When Michael Dowling joined Northwell Health as executive vice president and chief operating officer in 1996, he’d already spent time on the policy side of healthcare. But it was his personal experiences that truly inspired what would become Northwell’s mission: a fully-integrated healthcare system that would provide better health outcomes for all New Yorkers.
In his recently published memoir, After the Roof Caved In, Dowling writes passionately about his childhood in a small rural village in Limerick County, Ireland. While desperately poor, Dowling grew up respecting education and hard work while witnessing how those who had so little could still offer so much. These are lessons he brought with him to Fordham University, where he completed his graduate degree, and later served as assistant dean and professor of social policy. But it was when he became President and CEO of Northwell after serving for two administrations in Albany that Dowling got his chance to fulfill his vision.
"Northwell," he writes in After the Roof Caved In, “would be capable of providing all of a patient’s medical needs from birth to death—primary and specialty care of all kinds, including world-class care for stroke, heart disease, cancer, mental health, and more.”
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How an Integrated Health System is Uniquely Prepared to Care for Cancer Patients before, During and After their Cancer Diagnosis
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The success of Northwell’s integrated system can be seen throughout its 830 outpatient facilities, 220 primary care practices, 52 urgent care centers, and 23 hospitals. But perhaps the best example of how an integrated healthcare system can save lives is in cancer treatment.
“Cancer does not exist in a vacuum,” says Richard Barakat, MD, Northwell Health Cancer Institute’s Physician-in-Chief and Director of Cancer. “Comorbidities and cancer are inextricably linked.”
Comorbidities—like cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes—and cancer often converge in a single patient, especially as we age. These comorbidities can present serious challenges to a patient’s cancer treatment. For example, how chemo interacts with other medications
a patient may be taking for other chronic conditions requires the close coordination of multiple experts. With an integrated system, all the specialists are working within the same system with access to the same medical files. At Northwell, there’s no confusion when transferring your medical records or diagnostic imaging and no life-threatening wait times due to miscommunication between medical facilities. At Northwell, everything a patient needs is close by and accessible. That integrated system is why Northwell is a leader in cancer patient care.
“What I love about Northwell,” says Dr. Barakat, “is that we take care of all our patient’s needs and their entire journey. Patient navigation is key. The therapies that save lives are not without side effects, so we need to pay close attention to which therapy affects which comorbidity. Our critical mission is getting patients referred to the right doctors in a timely manner. With an integrated system, it doesn’t matter where you are location-wise in the system, as we all have access to the same medical records.”
CONTINUED LEARNING
With communication, expertise, and a variety of treatments all conveniently available, an integrated system has been proven to produce better results for patients. Other advantages of treating cancer in an integrated system include helping women with cancer preserve their fertility while exploring other options for starting a family, providing cardio-oncologists who can work with patients before, during, and after treatment to prevent, minimize, or manage any impact on their heart, and offering a full range of behavioral healthcare services (both inpatient and outpatient), including onco-psychologists who help patients through what’s often the hardest challenge of their lives.
But an integrated system doesn’t stop at treating cancer. Northwell Health is also dedicated to research.
“Cancer research has reached an exciting new paradigm,” Dr. Barakat says. “Our research has led to the realization that cancers are heterogenous, meaning that not all cancers are the same. The technology for cloning the human genome allows us to sequence tumors too. So, instead of treating all cancer patients the same, we use precision medicine, targeting therapies at the individual patient’s mutations, instead of what general type of cancer they have.”
Northwell is conscious that previous clinical trials were not equitable along socio-economic lines. As someone who worked extensively on overhauling New York’s welfare system, Michael Dowling has made changing the way healthcare research is conducted a priority.
“Northwell is dedicated to more equitable research trials,” Dr. Barakat explains. “We take care of the most ethnically diverse population in the US. If you’re really going to treat cancer, it is not enough to focus on the same patients who have traditionally enjoyed access to clinical trials. We’re increasing access across our entire patient population, so that we can get approvals for better drugs based on better, more equitable trials.”
Northwell’s integrated system means better research, better care, and better outcomes for cancer patients.
“What I love about Northwell, is that we take care of all our patient’s needs and their entire journey. Patient navigation is key.”
