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Peter Cotton Retiring?

February 3, 2010 Apparently, there have been questions floating around concerning Dr. Cotton's retirement plans. As a result, he asked that we post the following statement by him here on The Digest.

"Rumor has me retiring next year; in fact, some think I have retired already. I thought I should explain for anyone interested. Right now I am working 3½ days per week (i.e. Monday through Thursday midday). I have told Dr. Payne that I plan to stop doing procedures in May 2011; 40 years of ERCP is enough. However, my NIH grant has some years to run, and I hope to be able to serve the Division and Center in some ways for a few years yet."

New Medication Order Writing Requirements

January 22, 2010 Medication safety begins with the order writing process. In order to ensure patient safety and compliance with the medical center’s Medication Order Writing Policy (Policy C-78), as well as the Joint Commission’s stance on safe medication prescribing, incorrect or incomplete orders may no longer be accepted. As of January 4, 2010 the Department of Pharmacy Services will no longer accept incomplete or incorrect orders. The prescriber will be notified to change the order to comply with our medical center policy. This reference is a quick overview of the medication order writing requirements. Thank you for helping MUSC continue to maintain excellence in patient care and safety.

Romagnuolo "Munchkin" Performs in Wizard of Oz

January 15, 2010 Dr. Joe Romagnuolo's daughter, Meagan, performed in two showings of the "Wizard of Oz" this past weekend at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. In fact, she performed in two different roles: first as a Lollipop-Guild Muchkin and secondly as one of the Wicked Witch's soldiers. (Read Post and Courier article.) In the first of two photos posted here, she and some of her fellow cast members can be seen posing with North Charleston mayor Keith Summey. The second photo is a picture of the entire cast in their costumes.

First Visitor of 2010

January 11, 2010 Dr. Linus Chang has joined us to observe procedures in endoscopic ultrasound. Dr. Chang completed his GI training at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Townsville Hospital in Queensland, Australia in 2008. He has just completed his EUS training with about 700 procedures. He hopes to see linear EUS while he is here as well as what role EUS has in the diagnostic algorithm at MUSC. He will be here Jan 11 - 22.

Loberta Gibbs Promoted to Lead Scheduler

Loberta Gibbs, DDC Lead Scheduler January 7, 2010 Congratulations to Loberta Gibbs who was recently promoted to Lead Scheduler of the DDC. Loberta has been a Regional Scheduler for the DDC since June of 2004. Previously, she worked in Rutledge Tower as a Registration Representative for several years. Loberta, in her new position of Lead Scheduler, will be the first line of communication to the other schedulers for any scheduling needs and issues that arise on a daily basis. She will also works closely with the Scheduling Operations Coordinator to maintain the daily and overall scheduling operations for the department.

The Lead scheduler position has been vacant for about three years and Loberta has done an exceptional job of performing several of the job duties during this time. She is very knowledgeable in the area of DDC scheduling operations and possesses a willing attitude to get the job done. Please congratulate Loberta when you see her and wish her well in her new role.

MUSC Selected to Participate in Nestlé Nutrition Institute Fellowship Program

Nestle Nutrition program January 6, 2010 The MUSC Digestive Disease Center is proud to announce that the Nestlé Nutrition Institute has chosen us as one of four institutions nationwide to participate in their enteral nutrition fellowship program. Other centers selected were Oregon Health Sciences University, University of Louisville School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College.

This fellowship will allow physicians with a keen interest in medical nutrition the opportunity to visit one of the four centers for a clinical rotation with program faculty. In addition to the clinical rotation, participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with program faculty to author a review paper to submit for publication, attend and participate in ASPEN Clinical Nutrition Week and an international Nestle Nutrition Conference. These “mentored” physicians will then go on to serve as ambassadors in nutrition back at their home institution, and on the path to develop a career in nutrition. The application deadline for this fellowship is March 1, 2010. For further information, please click here.

