Dr. Rothstein and faculty teamed with residents and fellows provide around-the-clock patient care. Faculty, residents and fellows include some of the best and brightest doctors in the country, and it is no accident that some are minorities.
A few are highlighted here:
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Dr. Deborah A. Blades Professor of Neurological Surgery, CWRU
Special Interest: Spine Trauma, Entrapment Neuropahies, Hyperhidrosis, Spinal Cord Tumors
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Dr. Jannifer D. Harper Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, UHC; Assistant Clinical Professor, CWRU
Special Interest: Internal Medicine
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Dr. George E. Kikano Department Chairman, Family Medicine, UHC; Professor, CWRU
Special Interest: Cardiovascular Disease, Preventive Medicine, Health Promotion, Geriatrics, ADD Medical Management
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Dr. Juan R. Sanabria Director, Pancreas Transplant Program, UHC; Assistant Professor, CWRU
Special Interest: General Surgery, Hepatobiliary Surgery, Kidney, Pancreas, Liver Transplants
“Its really nice when you walk into this place and you see people who look like you and walk like you and act like you, and you feel more comfortable. There is a comfort level in familiarity,” Dr. Rothstein said when explaining why it is important to have doctors who are the same ethnicity as the community.
UH is making sure the next generation of physicians and physician leaders are representative of the community.
A diverse board is equally important to the organization achieving its overall mission, but in the past, boards have not necessarily reflected the complexion of the community. This is changing at UH, and during the last several years, the hospital has shifted its focus to make sure their board does look more like the community.
“A lot of good people probably didn’t recognize the value of serving on a board like ours either because they were never asked or given the opportunity or they just didn’t think they had anything to contribute. When you start to talk to a more diverse workforce and diverse community base, people do recognize that they bring an expertise that helps us in many respects,” said Rothstein, a UH physician for 30 years.
Each department head and executive staff member has set goals that reflect the hospital’s commitment to diversity. The leadership has embraced the initiatives and realize it will take all people to help UH reach its goals.
For Rothstein, he says a commitment to diversity is not a challenge. It’s just a part of who he is and does not require any additional effort. “I don’t get up and say, ‘Ok. I’m going to work on diversity. Today is my diversity day.’ No, diversity is second nature for me.”