Dr. Shlomit Schaal, chief physician executive at Houston Methodist, is the recipient of the HX26 Physician of the Year award from Press Ganey.

 

The accolade honors medical professionals who exemplify exceptional leadership, compassionate care and a deep commitment to improving the human experience in health care. Schaal accepted the award at Press Ganey’s HX26 conference in Orlando.

 

“Houston Methodist is at its best when talented people come together with purpose and a passion for what they do, and Dr. Schaal is a wonderful example of that,” said Marc L. Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist. “Her energy, her generosity of spirit and the genuine care she brings to every interaction strengthen our organization and inspire us. She is well deserving of this recognition.”

 

As chief physician executive, Schaal leads physician strategy for Houston Methodist. She also serves as president and CEO of the Houston Methodist Physician Organization, which includes a rapidly growing community of physicians and advanced practice providers across Houston Methodist.

 

In this role, Schaal championed the creation of the Joy in Medicine Initiative or JIMI, a physician-led effort designed to enhance professional fulfillment by listening directly to clinicians, identifying sources of friction and translating frontline feedback into opportunities implemented across the hospital system.

 

Through listening and learning tours, crowdsourcing and open dialogue, Schaal and her team engage physicians and advanced practice providers across the organization to gather feedback on clinical practice. A guiding principle of Houston Methodist’s physician well-being program is that the clinician voice creates the strategy.

 

Feedback from sessions has directly impacted Houston Methodist’s operations and enriched community and connection among clinicians. Through this initiative, Schaal has reinforced the idea that clinician well-being is foundational to delivering safe, reliable, compassionate and high-quality care.

 

A world-renowned clinician-scientist specializing in vitreo-retinal disease and surgery, Schaal, who also serves as an executive vice president at Houston Methodist, has published over 200 peer-reviewed and invited papers, book chapters and journal articles. Her clinical and scientific contributions to ophthalmology have been recognized with numerous awards for academic excellence.

 

Schaal is the host of two Houston Methodist Leading Medicine series - the Quality Time with Dr. Schaal podcast, in which she discusses all things quality with physicians, clinicians, thought leaders and industry experts; and the Women in Surgery webcast, in which she invites female surgeons to share their career journeys, lessons learned and hopes for the future of their fields. She is passionate about providing safe, high-quality care and mentoring the next generation of clinicians, scientists and health care leaders.