An Interview with Nancy Genieser

by Jennifer Martino, M.D.

Q: How has life changed for you now that you are directing Bellevue Radiology?

A: I tell you it’s fun, it’s exciting, every day is different. We hope to make a little progress every day. If we make a little progress we are really pleased. Every day we try to get a little more done. It seems to be working. Everybody’s been very helpful and supportive. The Bellevue administration has really been supportive. That includes everyone from the top down. Carlos Perez, the Network Senior Vice President and Executive Director at Bellevue, Mary Thompson the Chief Operating Officer and Lion Lombardi the Associate Executive Director of Clinical Services. Also the Bellevue Technicians, I recognize how vital they are I appreciate how hard they work. They really pitched in on 9/11. Some of them continued to work for the ME’s office for weeks. Every one of our staff members should feel proud of the work they do. I also want to applaud the nursing and secretarial help that we have been receiving. So it’s been a good experience.

JM: So what’s new at Bellevue?

Nancy Genieser, Director Bellevue Radiology

NG: The Rita J. Kaplan Breast Imaging Center opened in February, which was funded by Rita J. Kaplan, with support of her husband Stanley. This is state of the art imaging for our patients and we’re all very excited by it. It’s quite an impressive suite. Fara Tabaei, the Associate Executive Director of Facilities Management at Bellevue supervised the design work. Her staff was excellent and put an extra effort into the project. Jack Stern helped out as the overseer. Wilfred Johnson, Ibeh and Angelo Quartuccia, the Associate Director of Facilities were also involved. They were a pleasure. They really did an outstanding job.

Of course our main responsibility is patient care. We have to keep that mission in mind at all times and assist our referring clinicians to that end. PACS has made a big difference with that. Up on the floors, viewing stations allow physicians to view their patients films almost immediately. We have the whole HHC network to thank for that. Especially Mike Ambrosino. And Tom Griffith. And the whole Philips PACs group.

JM: What has been the biggest challenge for you stepping into this role?

A: I guess meeting all the people and learning what their strengths are, and trying to get everybody’s strengths so we can develop the best that we can. We want to make Bellevue the best hospital that we can have and I mean that sincerely. That’s what we want to do.

JM: What do you think we could be doing better?

NG: I think we are doing a good job. We have great vendor support for our PACs system and equipment maintenance. We do need a better workspace for our staff and to further increase the technical support. Some of that is already in the works. We are learning to use IT more effectively. There are still some interface issues, but we’re working on it. We want to make it easier for the clinicians. The ordering system is not completely optimized and more physicians have to start using the online ordering system. Eventually it should be that when the radiologist comes to read out, their work list is organized so they know precisely what they need to read. That way they can more effectively consult with their fellow physicians. We still have problems with how the reporting goes across after we have read a film. So I’d like to have the technology running more smoothly. The new RAIDS system should help, because it will speed up the de-archiving process of old studies.

JM: So what kind of people do we still need?

NG: We could use more radiology IT support. And a quality assurance technician. We have very good people; its just that we need some more support. The people that we have are working at their maximum. They are all making the effort. But we need some more support.

JM: What was it like stepping into Dr. Chase’s shoes for a year?

NG: It was interesting, because the department was so supportive. Every single member of our faculty went out of their way to help. I don’t think anyone said "no" to anything. Every single faculty member stepped up to the plate. Every single person went out of his way to do a good job. And every single person did a little extra. And nobody really complained. It was one of the best things about the job.

JM: Why do think that was?

NG: I think we really have good people. We have people that really are very capable and hard working, people that are fun and individualists. I tell you I think our department is sort of like an orchestra. Everybody has to play together to make it work. If every person plays his instrument correctly our whole department has a very nice tune to it. If one person doesn’t play his instrument quite right…the orchestra doesn’t sound so good. But most of the time everybody does. And everybody really plays well.

JM: Did you have any short term goals for that year?

NG: I did indeed. I wanted to make our department as organized as it could be. I wanted to streamline it make it as effective as possible.

JM: Did anything from your life help you?

NG: I’ll tell you, my grandmother always told me never to go to bed angry or with a grudge. Every body is colorful in their own way. If somebody shoots off one day, well, that was one day and you never know what was going on inside that person. The next day is a whole new day and I try to look at that way, to forget silly things that happened before.

JM: What do you remember about when Dr. Chase took office?

NG: I’ll never forget the chairman before him, Max Popple, he was a bit of an odd bird. He wore the same outfit every day. Not the same clothes, but I think he had ten of the same shirts and ties and several of the exact same suits. He had a poplin suit for the summer and a wool suit for the winter. He was also terribly afraid of germs. He used to dust off a chair before he would sit down in it. Then Dr. Ranselhoff brought in Dr. Chase.

Dr. Chase really lived through the changes in technology. He established ultrasound, CT and MRI. He brought in technology no one was used to using. He was also supportive of women. You know, in those days women were not expected to work, and a woman made much less than a man as a matter of course. To work was unusual when I graduated.

JM: So why did you choose to work?

NG: I’ve always worked. My dad came from Illinois. He put himself through school. My mom worked as a secretary until she had children. But when I told my parents I wanted to go to medical school my mother cried. I was at Wellesly and I decided to go to medical school after three years. So I had to do a senior thesis and come back and sit for final exams, as well as complete medical school to get my bachelor’s. For research I made myself live on a high fat diet. And I had to go back and take an exam in Zoology.

JM: Where did you go to medical school?

NG: Women’s Medical College. I never heard of it before, and my parent’s hadn’t either. But they would take me after three years. Actually the exam I had to take for my degree from Wellesly was scheduled the same day as my radiology test in medical school. I went and explained to my professor that I had to go back to college and take an exam or I wouldn’t get my degree and he wouldn’t take the excuse. He was going to fail me, but I managed to talk him into giving me a D.

JM: Did you know you were going to go into radiology at that point?

NG: No, I thought I would do OB/GYN. But then I changed my mind. I got into Columbia for radiology. And then I got married and went off backpacking in Europe. I was a little late getting back so I finally told Columbia I wasn’t going to come. I didn’t know how to explain that so I re-applied to NYU the following year.

JM: What advice do you have for women entering the medical profession now?

NG: Choose your spouse well. That’s the most important thing in life.

JM: What do you like to do to relax?

NG: Tennis, tennis, tennis. I also love antiquing. My husband and I subscribe to antiquing journals. I love going to auctions. I have a hard time sitting on my paddle. (laughs) We also love to bicycle. We ride down by the Delaware River. And sea kayaking. We got into that about eight years ago.

JM: Do you own a wet suit?

NG: Two, a winter one and a summer one.

JM: That’s the photo I want for the newsletter!