Velas Heading to Houston

December 23, 2009 The Digestive Disease Center is saying goodbye to two of its faculty. Dr. Marcelo Vela, who specializes in esophageal motility disorders, will be joining Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX as their new Director of Gastrointestinal Motility. He will be heading two esophageal testing labs, one at the VA and one at the Baylor Clinic. His last day was Friday, December 18.

Dr. Stacie Vela, who completed her GI fellowship at MUSC in 2008, has also taken a position with Baylor College of Medicine. She will be developing the much-needed endoscopic ultrasound program at the Ben Taub General Hospital. Additionally, she will continue both her EUS and general GI practice at the Baylor Clinic. Her last day is December 31.

Dr. Stacie Vela says, “We are excited about our new positions and the chance to explore a new city. At the same time, we will miss MUSC greatly. We have had a tremendous 5½ years here, and will miss everyone.”

"The Velas are hard working, team players and certainly on the path to greatness in the world of Gastroenterology,” said Digestive Disease Service Line Director, Dr. Mark DeLegge. “They will be greatly missed.”

Christmas Angels

December 23, 2009 This year, DDC staff adopted 65 “angels” from the Salvation Army Angel Tree to help brighten some children’s Christmas. The staff came through with bikes and scooters, toys and games, clothes and shoes. Santa made a guest appearance at ART on Friday, December 11 to pick up the items himself. Special thanks to everyone on campus who participated in this annual charity event!

ART 6-East/6-West Patient Satisfaction Scores on Rise

December 23, 2009 November inpatient satisfaction scores rose to the 92nd percentile for the inpatient GI units at ART. The discharge process continues to be an area of opportunity for progress. The DDC has a formed a committee to evaluate the discharge process and make recommendations for process improvement. The nursing staff has also been working on team building and sharing of ideas through the ART Customer Satisfaction Committee. We are very proud of the hard work and our challenge is now to maintain this level of commitment to our patients.

New Admin. Assistant for G.I. Surgery

photo of Susan Sykes December 4, 2009 Introducing Susan Sykes. Susan comes to the Medical University after being a stay-at-home mom for two years. Previously, she worked at Southeastern Fertility Center for six years where she was an IVF Assistant. Susan is now an Administrative Assistant for Dr. David Adams in the GI Surgery Dept.

Susan was born and raised on James Island, where she still lives today with her husband and three children. She has two older boys – one in high school, one in middle school – and also has a two-year-old little girl.

Susan went to Winthrop University and the College of Charleston where she studied Business Administration. Her favorite thing to do is to watch her boys play sports – football, baseball and wrestling – which keeps her very busy. She also loves spending her Saturdays watching South Carolina football. "GO COCKS!"

New Visitor Dreams of Being G.I. Physician

December 4, 2009 Please welcome Dr. Steven Clayton who will be visiting with us through the end of December. From owning his own practice in Tennessee to working in emergency medicine to practicing general medicine in Australia, Dr. Clayton has returned to the U.S. to fulfill his dream of becoming a full-fledged gastroenterolgist.

In his own words ....

photo of Dr. Steven Clayton My last day of practicing general practice in rural Australia was a tough one. I had to say goodbye to many patients that I became close to, as well as my life as a family practitioner … but I knew that my goals in medicine had changed. Leaving Australia, I was returning to the United States to pursue a new career path and become a gastroenterologist.

Medicine is truly one of the greatest professions. We help those in medical need, treat disease and injury, and alleviate pain. It is procedurally, intellectually, and emotionally a challenging profession. Our profession gives us significant flexibility and automonity in our careers. We can go down one career path but we have the ability to change direction and become specialists in our areas of interest. The later statement describes my career path.

My journey started in Johnson City, TN. I graduated from the James H. Quillen Colllege of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in 2001. Initially after medical school, I loved all aspects of medicine. Wanting the broadest education possible, I completed a residency in Family Medicine. Performing numerous endoscopies during training allowed me to obtain colonoscopy and EGD privileges at the Johnson City Medical center.

