Dean Robillard discusses important changes for the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

“Sometimes, change is wonderful,”said Jean Robillard, MD, (’74 F), vice president for medical affairs and dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine. “We have many initiatives planned for the College and the UI Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), and an important part of the plan is support from our faculty and staff members. I’ve asked them to look for new ways to approach their work, seek new partners in their endeavors, and to think about a work culture without walls.

“We are an excellent academic medical center, but we want to be great,” explained Robillard. “To reach this goal, we need to be open to new ideas, improve some services and expand our resources within the medical center.”

Robillard’s vision for change includes making clinic services more accessible; unifying the patient scheduling system across departments to improve patient flow; increasing the number of UI employees who use UIHC for medical care; becoming more cost efficient; developing other sites throughout the community and state with integrated academic practices; and fostering non-exclusive affiliations with other health systems.

“By making these changes it will allow us to greatly enhance the patient experience. We also want to continue our success with regard to patient outcomes by using the latest, most innovative treatment methods and techniques,” said Robillard.

To support these goals, Robillard has mapped out some changes designed to improve patient care, specifically, the creation of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Discovery, and the Center for Regenerative Medicine.

The Institute for Clinical and Translational Science is already forming under the direction of Gary Hunninghake, MD, the Sterba Professor of Internal Medicine and senior associate dean for clinical and translational sciences, and is essential to the success of the College and improving the health of patients. The goal of clinical translational science (CTS) is to increase the speed of translating scientific discoveries into new therapies and interventions. The College’s researchers and physicians are working together to deliver novel approaches to treating illnesses through clinical trials.

Establishing the institute follows the recommendations detailed in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research for academic medical centers. “The NIH is about patients, and we’re going to use the funding we receive from the NIH to treat patients in one of the best ways possible,” said Robillard. Currently, the College is ranked 30th in the country in NIH funding. Robillard has set a goal to move to 20th by 2015.

Plans also are in place to create the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Discovery (IIBD), a $120 million project. Michael Apicella, MD, professor and head of microbiology and interim senior associate dean for scientific affairs, is the chair of the institute’s programming committee. The institute will house laboratories conducting high-risk, high-reward research, most likely in the areas of cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions, aging, children’s health, and cancer. Within the institute is the Center for Regenerative Medicine. Iowa Governor Chet Culver has appropriated $30 million for the IIBD, which includes the regenerative medicine center in the state’s fiscal year 2008 budget.

“The new institutes and the center will enable us to make considerable strides toward effecting change in the treatment of disease and remain competitive with other academic medical centers,” said Robillard. “There is no question we provide world-class care. We can tell incredible success stories. Bruce Gantz (’68 BS, ’74 MD, ’80 MS, ’80 R) can tell the story of a young deaf boy who received a cochlear implant and went on to play in the Hawkeye marching band. But, there is more to be done, including in the area of service.”

While excellent patient care and great outcomes are something the College has a history of, there is improvement to be made in service to patients and their families.

“When a patient is receiving care at UIHC, we don’t want them to have to worry about finding the clinic, cafeteria, or a parking space,” explained Robillard. “They are dealing with enough. I want each faculty and staff member to be committed to making every patient’s visit as friendly and hassle free as humanly possible.”

Creation of a unified patient scheduling system, development of clinic sites throughout the community and state, and establishing more efficient patient flow will enable the College and UIHC to provide better service. An outside consultant is assisting the administration in identifying other service areas that can be improved as well.

“Change means opportunity. While we’ll remain centered through our core values, we’ll work hard to implement improvements. Our faculty and staff members will be reminded to put patients at the center. This will inspire us to focus on changing medicine and changing lives in Iowa, across the country and around the world.”