Medicine 2011 Annual Report

Research

Research within the Department of Medicine encompasses investigational efforts that are multidimensional and cross-specialty and are aimed at improving the quality and value of our patient care services. Our physicians pursue a broad array of research as principle investigators in federal or state supported, industry sponsored, or locally initiated studies, as well as with the Christiana Care Center for Outcomes Research (CCOR).

Focus on Excellence Resident Award winner: Improving Transitions from the ED to the Primary Care Office.

They also serve as mentors to fellows, residents and medical students who pursue their own research interests in every specialty. Many of these projects have earned national awards and have provided learners with the opportunity to present on national and international platforms.

In FY11, an interdisciplinary team of medicine, medicine-pediatrics and medicine-emergency medicine residents won the Christiana Care Focus on Excellence Resident Award as well as the Alliance of Academic Independent Medical Centers Innovation Award for their project entitled: RITE–O; Mind the Gap: Improving Transitions from the ED to the Primary Care Office.

The team identified opportunities and implemented process changes to improve the transition of care for Adult Medicine Office (AMO) patients after Emergency Department visits. Their work enhanced communication between the ED and AMO and increased outpatient follow-up visits, thereby enabling increased opportunities to address chronic issues, schedule outpatient testing and resolve acute issues.

Standing Left to Right
Loretta Consiglio Ward, RN, Ken Birkentall and Patty Blair, RN.
Sitting - Left to Right
Samantha DeCouto, D.O., Matthew Stofferahn, M.D., and Andrea Read, D.O.
Absent from photo: Jennifer Grilli, D.O., and Suhani Shah, Pharm.D.

Research nurses assigned to Medicine

Qualified research nurses are essential to a successful research program. In FY 2011, direction for Research Nursing was transferred to the vice president for Medicine.

Research nurses provide the foundation for successful research projects and clinical trials through their comprehensive knowledge of governmental and Christiana Care research rules and guidelines. In collaboration with physician investigators, research nurses coordinate all study activities, including study submissions for review, education, and supervision of essential staff (lab, pharmacy, hospital staff, physicians/residents, etc.), dissemination of information, data collection, and distribution of study product, as appropriate.

The following research nurses have joined the Department of Medicine and now report directly to Vice President Mike Eppehimer, MHSA:

Standing - Left to Right
Debbie Moore, RN, CDE, CCRC, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases/Neurology Specialists Research Supervisor;
Deb Cebenka, RN, MSN, Hemophilia Program Coordinator;
Robbie Zent, RN, Research Coordinator
Sitting - Left to Right
Kathy Greenbaum, RN, MSN, CDE, CCRC, Research Coordinator;
Patty McGraw, RN, MS, CCRC, Infectious Disease Research Supervisor;
Barb Tambourelli, RN, Research Coordinator