Chief executive summary from Dr. Andrew Jeon

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Dr. Jeon provides the overall leadership and strategic direction of PHMI and its programs. He interfaces with PHMI’s Board of Directors, which is comprised of representatives of both Partners HealthCare and Harvard University, and works closely with the senior leadership of Harvard Medical School to align PHMI’s programmatic activities with the School’s educational mission. Dr. Jeon also participates in the development and implementation of PHMI programs focused on developing new medical facilities and recruiting highly qualified clinical leaders and hospital managers.

Prior to joining then-Harvard Medical International in 1996, he served in leadership positions at both Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. He was Chief of Hospital Services and Operations, Vice President of Surgical Services, and Director of the Operating Rooms at the Brigham. He also served as Director of Ambulatory Surgical Services at the MGH. Dr. Jeon received his medical degree from the University of Vermont Medical School, and later earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. His postgraduate training in pediatrics and anesthesia was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.
 

1.  One of your chief responsibilities over the last several months has been to manage our organization’s integration into the Partners HealthCare family. What has that process been like?

Dr. Jeon: The process of integration has been far easier than expected. We were very deliberate and proactive at the outset in introducing ourselves to various Partners entities to explain who we are and what we do here at PHMI. Jay Pieper, the chair of our Board of Directors, was extremely helpful in facilitating introductions to thought leaders within Partners, and Gary Gottlieb (President of Brigham & Women’s Hospital) and Peter Slavin (President of Massachusetts General Hospital) were very gracious in providing us with opportunities to present PHMI to the chiefs of service and leaders within their respective organizations. And finally, we were very pleased at PHMI last summer to host a series of lunch presentations given by leaders within Partners, including James Mongan, Tom Lee, and John Glaser. More than just important gestures helping our team to feel welcome in the Partners family, these lunch hour events helped those at PHMI less familiar with Partners begin to understand what is unique and powerful about Partners and how our new affiliation can benefit our programs and our clients.

2.  PHMI continues to draw upon faculty from Harvard Medical School and the rest of the University for its programs. What does our relationship with Partners HealthCare add to the mix?

Dr. Jeon: When we were Harvard Medical International, our ability to draw upon the faculty from HMS and its affiliated teaching hospitals was based in large part on personal and professional relationships. This led, for example, to strong relationships with many clinicians and administrators at all of the Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals, many of whom have become mainstays of some of our programmatic activities and have frequently gone the extra mile for our clients.

As a subsidiary of Partners, we have the opportunity to institutionalize our relationships and collaborations within the Partners system and create a sustainable model going forward to allow us to access the very best of what Partners provides while maintaining our relationships with faculty and staff at non-Partners institutions.

Another important advantage of our affiliation with Partners has to do with what a subset of our clients aspire to become. Wockhardt Hospitals Limited in India and Acibadem Healthcare Group in Turkey, just two examples, have become more sophisticated and grown into multi-hospital systems. As they work to meet the challenges that come with network development and growth, naturally it makes sense to tap the expertise at Partners, which has set the standard for regional health care delivery networks.

3.  Many of PHMI’s clients have said that they view our organization as a coach or mentor. We’ve written a lot about our how our programs provide a platform for mentoring relationships that are physician-to-physician, nurse-to-nurse, or educator-to-educator. What kind of mentorship occurs at the executive leadership level, and how do you view your role in that?

Dr. Jeon: Over the last four or five years we have been increasingly asked to engage in the development of health care management and provide mentoring or tutoring at the executive/administrative level. There is a global shortage of administrators experienced in the practice of managing large health care systems, networks, and sophisticated tertiary care teaching hospitals. The majority of that experience resides with administrators in the United States. Certainly over the course of our organization’s history many of our relationships have resulted in—and depended in large part on—close professional collaborations with the leaders of our client organizations. These collaborations are becoming more formalized. One way to state what we do is to say that PHMI is focused on institution-building. For us this means not only hospitals and schools but also the people that work in them. 

4.  Despite the economic turbulence that currently exists in many parts of the world, there is tremendous demand for PHMI’s services and expertise. What criteria do you use to determine which initiatives to pursue?

Dr. Jeon: The ideal PHMI client is one whose goals are aligned with our mission to transform health care delivery, whether their aim is to be a regional change leader or develop a new model. Fundamentally, we work with organizations that demonstrate a commitment to good business practices and have sufficient resources, including adequate funding and human resources, to ensure the conceptualization and execution of the project for the long term. A viable business plan and a view to creating sustainable value is critical.

5.  What do enjoy most about working at Partners Harvard Medical International?

Dr. Jeon: I derive gratification on two fronts. One is the very exciting opportunity to participate in the creation of transformative medical education and health care delivery systems around the world. That work exposes me to people from very different cultural and socioeconomic contexts, which constantly expands my horizons and knowledge of the world. Then there is the privilege of working with a group of extremely dedicated, hard working, and very bright individuals at PHMI who share our mission to transform health care delivery globally. Their loyalty and commitment during what was at times a rather uncertain transition has sustained me through the challenge of leading the organization.