It’s Time to Remove the Stigma Behind Postpartum Depression
Up to 20 percent of all women giving birth will develop postpartum depression, with a percentage experiencing moderate to severe PPD.
It’s Time to Remove the Stigma Behind Postpartum Depression
Up to 20 percent of all women giving birth will develop postpartum depression, with a percentage experiencing moderate to severe PPD.
SIDE-BY-SIDE: A CELEBRATION OF SERVICE
“Now I see the value of the work I do every day for the greater good,” says Sean, “and it finally feels like I’ve found my new mission. My new purpose.”
The field of nursing contains a multitude of specializations. From critical care to emergency, nursing allows you to discover your passion and effect real-world changes in people’s lives. Northwell President and CEO sees nursing as a crucial nexus of where healthcare policy meets patient care and consistently praises nurses for this vital role. Nursing combines compassion with science and perseverance. It’s tough work but rewarding; nurses are true healthcare heroes working tirelessly behind the scenes to deliver compassionate care. It’s also a field the NY Department of Labor cites as an in-demand job. Whether you’re experienced or just getting started, Northwell Health is ready to help you take the next step in your nursing career.
As the COVID-19 vaccinations have shown us, medical research is more important now than ever before. New technologies and fields of science, like bioelectronic medicine (BEM), signal a brighter future for the treatment and eradication of disease.
BEM is an emerging scientific field that combines molecular medicine, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering to develop innovative therapies to treat a variety of diseases and conditions through targeted stimulation of nerves, including paralysis, arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, and inflammatory bowel disease. There have been some exciting developments in BEM, including the development of the first long-term chronic stimulator helping in lab research and the discovery of the role a set of neurons play in the brain to control inflammation in the body.
While there is great progress being made today, we’ll need the innovators of tomorrow to propel the science even further and Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is committed to finding them. One way in doing that is Northwell’s Innovation Challenge, which recently awarded $1.3 million to four employee-driven projects that have the potential to transform the future of medicine.
PCR test is now a household term, but it wasn’t too long ago that laboratory science was far from top of mind. Testing has been a key component both today and in the past. Now, Northwell Health is leading the way to make pandemic preparedness a global issue, and laboratory science is a key component of the plan—in fact, Northwell has the largest, not-for-profit health system reference lab in the region. In his book, Leading Through a Pandemic, Michael Dowling makes a variety of recommendations going forward to help the world prepare for the inevitable: the next pandemic. Having a global system of laboratories—of which Northwell’s research facilities would be a part—to identify new pathogens in real-time through testing will be crucial if we are to succeed in preventing another catastrophe.
Northwell is looking for the next generation of laboratory professionals to help mitigate the possible negative consequences of the next pandemic and to continue to provide the necessary information that helps inform a physician’s diagnosis. That means general lab technologists, cytologists, microbiologists, hematologists, pathologists, and phlebotomists are all needed.
Hiring and caring for the best and brightest employees is the mission of an effective Human Resources department. In his book Leading Through a Pandemic, Dowling speaks extensively about caring for employees, the struggles they faced during a once-in-a-century crisis and how employees are the most valuable resource to a leader in health care like Northwell. As predictive data analysis based on staffing needs is balanced with ever-changing labor laws, Northwell needs qualified HR professionals who can expertly navigate compliance, benefits, employee experience, talent acquisition and compensation to ensure Northwell’s position as a leader. Individuals who are dedicated to listening to the people of the organization, building its culture with a commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and meeting career growth and professional development is as fulfilling as it gets.
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Rather than attempting to deal with such individual inequities, Northwell is taking large-scale action
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Women make up over half the population, and yet their unique health experiences are consistently lumped in with men’s.
Human Resources
Hiring and caring for the best and brightest employees is the mission of an effective Human Resources department. In his book Leading Through a Pandemic, Dowling speaks extensively about caring for employees, the struggles they faced during a once-in-a-century crisis and how employees are the most valuable resource to a leader in health care like Northwell. As predictive data analysis based on staffing needs is balanced with ever-changing labor laws, Northwell needs qualified HR professionals who can expertly navigate compliance, benefits, employee experience, talent acquisition and compensation to ensure Northwell’s position as a leader. Individuals who are dedicated to listening to the people of the organization, building its culture with a commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and meeting career growth and professional development is as fulfilling as it gets.
