Mark Thoelke, MD SFHM is stepping down as Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine, as of Jan 1, 2020 to have more time and flexibility for travel with his family. Dr. Michael Lin, Associate Professor of Medicine, will be the Interim Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine while we initiate a national search for the next Division Chief.
Dr. Thoelke will continue on the faculty as an academic hospitalist teaching residents and medical students. We are incredibly grateful for Dr. Thoelke’s leadership of the Division of Hospital Medicine and the extraordinary service he has provided to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Department of Medicine over the past decade.
Dr. Thoelke completed his residency and Chief Residency at Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He became the first hospitalist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 1998. He helped form the Division of Hospital Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in 2000, one of the first Hospital Medicine divisions in the U.S. He became the Division Chief in 2009. The division has grown to 84 physicians and 10 Nurse Practitioners, and consistently provides superior performances on publicly reported clinical outcomes as measured by Vizient. The Division of Hospital Medicine has led the way with innovative patient care and teaching models. The division developed one of the first sub-internship experiences on a non-teaching service and developed a very successful co-management care model with the oncology service in 2002.
Dr. Thoelke is a Senior Fellow of Hospital Medicine and a recipient of the Award for Clinical Excellence from the Society of Hospital Medicine. He formed and presided over the St. Louis Hospitalist Society in 2000, which later became the St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Hospital Medicine. He began a “Care of the Hospitalized Patient” CME course, now in its 12th year. He formed the “Evening Grand Rounds” at Washington University to spotlight clinical topics pertinent to hospital care. He has been part of the editorial staff for the Journal of Hospital Medicine, has published novel research, and written numerous book chapters. Dr. Thoelke was honored as the Department Teacher of the Year. He was recently awarded the Neville Grant Award for Clinical Excellence.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Thoelke for his many years of service and his tremendous leadership of the Division of Hospital Medicine.
Victoria J. Fraser, MD
Adolphus Busch Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine