The University of Texas System named MD Anderson scientist Lynda Chin, MD, as a recipient of the System’s Chancellor’s Health Fellowship.
Dr. Chin, Chair of the Department of Genomic Medicine, was recognized for development of a patient-centric oncology care delivery system initiated in late 2012. As a Fellow, she will coordinate the planning and development of a similar effort in the use of technologies and big data to improve health-care delivery, focusing on management of diabetes in South Texas.
The UT System Office of Health Affairs created the Chancellor’s Health Fellowship in 2004 to recognize high impact innovative work at individual health institutions that are aligned with the overarching mission of the UT System and have potential for broad societal impact on health care, education, and research.
“Dr. Chin’s medical and scientific leadership and expertise can augment the clinical strengths being assembled by the new medical school at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its affiliated hospitals and partners,” said University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD.
Patient-Centric Model of Care
Dr. Chin, a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies since 2012, believes that this patient-centric model has the potential to dramatically reduce disparity in access to expert care, enhance the effectiveness of care, and improve overall patient outcomes while reducing the cost. She will collaborate with the founding Dean of the medical school at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Francisco Fernandez, MD, as well as the university’s faculty and administrative leadership.
During her one-year appointment as a Chancellor’s Health Fellow for the UT System, Dr. Chin will continue her roles as Professor and Chair of the Department of Genomic Medicine and Scientific Director of the Institute for Applied Cancer Science at MD Anderson. She will also continue to lead the project to develop a new cancer care delivery prototype at the Cancer Center.
“Being selected as a Chancellor’s Health Fellow is a great honor,” Dr. Chin said. “At UT MD Anderson, we are making progress in collaboration with our colleagues in academia and in industry to build a different model of cancer care delivery. I firmly believe that our experiences, lessons learned and foundational capabilities in the cancer program can be leveraged to leapfrog an innovative program for diabetes management in South Texas and beyond.” n
Other current Chancellor’s Health Fellows are Jan E. Patterson, MD, Director of the Center for Patient Safety and Health Policy at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and Stephen H. Linder, PhD, School of Public Health, UT Health Science Center at Houston. ■
