Harkness Project Title: Improving the Emergency Care Experience for the Elderly
Mentors: Mark S. Lachs, M.D.; Neil Flomenbaum, M.D.
Placement: New York-Presbyterian Health System/Cornell-Weill Medical School
Biography at time of Harkness Fellowship: Carolyn Hullick, B.Med., FACEM, a 2008–09 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, is director of emergency medicine at John Hunter Hospital (JHH) and Greater Newcastle Acute Care Hospitals, and is clinical leader for emergency services at Hunter New England Area Health Service (HNEAHS). In these roles, Hullick has developed and implemented an emergency services model to improve access, patient flow, patient experiences, and patient safety in New South Wales (NSW). Hullick has been involved in the 10 year planning for older people in the Hunter and New England Region, the Older Person's Journey. Hullick trained in emergency medicine in Sydney as well as the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Broken Hill. She worked as an Emergency Physician in Townsville prior to returning to Newcastle. Her research has been published in journals such as Medical Journal of Australia. Under her leadership, JHH ED was a recipient of the NSW Premier's Public Sector Award Gold Medal for Delivering Better Services (2007), and silver medal for a Pre-Hospital Stroke Triage System, and HNEAHS Quality Award winner for the ED redesign and streaming to improve access to emergency care (2007). Hullick holds a bachelor's degree in medicine from the University of Newcastle, a diploma in pediatrics from the University of New South Wales, and she is a fellow of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.
Project: Hullick’s aimed to identify and describe the spectrum of innovative interventions in emergency department care for older adults in hospitals across the U.S. She formed an expert panel to guide the project, define “innovation”, and select target groups for interviewing. She then conducted interviews with physicians, geriatricians, nurses, social workers, and other providers, identified using snowball sampling, on innovations in providing emergency care for the elderly.
Career Activity since Fellowship:
- Senior Staff Specialist, Emergency Medicine and Clinical Governance, Hunter New England Local Health District
- Conjoint Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle Australia
- Director of Emergency Medicine, John Hunter Hospital and Greater Newcastle Acute Care Hospitals; Clinical Leader for Emergency Services, Hunter New England Area Health Service
Current Positions:
- Senior Staff Specialist, Emergency Medicine and Clinical Governance, Hunter New England Local Health District
- Conjoint Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle Australia
E-mail: [email protected]