People in the News/Awards -- October

Kameron Matthews, M.D., J.D., acting deputy undersecretary for health for community care in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, was one of three physicians selected for the 2018 class of National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Fellows.

Matthews was named the James C. Puffer, M.D./American Board of Family Medicine Fellow. She received the fellowship based on her professional qualifications, accomplishments and expertise in the field of family medicine. The two-year fellowship gives Matthews the opportunity to network with prominent researchers, health policy experts and clinicians across the country, and to help develop evidence-based guidance to policymakers, health care administrators and other leaders in the field.

The NAM also announced the election of three AAFP members to the Academy during its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. They are:

• Robert Ferrer, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. John M. Smith Jr. professor and vice chair for research, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio;
  
• Alexander Krist, M.D., M.P.H., professor, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond; and
  
• Kara Odom Walker, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.H.S., cabinet secretary, Delaware Department of Health and Human Services, New Castle.

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, M.D., has named Greg Lakin, D.O., J.D., of Wichita, to serve as the state's Central Authority on Substance Use. In this position Lakin will be responsible for coordinating relevant state agencies in their ongoing efforts to battle opioid and substance use disorders.

Colyer announced in early October that his administration would spearhead a coordinated statewide effort to address substance use disorder prevention and treatment in response to news that several state agencies in Kansas would be receiving about $30 million in federal grant money for this purpose. Lakin will oversee that effort.

"We have an opportunity to help people struggling with addiction," Lakin said in a press release. "By working together on this issue on a statewide and individual level, we will see successful outcomes. It will take the combined efforts of state agencies, stakeholders and communities. I appreciate the governor allowing me to lead this crucial effort."

Lakin currently serves as the chief medical officer for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Earlier this year, he chaired the governor's Substance Use Disorder Task Force. He also serves on the Kansas Prescription Drug and Opioid Advisory Committee.

Finally, the Department of Family Medicine at East Tennessee State University, which operates clinics in Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport, has received the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's (HIMSS') Davies Award of Excellence. The award recognizes the department's efforts to lower hospital admission and readmission rates and improve transitional care management and care delivery.

"We are so honored to receive this recognition for the work we have accomplished in patient-centered care through health information technology," said Julie Montgomery, the department's clinical quality data manager. "Our investment in compassionate and efficient care through effective communication skills and standardized processes has led us to excellence in collaboration and innovation. We are making a difference in the quality of care we provide to our patients."

The department will be honored at the 2019 HIMSS Global Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., in February.