Selected Podcast
A Conversation with Dr. Syed Hussain, Chief Clinical Officer, Trinity Health of New England
Dr. Syed Hussain, SVP and Chief Clinical Officer at Trinity Health of New England, leads a reflective discussion on how COVID-19 has affected his ministry.
Featuring:
Syed Hussain, MD
Syed Hussain, MD is SVP and Chief Clinical Officer, Trinity Health of New England. Transcription:
Steve Surprenant: Hello. My name is Steve Surprenant and I serve Trinity Health as the Vice President for Ministry Formation at the system level. I'm pleased to welcome my guest for today's podcast, Dr. Syed Hussain. And Dr. Hussain serves as the Senior Vice President and the Chief Clinical Officer for Trinity Health of New england. So Dr. Hussain, welcome to our podcast.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Thank you, Steve.
Steve Surprenant: So, Syed, I'd like to begin by asking you about your professional journey and what brought you to be a member of the senior team at Trinity Health of New England.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Sure. I'm glad to share that. So I joined Trinity Health of New England approximately three years ago. And what really attracted me to this faith-based organization were the core values that it stands for. Reverence, justice, stewardship, integrity and, especially the last one, commitment to those who are poor.
Growing up, my maternal grandmother, who was one of my role models, taught us the importance of serving the less fortunate in society. So to see that as a core value in an organization as large as Trinity Health was something I was very attracted to.
Steve Surprenant: Well, thanks for you during that part of your journey. And, you know, I'm particularly touched by your ongoing commitment to that core value of commitment to those who are poor. You know, as you well know for the last more than a year now, we've all been on this journey in our country and around the world and trying to cope with this COVID-19 virus. I'm wondering if you could speak a little bit about, you know, in your role as a senior clinical leader in one of our larger ministries here in New England, in what way have you seen COVID-19 impact not only your own work and ministry, but perhaps in the larger scale of the Ministry of Trinity Health of New England?
Dr. Syed Hussain: So a couple of experiences come to mind. Both pertain to the early days of the pandemic in March and April of 2020. We were constantly learning new things about the virus on almost a daily basis. And we really didn't have any treatment modalities that early on to fight this virus.
So during those days, we happen to come across some case reports of patients being treated with convalescent plasma overseas. We immediately got an application together for an investigational new drug and submitted it to the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, and were granted approval within a week to start a clinical trial. Trinity Health of New England became the fourth healthcare system in the nation to receive FDA approval to use convalescent plasma. And this was an example of our commitment to serving our community by ensuring we were looking at whatever we had at our disposal to fight COVID-19.
And the other experience is also from those early days, when guidance on personal protective equipment, PPE, use was constantly evolving. And we had to make sure our colleagues on the front lines not only had adequate PPE, but were using it appropriately in the correct setting. We learned that we could never over-communicate in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. So we, also had to ensure senior leadership was visible to our colleagues as well and they felt supported.
Steve Surprenant: Thank you for sharing that. I know living in the area of Trinity Health of New England myself, that the Trinity of New England has been a real forerunner in trying to make the vaccine available, particularly to those people in our community who might be more marginalized or who suffer more financially or materially. Can you talk about some of the things that Trinity Health of New England has done, particularly to reach out to those who are poor, those who are marginalized in our community?
Dr. Syed Hussain: Absolutely. We're very grateful proud of the effort placed, put in, in a number of different initiatives by our colleagues, our partnership with community organizations, the city of Hartford, city of Waterbury, where we've had FEMA clinics, especially in areas where access to healthcare is a challenge.
Trinity Health of New England a few weeks ago hosted the state of Connecticut's first ever 24-hour Vax-A-Thon where we vaccinated around the clock. Again, a big thanks to our colleagues who made this happen. And we were able to vaccinate a little under 4,000 individuals. And this is an addition to the vaccine clinics that have now expanded within the Trinity Health of New England network.
And as we continue to look at ways to ensure access is enhanced as we work our way through in terms of the more challenging aspect of getting the 30%, 40% of individuals living in Connecticut to agree to get vaccinated. And now that vaccination has also expanded to include age 12 to 15, how do we ensure that age group also gets vaccinated?
Steve Surprenant: Yeah, I'm so proud of the work that the Trinity Health of New England has been doing in our local community. at least in Connecticut, we seem to be getting out ahead of the COVID-19 virus and certainly with the number of people vaccinated ahead, it looks like, of some of the variants.
