SMD alumna retires after 20 years of dedication

Diane Hartmann ‘87M (MD) oversaw dramatic growth in School of Medicine and Dentistry residency programs

Diane Hartmann ‘87M (MD)

“Diane was never content just to meet the standard—she wanted to set the standard, and she did,” said SMD Dean Mark Taubman, MD. “She brought increasing structure and visibility to our programs. Her national profile and credibility was never more evident than when she led the effort that resulted in URMC being one of only a handful of institutions nationwide chosen to participate in the ACGME’s Pursuing Excellence initiative, which will help ensure the prestige of our programs for years to come.”

Under Hartmann, the number of accredited training positions for residents and fellows rose from 598 to 930. The number of ACGME-accredited residencies and fellowships rose from 49 to 93. Collaboration deepened between her office and our hospitals, as did an emphasis on wellness, quality, and safety.

“Our program has evolved with the times to remain a national leader,” Hartmann said. “We’ve worked quickly to adapt to changing technologies and incorporate them into our programs, to make wellness an essential part of our residency and fellowship experiences, and to remain on the cutting edge as education has shifted from time-based requirements to a greater—and very welcome—emphasis on competency and work quality.”

Hartmann considers the Pursuing Excellence grant, which was awarded in 2018, one of her biggest contributions to URMC. The resulting initiative, which operates under the aegis of the Quality Institute, focuses on building better teams, integrating residents and fellows directly into performance-improvement and quality improvement teams.

“Pursuing Excellence is transforming medical education through an increased emphasis on experiential, team-based learning and patient care—with an increased emphasis on quality, safety, and continuous improvement,” said CMO Michael Apostolakos ’90M (Res), ’93 MD (Flw), who, with Hartmann, serves on the Pursuing Excellence executive team.

“Diane has led the way on both fronts and has been a key part of our successes, which include both decreased length of stay and readmissions.”

“One day in GME is never like the next,” she said. Things are always changing, and they have to for medical education to grow and to allow the physicians of the future to gain the skills they will need in practice.”