LEWES, Delaware – The first four resident physicians in the first town of the first state donned Beebe Healthcare white coats for the first time on July 13 as the healthcare system celebrated the start of its Family Medicine Residency program with a ceremony at the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing.

It was a historic moment in Beebe’s 107-year history.

“You can see the future of healthcare in Sussex County on days like this – Beebe Healthcare is growing its own physicians to serve the rapidly growing population of Sussex County,” said David A. Tam, MD, MBA, CPHE, FACHE, President & CEO, Beebe Healthcare. “Beebe is wholly invested in serving Sussex County and that means bringing more physicians to care for the people here.”

The R. Randall Rollins Center for Medical Education also welcomed its second cohort of medical students from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). These core clinical students will be doing rotations in Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Obstetrics, and Gynecology.

Undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education make up the three areas of the R. Randall Rollins Center for Medical Education at Beebe Healthcare. Thursday’s ceremony capped a multi-year journey that began in 2019.

“I’m so proud of everyone who has made this day possible here at Beebe and also the support from our community,” said Joyce Robert, MD, Founding Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency. “These resident physicians are so excited to be here and be a part of Team Beebe and the Sussex County community.”

Beebe’s first class of residents includes:

• Harrison Eckert, DO, who is from Orefield, Pennsylvania and completed medical school at PCOM.
• Monica Javadian, MD, who is from Aarhus, Denmark and Northern Virginia, and completed medical school at the American University of the Caribbean.
• Sofia Perez Delgado, DO, who is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Tampa Bay, Florida, and also graduated from PCOM.
• Jacob Valvis, DO, who is from Hockessin and Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from PCOM.

The residency program will give these physicians a place to call home as they fulfill their educational requirements and pursue invaluable experiential learning opportunities in the clinical environment.

In tandem, it will offer tremendous benefits to the people of Sussex County who rely on Beebe for their care. Once fully staffed, the Family Medicine Residency will facilitate a minimum of 7,000 additional primary care appointments for our patients. This translates to increased access to timely care for people with a wide range of medical issues and needs.

“As a physician in this community for more than 25 years, I’m so proud to be a part of this monumental moment for Beebe Healthcare,” said Jeffrey Hawtof, MD, Director of Medical Education at Beebe Healthcare. “On average, 50 percent of medical residents choose to remain in the communities where they train, long-term. This creates a powerful system of continuity in care for those we serve, and who depend on primary care providers over the course of their lifetimes.”

Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness and restore optimal health for the people who live in, work in and visit the communities it serves. Beebe Healthcare has three campuses: the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus, which houses the medical center; the Rehoboth Health Campus; and the South Coastal Health Campus. Beebe Healthcare offers primary care as well as specialized services in the areas of cardiovascular, oncology, orthopaedics, general surgery, robotic surgery and women’s health. Beebe also offers walk-in care, lab, imaging and physical rehabilitation services at several locations throughout Sussex County, in addition to a home health program and a comprehensive community health program.

Additional information about the R. Randall Rollins Center for Medical Education’s programs are at beebehealthcare.org/medical-education.

Presentation of $78 million gift from the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation to Nemours Children’s Health.

As one of the most significant donations ever made to a U.S. children’s hospital, this generous gift helps propel Nemours Children’s ongoing efforts to improve both the outcome and the experience of care for children with cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood disorders.

Wilmington, DE – Nemours Children’s Health announced today a $78 million donation from the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation of Wilmington, Delaware to fund new and innovative research programs and to dramatically expand Nemours Children’s capacity to provide clinical care for children with cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood disorders. The announcement was made in the unfinished, fifth-floor shell space at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware that will now become a new inpatient unit to be known as the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health.

“I would like to express profound gratitude from all of Nemours to the Moseley Foundation for this generous gift to Delaware’s children. The new Moseley Foundation Institute will positively influence pediatric cancer and blood disorder care worldwide,” said Nemours Children’s Health President and CEO R. Lawrence Moss, MD. “Philanthropy of this magnitude allows us to transform our ability to improve the lives of children with cancer and blood disorders such as sickle cell disease. This gift will help us to provide better care and patient experience today, to conduct research that will improve tomorrow’s care, and to take concrete actions to ensure every child receives optimal care regardless of race or economic circumstances.”