I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit or share your thoughts about what you think the future might look like as we begin to release perhaps or or relax some of the precautions that we've been taking as we begin to open up our society a little bit more. As we look to the future, what kind of hopes and fears and concerns do you have about a post-COVID world for all of us?
Dr. Syed Hussain: So as more and more people that get vaccinated, not only in this region, but indeed the United States, it's important to remember that we're part of a global community and there are nations and entire continents for that matter that have yet to get on the whole vaccination bandwagon because of very limited vaccine supply. So the onus is on all of us to ensure that not only do we vaccinate individuals here living in this country, but also globally. And we will need to remain nimble and very flexible as this virus, as we've seen over the last several months, continues to evolve and the pandemic continues to move on.
Very recently, we have seen horrific scenes coming out from India as a result of a double mutant variant of COVID-19. The hope is that we can get to pre-pandemic normalcy, but have to remember, we are all in this together, the entire world. And there might be instances where we may have to roll back some of our newfound freedoms to ensure that we protect our neighbors our loved ones. So we just have to be flexible as the weeks and months roll by.
Steve Surprenant: Yeah. And I think at the same time and you probably agree, we also have to remember that none of us is invincible to this virus, that takes its toll, not only on people who are vaccinated with the small proportion of people that could still get the virus, but also those who may transmit it to others without realizing it. And so all those concerns that we have had and that we have worked through, we still need to be vigilant as we look to the future.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Absolutely. We can't let our guard down and celebrate too early. Because like I said earlier, we've seen what happened when india thought that they had overcome the virus and the virus came back with menacing speed and has now reached a level, which is unprecedented in this pandemic, the number of deaths and suffering that those citizens are going through on a daily basis.
Steve Surprenant: So one last question for you, Syed. As you think about this experience that's been coming up on a year and a half, ,what do you think is the one or the greatest self-learning you've had from dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic that you'll take with you as you continue your ministry as a leader in Trinity Health.
Dr. Syed Hussain: So one thing that I've learned, Steve, is that we can never over-communicate. We always need to communicate especially as leaders, especially in times which may seem very dark, when hope may not be apparent to many people. And I salute the healthcare colleagues, physicians, everybody on the frontlines who've delivered such outstanding care. And this organization that I'm so proud to be a part of. I don't think I could've been in any other organization and so proud of the team at Trinity Health and Trinity Health of New England.
But communication is the one key aspect. And thanks to the incident command centers that we set up that are still running, by the way, even though it's been over a year since this pandemic started. They're running here in this region, they run at our ministry level as well as system office. There's perfect alignment in terms of communication. And that has been absolutely phenomenal.
Steve Surprenant: Thank you. Thank you for that insight. Well, as I listened to your sharing, and thank you for being with us today, I can't help but think about really the way that you began this conversation, which was reflecting on all of our core values. And really, you know, the living of our values is the public witness that you and I and all 120,000 of our coworkers demonstrate every day all across our ministry, all across our Trinity Health footprint.
So when I think about, you know, the importance of communication, I can't help but think about our core value of reverence, where we, honor the dignity of every person, both those we serve and those with whom we serve.
And you yourself mentioned our core value of commitment to those who were poor the steps that we're taking all across our ministry, not just to New England, to really go the extra mile to reach out to those who are marginalized, those most vulnerable in our society and continuing our work to reach out to them.
And the last it's core value that I think about is our value of integrity, you know, where we say we are faithful to who we say we are. So I'd like to just thank you in the name of all of our colleagues at Trinity Health of New England and really all of Trinity Health to thank you for your demonstration of that fidelity, to that integrity to being faithful to who we say we are.
So Syed, I'd like to thank you for being with us today and for sharing your experience and some of your insights with us. And I wish you continued success in your ministry at Trinity Health of New England.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Thank you very much.
Steve Surprenant: So my name is Steve Suprenant. I've been happy to be your host today. And my guest has been Dr. Syed Hussain, who is the Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Trinity Health of New England. Thank you for listening.
Steve Surprenant: Hello. My name is Steve Surprenant and I serve Trinity Health as the Vice President for Ministry Formation at the system level. I'm pleased to welcome my guest for today's podcast, Dr. Syed Hussain. And Dr. Hussain serves as the Senior Vice President and the Chief Clinical Officer for Trinity Health of New england. So Dr. Hussain, welcome to our podcast.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Thank you, Steve.
Steve Surprenant: So, Syed, I'd like to begin by asking you about your professional journey and what brought you to be a member of the senior team at Trinity Health of New England.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Sure. I'm glad to share that. So I joined Trinity Health of New England approximately three years ago. And what really attracted me to this faith-based organization were the core values that it stands for. Reverence, justice, stewardship, integrity and, especially the last one, commitment to those who are poor.
