White Embraces Leadership Role as New Society President

Abstract

PHOENIX — Heidi White, MD, CMD, associate professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and a senior fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, has been on the stage at AMDA – the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine Annual Conferences many times, but this year was especially meaningful for her. She stood before her fellow Society members — her professional family — as the incoming 2017–2018 Board of Directors president. “I am grateful that Society members — through the House of Delegates election process — have put their trust in me,” she said. “I hope to continue to add to the legacy of so many past presidents who have served the organization as well.” In addition to her work at Duke, Dr. White has the distinction of serving as medical director of the Durham, NC–based Croasdaile Village Retirement Community for nearly 20 years. She said that she enjoys working in a faith-based community and, as the daughter of a Methodist minister, feels right at home there. Over the years, she has witnessed the evolution of post-acute and long-term care and the challenges of changing demographics, payment systems, and care models. “Nursing homes are much more dynamic than they used to be,” Dr. White said. “There are so many residents coming and going. We do more short-term rehab than we did when I started in 1994. Our patients’ needs are more complex and answers must be found quickly as lengths of stay are much shorter in post-acute care.” At the same time, “Long-term patients are more frail with higher care needs on average,” she explained. Her goal as president is to ensure that her colleagues have the skills, tools, and information to thrive in this new world. Dr. White looks forward to working with the Society’s board, committees, members, and staff to promote the Society’s mission. She hopes to employ her personal strengths — education and program development — to maximize the quality and effectiveness of the Society’s programs, tools, and publications. “I would like to work toward the organizational constructs this year of three major steering committees for public policy, education, and clinical practice that will coordinate the work of a growing number of subcommittees,” she said. “We need to continue to lead and produce in these three major areas … This will help to streamline our efficiency and productivity as a professional organization in a rapidly changing health care environment.” She touted the benefits of the Society’s outreach to practitioners in different fields. “I would like to make the most of our medical provider competencies curriculum. We need to market this curriculum effectively to all of the people who can benefit from it. We need to keep it current and increase the interactivity and case-based elements that will truly change practice. And I would like to shepherd the development of our new practice management section. This is an opportunity to ensure that our practice needs are addressed.” As codirector of the Foundation Futures program for many years, Dr. White has a special interest in those practitioners who are just getting started in the field. “I am making a concerted effort to bring Futures alumni onto subcommittees and committees and make sure that our resources and membership benefits are tailored to the needs of these new professionals,” she told the audience. Following in the footsteps of great leaders might intimidate some people, but Dr. White has always welcomed the opportunity to learn from talented colleagues. For instance, she followed Rob Sullivan, MD, as medical director of Croasdaile, and he became a mentor, teacher, and colleague. Elsewhere, she became chair of the Society’s program committee after her friend and colleague Matthew Wayne, MD, CMD, and then followed him onto the board. “I worked closely with him, Dr. [Paul] Katz and Dr. [Steven] Levenson on the competencies and subsequent curriculum. I spent time with Dr. [Naushira] Pandya and Dr. [Susan] Levy on the board and then followed both of them onto the Executive Committee. “I have been blessed to have many excellent mentors along my journey, and this inspires me to be that mentor for others,” she said. Dr. White knows that she has a busy year ahead. She is inspired by her Croasdaile team members, such as Skip, a rehabilitation aide who helps keep residents walking and mobile. “When I see former Duke geriatric medicine fellows coming back each year to the Society and when Futures alumni tell me how much they enjoyed the program and how it shaped their decisions to work in this area, I am gratified.” Senior contributing writer Joanne Kaldy is a freelance writer in Harrisburg, PA, and a communications consultant for the Society and other organizations.