ACP is delighted to introduce our incoming ACP President, Dr. Robert McLean, and our incoming Chair of the Board of Regents, Dr. Douglas M. DeLong. Read on to learn about who they are, where they're from, their careers and their hobbies.
Incoming ACP President
Robert McLean, M.D., FACP
Practicing rheumatologist and Medical Director of Clinical Quality with Northeast Medical Group of Yale New Haven Health; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine
— MEDICAL SCHOOL —
University of Maryland School of Medicine, ‘88
— RESIDENCE —
Woodbridge, CT
Background
1. I was born and raised in… Born in Chapel Hill, NC, while my father was in dental school at UNC, then grew up in Potomac, MD, in the Washington, DC, suburbs.
2. As a child I was… a typical first-born—bossy over my younger sister, and I was a true child of the 70s (I loved music and movies especially) but fortunately still spent enough time reading and playing sports that my brain didn't rot.
3. I decided to be a doctor… because I was always interested in science in school, but also loved the social interaction a medical career seemed to involve.
4. The person(s) who influenced me the most… to go into internal medicine was Dr. Ted Woodward, a legend at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who taught Intro to Clinical Medicine to the first-years, interviewing patients in front of a lecture hall and showing how “patients will usually lead you to the diagnosis, if you let them.” He handed out the Francis Peabody lecture “The Care of the Patient,” which I still have. Dr. Woodward was a teacher and internist role-model extraordinaire.
Career
5. I chose internal medicine because… it combined the intellectual rigor of complex organ system conditions, with the curiosity needed to be a good detective, with the emotional satisfaction of helping patients both with short-term illnesses and with long-term chronic disease management.
6. What I find most rewarding about my career is… the variety my daily activities. I was practicing both primary care medicine and rheumatology for more than 20 years, seeing patients in my office and having the opportunity to teach students and residents in an ambulatory setting. Then in recent years I was lured into some administrative work in the areas of quality and safety. It is a fascinating challenge to combine my medical knowledge with strategy and thinking about change management, at all levels, from the individual behavior of doctors and patients to the various large systems in which we operate.
7. I joined ACP because… I was initially attracted to advocacy early in my career, starting with scope of practice issues in my state of Connecticut and soon after furthered with attendance at my first ACP Leadership Day in DC more than 20 years ago. ACP has become my professional home, allowing me to step out of my practice situation and deal with much larger issues impacting our profession as well as how to improve our health care delivery system for our patients. It has always made me see a bigger picture of health care delivery, and provided me the opportunity to develop a larger sense of purpose.
8. An award or achievement I am proud of is… receiving the ACP's “Key Contact of the Year” Award in 2006, now called the Richard Neubauer Advocacy Award. Being recognized for advocacy by an organization like the ACP was a tremendous honor. Having the opportunity to carry that further as ACP President will be a thrill.
9. My advice to medical students is… look at the big picture when choosing a specialty. The field must be something that will interest you for many years. But realize that turns (and bumps) along the road are inevitable and embrace opportunities as they arise.
Personal
William, and wife Cathy pose for a family selfie
on vacation in Colmar, France last December.
10. I like people who… are honest, compassionate, and hard-working.
11. My family includes… a wonderful wife who tolerates my foibles and keeps me inspired every day, two sons who keep me humble both intellectually and in athletic endeavors, and my parents and a sister who showed me the wonderful value of laughter and humor.
12. My interests/hobbies are… reading non-fiction including history of medicine (nerdy about details, per my family), travel to interesting places and the geography that entails, skiing with my sons, golf when I have the chance, and movie and music trivia.
13. If I had the time, I would like to learn… to play the guitar.
14. I enjoy listening to… music from 70s and 80s, as well various types of blues and jazz.
15. I enjoy watching… movies (though not enough time) and live sports, especially tennis and squash (sports my sons played).
16. My idea of a great vacation is… touring historic places as well as seeing beautiful natural scenery with my family.
17. Something others may not know about me is… I developed a problematic habit as a kid of liking to collect things (business cards, beer cans, ski mountain patches) that my wife now considers a bit pathologic.
18. If I could be anything other than a physician I would be… tour guide at a sports hall of fame (or the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, per my sons), or maybe a brewmaster.
19. A person I greatly admire is/was… someone who endured hardship yet appreciated humanity and envisioned a higher purpose, Nelson Mandela.
Incoming Chair, Board of Regents
Douglas M. DeLong, MD, FACP
Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, NY
— MEDICAL SCHOOL —
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
— RESIDENCE —
Roseboom, NY, but we spend much of our time at our 250-acre farm nearby
Background
1. I was born and raised in… born in Philadelphia but grew up in Federal Way, WA, between Seattle and Tacoma.
2. As a child I was… always outside playing sports.
3. I decided to be a doctor… because of Dr. Robert Lundeen (“Dr. Bob”) our family physician.
4. The person(s) who influenced me the most… my parents for their unflagging support [financial and otherwise] of my education and for having confidence in me even when it was not necessarily deserved.
Career
5. I chose internal medicine because… in medical school the internists were regarded in the highest esteem–the best and the brightest.
6. What I find most rewarding about my career is… sitting in the room with long-term patients chatting during the routine rhythm of the physical exam, or sitting at the bedside holding a hand.
7. I joined ACP because… I was asked to by a respected colleague, Joe Mazza, of the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin.
8. An award or achievement I am proud of is… the “Coach Of The Year Award” presented to me by the ACP Board Of Governors after my term as chair.
9. My advice to medical students is… Life is short. Listen to your heart. [Alternatively: Gilda Radner wrote a brilliant limerick “Doctors Are Whippersnappers.” It's taped to my computer screen. Look it up!]
Personal
the ruins of a castle in the Languedoc region
of southern France during a trip last year.
10. I like people who… read voraciously and are broad minded.
11. My family includes… my ever-supportive wife, Lynn, three adult children, and four grandkids [with one on the way], and Lena, the world's best dog.
12. My interests/hobbies are… cross-country skiing, travel, reading.
13. If I had the time, I would like to learn… French [this time have it actually stick].
14. I enjoy listening to… my car radio presets: real jazz, Grateful Dead, symphony hall.
15. I enjoy watching… news and documentaries.
16. My idea of a great vacation is… cross-country skiing all day followed by a nice meal and a bottle red wine.
17. Something others may not know about me is… I interviewed to be the physician at the South Pole Station.
18. If I could be anything other than a physician I would be… an arborist.
19. A person I greatly admire is/was… Eleanor Roosevelt. I'm current reading a biography of her and she was a very impressive woman.
Back to the May 2019 issue of ACP IMpact
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