by Luciana Starks
City of Hope employees crowded Cooper Auditorium last week for a City Forum to learn about the organization’s current status and future plans.
 Employees gather in Cooper Auditorium for a City Forum event to hear updates on City of Hope’s status. (Photo by Thomas Brown) |
Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer, delivered the update to more than 400 faculty and staff members during the Sept. 28 event. He credited faculty and staff for the organization’s successes and called for continued involvement from all personnel.
Friedman pointed out that, despite the country’s continued economic challenges and uncertainty with the nation’s health-care reform efforts, City of Hope remains well-positioned for its second century.
He noted various 2011 milestones including the June 1 launch of the City of Hope Medical Foundation, City of Hope’s improved ranking as 17th among cancer centers on U.S.News & World Report’s 2011–2012 list of best hospitals and the bone marrow transplant program’s 35th anniversary and 10,000th transplant.
Friedman’s list of organizational highlights also included completion of the Leslie & Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Diabetes & Genetic Research Center expansion, the opening of the new Outpatient Surgery Center and receipt of a $6.3 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine in support of stem cell research.
He introduced leaders of the City of Hope Medical Group board of directors as well as physicians who have been appointed to the Beckman Research Institute and medical center boards of directors. These appointments further the new City of Hope Medical Foundation’s goal of fully integrating physicians into City of Hope’s governance and operations, he said.
Friedman also introduced recent additions and changes to City of Hope’s leadership including the appointment of Robert Stone as president and executive officer of the City of Hope Medical Foundation.
Stone, who also is City of Hope’s chief strategy and administrative officer, shared an overview of the organization’s strategic planning process, which will launch this month. The comprehensive plan will encompass City of Hope’s strategy, vision and planning for the next five to 10 years and reflect input from across the organization.
Said Friedman, “This will be our collective strategic plan.”
Stone also gave an update on the medical foundation, noting that significant progress has been made and that dozens of physicians and staff members continue to work on initiatives aimed at ensuring the foundation’s success.
Friedman then provided an overview of City of Hope’s 2012 goals, which included continuing to enhance patient care, renewing the cancer center core grant, advancing City of Hope’s $1 billion Power of Hope capital campaign, strengthening alignment and enhancing our culture of collaboration among the organization’s diverse constituents, and implementing phase two of the City of Hope Information System and other information technology initiatives.
A video of the City Forum is available for viewing on the City of Hope intranet at www.coh.org/city-forum.
