Albany Area Business Portfolio – Jan. 26, 2014

MEDICAL

Michele Dekelbaum has accepted the position of vice president of performance excellence for Phoebe Putney Health System.

Dekelbaum will be responsible for process improvement initiatives designed to achieve significant operational savings and revenue enhancements while improving patient quality and safety across the Phoebe system.

With more than 20 years health care experience, Dekelbaum most recently lead the management engineering department and the Baylor Corporate Lean Program at Baylor Scott and White Health in Dallas, Texas. Prior to that, she served as director of operations improvement for Houston Methodist Hospital, a 921-bed hospital in the Texas Medical Center. She has also worked as director of operations and organizational improvement at East Jefferson General Hospital in New Orleans, and as corporate director for industrial engineering at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey.

Dekelbaum has a BSc in industrial engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Houston. She is certified as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt from The Juran Institute, is a certified Project Management Professional and a certified trainer in the deBono Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking methodology.

She is active in the national Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), having served at both local and national levels. Currently she is serving as President of the Society of Engineering Management and Systems of IIE.

Adrian Smith, MD, has joined Dr. Kim Brown at Phoebe Neurosurgical Associates.

Smith earned his medical degree at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. He completed his internship at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. He went on to complete his neurosurgical residency and chief residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. In addition, Dr. Smith spent time at MD Anderson Cancer Center training in tumor surgery.

Smith is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and is a resident member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

STATE

Courtney Douglas has been promoted to deputy warden of care and treatment at Lee State Prison in Leesburg. In her new capacity, Douglas will be responsible for overseeing the daily operations of medical, mental health, education and counseling services for the prison’s 762 medium-security inmates.

“Courtney has gained invaluable knowledge and experience during her eight years with the department,” Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens said. “We look forward to the leadership she will bring to Lee State prison in her new role.”

Chief counselor at Rutledge State Prison since 2012, Douglas joined DOC in 2006 as a counselor and STG coordinator at Autry State Prison. She is awaiting acceptance into the doctorate of public administration program at Valdosta State University and a master of science in criminal justice from Albany State University and has completed basic management training at the Corrections Leadership Institute.

Business Portfolio is a weekly column on business people in Albany and Southwest Georgia. To submit an item, email Managing Editor Danny Carter at [email protected].