“We are proud to partner with Nemours Children’s Health to champion innovative research and clinical care for kids with cancer and blood disorders,” said William J. Martin, Esq., President of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation. “Every child deserves the brightest future possible, and we are honored that Lisa’s legacy will allow Nemours to continue to make a profound impact on the children in Delaware and throughout the region, and in particular to help patients with diseases that have been long overlooked and underfunded, such as those afflicted with sickle cell disease.”

The $78 million gift, payable over 10 years, will allow Nemours to further its existing world-class capabilities and services to support and improve the health of Delaware’s children, which is aligned with Alfred I. duPont’s philanthropic vision and the funding of the Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust.

Every dollar of the $78 million donation will be used to make immediate and long-term impacts on pediatric cancer and blood disorder treatment and research. The new initiatives include:

• Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health: The state-of-the-art, family-oriented Moseley Foundation Institute will accommodate the growing number of children seeking Nemours’ care, together with their siblings and parents. Along with the addition of 48 inpatient beds, the new space will feature isolation areas to protect immunocompromised patients, a dedicated medication room, expanded comprehensive clinic and infusion room capacity, and supportive care services. The center will overlook the beautiful gardens of Nemours Estate, with extraordinary views and design that promotes healing and recovery.
• Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Presidential Endowed Chair for Institute Director: A Presidential Endowed Chair will be named to support the inaugural Moseley Foundation Institute director’s work in pediatric patient care, research and other high priority areas.
• Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Endowed Chair for Sickle Cell Disease: In 2021, Nemours received a $10.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to support the Delaware Comprehensive Sickle Cell Research Program. The five-year award from the NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) supports clinical, translational, and psychosocial research in sickle cell disease. The Moseley Foundation Endowed Chair for Sickle Cell Disease will further this work by conducting and overseeing sickle cell disease research and clinical care. The chair will also focus on reducing disparities in access to care since this disease disproportionately impacts minority communities.
• Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute Endowed Laureate Program: The Moseley Foundation Institute will create an annual research goal Request for Proposals (RFP) focused on cancer and blood disorders research. A Scientific Review Board convened by the Moseley Foundation Institute will review these proposals, with a focus on engaging and funding leading global research teams from a variety of disciplines both inside and outside of traditional laboratory research.
• Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation International Symposium: The symposium, to be held every other year, will showcase the Moseley Foundation Institute’s researchers’ accomplishments, and allow top international researchers and scholars to learn from and collaborate with one another to improve care.

“Progress in the care and outcomes for children with cancer and blood disorders has been dependent on innovative research,” said Edward Anders Kolb, MD, Director of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health. “Nemours is committed to developing new treatment options to promote better outcomes for pediatric patients and their families. This momentous gift will allow Nemours to further improve our facility and bring together the best and brightest minds dedicated to this cause.”

Nemours Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (NCCBD) is a leader in cancer and blood disorder care and has achieved many accolades since its inception 30 years ago, including, but not limited to:

• Developing two fully accredited transplant and cellular therapy programs supporting children with cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood disorders;
• Securing the designation as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program, ranked second nationwide in enrolling children in NCI-funded trials;
• Achieving a three-fold increase in the number of patients identified to have cancer predisposition syndrome by Nemours’ Cancer Genetics Program. This program provides fully integrated and advanced molecular diagnostics for children with a personal or family history of cancer.
• Conducting active Nemours investigator-initiated research projects in sickle cell disease that focus on novel diagnostic tools, research approaches, and intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of racism and stigma on disease management.

To learn more about how this gift will impact the future of care for kids with cancer and blood disorders, please visit: www.nemours.org/moseleyinstitute.

About Nemours Children’s Health

Nemours Children’s Health is one of the nation’s largest multistate pediatric health systems, which includes two free-standing children’s hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children’s seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also caring for the health of the whole child beyond medicine. Nemours Children’s also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.

The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families and communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.

About the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation

Based in Wilmington, Delaware, the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports basic medical and scientific research. The Foundation generally accomplishes these goals by collaborating with and funding research and clinical programs undertaken by highly qualified organizations such as Nemours Children’s Health, the American Cancer Society, the Helen Graham Cancer Center, and the Cleveland Clinic (among many other research institutions supported by previous grants made by the Foundation).

The Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation strives to support groundbreaking research and clinical programs with the goal of improving outcomes and saving patient lives.

Randy Gaboriault, ChristianaCare’s chief digital and information officer and senior vice president, accepts the award.

(WILMINGTON, Del) – ChristianaCare has earned the Transformational Leadership Award for excelling in its development and deployment of transformational information technology that improves the delivery of care and streamlines administrative services.

