The Doctors' Doctors: Department of Medicine Names Seven Master Clinicians
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: UCSF cardiologist Kanu Chatterjee, MB.
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," says Hendrix. "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 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.
"For so long, we had assumed if you are an excellent researcher or teacher, you are, of course, also an excellent physician," says internist Joshua Adler, MD. "That's simply not the case. There's something really special about the best doctors. This was a way to specifically recognize those people."
"We all know who they are," adds William Grossman, MD, who worked with former Department Chair Lee Goldman, MD, to develop the Council of Master Clinicians. They 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:
Kanu Chatterjee
- Nephrologist Glenn Chertow, MD, admired by peers for his clinical acumen and extensive research, which "allows him to bring cutting-edge therapeutics to the bedside," as one of the physicians nominating him put it.
- Hematologist/oncologist Patricia Cornett, MD, who, despite being the "go-to" person for every difficult oncology case at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, "never seems rushed, fatigued or unhappy," according to a faculty member who nominated her.
- Rheumatologist Ken Fye, MD, whose reputation extends far beyond UCSF - he's frequently asked to write clinical chapters and reviews for national publications - and who is known by his peers as a "doctor's doctor."
- Infectious diseases specialist Richard Jacobs, MD, an expert on surgical infections and a tireless advocate for the safe and effective use of antibiotics for the entire institution.
- Nephrologist Rudolph Rodriguez, MD, an internationally recognized authority on HIV-associated renal disease and a prime force in efforts to improve the care of dialysis patients at San Francisco General Hospital.
- Endocrinologist Kenneth Woeber, MD, a leading expert on thyroid disease and winner of numerous teaching awards from the medical school.
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Master Clinicians
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