Career Pulse
Holyoke Medical Center
HOLYOKE — Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center, announced the promotion of Carl Cameron to chief operating officer of Holyoke Medical Center (HMC).
In his new role, Cameron will lead implementation of important changes to the institution, which includes transforming patient rooms and the expansion of the Rehabilitation unit, including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Cardiac Rehab, and Pulmonary Rehab. Cameron most recently served as vice president of Operations and was also chief information officer at HMC.
“Over the past 14 years, Carl has continued to guide Holyoke Medical Center in an innovative direction, especially in the area of information systems,” said Hatiras. “He has helped bring HMC to the forefront of electronic medical records, enabling HMC to be of the first in the state to have a health-information exchange and connect to the Mass HIway, securing the sharing of patient medical records with healthcare providers throughout the Commonwealth. His guidance and expertise are key to moving our organization forward in transforming healthcare delivery in the Pioneer Valley and surrounding areas.”
Cameron earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western New England University and an master’s degree in information systems from WNEU. He also earned a certificate in Lean Healthcare from the University of Michigan. Prior experience includes serving as director of information technology for the city of Holyoke and at Lennox Healthcare, a long-term healthcare company with 150 nursing homes throughout the U.S.
Baystate Health Taps
Faulkner for VP Role
SPRINGFIELD — Jennifer Faulkner, who began her career at Baystate Medical Center 17 years ago as a writer and video producer, has been appointed vice president for Team Member Engagement & Communications for Baystate Health.
Faulkner and her team provide creative and communications expertise to advance the Baystate Health’s mission and goals, and implement engagement-building activities in support of the organization’s team-member experience. Baystate Health is the region’s largest private employer, now with 11,500 team members in more than 80 locations, serving the healthcare needs of patients and families in a 24/7 environment.
“Jennifer is known as a creative collaborator who has helped to positively manage change and develop communications best practices that have been adopted by other organizations,” said Jennifer Endicott, senior vice president, Strategy and External Relations, and chief strategy officer for Baystate Health.
Faulkner holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and English from Springfield College, and a master’s degree in health communications from Boston University. After beginning her career as a writer and video producer at Baystate, Faulkner subsequently held progressive leadership responsibilities in the Department of Marketing & Communications as manager and director.
Her internal communications leadership has supported cultural change during a time of growth for the organization. She has led projects such as comprehensive communications across the organization for the transition to Baystate Health’s smoke-free environment, the communications campaign for Baystate Medical Center’s Hospital of the Future expansion, and most recently for grassroots development of an employee value proposition.
In addition, Faulkner’s team established the organization’s employee-communications program, converted from a traditional to digital annual report, initiated the organization’s first video webcast, and established Baystate Health’s first employee-communications advisory group. She and her team have earned national awards for their communications work and have presented best practices to other organizations.
In addition to her communications responsibilities, Faulkner has contributed her energy to the success of Baystate Health as a designer and presenter of engagement ‘funshops’ for managers and as co-chair of the first employee fund-raising campaign for Baystate Medical Center in 2011, raising nearly $1 million among team members for the hospital’s expansion. She also serves as executive sponsor for BH Pride, the LGBTQ & Friends employee-resource group, and was named national Executive Champion of the Year in 2013.
Faulkner holds membership in such professional organizations as the International Assoc. of Business Communicators and the New England Society for Healthcare Communications.
Lathrop Names Olmstead
New Care Coordinator
NORTHAMPTON — Lathrop Communities announced the appointment of Rob Olmsted to the newly created position of Lathrop Care Coordinator.
Olmstead comes to Lathrop after serving for eight years as a case manager for the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Visiting Nurse Assoc. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, San Diego. After earning his registered nursing degree, he worked as a nurse in the cardiac monitoring unit at Holyoke Medical Center.
A natural performer, Olmstead has spent several seasons with the Hampshire Shakespeare Co. and has found a new passion for musicals.
BFMC Appoints Higgins
Chief Medical Officer
GREENFIELD — Dr. Thomas Higgins has joined Baystate Franklin Medical Center and the Baystate Health Northern Region as chief medical officer.
A graduate of Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in medical science, Higgins continued at BU to earn his medical degree. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He completed a residency in anesthesiology, was chief resident, and completed a fellowship in critical care at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also earned an MBA at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.
Higgins joined Baystate Health in 1996 as chief of Baystate Medical Center’s Critical Care Division. Since 2012, he has served as vice chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine and as interim chief in the Division of General Medicine/Community Health. He is a professor of Medicine, Surgery, and Anesthesiology at Tufts University School of Medicine.
