Join us in welcoming Dr. Fiel Cunningham, on her new appointment as the MSU Family Medicine Clinic Director! Dr. Cunningham brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to patient care to this pivotal role. This new chapter promises to build upon the clinic's successes, guided by Dr. Cunningham's vision for accessible, high-quality medical services.
What made you want to be the clinic director?
I have been blessed to have a very supportive team with the department. I have enjoyed teaching our future physicians and seeing them grow in their education. It has also been immensely satisfying to be able to care for our patients both in the outpatient and inpatient setting in a holistic way thru MSU HCI with our collaboration with UMH-Sparrow Residency.
When the opportunity to affect bigger change at a clinic level was offered, I was very excited to step up to the position. In this role, I can help our adult learners in the clinic, care for our patients at a population level, and foremost, be of service to my physician colleagues and staff to ensure we can provide quality patient care as well as take care of each other’s wellbeing. Representing our practice during interdepartmental meetings is something I am looking forward to as well.
As a Family Physician, I am keenly aware that to be able to provide quality care to our patients, knowing and working with other “team” members is highly important and I look forward to learning more about this part of the position.
What opportunities and challenges do you see?
As MSU HCI is integrating with Henry Ford/MOSAIC, it offers a significant number of opportunities as well as challenges especially when we switch EMRs. Ensuring we meet MOSAIC standards and transition into EPIC is one of my main goals for the next 6-12mos. There will be several great changes, but as with most change, there will be a learning curve. I am collaborating with our primary care team to make this transition as smooth as it can be.
What do you like best about working in the FM clinic?
For me, this boils down to the support system we have. And I am happy with our support system. I (we) have Department staff who make sure that I can teach our future physicians well. Physician and Nurse Practitioner colleagues who provide care for our patients if needed. Nursing team who makes sure that patient concerns (ie. Calls, portal messages) are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner. Front and clinic staff who make sure that our clinic visits are as less stressful as they can be for the patients, and at the same time they make sure we are at par with quality standards. It takes a village.
