went from nonexistent to receiving national recognition for patient quality outcomes. Our kidney transplant program has grown and will be a focus area for accelerated growth in the next few years.
You hopefully are aware of the multitude of exciting projects and activities underway and planned from recent VC Notes and other communications. It would take another column to mention all the expansions and renovations currently in progress and those that will kick off soon. In addition, we’re pursuing critical strategic priorities such as our efforts to grow and enhance our cancer-related research and clinical services, all working toward National Cancer Institute designation. Suffice it to say, there are no boring days ahead!
I was recently asked what I am most proud of when considering the last 10 years. Here was my response:
“There are obvious changes and improvements, and you can read about them in our Annual Report – new buildings, new programs and so forth. But in totality, the thing I would say I’m proudest of in the last 20 years – and this started with those who led the Medical Center before me – is the new reputation and image of the Medical Center across the state and the country.
“It’s attributable to the small things that have happened here, as well as the big things. The combination of thousands of efforts in every single part of our mission – education, research, patient care – has meant that our image is different now.”
Growing up, the understood mindset was that when something needed to be done, you simply figured out a way to make it work. I see that in practice every day here at UMMC. We often don’t have a clear path or an easy path to reach a goal – but you all make it work.
I share this message often with recruits and new employees:
UMMC is not an easy place to work. No matter what your job title is, you can most likely work somewhere else that is easier. So, if you are looking for easy – look somewhere else. BUT if you want to work at a place where you truly make a difference and where your work is consequential – then UMMC is the place for you.
For 10 years now, with every effort every day, you all are moving us toward A Healthier Mississippi. The progress made and impact of our work is tangible and visible. Let’s keep it going!
