Around 4,100 employees, faculty, staff, and students from the George Washington University (GW) clinical partners – the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), GW Hospital, and the GW Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) – streamed through food lines for burgers and hot dogs and posed with colorful props for photos at the Second Annual One GW Celebration on Sept. 12.
“The One GW picnic is a chance to celebrate the partnerships of the GW clinical enterprise,” explained Kimberly Russo, MBA, MS, chief executive officer and managing director of GW Hospital. “At this event, academicians, employees, and providers are able to come together and further foster relationships. Each day, the teamwork of individuals across the enterprise helps us fulfill our shared mission to provide the highest quality health care.”
In support of that mission, Thomas LeBlanc, PhD, GW’s new president, attended the event, along with Russo, Robert Kelly, MD, chief executive officer of the MFA, and Jeffrey S. Akman, MD ’81, RESD ’85, vice president for health affairs, Walter A. Bloedorn Professor of Administrative Medicine, and dean of SMHS.
“Our entire health care mission is really a partnership,” LeBlanc said, “and together we can make a huge difference in our community.”
One GW, which aligns the three entities under one brand, allows for a strong collaborative relationship, exemplified by the September event. “The OneGW event showcases our unity as a medical enterprise and celebrates the many people who make it possible each day to take care of our patients, educate the next generation healthcare professionals, and stay at the forefront of scientific discovery,” said Kelly. “We look forward to the food and fellowship at this event every year.”
The trio of institutions has seen success since the 2016 alignment: the GW Cancer Center has expanded, the GW Transplant Center has marked a milestone of 100 kidney transplants, and all three have earned accolades, awards, and certifications for ground-breaking research and clinical care.
“This event recognizes the members of the community responsible for our culture of excellence,” said Akman, “and celebrating their collective contributions makes us all proud.”
