Transitions: Comings and Goings, Appointments and Promotions- Clinical & Research News - For and about the Physicians and Researchers of Brigham and Women's HospitalTransitions: Comings and Goings, Appointments and Promotions- Clinical & Research News - For and about the Physicians and Researchers of Brigham and Women's Hospital

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Zafonte Appointed Chairman of Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Ross D. Zafonte, DO

Ross D. Zafonte, DO, a talented clinician, investigator and teacher, has been appointed chairman of the new Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Zafonte, who joined Brigham and Women’s in 2007, also serves as Partners Continuing Care senior vice president of medical affairs, research and education, and chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is the Earle P. and Ida S. Charlton chairman of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.

A highly respected expert on traumatic brain injury, Zafonte is passionate about raising awareness and expanding the knowledge base of brain injury to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients and families. He has published extensively on traumatic brain injuries and other neurological disorders and is an expert who has testified many times before Congress on brain injury related issues such as concussions in youth sports. His textbook is considered one of the gold standards in the field of brain injury care.

He serves on the Board of Governor’s for the International Brain Injury Association as well as the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Zafonte is on the several editorial boards including PMR, the Journal of Neurotrauma, and the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation. He has received numerous national and international awards, and this year, Zafonte will receive the prestigious Joel A. De Lisa Award from the Kessler foundation.

Some of Zafonte’s accomplishments at BWH and our Partners affiliates include receiving a Department of Defense center grant for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder and developing a gait laboratory focused on novel prosthetic design for those with amputation. Under his leadership the program has been awarded three model systems of care (Brain Injury, Burn and Spinal cord Injury).

During his tenure at Partners, Zafonte has helped direct tremendous growth in both the rehabilitation research and clinical arenas. I am pleased that he will continue on with us in this expanded role as the leader of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

 

Raymond Named New Health Information Services Executive Director for BWHC

Jackie Raymond, RHIA

Jackie Raymond, RHIA, has been named executive director of Health Information Services (HIS) for Brigham and Women's HealthCare (BWHC). Raymond has served as HIS director for BWH since August 1996.

In this role, Raymond will oversee health information for BWHC. Debra Torosian will continue her strong work as HIS director and chief privacy officer at BWFH. Raymond will also work closely with the Partners eCare implementation team at BWHC.

Additionally, with Karen Grant's departure, Raymond has been appointed interim enterprise Health Information Services director for Partners HealthCare. In this role, Raymond is responsible for developing and managing key initiatives in HIS across Partners, to include Partners eCare, protection of patient information and overseeing the implementation of enterprise-wide policies for electronic health records. 

Raymond received her bachelor's degree from Northeastern University. She is a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Health Information Exchange (HIE) Practice Council and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Health Information Highway (The HIway) Legal & Policy Advisory Group. In January, the Massachusetts Health Information Management Association (MaHIMA) awarded Raymond its highest honor, the "Distinguished Member Award," recognizing her exceptional history of volunteer service and association leadership.

Leadership Transition in the Center for Surgery and Public Health

Samuel Finlayson, MD, MPH

Samuel Finlayson, MD, MPH, Kessler Director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health (CSPH), has accepted the position of chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah. His last day at BWH will be June 23.

As CSPH director, Finlayson has championed the center's growth specifically in the research areas of health services, education and global health related to surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery, with particular interest in benign and malignant diseases of the colon, abdominal wall hernias and biliary disease. During his time at BWH, Finlayson has also overseen the mentorship of young faculty and trainees at BWH and Harvard Medical School, helping many develop their individual research careers.

"As the director of the CSPH, Dr. Finlayson has provided incredible leadership and thoughtful organization to the center and to our department," said Michael Zinner, MD, chair of the Department of Surgery. "Because of his unique skill set, we were able to achieve new heights in terms of national and international recognition. He will be sorely missed, but leading the University of Utah's Department of Surgery in efforts to transform surgical care delivery will be a tremendous opportunity for him."

Before joining BWH in October 2011, Finlayson spent a decade at Dartmouth Medical School, where he was vice chair of the Department of Surgery, director of the Surgical Residency Program and associate professor of Surgery and of Community and Family Medicine. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. Finlayson was trained in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and completed a surgical outcomes research fellowship at Dartmouth Medical School. He has a specific interest in the quality of surgical care delivery in rural versus urban settings in the U.S., as well as low-income and resource-poor countries.