Heart Surgeon Receives Prestigious Education Award

MURRAY, UT (7/5/2011) – John R. Doty, MD, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Intermountain Medical, is the recipient of the 2011 Dwight C. McGoon Mentoring award from the National Thoracic Surgery Residents Association.

The prestigious award is given annually to an individual who demonstrates dedication to the clinical and educational development of thoracic surgery residents. The award was presented recently during a ceremony at the annual meeting of the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons.

Dr. Doty serves as the director of a unique training program at Intermountain Medical Center, the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery CORE Curriculum Review, which is designed to guide young cardiothoracic surgeons through their board exams.

The award was presented recently during a ceremony at the annual meeting of the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons.

“This means a lot to our program,” says Dr. Doty. “One of the key priorities of Intermountain Healthcare is training and educating the next generation of doctors, and this recognition underscores our commitment to excellence.”

The CORE program is a four-day intensive course consisting of 80 lectures on everything related to cardiothoracic surgery. Residents from around the country come to Intermountain Medical Center for this one-of a kind experience because it leads to better clinical outcomes.”

“None of the major universities are doing programs like this. Many residents are left tolearn things more or less on their own during training. We’ve proven there’s a more efficient way to educate, and the response has been remarkable,” says Dr. Doty.

Dr. Doty and his colleagues at Intermountain Medical Center have a long history of resident education, establishing the first residency program in thoracic surgery in Utah at LDS Hospital in 1953 under the direction of Ray Rumel, MD, and Russell Nelson, MD. The CORE review course was developed by Dr. Doty’s father, Donald B. Doty, MD, 18 years ago when he saw that several of his surgical residents were not passing their board exams. Eventually, the younger Doty was enlisted as his researcher, a duty that sparked his dedication to resident training. Doty took the reins as director of the program eight years ago.

Today, he and his father work together on the program’s lectures, incorporating the latest research and medical best practices into each topic. And they do it all on their off hours.

Kent Jones, MD, chairman of the division of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Intermountain Medical Center says resident training programs like this are critical as the scope of the practice that is constantly changing.

“We have a responsibility to train those who come after us in order to maintain the integrity of our specialty,” he says. “That these surgical residents – nationally and internationally – recognize John Doty as a leader, someone at the apex of resident training, is a tremendous honor.”

The program’s excellent reputation has spread throughout the globe. This month, Dr. Doty traveled to London where he presented the program to residents at The Royal College of Surgeons. It was their first exposure to such a concentrated study course, and they were enthusiastic about the unique approach.

Dr. Doty says his students often tell him that they learn things during his four-day course that they were never taught in medical school.