Safford

Monika Safford, M.D. ’86, a clinician-investigator known for her patient-centered research on diabetes, cardiovascular disease and health disparities, has been named chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective Jan. 1, 2016.

Safford will apply her research background and clinical expertise to oversee the division, housed in the medical college’s Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine. This division unifies the outpatient and inpatient programs – Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates or WCIMA – and the hospitalist medicine division. Safford will focus on expanding the division’s burgeoning clinical research program, recruit top investigators and develop and mentor Weill Cornell faculty and students.

“Dr. Safford’s research enterprise, skill set and reputation will be tremendous assets to the Weill Department of Medicine,” said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Weill Chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Medical College and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. “Her work focuses on how to positively impact the quality, safety and overall care of patients. As a result, she will improve the patient experience here.”

Safford is a professor of medicine, an assistant dean for continuing medical education and the inaugural endowed professor in diabetes prevention and control at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, where she has worked since 2003. Among her more than 300 published studies are noteworthy investigations on an underserved and largely African-American region called the Alabama Black Belt, where two-thirds of adults are obese and many have diabetes, hypertension or other chronic conditions. Safford has studied how health coaches and other nontraditional interventions affect patient outcomes, and was recently awarded a $10 million grant by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to test two ways of improving the blood pressure of 2,000 people in the area.

“While it may seem like Alabama is a world away from New York City, when it comes to what people prioritize and want to know about their health, it’s remarkably similar,” said Safford, who was recruited as the John J. Kuiper Professor of Medicine. “The opportunity to return to Weill Cornell and develop a research program in partnership with academically focused clinicians is really exciting.”

The Weill Cornell outpatient program, led by Dr. Judy Tung, focuses on many issues Safford specializes in, such as preventive health care, treatment of acute and chronic illness and the coordination of care for those with complex diseases. The inpatient division, headed by Dr. Art Evans, provides comprehensive care to hospital patients while also overseeing specialized programs, including the Medicine-Physician’s Assistant Service and Integrative Medicine. Both are dedicated to the medical education of residents and students. Combining inpatient and outpatient services in the Division of General Internal Medicine will not affect the patient experience, as both programs will continue to operate as they do today, with Tung and Evans reporting to Safford, Choi said. Building the patient-centered research focus will ultimately improve patient safety, quality and overall care, he added.

One way that Safford plans to do that is by introducing a new Patient-Activated Learning System (PALS) within the next year. This computer-based system will offer information on disease conditions and medical tests that frequently is found in pamphlets, and instead present it within an easy-to-use, online or app-based format. Patients will be educated on their disease, what to expect from their inpatient and outpatient care providers, what a medical test will look and feel like, and why and how to properly take their medications. PALS also will provide physicians with an information system designed to facilitate shared decision-making.