The Dyad Model of Leadership in Healthcare

Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva leverages his nearly three decades of experience working in pediatric medicine to inform his work as senior vice president and chief clinical officer for Nicklaus Children’s Health System. Overseeing all hospital operations, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva works in tandem with the president of the organization in what is called a dyad model of leadership.

A popular leadership strategy in the healthcare field, the dyad model pairs up both clinicians and non-clinicians (in a hospital setting, usually administrators) to take advantage of both skillsets. For hospitals and other healthcare situations, complex challenges are a daily struggle. Leadership methods that take advantage of different perspectives to arrive at a useful model for all involved are usually viewed with approval.

For most healthcare systems adopting a dyad model, a respected leader from among the physicians is paired to work in a close partnership with an administrator that has a history of success. In some situations, these dyad models exist down the leadership chain, going from the very top of the hospital down to lower levels as well. Communication is key for this setup to work; partners must be able to respect different viewpoints and acknowledge differences in skills and background for the partnerships to be effective.

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s New President and CEO

Holding a Juris doctor in addition to his medical degree, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has been a leading voice in pediatric medicine for more than two decades. He currently serves as the senior vice president and chief clinical officer at Nicklaus Children’s Health System in Miami, Florida.

In January 2020, the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital announced the appointment of Matthew A. Love to serve as the facility’s new president and chief executive officer. Mr. Love holds an MBA from Cleveland State University and began with the hospital as its chief financial officer in October 2018. He had most recently served as the interim president and CEO for 6 months. He brings over two decades of both adult and pediatric health care management experience to the table in his permanent role as head of the facility.

Speaking about the appointment, Mr. Love said he looks forward to working very closely with all of the hospital’s devoted health care staff. High levels of trust and cooperation are what he believes will continue to set Nicklaus apart as a leading provider of pediatric health care in the region.

MetaECHO 2019

 

MetaECHO 2019
Image: echo.unm.edu

As the associate executive director and medical director of quality initiatives for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has spearheaded initiatives such as the creation of the AAP Quality Division. An active member of the field, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has given presentations and participated on panels for events such as the Project ECHO MetaECHO conference.

An initiative of the University of New Mexico, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) reimagines health care education and provision as a decentralized, demonopolized knowledge-sharing community. By connecting specialist medical educators with primary care providers across the world, Project ECHO hopes to expand specialty medical services to rural and underserved communities.

Each year, Project ECHO brings together members of the global ECHO community, including government officials, medical educators, global health experts, and other health care professionals, for its international MetaECHO conference. Over several days, attendees share ideas, discuss innovative uses of technology, and network in the service of the larger ECHO vision.

MetaECHO 2019 will take place March 13-16, 2019, at the Albuquerque Convention Center & Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition to seminars and presentations on topics such as ECHO and the opioid epidemic, ECHO and behavioral health, and methods for evaluating ECHO programs, conferees can attend keynote speeches by prominent figures such as Don Berwick, MD, president emeritus of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

To learn more about the conference, please visit echo.unm.edu/metaecho-2019-conference.

American Academy of Pediatrics Issues New Report on Military Children

 

Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva

A physician with a juris doctor and advanced degrees in business, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has worked in the health care field for over three decades. Since 2012, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has served as associate executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

A recent report issued by AAP provides updated recommendations for physicians who care for children of military families. The report, which appears in the January 2019 issue of the journal Pediatrics, updates 2013 guidelines that identify best practices for meeting the physical and mental health needs of military children who receive care in both military and civilian medical centers.

According to the report, military children move geographic locations as frequently as every two years. Research has shown that these frequent moves can lead to an increase in mental health encounters and emergency department visits. Studies have also shown that some military children are at higher risk of maltreatment and substance abuse.

To better support military children, the recent AAP report recommends that physicians work closely with military programs and community-based resources that help families of deployed service members. The report also recommends that physicians establish clinical processes within their own practices to identify military children and document their parents’ deployment and mental health histories. More information about the report and other recent work from AAP is available at www.aap.org.

AAP and the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units

Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units
Image: aap.org

Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva works as a pediatrics professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin in tandem with his role as associate executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). At AAP, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has led initiatives in a number of areas, including environmental health.

For more than six decades, AAP has been addressing pediatric environmental health issues such as lead poisoning and water and air pollution. Over the years, the organization has expanded its efforts to focus on other topics, including the health effects of mold, BPA and PCB exposure, and climate change.

Today, AAP works in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency, and American College of Medical Toxicology to oversee a national network of Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs). The North American PEHSU network helps health care providers, parents, government agencies, and community organizations protect children and adolescents from environmental hazards.

For its part, AAP establishes and supports PEHSUs in federal regions 1-5, which cover the eastern United States from Wisconsin and Mississippi to Florida, Virginia, Maine, and other states in between. In addition to addressing questions regarding the health impacts of various environmental factors, AAP and PEHSUs across the country provide guidance during natural disasters, health news events, and community hearings.

