Mark Liszewski, MD, Appointed Vice Chair of Radiology at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
The Department of Radiology is pleased to announce Dr. Mark Liszewski's appointment as vice chair of radiology at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Liszewski will be the first faculty member in the department to hold this new position.
"Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is a place where children with some of the most complex and difficult problems come for treatment," said Diego Jaramillo, MD, MPH, professor of radiology and interim chair of the department. "It is necessary to have somebody with Dr. Liszewski's leadership skills and deep understanding of pediatric imaging to best coordinate our services with those of the other services. Dr. Liszewski is a natural leader, and with his wonderful demeanor and commitment to excellence, he will move pediatric radiology to an even higher level."
Liszewski, who joined the department in July of this year, is an associate professor of radiology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and chief of the Division of Pediatric Radiology. Prior to joining Columbia Radiology, he was chief of pediatric imaging and vice chair of outpatient imaging at Montefiore Medical Center.
Q & A With Dr. Liszewski
How do your two roles, as chief of pediatric imaging and vice chair of radiology, intersect?
There has always been coordination between the Division of Pediatric Radiology and Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, but this new vice chair position further solidifies this collaboration. Through this position, I will have a more formal role in hospital-wide initiatives being undertaken by NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. These range from hospital-based operational initiatives—such as multidisciplinary collaborative efforts to optimize delivery of imaging services throughout the hospital—to strategic and planning efforts, like plans for expanded imaging services to accompany future hospital expansions. The chief of pediatric radiology role is very interrelated and includes a focus on achieving clinical excellence in the care we deliver to our patients, along with a strong academic mission of supporting research activities and teaching students, residents, and fellows.
What are some specific projects you will be involved with?
Recent projects have ranged from department-based initiatives within the Department of Radiology to larger hospital-wide efforts within Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. For example, we recently upgraded our 3T MRI scanner with both software and hardware updates that will speed up exam times and allow us to image more children without the need for sedation or anesthesia, which we are all very excited about.
We have recently embarked on a new hospital-wide initiative focused on MRI optimization. This is a large, multispecialty initiative, with involvement from radiology, nursing, anesthesia, and pediatrics, that aims to improve the imaging care that we provide in MRI at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. MRI is an amazing imaging tool that allows us to diagnose a wide range of medical conditions without the use of ionizing radiation, but it often produces complex challenges around coordination and scheduling since it requires collaboration from multiple teams in the hospital. This multispecialty initiative is working to identify the root causes of MRI delays and enact solutions.
Looking ahead, we are excited about plans for upcoming expansion at Columbia and Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Medical imaging plays such an important role in modern medicine, and radiology will be an important part of future growth at the children’s hospital.
How does your past experience inform this new role?
As director and then vice chair of outpatient imaging at Montefiore, I gained a deep understanding of medical imaging operations and learned what it takes to run a successful imaging service. In that role, I oversaw 11 outpatient imaging sites which served adult and pediatric patients and included all imaging modalities. I'm very interested in taking the lessons I have learned and applying them to this new role.
What are you are excited about as you take on this role?
I am excited to optimize and elevate the experience of all children and families who visit us for medical imaging at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital by providing excellent clinical expertise from our world class team of Columbia radiologists and delivering an exceptional experience through a patient-focused approach to care.
