As the new chief of staff at The University of Toledo Medical Center, Dr. Thomas A. Schwann is focused on empowering the staff to provide outstanding university-quality care while working to streamline operational processes to maximize their effectiveness.
Schwann
“My hope is to reorient the institutional focus on the most important resource, which is our talented medical staff, and to ensure that the system functions effectively to support the mission and goals of our team,” Schwann said. “That means simplifying policies and procedures, and eliminating those that unnecessarily and unintentionally impede effectiveness, efficiency and quality of the medical staff. Simultaneously, we will continue to concentrate on altruism and professionalism in all of our daily activities. The goal is to provide our patients with safe, compassionate and effective care.”
Because multiple studies have documented that quality and patient satisfaction are enhanced with the increasing personal and professional fulfillment and satisfaction of the health-care provider, it becomes important to take these simple measures that will impact medical staff positively, Schwann said.
“We have an excellent medical staff that is talented and compassionate, and my goal is to work closely with our administration to ensure that they are well resourced to meet their professional obligations.”
Board-certified in cardiothoracic surgery, Schwann is a graduate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and he completed residency and fellowship programs at Yale University. He has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Columbia University and a master of business administration degree from UT.
Schwann has been associated with the institution since 1999 and joined UTMC full time in 2009. He previously held chief of cardiothoracic surgery positions at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn., St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee and St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American College of Cardiology and American College of Chest Physicians, as well as a member of the American College of Physician Executives, American College of Healthcare Executives, Society of Thoracic Surgery, European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons and the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery.
