Warren Wacker Wants Feedback About UHS

The next time you use the University Health Services (UHS) walk-in clinic, Dr. Warren E. C. Wacker, the new UHS director, may examine you.

The Board of Overseers gave final approval yesterday to Wacker as Dr. Dana L. Farnsworth's successor, effective July 1. When he takes over, or possibly beforehand, he will devote some time to UHS clinical duties.

"I don't know of any better way to find out what's going on," Wacker said. "It's different for me than for Dr. Farnsworth. He developed a whole service. I'm coming into an on-going service."

In addition to working at the walk-in clinic one session per week, Wacker said he will make rounds in Stillman Infirmary a few mornings each week when he begins his directorship.

"I want to find out what is currently being done in terms of facilities and people," he said. "If you're going to change it [UHS], you have to know what you're changing."

"UHS performs a reasonably good service now, and it has a good reputation among college health services. I don't envision any drastic changes, not immediately." he said.

Wacker said he wants to get as much feedback as possible about UHS. "I suspect I can find this out more from the consumers than the providers," he added.

Wacker, 47, is a specialist in internal medicine and has been associated with the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (PBBH) since 1953. He has integrated research and clinical work in his career, which he said has "a scientific orientation, to a large degree."

For nine years, Wacker worked part-time in a clinic to treat alcoholics, where his primary task was to "establish some sort of confidence with the patient."

As an associate professor of Medicine, Wacker teaches part of the "Introduction to Clinic"-the Medical School's equivalent to a General Education requirement at the College. For the past two and one-half years, he has directed PBBH's house staff committee of interns and residents-a post involving a great deal of contact with recent medical school graduates.

While Wacker was interviewed yesterday afternoon in the PBBH Biophysics Laboratory, where he has studied the application of biochemistry to clinical medicine, President Pusey met privately with the chiefs of the various departments of UHS, to discuss Wacker's appointment.

Earlier in the day. Wacker had spent more than two hours with Farnsworth. Although Wacker is well acquainted with the UHS outpost at the Medical School, he said, "Today was my first visit ever to the Harvard Health Services [in Cambridge]."

Expand to Dependents

Wacker said he is excited about the possibility of expanding UHS's coverage to dependents of faculty and employees, and looks forward to testing its feasibility.

He emphasized the importance of preventive medicine and mentioned the possibilities of UHS's "disseminating the facts about cigarettes," educating the Harvard community about the use of seatbelts, and undertaking massive screening efforts to uncover specific diseases such as diabetes.

Wacker said that "contraception should be available to anybody who wants it." He pointed out that the Massachusetts Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional the current State law restricting contraception distribution. The Mass, Attorney General, however, has appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"If the Supreme Court reverses the decision." Wacker said. "it's a new ball game."

Wacker said his goal is to provide "very efficient care at lesser cost. with the complete satisfaction of the people cared for. In the process. I hope to make a contribution to health care in general." he said.