Taking a bold step forward, the University of Kentucky Department of Surgery established a new faculty position, director of well-being, and welcomed Glenda Mutinda, PhD, to fill that role. The director will work with department leadership across all divisions to usher in an innovative, visionary approach to clinical department management.
As the new director of well-being, Dr. Mutinda is charged with assisting faculty and division chiefs to implement a management culture that emphasizes mindfulness, optimized performance management, and organizational effectiveness that will translate into a greater sense of well-being and satisfaction among its providers and staff.
Dr. Mutinda will also support professional development and leadership opportunities for faculty and providers within the department of surgery, serving as a coach and expert in this developing field.
The inspiration for the creation of the new position came from the annual meeting of the Society of Surgical Chairs (SSC) in which Dr. William B. Inabnet III, the Johnston-Wright Endowed Professor and chair of surgery, listened to a presentation and discussion about a new leadership model from surgery department chair, Michael Marin, MD, and the department's wellness coach, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
"I was impressed with the ideas that were being presented. It was a philosophy that appeared to pair well with our own quality improvement efforts," Dr. Inabnet said.
He arranged to have the same presentation and discussion brought to the University of Kentucky for several of surgery's vice-chairs and division chiefs, particularly Eric Endean, MD, the department鈥檚 vice chair of well-being, and Jordan Miller, DO, associate vice chair for well-being. The response was very favorable, especially on Dr. Inabnet's suggestion to create the position.
Managing implementation of the more sweeping ideas and needs of the department and its clinical divisions really demanded a full-time commitment from a national expert in this particular field, Dr. Inabnet said.
"Surgeons have packed schedules and other pressing priorities to ensure the best patient care. The challenge of prioritizing well-being requires an 'everyday type of persistence,'" Dr. Miller agreed.
Dr. Glenda Mutinda has accepted the full-time role to translate evidence-based ideas for well-being management into action. 鈥淒r. Mutinda will give us the leadership and additional resources and help develop creative ways to implement these ideas,鈥 Dr. Endean said.
"Out of all the candidates we interviewed, I was most impressed with Dr. Mutinda and was glad when she accepted our offer. I envisioned the director's position as being a change agent for our department. The experience that she brings to this new faculty position will help us to evolve a more supportive management culture that will, over time, have a broad impact on our interactions with colleagues and with our patients," Dr. Inabnet said.
While the job position is new within surgery, the role is not new for Dr. Mutinda. Prior to coming to UK and Lexington, she served as Director of Interprofessional Well-Being at JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas for six years. She spearheaded strategic leadership and oversight of well-being curriculums for physician and nurse residents, led cross-departmental collaboration for well-being initiatives, and utilized data analytics to drive continuous improvement in those initiatives. She also pioneered a network-wide suicide prevention training and a Second Victims'/Peer Support program.
Dr. Mutinda earned her doctorate from East Carolina University in Medical Family Therapy. She also completed a fellowship in the field at St. Mary's Family Medicine Residency Program.