Laboratory Science
PCR test is now a household term, but it wasn’t too long ago that laboratory science was far from top of mind. Testing has been a key component both today and in the past. Now, Northwell Health is leading the way to make pandemic preparedness a global issue, and laboratory science is a key component of the plan—in fact, Northwell has the largest, not-for-profit health system reference lab in the region. In his book, Leading Through a Pandemic, Michael Dowling makes a variety of recommendations going forward to help the world prepare for the inevitable: the next pandemic. Having a global system of laboratories—of which Northwell’s research facilities would be a part—to identify new pathogens in real-time through testing will be crucial if we are to succeed in preventing another catastrophe.
Northwell is looking for the next generation of laboratory professionals to help mitigate the possible negative consequences of the next pandemic and to continue to provide the necessary information that helps inform a physician’s diagnosis. That means general lab technologists, cytologists, microbiologists, hematologists, pathologists, and phlebotomists are all needed.
Clinical Care Professionals
The need for skilled professionals who are dedicated to delivering patient care will continue to be an ongoing need, particularly with professionals who perform diagnostic imaging exams and respiratory therapists. CT, ECHO, ultrasound, MRI, mammogram — all these life-saving diagnostic tools begin with a dedicated technician. As we recover from the pandemic, patient demand for these exams has skyrocketed, causing a labor shortage in the world of diagnostic imaging.
Respiratory therapists are leading this surge, helping people who suffer from chronic respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis and emphysema breathe easier. Respiratory therapists, who are critical in caring for patients with COVID-19, also assist people who’ve had heart attacks or who have sleep disorders, as well as infants who are born prematurely and may need therapy to help them breathe. Clinical care is often the first line in the defense against chronic and serious health issues. And because demand is only expected to rise, a career in imaging, respiratory therapy or other clinical care roles can be a boon for those looking for a steadier future.
Medical Research
As the COVID-19 vaccinations have shown us, medical research is more important now than ever before. New technologies and fields of science, like bioelectronic medicine (BEM), signal a brighter future for the treatment and eradication of disease.
BEM is an emerging scientific field that combines molecular medicine, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering to develop innovative therapies to treat a variety of diseases and conditions through targeted stimulation of nerves, including paralysis, arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, and inflammatory bowel disease. There have been some exciting developments in BEM, including the development of the first long-term chronic stimulator helping in lab research and the discovery of the role a set of neurons play in the brain to control inflammation in the body.
While there is great progress being made today, we’ll need the innovators of tomorrow to propel the science even further and Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is committed to finding them. One way in doing that is Northwell’s Innovation Challenge, which recently awarded $1.3 million to four employee-driven projects that have the potential to transform the future of medicine.
“At Northwell, you become a survivor the day you’re diagnosed,” says Dr. Catherine Alfano, Deputy Director, Center for Personalized Health, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Survivorship matters to Dr. Alfano. Previously, she was the vice president of survivorship at the American Cancer Society. Now, as the vice president of cancer care management and research for the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Dr. Alfano’s mission aligns with Dowling’s: developing an integrated, high-quality cancer survivorship program that focuses on patients’ long-term health and well-being, from initial diagnosis to monitoring patients and coordinating comprehensive care with the goal of optimizing outcomes.
One way Northwell optimizes outcomes is by encouraging the population it serves to embrace preventative healthcare measures, like getting routine cancer screenings and changing lifestyle choices to healthier habits.
“The fact is most cancers can be prevented. But a lot of the population we serve don’t get screened. Northwell is trying to increase access to screening in these areas,” says Dr. Barakat. “The fear we have is that cancer will become a second casualty of COVID because of the decrease in screenings. In the next decade, the American Cancer Association estimates there will be 10,000 additional deaths due to breast and colorectal cancer tumors because of avoidance of screening.”
“Screening saves lives,” he stresses. “Please get back to annual screenings.”
While Michael Dowling’s beloved mother died from colon cancer once it spread to her bones, there are now highly specialized screenings for colon cancer that have reduced mortality rates by over 50 percent. An integrated system like Northwell’s helps make these life-saving screenings possible.
