Career Pulse – march 16

Holyoke Medical Center Welcomes Gokhale
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) has appointed Avadhoot Gokhale chief quality officer, where he is overseeing the Quality Improvement, Safety, and Accreditation departments.
A native of Mumbai, India, Gokhale earned his master’s degree in health management and policy at UMass Amherst in 2004. Previously, he worked with the state Department of Public Health in its lead-poisoning-prevention program and at Tewksbury Hospital.
Before coming to HMC, Gokhale worked as director of Quality and Performance Improvement at UnityPoint Health-Trinity in Rock Island, Ill. He was with UnityPoint Health for nine years.
He believes in studying quality improvement and performance from the perspective of patients, in order to ensure they receive top quality and safety care in a compassionate and efficient manner. “In quality, I work to streamline our internal processes to benefit our patients, and to provide them with fantastic care experiences. It is important to look at these processes from the patient’s perspective — how can we engineer their experiences so that they leave here happy and smiling?”
Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems Inc., called Gokhale “a skilled senior executive whose emphasis on looking at quality improvement from a patient’s perspective will further raise Holyoke Medical Center’s well-established commitment to providing high-quality care in a safe and compassionate hospital setting. We are excited to welcome him to the organization.”
Gokhale is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality and is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt through the American Society for Quality, designations he earned through rigorous training in methodologies for leadership, organization-wide planning, systems improvement, team dynamics and management, analysis, and improvement measures. While the training is traditionally used in the manufacturing industry to manage and improve processes, flow, and production, he explained that these principles also apply to the healthcare field in terms of patient flow through the hospital, coordination of healthcare services provided among departments, and ensuring the highest quality of care throughout a patient’s experience.

Case Named Board Chair at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home
HOLYOKE — Gov. Charlie Baker recently visited the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home to tour the facility and swear in Michael Case as the new chairman of the board of trustees. Baker was joined by local legislators and visited with residents to discuss the administration’s ongoing commitment to supporting the facility.
“Meeting the needs of the Commonwealth’s veterans and their families is a top priority for our administration,” Baker said. “I am pleased to announce Michael Case, a 35-year war veteran and a devoted public servant, as the new chair of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and thank [outgoing board chair] Steve Como for his work on the board over the years. The mission and importance of this home is crucial, and I thank the staff for their dedication to providing quality healthcare for our veterans.”
Case is a Vietnam veteran who has served for more than 35 years in the Air Force and with the Massachusetts National Guard. He has served in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, and as part of rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina. As a guardsman, Case also served as a police officer in Pittsfield for more than 20 years. During his career, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served as commander of the Special Reaction Team. Recently, Case has assisted other veterans as the Veterans Service officer for the town of Washington. He sits on the board of directors at Mycom Federal Credit Union in Pittsfield and was elected to the Washington Board of Selectmen and the Central Berkshire Regional School Committee.
The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is a state-funded, fully accredited healthcare facility that includes full-time residential accommodations, an on-site dental clinic, and a multi-service outpatient department.

Homewatch CareGivers Welcomes Epstein
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Homewatch CareGivers announced the hiring of Deborah Epstein as business development manager for Hampshire and Franklin counties. She will work in tandem with Kate Tyler, who also works in those two counties.
Epstein comes to Homewatch CareGivers with a skill set in public relations, program development, and administration. She has a master’s degree in public health from the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences with a focus in health policy management and community health education. This complements her dual bachelor’s degree in management and psychology from Simmons College in Boston.
She also works as a marketing and health-promotion consultant for various organizations, including Orchard Medical Associates of Indian Orchard. She brings a wealth of experience through her work for Massachusetts General Hospital, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Baystate Medical Center, various senior centers, and as coordinator of the Franklin-Hampshire RSVP Osteoporosis Exercise/Nutrition Program.
Epstein will begin her role immediately, seeking out partners in the medical community who can assist Homewatch CareGivers in building alliances to better serve Western Mass. residents in securing appropriate homecare options.

