NYAPATI R. RAO, MD, MS, CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AT THE NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, APPOINTED CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER FOR THE NUHEALTH SYSTEM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2009
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
NYAPATI R. RAO, MD, MS, CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AT THE NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, APPOINTED CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER FOR THE NUHEALTH SYSTEM
Nationally recognized leader in graduate medical education has been a leader in NuHealth’s successful efforts to improve medical education
East Meadow, New York …Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, announced the appointment of Nyapati R. Rao, MD, MS, chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Nassau University Medical Center as chief academic officer for the NuHealth System.
Gianelli praised Dr. Rao for his involvement and dedication to the advancement of graduate medical education: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Rao, our chair of psychiatry as the chief academic officer for the NuHealth System, where he will lead NuHealth’s successful efforts to improve medical education for our residents and students. He will chair the graduate medical education committee, working closely with Dr. Kay Lane, our dean and designated institutional officer to enhance the various educational programs for our 300 residents and several hundred medical students.”
Steven J. Walerstein, MD, FACP, executive vice president for medical affairs for the NuHealth System also added his congratulations and said: “We are indeed fortunate that Dr. Rao, a nationally recognized leader in graduate medical education, will assume this new and important post in addition to his role as chair of the psychiatry department. Our residents and students will indeed be the beneficiaries of his long standing commitment to the furtherance of graduate medical education.”
Dr. Rao was recruited by the Nassau University Medical Center from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he was director of psychiatric residency training and professor of clinical psychiatry. After graduating from Kurnool Medical College in India, Dr. Rao completed his residency training in psychiatry at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center and obtained a Masters of Science from the Robert Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with added qualifications in geriatric psychiatry. He is the author of several papers concerning psychiatry education, and his work in improving the education of
international medical graduates are recognized nationally. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, and a Member of the American College of Psychiatrists. Dr. Rao was the recipient of the George Tarjan Award from the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Rao is also a Senior Examiner of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and an Associate Editor of the American Psychiatric Publishing Incorporated. He has chaired the Council on Medical Education for the American Psychiatric Association and various committees in other national professional organizations. His interests lie in cultural psychiatry, psychiatric workforce issues, and quality of clinical care.
“I am honored to be appointed to the important position of the chief academic officer of the NuHealth System at a critical time when GME is undergoing resurgence at NUMC. In addition, in the area of undergraduate medical education, we have started a major relationship with American University of the Caribbean and are about to start one with Hofstra,a brand new medical school, in very close proximity to our hospital. These are exhilarating developments for a medical educator. I intend to play key role in collaboration with our new DIO in carrying out our Institution’s strategic agenda with regard to medical education. I will focus on new educational initiatives such as faculty development, and provision of comprehensive education to our trainees that includes emphasis on such “orphan topics” in curricula as cultural competence, professionalism and ethics, risk management and evidence-based medicine. I appreciate very much the confidence reposed in me by Mr. Gianelli and Dr. Walerstein and hope to live up to their expectations,” stated Dr. Rao.
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
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