Our history is replete with the stories and work of people who have made a profound impact at Johns Hopkins Medicine, elevating the institution and the practice of medicine. Today we recognize the extraordinary achievements and impact of one such individual, David Hellmann, who is stepping down from his roles as chairman of the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and vice dean for the Hopkins Bayview campus. This is not a retirement announcement, as David will be continuing in important roles for the school of medicine. But it is a transition.
David came to Johns Hopkins as a medical student, stayed on to complete his internal medicine residency on the Osler Medical Service, before venturing west to train in rheumatology and several years on the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco. He returned to Johns Hopkins as a member of the faculty, and to our great benefit, has been here ever since. David has served in numerous important roles, including as clinical director for the Division of Rheumatology; director for the Osler Medical Residency Training Program in the Department of Medicine; and executive vice chairman of the Department of Medicine. In 2000, he became chairman of the Department of Medicine at Hopkins Bayview. Five years later, he was appointed vice dean for the campus.
In each role, David has achieved an outstanding academic record across all areas of our mission. He is the consummate physician, frequently sought out for his diagnostic acumen and clinical judgment. He has published more than 125 manuscripts and nearly 100 book chapters, and was frequently invited to lecture at programs around the country. David served on numerous leadership and editorial boards, including the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation and, for seven years, as editor of the journal Medicine.
David is also the consummate teacher, as his numerous awards attest. These include the George J. Stewart and C. Lockard Conley teaching awards from the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Physicians, and the Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teaching Award from the American College of Physicians. Seven times, David was selected by the medical students at Johns Hopkins to participate in their graduation, to deliver the Hippocratic Oath or as marshal or hooder. He has held the Mary Betty Stevens Professorship, and since 2006, the Aliki Perrotti Professorship.
Throughout his tenure at Hopkins Bayview, David has demonstrated vision and tenacity, working tirelessly to improve the quality of life for our patients and the community. You may have heard him say, “Medicine is a public trust.” Indeed, it’s a commitment David championed early on, one that has underpinned an ethos guiding many people and programs. “Know your patient as a person” is another favorite expression he practices. It became emblematic of the nationally acclaimed Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Residency Program, now a favored training spot for top medical students from across the country, including from within our own medical school.
In 2005, David established the Center for Innovative Medicine (CIM), which has nurtured clinicians and fostered ideas that have improved JHM and medicine as a whole. Among the most notable of these efforts was the founding of the Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence, which evolved from a challenge David provided to a group of CIM members: How can we bring rigor to the assessment of clinical excellence, so that it can be appropriately recognized and rewarded? Since its debut in 2008, the Miller Coulson Academy and has formed the philosophical and operational underpinnings of the Clinical Excellence Task Force and, most recently, the Clinical Excellence promotion pathway. The impact of these and many other initiatives have not only benefited Johns Hopkins; they’ve also inspired similar efforts across the country.
Identifying a series of academic and leadership accomplishments, both of which are prominent in David’s record, is insufficient in trying to capture the impact that David has had on our community. For many years, his voice and vision have helped to define our values, reinforce our opportunities and priorities, and generally help us find “true North.”
As we noted, David is not retiring. He will continue to lead the Center for Innovative Medicine and will expand that work to more fully encompass both academic campuses. David will also remain co-chair the Clinical Excellence Promotion Committee. This is an extremely important initiative, and we’re grateful to David and his co-chair, Meg Chisolm, for helping to lead this effort. In addition, David has championed the opportunity to develop an institution-wide initiative in aging, and he will continue to work with others in the school of medicine and university to create a framework for that program.