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Dr. Flack named 'Health Care Hero' by Crain's

Duggan also recognized for corporate achievement

John Flack, M.D., M.P.H., WSU interim chair of internal medicine, was named a Health Care Hero by Crain's Detroit Business on Monday. Dr. Flack, who received the honor in the "Outstanding Physician Achievement" category, was recognized for his work addressing health disparities, particularly in the area of hypertension.

"Flack and his staff are about 18 months away from analyzing the data they're collecting [on how a person's environment interacts with other risk factors, such as weight and genetic predispositions for hypertension related to salt intake]," according to the story lauding Dr. Flack in Crain's Detroit Business. "The outcome could affect how health care is delivered in Detroit and how the medical professionals think about hypertension in the black community.

The story also mentions that introducing novel approaches to the prevention and treatment of hypertension can reduce health-care costs in the long run.

"Flack's intervention is at the behavior modification level -- simple preventive strategies that work combined with good primary care. You can save a lot doing that," Dean Robert Frank said in the story.

In addition to Dr. Flack, Mike Duggan, Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan was recognized in the "Corporate Achievement" category of the "Health Care Heroes" issue. The magazine praised him for taking leadership after a $50 million state bailout in 2003 and making the DMC profitable again. It also noted Mr. Duggan's efforts to tout the benefits of the DMC's affiliation with the WSU School of Medicine.

"One thing that's clear is that Mike is a quick study," Dean Frank said in the Crain's story. "He figured out where he could make a difference fairly quickly. He's begun to put the DMC on a much better course for success."

To read more on the special Crain's Detroit Business Health Care Heroes issue, please visit http://www.crainsdetroit.com/cgi-bin/toc.pl.

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