New study ranks Quillen College of Medicine first in the nation for producing primary care physicians
A new study by a renowned professor of health policy ranks East Tennessee State University’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine as the top school in the nation for producing primary care physicians and 12th among U.S. medical schools on a “social mission” scale.
Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, the study’s lead author, is a professor of health policy at George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services and the author of several books on medical practice and U.S. health policy. Formerly the U.S. assistant surgeon general, Mullan and researchers at George Washington examined the record of 141 medical schools in the United States and Puerto Rico in graduating physicians who will be able to meet the primary health care needs of an expected influx of newly insured patients.
The study, which is published in the June 15 edition of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, assigned a score to all medical schools based on their ability to meet a “social mission” defined by these criteria: producing physicians who practice primary care, who work in underserved areas, and are minorities. The study showed that 53.5 percent of Quillen graduates went into primary care practice. ETSU and East Carolina University were the only two medical schools with more than half of graduates practicing primary care.
The findings bring attention to the role that medical schools play in determining the makeup of the U.S. physician workforce, Mullan said.
“Where doctors choose to work, and what specialty they select, are heavily influenced by medical school,” said Mullan, a pediatrician who is also a professor of medicine at George Washington’s medical school. “By recruiting minority students and prioritizing the training of primary care physicians and promoting practice in underserved areas, medical schools will help deliver the health care that Americans desperately need.”
The Quillen College of Medicine is consistently ranked high among medical schools for producing primary care physicians and for its rural medicine programs. Last month and for the second consecutive year, the American Academy of Family Physicians recognized Quillen as one of the top 10 schools in the nation for producing family medicine physicians. In April, U.S.News & World Report listed ETSU as sixth in the nation for rural medicine training.
“It’s exciting when Quillen is recognized for staying true to its roots,” said Dr. Philip C. Bagnell, dean of the College of Medicine. “A physician can experience a high degree of professional self-satisfaction practicing medicine in a rural community, and our curriculum is designed to illustrate that to our students.”
Key findings from the study include:
- Public medical schools graduate higher proportions of primary care physicians than their private counterparts.
- Historically black schools have the highest social mission rankings.
- Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville and one of nation’s leading schools in producing African American physicians, had the second highest social mission score, making it and Quillen the only two Tennessee schools in the top 20.
Beat the Heat!
Youth attending camp this summer at The Oaks Retreat Center on the campus of FWB Family Ministries in Camp Creek are getting much needed relief from the summer’s heat by enjoying the comforts of the retreat’s pool.
The Oaks Retreat Center hosts fun-filled camps to 500+ campers every summer, and this year is no exception. Youth and chaperones from across the United States attend summer camps with their churches and youth groups. While at camp, everyone participates in the campus-wide church services, pool time fun, hiking trails, low ropes course, great food and everyone’s favorite - the zip line.
For information on holding a camp for your church group or other group events such as specialized camps, weddings, family reunions or business retreats, contact The Oaks Retreat Center at 423-470-2226 or visit www.oaksretreat.com for pricing and availability.
Free Will Baptist Family Ministries, headquartered in Greeneville, TN, has been providing unconditional love and support to young people and their families since 1939 through residential group homes and The Hope Center Crisis Pregnancy/Resource Center, extending to The Laurels Retirement and Assisted Living Center and The Oaks Retreat Center, as well as the recently announced Governor’s Bend Retirement and Assisted Living Center in Erwin, Tennessee.
Johnson City's Peterson receives Manager of the Year Award
In honor of his outstanding perfonnance and 19 years of public service, Johnson City's City Manager Pete Peterson was named Manager of the Year by the Tennessee City Management Association (TCMA). Peterson was presented the award Tuesday, June 15, 2010, at the 7lst Annual Conference ofthe Tennessee Municipal League (TML) held at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.
The award is presented by TCMA each year to acknowledge Tennessee managers, administrators, or assistants who have made exceptional contributions to their profession. During Peterson's tenure, the quality of life for Johnson City's staff and citizens has been greatly enhanced, with professional development and partnership opportunities along with progressive, sustainable initiatives and services that meet the needs of a growing population. All of this has been achieved with fewer employees and drastically reduced resources.
When Peterson was first appointed city manager, he faced an extraordinarily difficult situation. The prior city manager had only served a short tenure, the board was largely diVided, the community lacked confidence in the city's service delivery, and his staff was in great need of leadership. "Within only a few years, Pete turned each of these situations around," said Pat Hardy Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) Municipal Management consultant.
Among his many accomplishments, Peterson conducted a succession study revealing that a huge percentage of his workforce supervisors would soon be retiring. Based on this study, he brought the MTAS Municipal Management Academy to his employees. Three groups have completed all three levels of the academy, with more than 160 employees trained.
