Prior to becoming president of Johns Hopkins Medicine International, I worked for 15 years in human resources, where I became highly attuned to biases in the language we use in the workplace to describe men and women. As a quick exercise, which of the words in these pairs might describe women? Pushy/Assertive. Emotional/Passionate. Abrasive/Direct. Bossy/Strong-minded.(...)
An Unlikely Journey
Posted by | Health Care Leadership DevelopmentThis year’s list of the Fortune 500 leaders includes the highest number of women ever … and that number is 24. Globally, only 5 percent of the largest companies have women at the helm. My personal observation is that most organizations’ presidents are men, most are tall, many come from top-tier schools, and few are(...)
Putting Women’s Health First
Posted by | Collaboration, Middle EastFlight attendants remind us to put on our own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs. This makes sense. But as I flew back from a women’s health event recently, it struck me that this advice goes against my ingrained sense to care for others first. It isn’t always easy for women to put ourselves(...)
Unraveling Irrationality in Heath Care
Posted by | Health Innovation, Patient Care, Patient Safety, ResearchReasoning defines human intelligence, yet we all too often make choices that utterly defy logic. We’re impatient or irrational—or both—even when it comes to ensuring our own good health. An earlier post covered the huge risk of overprescribing antibiotics. Overuse exposes patients to potentially dangerous side effects, wastes resources, increases antibiotic resistance and spurs the(...)
Deadly Resistance
Posted by | Health Innovation, Patient Care, Patient Safety, ResearchDr. Sara Cosgrove The Scottish physician Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. Since then, antibiotics have transformed modern medicine and saved millions of lives by killing or slowing the growth of the bacteria that cause conditions such as bronchitis and pneumonia. However, shortly after winning the Nobel Prize in 1945, Fleming issued this warning in(...)
You’ve Got Our Ear
Posted by | CollaborationFor the past six months, we’ve used this space to share ideas about international collaborative health. Our half-year anniversary is a good time to check in with our subscribers to see what’s on your mind and how we can enhance your experience. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts. Thank you for joining(...)
Reframing Health Leadership
Posted by | Collaboration, Health Care Leadership DevelopmentNo matter whether our organizations are in the United States or any other country around the world, we are seeing far-reaching shifts in the field of health care. Many of us are feeling the impact of rising demand and associated spending, changing demographics, aging populations, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing patient awareness and(...)
One for the Record Books
Posted by | Clinical Program Development, Collaboration, Health Innovation, Latin America, Patient Care, Patient SafetyOn May 11, 2016, Pacifica Salud Hospital Punta Pacifica made history by performing the first successful heart transplant in Panama. For the two years leading up to this event, Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) worked with our affiliate Pacifica Salud behind the scenes, providing guidance in clinical programs, staff development, quality and patient safety. As(...)
Localizing Clinical Care
Posted by | Asia Pacific, Clinical Program Development, Collaboration, Health Innovation, Health System Sustainability, Latin America, Medical Education, Medical Technology, Middle East, Patient Care, Patient SafetyHealth care is a competitive business. Hospitals often invest in their clinical programs as a way to distinguish themselves in an increasingly tough marketplace. Hospitals offer clinical programs, such as emergency services, to compete directly for patients. Others use some services as a stepping stone leading to other in-demand care, for example, launching cardiac catheterization(...)
Don’t Believe the Hype
Posted by | Collaboration, Health Innovation, Medical Education, Middle East, Patient CareIn a previous post, we discussed that widely available, objective information can help prevent disease and promote health. But you’ve probably observed that a lot of health advice changes if you wait long enough. It’s hard to lead a healthy lifestyle when the rules keep changing. Remind me, where do we stand now on coffee,(...)