Telehealth Resource Center groundbreaking

UC Davis physicians, nurses and administrative leaders gathered Jan. 15 to mark the official groundbreaking for the new California Telehealth Resource Center on the grounds of the university’s Sacramento campus.

The four-story, $36 million building is designed to enhance and complement UC Davis’ long history and wide range of expertise in the field of telehealth, which is the use of high-speed telecommunications for medical consultations, distance education, critical care and emergency services, as well as health-care training.

Construction of the new building is expected to be completed in the fall of 2011.

Examining women’s careers in medicine

UC Davis physician researchers Amparo Villablanca and Lydia Howell have received a $1.27 million, four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health for research on family-friendly policies for women with careers in medicine.

The grant is one of 14 funded in response to a 2007 National Academies report — Beyond Bias and Barriers — that led to greater NIH attention on the challenges of women scientists and engineers.

Villablanca is a professor of cardiovascular medicine and Lazda Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine. Howell is a professor and interim chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Their research will evaluate the influence of family-friendly policies on the career trajectories and success of women faculty at the UC Davis School of Medicine.

Continuing Medical Education accreditation

UC Davis Health System’s Office of Continuing Medical Education achieved a considerable distinction in December 2009 when the department was awarded reaccreditation “with commendation” for the quality and organization of its educational programs for physicians and other health-care professionals. The unprecedented honor reaccredits the department for the next six years and places it within the top 10 percent of programs nationwide that achieved the elite designation.

Attaining this designation from the national Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education is a key indicator of a program’s value and capabilities. The voluntary, self-regulatory system is maintained by the Chicago-based council, which identifies, develops and enforces standards for educational quality to improve health care for patients and their communities. Currently, there are approximately 740 accredited CME providers in the United States.

UC Davis Medical Center ranks high in survey

UC Davis Medical Center ranks among the top 45 hospitals on The Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the only national, public comparison of hospitals on key variables such as mortality rates for certain common procedures, infection rates, safety practices and measures of efficiency.

Thirty-four urban, eight children’s and three rural hospitals have been named 2009 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, based on results from The Leapfrog Hospital Survey.

Qualifying criteria for Leapfrog’s Top Hospital Award list remain virtually the same as 2008, with one added dimension: Once hospitals demonstrate top quality, they must also rise to the top of the list on efficiency.

“Delivering the highest quality and safest care for our patients always is of paramount importance for us,” said Ann Madden Rice, chief executive officer of UC Davis Medical Center.

UC Davis Medical Center was among 1,206 hospitals that completed the Leapfrog Survey.