Profiles & Case Studies

Physician leaders discuss their experiences in two ongoing series from the Institute for Good Medicine.

Leadership profiles look at physician leaders in organized medicine, while the case studies examine how physicians used leadership skills to resolve specific problems in their hospitals and practices.

Related Documents

» Erie Doc Takes on Big Energy
The Erie County Medical Society and its president, Nancy Weissbach, MD, have taken a stand on a proposed tire-burning plant in a populated area on the banks of Lake Erie.
» Pushing for a Better Immunization System
Bucks County pediatrician Susan Kressly, MD, has spent 10 years pushing for a system that allows physicians to enter immunization records electronically into a comprehensive database.
» Ear, Nose and Throat Doc Gives Heart and Soul to Profession's Future
It happens sooner or later in every business—someone decides to retire. What doesn’t usually happen is that you search for years but can’t find someone to replace them. But that’s not uncommon in medical practices in Pennsylvania, according to Karen Rizzo, MD.
» Evolving Involvement: Pennsylvania Physician to Chair ACP
Charles Cutler, MD, FACP, (right) has risen to be chair-elect of the Board of Governors of the American College of Physicians (ACP). Dr. Cutler is pictured here with Andrew Gurman, MD, vice speaker of the American Medical Association House of Delegates.
» Bartuska Is a True Trailblazer
Just about every graduate is told to start a new chapter, blaze their own trail, or chart undiscovered territory. But how many actually do? For one: Doris Gorka Bartuska, MD, FACP, MACE (pictured here with Richard Schott, MD).
» Timing Is Everything for Award-Winning Physician
"Change and time create opportunities. If we respond to those opportunities in some meaningful way, good things can happen," says Nikitas Zervanos, MD.
» Leadership Case Study: Trying to Speak the Same Language
Faced with a number of cases where language barriers were an issue, Eric Gertner, MD, and a few of his colleagues decided that something needed to be done.
» Leadership Case Study: Keeping Emotions in Check
Jennifer Goldstein, MD, helps a young physician after an argument with a colleague.
» Leadership Case Study: Getting on ‘the Bus’ to Provide Better Care
Todd Fisher, MD, and his practice face an unexpected crisis: a shortage of flu shots.
» Start Early in Organized Medicine
Don't do what Gerald Tracy, MD, did if you want to be a leader of organized medicine.
» Young Leader Says One Voice Is Not Enough
He’s too young to remember invention of the polio vaccine or the first open heart surgery but Christopher Hager, MD, is already a leader in organized medicine.
» Quiet Leaders Welcome
Leaders of organized medicine don’t have to be the ones banging the gavel at meetings or running for seats on the board, says Robert Ettlinger, MD.
» Cereal Campaign Benefits Local Food Bank
Sometimes, starting your day off with a healthy breakfast isn’t as easy as it sounds. For the nation’s hungry, even a bowl of cereal can be out of reach.
» Organized Medicine Leader Helps Improve Practice in Pennsylvania
Be a leader of organized medicine so you can help better medical practice in Pennsylvania, advises Gregory Borowski, MD.
» Making Time to Stand Up for Physicians
John Gallagher, MD, wasn’t always politically active. Like many physicians, he couldn’t find time.
» Mediation Program Launched in Montgomery County
No matter the verdict, nobody wins in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The Montgomery County Medical Society—including Mark Lopatin, MD, and Mark Pyfer, MD—and Montgomery County Bar Association think they may have hit on a solution.
» Physician Tackles Political Issues
“The greatest health care problem in Pennsylvania is access. It is, in a sense, the perfect storm," says Barry Snyder, MD.
» Improving Patient Care Through Politics
John Bulger, DO, sees political involvement as just another way to take care of his patients.
» Physician Encourages Support of Organized Medicine
Every year, Lawrence Altaker, MD, has one easy decision to make: whether to renew his Pennsylvania Medical Society membership.