Vincent Pompili, MD, stepped into the role of chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine in November. Although the Division of Cardiology was the historic name for the division, when Dr. Pompili accepted the position, it evolved to rename the division.
"What we have seen at academic centers throughout the country over the past 10 years, is the broadening of the name to the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine," Dr. Pompili said. "The name change goes along with what is already happening in the division – not only treating heart diseases but also vascular diseases. Likewise, this designation better matches our American Board of Internal Medicine subspecialty designation."
Dr. Pompili also accepted the role of Physician Executive Director of Cardiovascular Services for Nebraska Medicine. In this role, his ultimate goal is to create a pre-eminent heart and vascular institute that will unify the division of cardiovascular medicine, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery and translational cardiovascular research.
"Both from a Nebraska Medicine and a division standpoint, we are working on unifying our brand," Dr. Pompili said. "Slowly over the next few months, we are going to be sure that our marketing efforts and brand will be unified. Since we are a teaching institution, I think that needs to get out to our consumers, who are not only patients but also faculty and trainee recruits."
The goal over the next 12 to 18 months is to unify the brand, the processes and the policies and to take away the silos of healthcare around individual cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and vascular surgeons. Dr. Pompili envisions a disease-focused strategy of care that draws the patients into the center.
"This is a well-established model, in which cardiology, cardiovascular surgery and vascular really work together clinically," he said. "From a research perspective, the goal is to pull all of those things into one institute with a unified vision, unified capacity to seek philanthropy and unified organizational leadership and support structure.
An example he gave, is to create a unified cardiovascular translational research center, which would house all of the clinical trials in cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery that are currently siloed in different areas with different coordinators and different grant managers. He wants to see the creation of unified systems, streamlined through centralized services for translational research. He has the same vision for basic science research.
Dr. Pompili said the division had undergone staggering growth from both research and clinical demands. They are on target to recruit six to eight new faculty members by this summer in all subspecialties – electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, advanced heart failure and imaging.
The heart transplant program has performed 40 heart transplants this year. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR ) program has grown to one of the largest volumes in the country. The complex arrhythmia program and advanced imaging program are some of the best in Omaha, in the greater region and the country, according to Dr. Pompili.
It looks to him like Nebraska Medicine and the Cardiovascular Disease Division have a unique privilege and opportunity to be a leader in advanced cardiovascular care.
"As we grow and expand, we will need more space," Dr. Pompili said. "I think that with the completion of the Buffett Cancer Center, hopefully, next on the horizon will be the opportunity for us to make a footprint for cardiovascular disease with a Heart and Vascular Hospital. From a patient perspective, having co-localizing disease-focused practitioners in a common, branded space, will make a transformative difference for our program."
Lastly, he sees opportunities for an infusion of fresh ideas into the fellowship education program and the inpatient service structures, opportunities for developing models to support and retain their current faculty and opportunities for junior faculty development as a priority.
To learn more about Dr. Pompili's background click here.