40
COM Outlook . Winter 2015
“I have the best job in the
world,” he admitted. “I truly enjoy
waking up each day to do what I
do. While I wear a number of dif-
ferent hats reflecting involvement
internally, within the hospital, and
with external medical organiza-
tions, my
day
job is divided into
clinical, teaching, education, re-
search, and administrative roles.”
As president of Jackson Health
System’s medical staff, Dr. Lenchus
serves as the liaison between its 2,500
credentialed health care providers
and the chief executive officer for one
of the largest teaching health systems
in the United States. “This position
affords me unfettered access to the
department chairs and service chiefs
and provides me with some author-
ity to assist them in addressing issues
that require intervention,” said Dr.
Lenchus, who was recently reelected
as medical staff president. “It has ex-
ponentially improved the camarade-
rie with my more senior colleagues,
from whom I learn every day.”
In addition to his chief-of-staff
responsibilities, he serves as associ-
ate program director for Jackson’s
Internal Medicine Residency Pro-
gram and associate director of the
University of Miami–Jackson Me-
morial Hospital Center for Patient
Safety, where he is in charge of the
center’s daily operations. “Having
developed a crisis management sim-
ulation exercise some 10 years ago, I
quickly became fascinated with the
use of simulation and its applicabil-
ity to patient safety,” he explained.
“In 2007, we launched a simulation-
based invasive bedside procedural
curriculum, teaching learners how
to perform common procedures
using mannequins in a standard-
ized and formal manner. Some of
those trained form the nucleus of a
procedure team—a consult service
that can be called by anyone in the
hospital to perform a procedure.”
Now in its eighth year, the Center
for Patient Safety has trained more
than 1,500 people, received more
than 7,500 calls, and demonstrated a
significant improvement in the pro-
vision of patient safety care. Because
of its success, the center’s work has
been presented at local, state, and na-
tional conferences, published in peer-
reviewed medical journals, garnered
awards and external grant funding,
and allowed Dr. Lenchus to speak at,
as well as mentor, other institutions
across the country.
“Ultimately, the ability to affect
medical care for those whom you
do not directly serve is an amazing
responsibility—a concept imparted
upon me by one of my former chairs
of internal medicine,” he stated. “The
opportunity to change health care is
incredible. Mentoring and teaching
others round out the reasons why I
love my chosen profession.”
Although work responsibilities
monopolize much of his time, Dr.
Lenchus is extremely aware of the
importance of maintaining a healthy
work/life balance. Consequently,
spending time with his wife Debo-
rah, who he met during his fourth
year as an NSU-COM student, and
their four children—Isaac, Aaron,
Samuel, and Hannah—who range
in age from almost two to eight, is a
major priority. “Without their collec-
tive unwavering love and support, I
would not have been able to accom-
plish anything in my professional
“The lesson is that we are unstoppable if we have the drive, motivation, determination, persistence,
and fortitude. Glass ceilings are exactly that because they can be broken. Once someone else
achieves a position formerly thought impossible, others can follow. It is in this way that one person
can effect a tremendous change.” - Dr. Lechus talking about his philosophical approach to life
