History of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center, part 2.

From the Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Corresponding author: W. Mark Armstrong, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75246. THE EMMETT ERA Upon Dr. John Fordtran’s retirement in 1995, a national search was organized to find the next chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC). There were many strong applicants from the institution, the city, and the nation. Eventually, Dr. Michael Emmett was felt to be the best candidate to lead BUMC’s internists (Figure 1). Dr. Emmett had been a practicing nephrologist at BUMC since 1976, and in 1986 he became chief of the division of nephrology, medical director of the Ruth Collins Diabetes Center, and the Ralph Tompsett Professor of Medicine at BUMC. He had served as president of the medical staff in 1994 and chairman of the medical board in 1995 and therefore had an understanding of how the hospital functioned and had developed a cordial working relationship with the administration. Dr. Emmett was a popular choice among the various internal medicine groups. He is recognized as an outstanding clinician who has a strong interest in medical education. He has practiced in a clinical setting and therefore is aware of the problems confronting private practitioners. He was a popular choice with the housestaff as well, who have acknowledged his teaching abilities by bestowing several teaching awards upon him. Because he had been at BUMC for many years and was a good friend of Dr. Fordtran, the transition of chiefs went very smoothly. Dr. Emmett’s primary interest in being chief of medicine is continued improvement of the educational programs at BUMC. He has a hands-on approach, participating in morning report, serving as an attending physician for the medicine ward teams, attending the daily noon conferences, and giving many lectures throughout the year. He continues to conduct one of the daily conferences for the third-year medical students, and he gives many of the noon conference lectures himself. He does not limit his lectures to nephrology but is able to lecture on a wide variety of subjects. He is sought out by other local hospitals and by national organizations to present his lectures at conferences and continuing medical education seminars. Dr. Emmett has also been very interested in bringing physicians to BUMC who are engaged in meaningful research. He is particularly proud of the recent additions of Drs. Richard Boland, Paul Grayburn, and Gary Davis. Dr. Emmett has worked to maintain harmony not only within the internal medicine department but also throughout the hospital. His national reputation is reflected in his selection as a master in the American College of Physicians. He has served on the committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine that is responsible for writing the nephrology certifying examination (the board exam). As a further manifestation of his national reputation, he was chosen as a vice president for professional education of the National Kidney Foundation. This role allows him to interact with the most prominent clinical nephrologists in the nation, and the position adds further luster to BUMC and the medical residency program.