istrator, Dr. Vinci has spent his BMC (formerly Boston City Hospital). His roles have spanned resident, chief resident, chief of the Emergency Department, program director for res- idency training, and vice chair and now chair of the Department of Pediatrics. "It doesn't feel like work," says Dr. Vinci. "I love being part of an educational institution." Exception." It is a mission that Dr. Vinci shares. "Boston City Hospital municipal institution with a special mission to care for the underserved," he says. "I love that concept. The com- munity has grown and changed, and the hospital has changed along with it, but the challenges are much the same, and its commitment to patients is as strong as ever." and successive waves of immigrants, says Dr. Vinci. "Many variables con- tribute to their challenges in accessing health care--including language, liter- acy, housing, and education. All of the underserved have one or more of these issues." tious diseases, BMC, is a longtime col- league, who interviewed Dr. Vinci for an internship in 1980. "Bob has taken on the challenge of guiding an urban department of pediatrics to meet the needs of today's medicine," he says. "We provide care for an underserved, predominantly minority community that requires education and wrap- around services to meet the needs of their children's health issues. He has expanded the services we offer to include a larger focus on food allergy and on palliative medicine for children. And he has begun a project that will in- tegrate mental health services into pri- mary care, a service that will be critical for improving outcomes, such as school achievement, in our community." fessor and chair, Department of Medical School, was a fellow at Boston City Hospital when Dr. Vinci was a young resident. "He stood out in the program," she recalls. "He was intellectually curious, an excellent doc- tor, and collaborative--a team player." |