Dukette Returns to Cooley Dickinson
NORTHAMPTON — Diane Dukette recently rejoined Cooley Dickinson Health Care’s senior team as the chief development officer.
From 2003 to 2013, Dukette led Cooley Dickinson’s fund-raising efforts, including the annual fund, major gifts, planned giving, and the $12.3 million Caring for the Future comprehensive campaign. She now returns to continue her work in support of Cooley Dickinson Health Care’s programs, services, and capital projects.
“Cooley Dickinson holds a special place in my heart,” she said. “It will be a joy to partner again with so many people who are passionate about strengthening the fabric of healthcare in our community.”
Dukette comes from the Sisters of Providence Health System, where she served as vice president, fund development, and championed the capital campaign for the expansion of the Sr. Caritas Cancer Center. She previously served as the assistant vice chancellor for advancement and executive director of development at UMass Amherst.
Dukette earned a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass. She is a member of the Assoc. for Healthcare Philanthropy and the Assoc. for Fundraising Professionals. She has served on the boards of Women in Philanthropy of Western Mass. and the Alumnae Assoc. of Smith College, and is a former chair of the board of trustees for West Springfield Public Library.
In November, Dukette was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Professional Fundraising Executive Award by the Assoc. of Fundraising Professionals, Western Massachusetts Chapter.
“In addition to her terrific reputation and track record of success in fund-raising, I am impressed with Diane’s intellect, her passion for her work and the organization, and her ability to contribute to our efforts to strengthen our relationships with our multiple communities,” said Joanne Marqusee, Cooley Dickinson’s president and CEO. “I am confident that Diane will expand on Cooley Dickinson’s fund-raising efforts and will be a valuable member of our senior team.”

HMC Names Candito VP of Business Development
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) announced the appointment of Phillip Candito to the position of vice president of Business Development, where he is leading marketing and development efforts and focused on growing the organization.
Candito worked as director of Business Development at the Eastern Connecticut Health Network in Manchester, Conn. for 10 years before coming to HMC. Previously, he served St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Conn. as director of Rehabilitation Services and Occupational Medicine, and as a physical therapist.
Earlier, he earned a degree in psychology from the University of Connecticut; worked in television, video, and stage production for 10 years in Connecticut and New York City; re-enrolled at UConn and earned a degree in physical therapy, which he practiced for 10 years; then attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to earn his graduate degree.
“Holyoke Medical Center is committed to expanding our reach further into the community, in order to best serve the needs of our patients,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of HMC and Valley Health Systems Inc. “Phil brings an impressive track record for starting projects and seeing them through to successful outcomes, ensuring Holyoke Medical Center will continue to take a leading role in developing healthcare initiatives throughout Western Massachusetts and beyond.”
Among plans for expansion are the opening of a medical weight loss center at HMC, staffed by bariatric surgeon Dr. Ioannis Raftopoulos, which will offer medical and surgical weight-management programs in collaboration with dieticians, exercise physiology, and psychologists, Candito said.
“My chief goal is to grow Holyoke Medical Center and communicate what a gem of a community hospital HMC is,” he added, noting that he is was impressed with the friendly and positive culture at HMC. “It was evident from the moment I walked through the front door.”
Increasing accessibility to HMC’s programs through new physician’s offices, laboratories, physical-therapy services, and medical imaging in Chicopee, South Hadley, and other bordering towns is also a priority, he said.
“We want to let people know there is high-quality care with a smile, within a short distance of their homes and businesses. Over the course of the next few years, people will start to see the HMC brand more readily available in their communities.”
He added, “it’s always exciting to start new things — designing them, launching them, and watching them grow.”

Mass General Specialist in High-risk Pregnancies Sees Patients at CDH
NORTHAMPTON — Women who have obstetrical risk factors due to age, family history, or previous medical concerns now have access to a Mass General Hospital maternal-fetal medicine physician specialist at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.
Dr. Blair Johnson Wylie, who works in Mass General’s Vincent Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, now sees patients twice a month at Cooley Dickinson Medical Group Women’s Health. She started seeing patients at the Northampton office in January.
“As a benefit to our patients, the addition of Dr. Wylie to our obstetrical staff is a great example of our growing clinical relationship with Mass General,” said Dr. Tucker Kueny, medical director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, noting that Wylie is a credentialed member of Cooley Dickinson’s medical staff. “We enthusiastically welcome Dr. Wylie to our practice and look forward to the expertise that she brings to our patients. Our collaboration with Dr. Wylie will allow more patients to get more of their care in their own community.”
Wylie is available for office consultations for women who meet the criteria for high-risk pregnancies. She also performs detailed anatomical-survey ultrasounds at the Women’s Health office. She will also act as a liaison between Mass General’s and Cooley Dickinson’s obstetrical departments as the clinical collaboration grows. As a leader in diagnostic ultrasound, Mass General was among New England’s first hospitals to offer first-trimester screening for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities.
Patients will be referred to Wylie through their Cooley Dickinson Medical Group Women’s Health obstetrician. She will not attend deliveries at Cooley Dickinson’s Childbirth Center.
Wylie is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, and her fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Columbia University in New York. During her fellowship, she also completed a master’s degree in epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
She currently directs the Chorionic Villous Sampling program at MGH. Her clinical practice includes a mixture of prenatal diagnosis, obstetrical ultrasound, management of high-risk pregnancies, and attendance on the labor and delivery unit. Her research focuses on global maternal-fetal health, and she serves on the global health committee of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.