Career Pulse

CDH Names Novotny VP of Medical Affairs

NORTHAMPTON — Dr. Mark Novotny has been appointed to the position of vice president of Medical Affairs at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Novotny received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed his internship and residencies in Internal Medicine at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City, N.Y. and Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. He comes to Cooley Dickinson from Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, where he held the positions of chief medical officer, interim president, and CEO, as well as vice president for the organization’s medical group.

In addition to his training as a physician and hospital executive, Novotny is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the Society of Hospital Medicine, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. His formal training in quality improvement includes certification in Healthcare Improvement from Intermountain Healthcare as well as Six Sigma green belt and lean training.

“Dr. Novotny is a quality-focused physician leader with more than 12 years of operational and leadership experience in medical group and hospital operations,” said Carol Smith, CDH’s chief operating officer and executive vice president. “He has expertise in performance improvement in the areas of quality, safety, patient satisfaction, and finance, and has earned national recognition for quality-improvement initiatives in hospital systems, outpatient chronic care, and leadership competencies.”

In his new role, Novotny will oversee the hospitalist and inpatient physician programs, the medical staff office, physician recruitment, and all medical directorships, and will collaborate with the Quality and Case Management department, among others.

“I am excited to join an organization as progressive and committed to the quality-improvement journey as Cooley Dickinson,” he said. “I look forward to contributing to and learning from the physicians, staff, and leadership.”

Levin Tapped to Serve on MMS Committee
HOLYOKE — Dr. Andrew Levin has been named to the Mass. Medical Society’s Committee on Ethics, Grievances, and Professional Standards.

A past president of the medical Staff at Holyoke Medical Center, Levin is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and received his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College (now Drexel University Medical School) in Philadelphia, where he received honors in Pediatrics. He performed his internship and residency at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

After several years as the chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the former Providence Hospital, Levin went into private practice in Internal Medicine in 1989, at which time he also joined the staff of Holyoke Medical Center. He currently maintains a full-time practice at 10 Hospital Dr. in Holyoke.

Board-certified in emergency medicine, Levin is a member of the Mass. Medical Society and the Hampden District Medical Society. He is also medical director of the Mont Marie Infirmary and the Marian Center, both in Holyoke.

The Committee on Ethics, Grievances, and Professional Standards is a medical peer-review committee that investigates allegations of member unethical conduct through a formal grievance process. Where appropriate, the committee may recommend practice modifications, including the identification of potential areas for improvement. The Committee also advises the medical society on matters of ethical policy and hosts the Ethics Forum, a twice-yearly continuing-education program, on issues at the intersection of ethics, medicine, and professionalism.

Dove, Jordan Join Medical Staff at Wing
PALMER — Dr. Laura Dove and Dr. Harold Jordan have joined the medical staff at Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers. Dove and Jordan provide both inpatient psychiatry services at Wing Memorial Hospital and outpatient psychiatry services at the Hospital’s Griswold Behavioral Health Center in Palmer.

Dove, a board-certified psychiatrist, received her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and completed her psychiatry residency at St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers in New York City. In addition, she completed a fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

Jordan, a board-certified psychiatrist, earned his medical degree from the University of Pavia Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in Pavia, Italy, and completed his psychiatry residency at UConn. For the benefit of his patients, Jordan is fluent in Italian.
To schedule an appointment with Dove or Jordan or to obtain more information on the specific insurance plans accepted at the Griswold Center, call (413) 284-5285.

Byrne Named President of Local Medical Society

HOLYOKE — Dr. Robert E. Byrne, a board-certified medical oncologist and internist in Holyoke, was recently named president of the Hampden District Medical Society.

Byrne is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, and has been a member of the medical society since 1982. He also served as chief of the Department of Medicine and president of the medical staff at Holyoke Medical Center.

Other officers installed include:

• Dr. Kevin Moriarty, president-elect. A graduate of UMass Medical School and a board-certified surgeon who practices at Pediatric Surgical Services Inc. in Springfield, Moriarty is also director of Pediatric Trauma at Baystate Medical Center and an assistant clinical professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine.

• Dr. Teresa Klich-Nowak, vice president. A graduate of Academia Medicine Wydzial Lekarski School of Medicine in Poland, Nowak, a rheumatologist with a practice in Florence, is a member of the HDMS Executive Board and serves as a delegate to the Mass. Medical Society House of Delegates.

• Dr. Mark Mullan, secretary/treasurer. An Internist with Cardiology & Internal Medicine in Springfield, Mullan is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine and for many years served as trustee to the Mass. Medical Society Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the society’s Executive Board and is chair of the Medico-Legal Committee.

Sabo Earns Honor from Mass. Psychiatric Society

PITTSFIELD — The Mass. Psychiatric Society has named Dr. Alex Sabo, chairman of the Berkshire Medical Center Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, as its 2010 Outstanding Psychiatrist of the Year for Clinical Psychiatry.

Sabo was recognized with the honor at the association’s annual meeting.

“Alex approaches each situation as a learning opportunity and engages his patients as partners in discovery,” said Molly Boxer, president of the Berkshire chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Despite his vast knowledge and experience in the field of psychology, he recognizes that each individual is on his or her own unique journey, and he brings willingness and an openness to question and learn that makes him an effective partner as well as a mentor in finding a way toward recovery.”

According to the psychiatric society, “Dr. Sabo was chosen by his peers for recognition, based on outstanding achievements as a master clinician, teacher and leader, especially in the ‘wild west’ of Berkshire County. His leadership has been felt throughout the county, including the close collaboration with the Brien Center to provide a model network of community-based services clinically integrated with the health system.”

Dr. Liza Donlon, a BMC colleague of Sabo’s, said that “Alex consistently thinks broadly and deeply about the work we do, truly integrating the biological with the psychodynamic. He is an energetic and intellectually rigorous thinker and a generous clinician, colleague and teacher.”

Sabo joined BMC in 1994, and has led the hospital’s Behavioral Health program since that time. He completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard College, then taught middle-school English and ancient history and coached football, basketball, and baseball teams for three years before starting his medical studies at UMass Medical School.

Sabo completed his psychiatric residency at Cambridge Hospital and a fellowship at the Austen Riggs Center. He also served at McLean Hospital as clinical director of the Psychosocial and Adult Specialty programs and later director of the Clinical Evaluation Center. At both the Cambridge Hospital, as chief resident in Psychiatry, and at McLean Hospital, as a clinical director, he took an active role in teaching medical students and residents in Psychiatry.

“The Berkshire County community looks to Alex for his leadership and wise counsel in addressing the seemingly intractable public health and safety challenges of substance abuse and addiction,” said John Rogers, BHS vice president and general counsel. “The generosity of spirit that makes Alex outstanding at his clinical, institutional, and community work also makes him an extraordinary good and loyal friend to us all.”

Added Dr. Benjamin Liptzin, a Western Mass. colleague and past president of the Mass. Psychiatric Society, “as a master clinician, teacher, and leader, as well as a true gentleman, Alex represents the best of Massachusetts psychiatry.”