John Seibert, MD, associate professor and service chief of Comprehensive Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will continue serving patients at Nashville General Hospital (NGH) with ear, nose and throat (ENT) needs as part of an ongoing partnership between the two institutions.
Several VUMC departments offer services at NGH. The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery got involved when Eben Rosenthal, MD, Barry and Amy Baker Professor and chair, toured the hospital upon his arrival at VUMC and understood the need to address care gaps by offering comprehensive ear, nose and throat care. Seibert, who began his higher education at Vanderbilt University and has a long history in Davidson County, was a logical choice to represent VUMC.
“This is my way of providing for the people of Davidson County,” said Seibert. “It’s a group effort with really good support from our department. It’s been a rewarding experience that allows us to treat patients where they are … a lot of time, a lot of effort, but it’s been a great joy.”
To Seibert’s point that the partnership is a group effort, he now sponsors NGH’s lead nurse practitioner for ENT services, Jackie Winfrey, NP, as her attending physician. He lauded her work to provide stability and expertise where it’s needed for patients at NGH, noting that they conference each week to discuss cases.
Seibert, who also has an academic appointment at Meharry Medical College, for which NGH is the primary teaching hospital, visits NGH on a monthly basis to perform surgeries and assist with any additional clinical needs. In addition to the overarching collaboration, he said, Meharry medical students attend endoscopy tutorial sessions at VUMC to gain exposure to otolaryngology, and residents at the school’s oral-maxillofacial surgery program assist with coverage of patients and participate in ENT-related surgeries at NGH performed by Seibert’s team as well.
Seibert said that when he visits NGH, he brings his own VUMC residents along to help give them a broader picture of medicine from different systems because, as he says, “every hospital system has its own challenges and pathologies.”
Rosenthal said Seibert’s appointment underscores the importance of local hospitals sharing knowledge to improve public health for all in the community.
“When we began our partnership with Nashville General, we sought to share the expertise of our doctors and surgeons and learn from theirs as we improve otolaryngological care for our community together,” said Rosenthal. “Most importantly, we sought to create a community bond between hospitals, and Dr. Seibert has risen to the challenge of bridging gaps and strengthening that bond. The patients he treats both at VUMC and NGH are privileged to have him as their provider.”
Seibert also credited Daniel Schuster, MD, associate professor of Clinical Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Benjamin Johnston, MD, assistant professor of Clinical Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, whom he said have been crucial in assisting with continuing service at NGH.
In their work, these surgeons treat serious diseases like cancers, but Seibert said the everyday quality-of-life issues that affect patients are of great importance too. If they can help a patient with something as simple as an ear infection, that is time well spent on specialty care.
“Nashville General does a great service,” said Seibert. “It is a true lifeboat for a lot of people who need help.”
