Transitions: Comings and Goings, Appointments and Promotions

Cardiac Surgery Chief Appointed

John G. Byrne, MD

John G. Byrne, MD, a highly regarded surgeon, researcher and teacher, has been named the new chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery. He also will serve along with Mandeep Mehra, MD, as co-director of the BWH Integrated Cardiovascular Service (ICS). Byrne begins on April 1, 2013.

Byrne, whose visionary leadership and breadth of experience encompasses the entire spectrum of cardiac surgery, joins BWH from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, one of the top clinical, research and training programs in the U.S. He is the William S. Stoney Jr. Professor of Cardiac Surgery and chair of the department at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, overseeing the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.

Byrne's new role at BWH is a homecoming. After receiving his medical degree from Boston University, he completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois affiliated hospitals and at BWH. He was BWH's chief resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery from 1995 to 1997, and then joined the cardiac surgery staff here. He served as associate chief of Cardiac Surgery at BWH prior to joining Vanderbilt in 2004.

Byrne succeeds "Chip" Bolman, MD, who has been division chief since 2005. As a result of the significant achievements of Bolman and Larry Cohn, MD, senior surgeon and past division chief, the BWH Division of Cardiac Surgery is recognized nationally for its excellence in clinical care, research, teaching and contributions to the local and global community, such as in Rwanda. Read more about Byrne.

Rexrode Named Faculty Director of Office for Women's Careers

Kathryn Rexrode, MD

Kathryn Rexrode, MD, was named faculty director of the Office for Women's Careers in the Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

Rexrode is a primary care physician in the Phyllis Jen Center for Primary Care and an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and in the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH. Her research focuses on women's health, particularly risk factors for heart disease, stroke and breast cancer in women.

Carol Nadelson, MD

She has a long-standing interest in mentoring and career development, and is deeply committed to advancing the interests of women faculty and trainees as part of her new role in the CFDD.  Rexrode succeeds Carol Nadelson, MD, who served in this position for 15 years with immense dedication to the interests and concerns of women faculty. Nadelson will remain as a senior advisor to the CFDD through September 2013.

Britton Named Chief Health Information Officer at Partners

O'Neil Britton, MD

O'Neil Britton, MD, chief medical officer at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital and vice chair of Medicine at BWH, has accepted the chief health information officer position at Partners HealthCare.

In his new role, Britton will provide clinical and academic leadership for the development and implementation of Partners eCare, the enterprise-wide information strategy that will facilitate our system's future goals in the areas of clinical care, population health management, research, community service, and teaching.

Clinically, Britton works as a hospitalist and will be able to integrate the needs of clinicians at the bedside with his management role. He is an active teacher and serves on several educational committees, while emphasizing a special focus on multicultural student mentorship at BWH.

Britton transitions to his new role this month.

Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Appoints New Director

Helene Langevin, MD

Helene Langevin, MD, has been appointed as director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, effective Nov. 1. She joins BWH and HMS from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, where she is professor of neurological sciences.

 "I believe that the development of integrative medicine is an important component of medical and scientific progress," she said. "Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School have shown tremendous commitment and support for the Osher Center, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to pursue the center's mission in this rich academic community."   

Langevin will also hold an academic appointment in the Division of Preventive Medicine within the Department of Medicine at BWH. Over the coming months, she will transition her research laboratory to BWH, while retaining a part-time research appointment at the University of Vermont. Her research focuses on the role of connective tissue in chronic musculoskeletal pain and the mechanism of acupuncture, manual and movement-based therapies.

Langevin follows in the footsteps of the founding director of the center, David Eisenberg, MD, executive vice president of the Samueli Institute, who provided visionary leadership during the center's creation and first 10 years.

Silbersweig Named to HMS Council of Academic Deans

David Silbersweig, MD

David Silbersweig, MD, chair of the Department of Pyschiatry and the Institute for Neurosciences at BWH and BWFH, has been named to the Council of Academic Deans at Harvard Medical School.

The Council of Academic Deans for the Faculty of Medicine consists of Academic Deans from the major affiliated institutions, appointed jointly by the dean and the head of the affiliated institution. The dean chairs the monthly meetings and the Dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs and the Dean for Faculty Affairs serve as ex officio members. The Council of Academic Deans presents and makes recommendations to the dean on candidates for possible appointment to the professorial rank and on search requests at the professorial level. The council also advises the dean on policies as they relate to faculty at the affiliated institutions.

Silbersweig's appointment gives Partners HealthCare a second representative on the five-member council, joining Anne Klibanski, MD, Partners chief academic officer.

Vitello Named Associate Chief Nurse for Cardiovascular, Thoracic and Surgical Nursing Services

Joan M. Vitello, PhD,  RN, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAAN

Joan M. Vitello, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAAN, who previously served as associate chief nurse for Perioperative and Clinical Services, has accepted the position of associate chief nurse for Cardiovascular, Thoracic and Surgical Acute and Critical Care Nursing Services. 

Vitello joined BWH in 2010 as associate chief nurse of Perioperative Nursing and Clinical Services, overseeing nursing practice in the hospital's 44 operating rooms, 66-bed PACU/Pre-op holding area and 22-bed Day Surgery suite. In addition, she was responsible for nursing practice and standards in the Weiner Pre-admission Testing Center, the pain management service at 850 Boylston St., and the Day Surgery Service in Foxborough.

She is nationally known as the former co-editor for the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing and has published more than 40 articles, chapters and books in this field. Vitello is also the former president of the American Association of Critical Care Nursing and was recognized for her cardiovascular expertise as a fellow of the American Heart Association.