After residency, I owned a private practice in Piney Flats, TN for three years. During that time, I did endoscopies on a weekly basis. Performing endoscopies became my favorite part of the work week. After leaving private practice, I worked in emergency medicine while making arrangements to go Lakes Entrance, Australia. Practicing medicine in a foreign country was always a desire of mine.

Being a rural GP in Australia was a great experience; however, I knew I wanted to return to the US and sub-specialize. Having enjoyed a great career as a family practitioner, I decided that it was time to pursue my dream of becoming a gastroenterologist.

I have now returned to internal medicine residency at the Birmingham Baptist program. The Medical University of South Carolina is one of the nation’s premier places to train in GI and has many opportunities to train in Endoscopic Ultrasound and ERCP which are interests of mine. From down under to an away rotation at MUSC, my journey continues.

Research Welcomes New Grants Administrator

November 12, 2009 We would like to extend a warm welcome to Kathy Gleaves as she joins the Digestive Disease Center as the new Research Grants Administrator. Kathy has over 20 years of research and management experience, and is an incredible addition to our staff. Her most recent experience is with Vanderbilt University in Health Services research. We look forward to the wealth of knowledge she brings to the DDC. Please give her a warm welcome when you meet her.

Eat Smart at ART! Choosing Healthy Meals at the ART Café

November 4, 2009 For tips on making healthy food choices at MUSC's Ashley River Tower Café, check out Eat Smart at ART! Choosing healthy meals at the café, a brochure created by MUSC dietitians which is available in the ART Café and on the Nutrition Services website under 'Dining Services'.

The brochure features healthy grab and go items, breakfast selections, as well as soups & beverages. It also lists the nutrition information for all items at the salad sensations station and the sandwich line so you can make healthy and informed choices. Come check out what healthy fare the ART café has to offer!

Pharmacists to Receive National Award

Tanna Cooper, DDC Clinical Specialist October 22, 2009 The MUSC Department of Pharmacy Services has been selected as a recipient of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacy (ASHP) Best Practices Award in Health-System Pharmacy. Through the hard work of pharmacists Tanna Cooper (DDC Clinical Specialist, pictured), David Taber, Carole White, Walt Uber, Heather Kokko, and Joe Mazur, a manuscript was submitted on “Safety and Efficacy Analysis of an Inpatient Collaborative Drug Therapy Management Service for Direct Thrombin Inhibitors.”

MUSC was one out of six programs to receive this honor out of 46 applicants. Applicants were judged on originality and innovative nature of the program, significance of the program to the health-system, demonstration of improvements in quality of patient care, significance of the program to pharmacy practice, and quality of the descriptive report of the program.

The ASHP Best Practices Award program is a national competition that recognizes innovation and outstanding practitioners in health-system pharmacy. Please congratulate the above mentioned individuals on their hard work and success.

DDICU/PCU Has New Interim Nurse Manager

Christine Zensen, RN October 16, 2009 Christina Zensen, RN has assumed the role of interim nurse manager of the DDICU/PCU. Chris has been a critical care nurse for 13 years and has been at MUSC for a little more than 10 years. She worked in the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care unit for eight years as a staff nurse and clinical nurse leader. In the Spring of 2006 Chris accepted the stroke program coordinator position and was promoted to the stroke program manager in 2007. In December 2008, she joined the DDICU as a clinical nurse leader.

Chris is currently finishing her BSN at the University of Phoenix and plans to continue and complete an MSN. She holds two active national certifications – CCRN and CNRN – one in critical care and one neuroscience nursing and was a recipient of the SCLN Award of Excellence in 2006 and a Palmetto Gold Award in Nursing in 2007. We are happy that Chris has stepped in to fill this role.

The DDICU/PCU nurse manager position was previously held by Cindy Kicklighter, RN who has taken a new position at MUSC. We wish Cindy good luck in her new role.