Yale Faculty Practice Seats First-Ever Elected Board of Governors

The Yale Faculty Practice, a multi-specialty academic medical practice comprised of over 650 clinical faculty members from the Yale School of Medicine, elected 10 physicians last month to serve on its Board of Governors.

The elections were the first ever for the Board of Governors and more than 60 percent of eligible faculty voted, an unprecedented degree of participation that reflects a growing commitment to the clinical effort of the Yale Medical School. The Board of Governors is responsible for setting policy and overseeing the clinical and business activity of the School of Medicine faculty. Committees of the Board address financial issues, contracting, research and education, and strategic development.

“We are fortunate to have a truly remarkable clinical faculty,” said David Kessler, M.D., Dean of the Yale University School of Medicine. “In the current healthcare environment, it is essential that we become more efficient and focused in our delivery of clinical services. I believe the changes in the Yale Faculty Practice, which involve greater faculty input and participation, will help us achieve this goal.”

As the umbrella organization for the clinical services provided by Yale faculty physicians, the Yale Faculty Practice is involved in a host of ventures focused on enhancing the patient base for clinical research and education at the university. These include improving patient flow through contracting with managed care companies, working with the City of New Haven to improve patient access and appeal to referring physicians, improving medical billing and overseeing compliance with federal medical billing guidelines.

“The reorganization of the Faculty Practice with new operating principles and elected representation is central to developing the cohesion and alignment of goals that are required to grow the clinical enterprise at the University,” said David J. Leffell, M.D., director of the Faculty Practice and associate dean for clinical affairs.

In addition to their teaching and research activity, faculty of the School of Medicine provide tertiary medical care to patients throughout the region, drawing referrals from all Connecticut counties and beyond. School of Medicine faculty practice at Yale-New Haven Hospital and other affiliated hospitals throughout the state.

The newly elected members include: Gary Friedlander, M.D., Chair of Orthopedics; Ralph Horwitz, M.D., Chair of Medicine; Zeev Kain, M.D., anesthesiologist; Jon Morrow, M.D., Chair of Pathology; Norman Siegel, M.D., pediatric nephrologist; Dennis Spencer, M.D., Chair of Neurosurgery; Barbara Ward, M.D., general surgeon; Robert Weiss, M.D., Interim Chairman of Surgery; Madeline Wilson, M.D. internist; and Barry Zaret, M.D. cardiologist.