Dr. Russell (back row, far left) and the Group Practice Leaders
“In all of my career, I have never put together a group like this, and probably couldn’t again,” said Dr. David Russell, Director of the Group Practice Experience and Team Leadership and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, at his March 20, 2014, Town Hall meeting. The meeting was held to update the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) community on the implementation of the Group Practice Model at the School.
The exceptional group to which Dr. Russell referred is composed of the 18 Group Practice Leaders for the 9 newly-implemented Group Practices of the GSDM Patient Treatment Center. The process of hiring them, which began in early 2013, is now complete. The Leaders, who, according to Dr. Russell, are earning their reputations “one civil and kind conversation at a time,” are organized into the following practices:
1: Drs. Ira Weinberg and Margaret Howard
2: Drs. Sheila Rodriguez-Vamvas and Michael Slesnick
3: Drs. Steven Roberts and Karen Quigley
4: Drs. Fred Harrington and Charilaos Asikis
5: Drs. Waleerat Kaweevisaltrakul and Ryota Kikuchi
6: Drs. Eleni Kanasi and David Dano
7: Drs. Mike McQueen and Mohammad Filali
8: Drs. Deborah Whitman and Angela Cancado
9: Drs. David Gabelman and Matthew Zweig
The March 20 Town Hall meeting held by Dr. Russell was just one of more than 15 similar gatherings he has conducted since he began as Director of the Group Practice Experience in June 2013. In the more recent Town Halls of March 3, 20, and 27, Dr. Russell outlined the accomplishments achieved so far in the Group Practice implementation process. In addition to reporting that hiring of the Group Practice Leaders had been completed, Dr. Russell gave the following updates: All students are now assigned to Group Practices and are meeting with their leaders; All nine Patient Coordinators are in place; Practice Leaders are now doing diagnosis and treatment planning and Patient Coordinators are booking appointments; Leaders have been meeting both individually with students and monthly as groups; and Leaders have begun participating in faculty development, team building and community outreach activities.
Dr. Russell also outlined the short term goals for the Group Practices, which include instituting a comprehensive digital dentistry environment. Dr. Russell’s long-term mantra for developing the Group Practice experience is “tinker, maintain, innovate, improve, and develop.”