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UCSF Names Master Clinicians in Medicine
August 29, 2007
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When Helen Hendrix's doctor recently told her that she needs open heart surgery to resolve her pulmonary hypertension, the 76-year-old Bay Area grandmother wanted a second opinion. Her doctor knew just who she wanted it from — Dr. Kanu Chatterjee, a cardiologist at UCSF Medical Center.
His expert opinion had saved her from open heart surgery once before in the 1980s when she was having problems with microstenosis, a narrowing of the small, deep arteries. Unlike the two other doctors she had seen, he thought that her shortness of breath and palpitations could be resolved through medication, rather than surgery. He was right.
"He's the greatest," Hendrix said. "He's gentle; he's kind; he understands. He listens to all of us. And he's more knowledgeable than anyone else we've seen."
Hendrix is not alone in her praise. It's shared by Chatterjee's colleagues, who recently named him and six other members of the UCSF Department of Medicine as master clinicians.
The newly created designation recognizes and honors a facet of UCSF faculty members' work that is often overlooked — direct patient care. There are established awards for researchers who make scientific breakthroughs, and honors for top-notch teachers. But there was no formal way to recognize outstanding clinicians — the doctors that other doctors look to for their skills and expertise; the people other doctors go to when they need care; the doctors who provide patient-centered care.
Dr. Joshua Adler, an internist and medical director of Ambulatory Care at UCSF Medical Center, said For so long, we had assumed if you are an excellent researcher or teacher, you are, of course, also an excellent physician. Thats simply not the case. Theres something really special about the best doctors. This was a way to specifically recognize those people."
Dr. William Grossman, a cardiologist who worked with former department chair Dr. Lee Goldman to create the Council of Master Clinicians, said "We all know who they are." Grossman and Goldman saw establishment of the council as a way to elevate the stature of clinical work and emphasize it as a core value of UCSF. The entire UCSF faculty nominated candidates and the final seven were chosen by a selection committee that included the Department of Medicine chair, two vice chairs and three faculty members from other departments. Nominations are currently being accepted for this year's class.
What makes someone an outstanding clinician? Adler admits it's not always easy to pin those qualities down. Depth of knowledge and diagnostic skills are part of the mix. So too are devotion to patients and the ability to communicate with them about their condition. Great clinicians are passionate about the practice of medicine and readily share what they know with colleagues and students. In addition, they are masters at what Adler calls "the art of medicine," that elusive blend of intuition and expertise. "Dr. Chatterjee exemplifies all those features," he says.
Other members of the inaugural class of master clinicians include:
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