PROVIDENCE – “This program is a pure gem,” said a surveyor from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Standards, describing Women & Infants Hospital’s program in Women’s Oncology and Breast Health Center.
The program was recently awarded a three-year full accreditation, with commendation, following a site visit in September 2010. It was cited for its experienced staff and leadership, support teams, and integrative care. The Breast Health Center received eight commendations.
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“I am greatly impressed by the well-focused, multiple-campus, multidisciplinary breast conference and the case complexity, discussions and care plan integration,” the surveyor said, according to the news release.
In an unrelated move, Dr. Joanna M. Cain, chief of the Department of Obstretics and Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital and dean of the Women’s Health Programs at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, abruptly resigned from her job the last week in December 2010. No reasons were given for the resignation.
Cain had risen to national prominence during her years at the Oregon Health & Science University, where she chaired the department of obstetrics and gynecology from 2001 until 2008. Cain, who grew up in a small Yakima Valley farming town, is renowned for her efforts to improve medical care for women, particularly in underserved rural communities, and for her work on cancer prevention, medical ethics, and curriculum development, according to The Oregonian.
A number of local nurses, doctors and colleagues said that they were baffled by the decision.
In an internal announcement sent to staff on behalf of Women & Infants President and CEO Constance Howes, it said: “As she leaves us to pursue opportunities in international women’s health, we extend to Dr. Cain our deep appreciation for all her efforts advancing the department’s academic and clinical excellence.”
Cain was the principal investigator working with Vinita Goyal who was named, on Nov. 1, 2010, the Women’s Reproductive Health Research scholar at Women & Infants Hospital, researching the gaps in the provisions of women’s health care, particularly on the availability for contraception for female military veterans. “The Women’s Reproductive Health Research scholars program is an incubator that allows these brilliant young doctors to push their ideas in the hopes of improving lives for women,” Dr. Cain said when Goyal was chosen as scholar.
While a search for a successor takes place, Women & Infants has named Maureen G. Phipps as the interim chair of the Obstretics and Gynecology department, according to hospital officials. Phipps is currently the vice chair of research in that department and an associate professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. Phipps will also serve as interim chair of the Department of Obstretics and Gynecology at the medical school.