He has been pro-active in utilizing neighborhood activism and volunteerism developing new volunteer service projects such as "Earthday Workday," and has united city departments with area agencies, businesses, and corporate partners to improve healthier community activities and programs. The "Up & At 'Em" initiative won the 2007 Havlick Local Government award and the Tennessee State Governor's Shining Star Award.
Peterson implemented a gas-to-energy program at the Iris-Glen landfill facility, converting methane gas from the landfill to power used at the Veterans Administration campus. This groundbreaking project benefits the environment while generating revenue for the city and won the "Project of the Year" designation from the Environmental Protection Agency.
He also created an Energy Efficiently committee to develop ways for saving fuel consumption, and facilitated conversion to a biodiesel program expected to reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 12 percent, particulate emissions by 12 percent, total hydrocarbon emissions by 20 percent, and sulfate emissions by 20 percent.
Recognized by TML as Tennessee's First Green City, the launch of Johnson City's "Green Building Initiative" will make all city buildings energy efficient.
Downtown improvements include underground utilities and upgraded sidewalks and streets. The Project Safe Neighborhoods program now has a special prosecutor to prosecute felony narcotics and weapons cases at the federal level that originate in Johnson City. This program has been strengthened by the addition of a Weed and Seed program.
"Pete Peterson has brought a much needed stability to the city and has worked to provide staff development opportunities that have resulted in a top-notch team at city hall," said Hardy. An active member ofTCMA for many years, Peterson is a consistent participant in ICMA and serves on the Advisory Boards ofMTAS and the TML Risk Management Pool.
"Pete has been willing to give of his time to the profession at large, and he has worked tirelessly over the years to improve the general quality of governance in Tennessee through participation in other organizations serving cities," said Jody Baltz, TCMA president and city administrator of Tullahoma. "For nearly 20 years he has devoted the best of himself to public service and to the notion that helping others through local government is his calling. His impact on Johnson City will be felt for many years to come"
THE MALL AT JOHNSON CITY awards $10,000 and donates to local food bank
For the fifth year in a row, The Mall at Johnson City is proud to announce that it is donating a total of $10,000 to three area non-profit organizations through its Cash for Your Cause promotion.
“We are excited that we are able to support our local charities by giving back to them through this community program, especially during this challenging economic time when charities are faced with decreased funding,” said Marsha Hammond, marketing director for The Mall at Johnson City.
The Cash for Your Cause promotion kicked off on Monday, March 22 and continued through Sunday, May 2. Throughout the program, shoppers from across the region turned in their receipts to turn their dollars into points for their favorite charity. With each dollar counting as one point, the top three charities with the most points are now being awarded CASH prizes for their organization!
“It was a hard-fought race with six weeks of intense competition,” said Hammond. “Coming in first this year and winning the grand prize of $5,000 is Kari’s Heart Foundation.”
Other winners include Assistance Resource Ministries - $3,000 and Barracuda Swim Club - $2,000. More than 10 different organizations participated in this year’s promotion.
In addition, participants in this year’s program were given the chance to earn extra points by donating non-perishable food items to the Salvation Army Food Bank. Shoppers donated more than 5,575 items for the Salvation Army. All items donated will go to benefit the Mobile Hope program that provides hot meals and groceries to residents in Unicoi County that cannot make it to the Center of Hope in Johnson City.
“In order for The Salvation Army to provide these types of programs and services, we rely on the generosity of people,” said Major Gary Elliott of The Salvation Army. “Your help makes it possible for us to continue doing the most good.”
Cash for Your Cause is just one of The Mall at Johnson City’s ongoing efforts to help local organizations and schools raise money for the community. Other programs include Coca-Cola Earning for Learning and Magical Night of Giving, the mall’s highly successful annual holiday fundraising event.
The organizations were awarded their checks on Wednesday, June 2 at noon at Olive Garden Restaurant in Johnson City, TN.
The Alliance for Innovation proudly announces the winner of the Thomas H. Muehlenbeck Award for Excellence in Local Government
The City of Johnson City and the founders of Will This Float faced a growing problem with the loss of the manufacturing industry. The City explored innovative ways to get the skilled people who have lost jobs back in the work force. Entrepreneurship became one of the answers. Will This Float creates the forum for entrepreneurs to promote their idea and get in front of potential investors. It is a catalyst for those who are beginning to develop their idea and a forum for idea development, business support services, marketing suggestions, and access to capital. The City of Johnson City dealt with the crushing loss of the manufacturing industry with a creative forum to assist entrepreneurs in chasing their dream.