August 8, 2016

The Department of Internal Medicine is pleased to announce that Kimberly S. Staffey, MD, has accepted the position of Vice Chair for Clinical Programs for the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Staffey will work closely with Dr. E. Dale Abel, Department Chair and DEO, to provide visionary oversight, leadership, and direction for the development, growth, and management of the Department’s clinical programs. This will involve management of the Department’s quality assurance and improvement efforts, including ensuring patient safety and meeting or exceeding performance expectations. Dr. Staffey will also be responsible for strategic planning and advising in a wide range of mission-critical Department-wide clinical activities from recruitment to mentoring to community outreach.

Dr. Staffey is a Clinical Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Radiology. She obtained her MD from the University of Illinois and completed her internship and residency at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Staffey was a Fellow in Cardiology at the University of Iowa and returned to this institution in 2010. She has distinguished herself since as the Medical Director of Inpatient Cardiovascular Medicine Services, the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, and the Central Monitoring Unit. Dr. Staffey recently completed the Master of Science in Health Care Delivery at Dartmouth College with a concentration in finance, leadership, and health care quality improvement—training that will likely prove invaluable in her new role. In the past year, Dr. Staffey was appointed the Associate Chief Quality Officer and Director of Adult Inpatient Quality and Safety and became the Medical Care Branch Director of the UIHC Incident Management Team. In each of these roles, Dr. Staffey has demonstrated an attention to detail and an effective ability for leading multidisciplinary teams through complex process evaluations and improvements.

The Department is confident that Dr. Staffey will uphold the high standards for excellence established by Dr. Karl Thomas in his role as Clinical Vice Chair and anticipate that her leadership and management skills will help guide us to new levels of achievement. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Staffey on her new role as Vice Chair for Clinical Programs.