Presented by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the American Hospital Association, the award is jointly bestowed to Janice Nevin, M.D., MPH, ChristianaCare’s president and CEO, and Randy Gaboriault, MS, MBA, ChristianaCare’s chief digital and information officer and senior vice president.

“Their trailblazing commitment to rapid transformation has set an example for the entire industry in how to pursue a leadership vision with determination, brilliant planning and courage to overcome all challenges,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell.

Under the leadership of Nevin and Gaboriault, ChristianaCare has created and deployed new organizational, digital capabilities for both patient and caregiver. Using voice-enabled technology, ChristianaCare HomeHealth patients can interact with an internally developed Alexa capability to guide them through their personalized daily therapy regimens. Similarly, ChristianaCare recently launched the ability for in-house postpartum patients to use an Amazon Echo device to ask questions, request help or communicate with their care team. Taking voice and digital capabilities further, in February 2022, ChristianaCare deployed an innovative tool called Moxi, a collaborative robot – or “cobot” – that can assist in the hospital by making deliveries and performing other non-clinical tasks so that nurses and other clinical caregivers can spend more time focused on what they do best: caring for patients.

“Randy is a phenomenal leader, with a relentless focus on creating a culture of innovation for impact, solving for the most complex problems and delivering significantly improved outcomes,” Nevin said. “His work has made ChristianaCare a model for how transformative technology can help to create health so that every person can flourish.”

ChristianaCare continues to be recognized for leading innovation in the health care industry. The organization was recently recognized by CHIME’s Most Wired program with Performance Excellence Awards in its acute and ambulatory categories. That level is reserved only for organizations that are considered leaders in health care technology who “actively push the industry forward” and are “realizing meaningful outcomes, including improved quality of care, improved patient experience, reduced costs and broader patient access to healthcare services.”

“Under Dr. Nevin’s extraordinary leadership, we have made an intentional commitment to placing technology at the center of all our initiatives to enable our caregivers to best serve our patients,” Gaboriault said. “That commitment, reinforced by our organization’s core behavior to continuously look for new ways to innovate, means that we are able to introduce and leverage robotic nursing assistants in a way that drives meaningful value for both patients and providers. And because our caregivers embrace change, we are confident that we will be using our cobots to assume more tasks in the future, and enable our nurses to devote even more of their precious time to direct patient care.”

About ChristianaCare

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,430 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as the 2nd best health system for diversity and inclusion, and the 29th best health system to work for in the United States, and by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation’s Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is rated by Healthgrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals and continually ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and other national quality ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.

LEWES, Del. – David A. Tam, MD, MBA, CPHE, FACHE, President & CEO of Beebe Healthcare, was awarded the Delaware Healthcare Association’s American Hospital Association Grassroots Champion Award at the 25th Annual Delaware Healthcare Forum, which was held virtually on October 28.

The Grassroot Champion Award recognizes those hospital leaders who most effectively educate elected officials on how major issues affect the hospital’s vital role in the community, who have done an exemplary job in broadening the base of community support for the hospital and who are tireless advocates for hospitals and their patients.

Delaware Healthcare Association President & CEO Wayne Smith presented Dr. Tam with the award during the virtual forum. Smith noted that Dr. Tam became the President & CEO of Beebe Healthcare just as COVID-19 was hitting the state of Delaware.

“Your willingness to fully engage your community, your patients, your employees, and policymakers has been tireless and inspiring,” Smith noted. “You have displayed tremendous leadership on behalf of your health system and Delaware hospitals in the midst of the pandemic.”

Dr. Tam, who presented the ACHE Regents Award during the forum, was very thankful for the honor.

“It’s been a privilege to come to Sussex County and Delaware and become a part of this community and Beebe Healthcare during such a challenging time,” said Dr. Tam. “Thank you to all who have welcomed me and my family. There is a lot of great healthcare being provided in Delaware but there is more to do. You can expect Beebe to lead the way for Sussex County.”

Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health for the people who live in, work in, and visit the communities we serve. Beebe Healthcare has three campuses: the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus, which houses the medical center; the Rehoboth Health Campus; and the South Coastal Health Campus. Beebe Healthcare offers primary care as well as specialized services in the areas of cardiovascular, oncology, orthopaedics, general surgery, robotic surgery and women’s health. Beebe also offers walk-in care, lab, imaging and physical rehabilitation services at several locations throughout Sussex County, in addition to a home health program and a comprehensive community health program.

For more information about Beebe Healthcare, visit beebehealthcare.org.