AAP Studies Marijuana Use by Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers

 

Marijuana Use
Image: webmd.com

Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has spent the past 30 years serving in leadership and research roles at institutions throughout the country. In his current position, he serves as executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the leading organization behind some of the most important research and advances in pediatric care.

A recent report issued by AAP urges continued research into the effects of marijuana use on childhood development. With more states legalizing the drug for recreational use, research indicates that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)–the mind-altering chemical found in marijuana–is transmitted to the fetus through the placenta and present in breastmilk as well. These facts are particularly germane given research that indicates women are using marijuana more and more to deal with the effects of morning sickness.

Researchers have found that THC can have a negative effect on neurotransmitters that are responsible for developing networks of nerve cells in children. More research is needed to study the overall effects of marijuana on childhood development, but even so, the AAP says that women should refrain from using the drug while pregnant or breastfeeding.

AAP Recommends Flu Shots

 

Flu Shots
Image: webmd.com

A distinguished pediatric professional with more than three decades of experience, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva serves as associate executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In this role, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva helps support policy initiatives and oversees education outreach efforts.

The AAP recently recommended that children over the age of six months get the flu shot. The severity of the 2017-2018 flu season saw the most pediatric deaths in recent memory. Vaccination remains the most effective method of preventing the flu, a disease that can have a devastating effect on even healthy children. The vaccine also provides “herd immunity,” in that it protects immunocompromised children who, for one reason or another, can’t receive the vaccine.

Nasal sprays are also an option, though in recent years they have not been as effective against the A/H1N1 strain of the infection. In the interest of having the most people vaccinated, the AAP and the Centers for Disease Control support the use of nasal sprays, but still urge the shot as the most comprehensive form of vaccination.

To read the AAP’s recommendations in full, visit pediatrics.aappublications.org.

2017 MetaECHO Conference Brought Together Health Policy Experts

 

MetaECHO
Image: echo.unm.edu

With several decades of experience working in health care, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva serves as the director of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Department of Dubspecialty Pediatrics. Oftentimes asked to participate in panel discussions, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva attended the international meeting for MetaECHO in New Mexico in April 2016.

Project ECHO, which stands for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, strives to strengthen best practice care for underserved people across the globe. Launched in 2003, it began as a way to meet local health care needs and has spread its mission to reach global proportions. Today, it boasts more than 130 hubs that attend to more than 65 diseases in 23 countries.

Each year, MetaECHO brings together health policy experts, academic leaders, and government officials to determine how to spread Project ECHO’s mission. The 2017 event saw more than 650 leaders in attendance during the four-day conference, which occurred from September 13 through 16 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They listened to a variety of panel discussions, some of which focused on pain management, type-1 diabetes, and mobilizing the ECHO model in cancer. Together, they hope to reach 1 billion lives by 2025.

Helping Babies Breathe Provides Newborn Resuscitation Training

 

Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva

Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva teaches pediatrics to medical students, residents, and fellows at the Medical College of Wisconsin and serves as the associate executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Under Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva’s leadership, AAP provides professional education through its Division of Life Support Programs. Available life support programs include Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), a neonatal resuscitation course for limited-resource environments.

HBB guides pediatric professionals in the initial steps of neonatal resuscitation as outlined by The Golden Minute, HBB’s key concept. Babies should be breathing on their own or with ventilation assistance within one minute of birth. The Golden Minute describes the steps attendants must take to evaluate newborn babies and stimulate breathing within those critical 60 seconds. According to Pediatrics, the official journal of the AAP, the neonatal resuscitation techniques taught by HBB reduce mortality by up to 47 percent and fresh stillbirths by 24 percent.

Because techniques and principles taught by HBB are designed to meet the specific needs of limited-resource environments, Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification does not necessarily qualify an individual for HBB training and cannot serve as a substitution for HBB training. Additionally, the HBB curriculum uses a different educational methodology and incorporates mentorship and quality-improvement components.

Childhood Opioid Addiction Research Presented at AAP Meeting

 

AAP Meeting
Image: aap.org

An alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva also has also gone on to earn several other postgraduate degrees, including an MBA from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health, and a juris doctor from Marquette University Law School. For the past five years, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has served as the associate executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

At the recent AAP National Conference in Chicago, researchers presented alarming new statistics about opioid dependency among children in the United States. According to the data, each day more than 100 children arriving in emergency rooms nationwide test positive for opioid dependency or addiction. Researchers looked at data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample database over a five-year period, from 2008-2013. They noted that in the final year of the study nearly 50,000 people under 21 reported to emergency rooms and were diagnosed with opioid addiction, up more than 17,000 from 2008.

One of the study’s authors, Veerajalandhar Allareddy, MD, MBA, said the average ER diagnoses 135 children with an opioid addiction each day. He hopes the data will push key stakeholders to develop programs and resources to help fight the growing epidemic.