BIDMC honors two in The Partnership
Posted 2/11/2011
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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has honored two employees with their selection as participants in The Partnership, Inc., a year-long leadership program to facilitate career growth and networking for professionals of color in greater Boston.
Daniel Ibañez, Administrative Director of Cardiovascular Medicine, is being sponsored in the Fellows Program, and Astrid Joseph, Lead Administrator of the Institutional Review Board, is being sponsored in the Associates Program. Both are designed to help participants build upon a foundation of skills to advance their careers.
Ibañez, who joined BIDMC in 2008, oversees budgets, operations and regulatory compliance for a busy ambulatory center that sees more than 20,000 patient visits each year.
"Daniel is the quintessential professional in all his dealings. He's a hard worker and has demonstrated strength in project planning," said Joanne Casella, Chief Administrative Officer in the Department of Medicine who nominated Ibañez. "I am delighted to be taking this partnership journey with Daniel because I know he is eager and able to take advantage of any and all opportunities that come his way."
Ibañez's father passed away in the Philippines before he was born. With a strong commitment from his mother to ensure he and his sister attended good schools, Ibañez went on to complete two masters degrees, one in International Finance from Fordham University on full scholarship, and a second masters degree in Public Administration from New York University.
Ibañez came to BIDMC from New York where he started his medical career as a Practice Coordinator/Clinical Session Assistant in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He previously worked at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center as a Senior Financial Analyst in the Department of Psychiatry. He then became the Associate Director of the Department of Neurological Surgery.
Immediately before relocating to Boston, Ibañez worked as a consultant for New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation's Harlem Hospital Center - leading a four person team hired to guide the hospital's environmental efforts in a multi-year, multi-million dollar modernization project.
"My efforts and accomplishments stem from my passion and belief that service excellence and academic healthcare require strong administrative support and business leadership," said Ibañez. "I hope to cultivate partnerships in this program to promote and further BIDMC's clinical, research and educational endeavors."
Ibañez was joined at the Feb. 7 event honoring the Partnership participants by his wife, Esther Lopez, Executive Director of Children's Hospital Boston's Martha Eliot Health Center and a 2010 Partnership alum. "As you can see," said Ibañez "I don't have to look far for inspiration."
In 2003, Joseph made a bold career risk, shifting her sights from technology to the medical field. The risk paid off when she was hired as a Protocol Coordinator for BIDMC's Committee on Clinical Investigations (CCI)/Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is responsible for reviewing all medical center-proposed research projects involving people to ensure that the rights of research participants are protected.
"Astrid is unfailingly committed to our primary mission, which is to protect human subjects," said Mary Williams, Director of IRB Operations who nominated Joseph. "Her job takes a lot of finesse and savvy and her ability to approach a situation calmly and thoughtfully has enabled her to defuse situations before they could escalate. She's always looking for ways to make things better."
Joseph was promoted to lead IRB Administrator in 2005, a supervisory position where she screens new protocols submitted for review and serves as a liaison between the research community and IRB committee members. "It's a delicate dance," said Joseph. "My role requires that I create an environment in which science, federal guidelines and department procedures are properly interpreted.
In 2007 Joseph became a voting member of the Committee on Clinical Investigations at the medical center and she is also part of BIDMC's emergency preparedness program as an active volunteer on the hazardous materials team.
"I'm honored to be able to be selected for the program and I'm looking forward to this year," said Joseph. "I aspire to maximize my potential and better understand what it truly means to be an effective leader and inspire others to change."
Since 1987, The Partnership has worked with more than 250 regional institutions to more effectively attract, develop and retain multicultural professionals. The Partnership's programs involve peer mentorship, interactive discussion, hands-on learning, networking, personal brand evaluation, and small group discussions that cross industry, racial, cultural and ethnic lines.
BIDMC has been a sponsoring organization since 1990, sending 35 professionals through the Partnership program.
During the ceremony, Eric Buehrens, Interim President and CEO, recalled his own experience, moving to Boston in 1968 at age 14 and later witnessing the height of Boston's busing battles first hand. He congratulated Ibañez and Joseph for being selected for such an important program that reflects just how much things have changed in Boston.
"Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is proud to be a sponsor of The Partnership, Inc," said Buehrens, "and we recognize that there is still a long way to go."
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