UHS Chief of Medicine Takes Over

The year-long wait for a new chief of medicine at University Health Services (UHS) will end Monday when Christopher M. Coley takes over the position.

Coley said his duties as chief of medicine will include "overseeing the actual clinical care, making sure physicians deliver quality care and developing a quantitative way to measure the quality of care."

Coley will be an able leader, said UHS Director David S. Rosenthal '59.

"This [new position] gives him more opportunity to lead," Rosenthal said. "[He's] very interested in access to health care and educating the community about preventative health care."

Coley said he already has plans for doing so. "I'm really excited," he said. "I hope UHS will play a greater role in the teaching of medical studies."

To reach this goal, Coley said he plans to implement many new ideas, including "integrating the health ed[ucation] department, being more strongly linked with physicians and primary care-given and [starting] a preventative care program."

Coley said he believes strongly in the need for increased student awareness and instructive preventative measures on topics such as smoking, sexually transmitted diseases and alcohol.

He said he also hopes to build a teaching program in which medical students serve as co-physicians with their own panel of patients.

"This will give them a chance to work with senior physicians," Coley said.

Coley said he also looks forward to implementing connections between the medical school and area hospitals.

"I think [my position] will be a good opportunity for linkage with the Brigham and Women's Hospital [and to a lesser extent] with Mass[achusetts] General Hospital," he said.

Coley said that although the bulk of his ideas deal with graduate rather than undergraduate students, he will "be involved with one of the houses [to] get involved with undergraduate mentorting."

According to Coley, he will continue to work a half-day each week for the Massachusetts General Hospital but will spend 85 to 90 percent of his time at UHS. He will see patients at UHS a half-day once or twice a week.

Coley comes to UHS from the General Internal Medical Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. He will replace Maureen Lynch, former acting chief and chief of pediatrics, who will now only be in charge of pediatrics.

A graduate of Yale College, Coley received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. About his pending return, Coley said, "I feel like I've never really left, actually. I've always had a lot of contracts, both personally and professionally, within the medical school."