In his new role, Higgins will be responsible for completing the integration of clinical services lines with Baystate Medical Center and enhancing BFMC’s ICU and hospital-medicine capabilities. He will also be working on increasing the number of residents and medical students in BFMC and the Northern Region, further developing telemedicine capabilities with BMC, and ensuring that physician quality of care meets national standards.
Higgins has co-authored two medical textbooks on critical care, and has over 100 publications in medical journals. He recently co-authored a pictorial history of Baystate Medical Center. “Originally, my plan was to make a little brochure to give to our residents,” he admitted. “As I got into the project, it just became more fascinating, and it morphed into a full-length book. I hope to eventually write similar books for the other entities that make up Baystate Health.”
An enthusiastic overseas traveler and photographer, Higgins volunteers every other year with the Himalayan Health Exchange, a month-long expedition that combines service, education, and adventure to provide care to the underserved populations in select, remote areas of India. “My trips have allowed me to both provide much-needed and much-appreciated care to people in very remote areas, while getting a taste of the culture and enjoying the opportunity to take some amazing photographs of both the people and the landscapes,” he said.
Also a musician, Higgins plays guitar in a rock band called SutureSelf; most of the band members are Baystate Health physicians. “We have a great time at our rehearsals, and tend to play mostly for charity events,” he explained. “It’s a fun release from the stresses of careers as doctors.”
SC’s Elizabeth Mullin
Earns Mabel Lee Award
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College Assistant Professor of Physical Education Elizabeth Mullin received the 2015 Mabel Lee Award during the annual Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America National Conference in Seattle. The Mabel Lee Award recognizes members of SHAPE America who have demonstrated outstanding potential in scholarship, teaching, and professional leadership.
“I appreciate being recognized by SHAPE America for my service to the organization and research in health, physical education, and recreation,” said Mullin, who earned a master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology in 2008 and a PhD in sport and exercise psychology in 2011, both from Springfield College. “I have personally benefited from the contributions of many previous Mabel Lee Award recipients, and it is deeply gratifying to see my name alongside their names on the list of winners.”
The Mabel Lee Award was established in 1976 and is named after the first female president of the American Physical Education Assoc. and a leader in athletics for women. The award is presented annually in two separate categories: college and university, and non-college and university.
“Elizabeth is a very dedicated faculty member, and she is very deserving of this special honor,” said Tracey Matthews, the college’s dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER). “She provides very strong leadership with her students in the classroom, she has produced and published some exceptional research in the areas of measurement research and sport and exercise psychology, and she also has maintained a very active leadership role within the School of HPER and the college, as well as with SHAPE.”
Mullin was recognized for her exemplary teaching abilities, her multiple presentations and published works in physical and health education, and her outstanding administration and strong leadership roles within SHAPE America. She most recently served as Research Committee chair for the recent SHAPE America Eastern District Conference. More than 40 Springfield College faculty members, students, and alumni accounted for more than 25{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of the presentations at the conference.
Schonholz’s Work on
Breast-cancer Device
Featured at Conference
WESTFIELD — A Noble Hospital breast surgeon’s work with a new device that improves treatment of breast cancers was featured recently at a prestigious international medical conference.
Dr. Steven Schonholz presented a scientific poster at the 32nd annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference in Miami Beach, Fla., from Feb. 26 to March 1. He focused on BioZorb, a novel, three-dimensional, bio-absorbable surgical marker that helps physicians track the tumor site after lumpectomy surgery to remove cancer and deliver more precise radiation treatment.
Schonholz, director of the Center for Comprehensive Breast Health at Noble Hospital, was the first physician in Massachusetts to use BioZorb as part of his medical practice. BioZorb contains several tiny titanium clips positioned in a 3-D pattern inside a bio-absorbable coil. The body eventually resorbs the coil, leaving the titanium clips for long-term visualization of the surgery site.
“This unique device does a better job of helping us protect healthy tissue around the surgical site during radiation therapy,” said Schonholz. “It can also provide our patients with a more satisfying cosmetic result after treatment.”
Schonholz explained at the conference that the BioZorb market is readily placed by the surgeon and can be easily visualized; helps target the radiation therapy to a smaller target area, resulting in less radiation to normal tissues; and provides a stable, 3-D identification of where the tumor was prior to removal, to help with treatment and longer-term follow-up.
The annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference brings together surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists with the aim of fostering awareness of state-of-the-art treatments in each therapeutic area and encouraging cross-team cooperation in the clinic.