Dr. Willis C. Maddrey, executive vice president for clinical affairs and an internationally renowned expert in hepatology, will deliver the Patricia and William L. Watson Jr., M.D., lecture at 4 p.m. Nov. 9 in the D1.600 lecture hall under McDermott Plaza.
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Dr. Willis C. Maddrey |
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Dr. Maddrey said his presentation, titled “The Effective Clinician,” will include observations about the principles of medical care, a profession that “must forever be strengthening and re-creating its foundation.”
A UT Southwestern faculty member since 1990, Dr. Maddrey is recognized in the field of liver disease and has made significant contributions in the areas of alcohol-induced liver disease, viral hepatitis-induced liver disease and liver damage from therapeutic drugs.
A professor of internal medicine at
UT Southwestern, Dr. Maddrey has received outstanding teacher awards from Johns Hopkins University and Jefferson Medical College.
As a practicing clinician, he said the one-on-one nature of health care is multifaceted.
“There needs to be openness and discretion in the physician-patient relationship,” he said. “As a patient, you must trust your doctor and be assured that the doctor has taken the time to know you.
“The physician must be the ultimate listener as well as the consummate guide to care. We must remain mindful that it is the patient with the medical issue, not a medical condition with a patient attached.”
Dr. Maddrey said the lecture will also include an examination of his own path through medicine, which has included roles as student, clinician, researcher, teacher and administrator.
“The importance of effective communication between physician and patient cannot be overemphasized,” he said. “We as a profession must hone our communications skills. What the scalpel is to the surgeon, words are to the clinician.”
