Take a Bow
“It’s the feeling of making a difference not in the life of one child but the lives of many children,” he says. “To say I fundamentally had an impact on the way we view a disease … that’s a different feeling altogether.”
Dr. Shah’s research has focused on improved management of patients with common childhood infections, particularly pneumonia and meningitis. His research is published regularly, and he serves as editor or co-editor for several journals.
“The goal of our research is to influence policy or clinical practice,” Dr Shah says. “Ideally, both.”
Award for Outstanding Service in HM
Eric Siegal, MD, FHM
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
Dr. Siegal has been the head of SHM’s Public Policy Committee for nearly four years, and while he jokes that no one else is dumb enough to take on the role, it’s exactly that kind of experience that has earned him the society’s “utility infielder award.”
“It’s gotten harder,” Dr. Siegal says of HM advocacy. “Now that people know what SHM is ... it’s going to get a lot harder, in a good way.”
SHM leaders say Dr. Siegal’s grasp of issues is vital as the federal government weighs the most significant healthcare reform in decades and hospitals struggle to balance costs and efficiency against the push to improve quality of care.
In fact, Dr. Siegal’s reputation within the society is so respected he was co-nominated for this year’s service award by Laura Allendorf, SHM’s senior advisor on advocacy and government affairs. Dr. Siegal currently is a critical-care fellow in Madison, and previously served as regional medical director for Cogent Healthcare.
Award for Clinical Excellence
Jerome Siy, MD, FHM
Regions Hospital, Saint Paul, Minn.
Dr. Siy wants to collaborate on pretty much everything. It doesn’t matter if he’s developing an HM platform that employs nearly 50 hospitalists, teaching at the University of Minnesota Medical School, or creating an interdisciplinary program that pulls together hospitalists, ED physicians, and behavioral health doctors.
“Nothing is successful when one person does all the work,” Dr. Siy says. “It doesn’t help just having department heads in a room. You need the people who are actually working.”
Dr. Siy’s work as chief of hospital medicine at Regions drew industry-wide attention, namely for the program he developed to carve out 96 inpatient mental-health beds to streamline intake and discharge processes. And even though he also directs a fellowship program for HealthPartners Medical Group in Saint Paul, Dr. Siy views his award as a testament to his colleagues.
“When you’re part of a team that you really enjoy, the work becomes easier,” Dr. Siy says. “I feel like it’s an acknowledgement of the way we all work together.” TH
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.