To learn more about Northwell Health Cancer Institute, visit Northwell.edu/cancer-institute.
2021 Career Outlook
New opportunities have never felt more possible as many of us rethink our career and life goals. At Northwell Health, President and CEO Michael Dowling, an immigrant from a poor family, knows how important it is to seize an opportunity when it comes. He also knows the value of hard work, which is reflected in Northwell’s commitment to and recognition of its employees. While dedicated to improving the lives of millions each year, Northwell never loses sight of its employees and their career aspirations — a Northwell career is a career well cared for. That’s why Northwell Health is number 19 on the prestigious Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work® For list.
As New York’s largest private employer and healthcare provider, Northwell Health encourages you to explore new opportunities in one of these in-demand fields.
Nursing
The field of nursing contains a multitude of specializations. From critical care to emergency, nursing allows you to discover your passion and effect real-world changes in people’s lives. Northwell President and CEO sees nursing as a crucial nexus of where healthcare policy meets patient care and consistently praises nurses for this vital role. Nursing combines compassion with science and perseverance. It’s tough work but rewarding; nurses are true healthcare heroes working tirelessly behind the scenes to deliver compassionate care. It’s also a field the NY Department of Labor cites as an in-demand job. Whether you’re experienced or just getting started, Northwell Health is ready to help you take the next step in your nursing career.
The success of Northwell’s integrated system can be seen throughout its 830 outpatient facilities, 220 primary care practices, 52 urgent care centers, and 23 hospitals. But perhaps the best example of how an integrated healthcare system can save lives is in cancer treatment.
“Cancer does not exist in a vacuum,” says Dr. Richard Barakat, MD, Northwell Health Cancer Institute’s Physician-in-Chief and Director of Cancer. “Comorbidities and cancer are inextricably linked.”
With communication, expertise, and a variety of treatments all conveniently available, an integrated system has been proven to produce better results for patients. Other advantages of treating cancer in an integrated system include helping women with cancer preserve their fertility while exploring other options for starting a family, providing cardio-oncologists who can work with patients before, during, and after treatment to prevent, minimize, or manage any impact on their heart, and offering a full range of behavioral healthcare services (both inpatient and outpatient), including onco-psychologists who help patients through what’s often the hardest challenge of their lives.
But an integrated system doesn’t stop at treating cancer. Northwell Health is also dedicated to research.
“Cancer research has reached an exciting new paradigm,” Dr. Barakat says. “Our research has led to the realization that cancers are heterogenous, meaning that not all cancers are the same. The technology for cloning the human genome allows us to sequence tumors too. So, instead of treating all cancer patients the same, we use precision medicine, targeting therapies at the individual patient’s mutations, instead of what general type of cancer they have.”
Northwell is conscious that previous clinical trials were not equitable along socio-economic lines. As someone who worked extensively on overhauling New York’s welfare system, Michael Dowling has made changing the way healthcare research is conducted a priority.
“Northwell is dedicated to more equitable research trials,” Dr. Barakat explains. “We take care of the most ethnically diverse population in the US. If you’re really going to treat cancer, it is not enough to focus on the same patients who have traditionally enjoyed access to clinical trials. We’re increasing access across our entire patient population, so that we can get approvals for better drugs based on better, more equitable trials.”
Northwell’s integrated system means better research, better care, and better outcomes for cancer patients.
Richard Barakat, MD
Why Northwell Health Has Been Awarded a Fortune 100 Best Company to Work For® Two Years Running
Rather than attempting to deal with such individual inequities, Northwell is taking large-scale action
"Northwell," he writes in After the Roof Caved In, “would be capable of providing all of a patient’s medical needs from birth to death—primary and specialty care of all kinds, including world-class care for stroke, heart disease, cancer, mental health, and more.”
The success of Northwell’s integrated system can be seen throughout its 830 outpatient facilities, 220 primary care practices, 52 urgent care centers, and 23 hospitals. But perhaps the best example of how an integrated healthcare system can save lives is in cancer treatment.
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"After the Roof Caved In" on Cancer Research
"After the Roof Caved In" on Women's Health
VIEW BOOK ONLINE