Growing up, my maternal grandmother, who was one of my role models, taught us the importance of serving the less fortunate in society. So to see that as a core value in an organization as large as Trinity Health was something I was very attracted to.
Steve Surprenant: Well, thanks for you during that part of your journey. And, you know, I'm particularly touched by your ongoing commitment to that core value of commitment to those who are poor. You know, as you well know for the last more than a year now, we've all been on this journey in our country and around the world and trying to cope with this COVID-19 virus. I'm wondering if you could speak a little bit about, you know, in your role as a senior clinical leader in one of our larger ministries here in New England, in what way have you seen COVID-19 impact not only your own work and ministry, but perhaps in the larger scale of the Ministry of Trinity Health of New England?
Dr. Syed Hussain: So a couple of experiences come to mind. Both pertain to the early days of the pandemic in March and April of 2020. We were constantly learning new things about the virus on almost a daily basis. And we really didn't have any treatment modalities that early on to fight this virus.
So during those days, we happen to come across some case reports of patients being treated with convalescent plasma overseas. We immediately got an application together for an investigational new drug and submitted it to the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, and were granted approval within a week to start a clinical trial. Trinity Health of New England became the fourth healthcare system in the nation to receive FDA approval to use convalescent plasma. And this was an example of our commitment to serving our community by ensuring we were looking at whatever we had at our disposal to fight COVID-19.
And the other experience is also from those early days, when guidance on personal protective equipment, PPE, use was constantly evolving. And we had to make sure our colleagues on the front lines not only had adequate PPE, but were using it appropriately in the correct setting. We learned that we could never over-communicate in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. So we, also had to ensure senior leadership was visible to our colleagues as well and they felt supported.
Steve Surprenant: Thank you for sharing that. I know living in the area of Trinity Health of New England myself, that the Trinity of New England has been a real forerunner in trying to make the vaccine available, particularly to those people in our community who might be more marginalized or who suffer more financially or materially. Can you talk about some of the things that Trinity Health of New England has done, particularly to reach out to those who are poor, those who are marginalized in our community?
Dr. Syed Hussain: Absolutely. We're very grateful proud of the effort placed, put in, in a number of different initiatives by our colleagues, our partnership with community organizations, the city of Hartford, city of Waterbury, where we've had FEMA clinics, especially in areas where access to healthcare is a challenge.
Trinity Health of New England a few weeks ago hosted the state of Connecticut's first ever 24-hour Vax-A-Thon where we vaccinated around the clock. Again, a big thanks to our colleagues who made this happen. And we were able to vaccinate a little under 4,000 individuals. And this is an addition to the vaccine clinics that have now expanded within the Trinity Health of New England network.
And as we continue to look at ways to ensure access is enhanced as we work our way through in terms of the more challenging aspect of getting the 30%, 40% of individuals living in Connecticut to agree to get vaccinated. And now that vaccination has also expanded to include age 12 to 15, how do we ensure that age group also gets vaccinated?
Steve Surprenant: Yeah, I'm so proud of the work that the Trinity Health of New England has been doing in our local community. at least in Connecticut, we seem to be getting out ahead of the COVID-19 virus and certainly with the number of people vaccinated ahead, it looks like, of some of the variants.
I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit or share your thoughts about what you think the future might look like as we begin to release perhaps or or relax some of the precautions that we've been taking as we begin to open up our society a little bit more. As we look to the future, what kind of hopes and fears and concerns do you have about a post-COVID world for all of us?
Dr. Syed Hussain: So as more and more people that get vaccinated, not only in this region, but indeed the United States, it's important to remember that we're part of a global community and there are nations and entire continents for that matter that have yet to get on the whole vaccination bandwagon because of very limited vaccine supply. So the onus is on all of us to ensure that not only do we vaccinate individuals here living in this country, but also globally. And we will need to remain nimble and very flexible as this virus, as we've seen over the last several months, continues to evolve and the pandemic continues to move on.
Very recently, we have seen horrific scenes coming out from India as a result of a double mutant variant of COVID-19. The hope is that we can get to pre-pandemic normalcy, but have to remember, we are all in this together, the entire world. And there might be instances where we may have to roll back some of our newfound freedoms to ensure that we protect our neighbors our loved ones. So we just have to be flexible as the weeks and months roll by.
Steve Surprenant: Yeah. And I think at the same time and you probably agree, we also have to remember that none of us is invincible to this virus, that takes its toll, not only on people who are vaccinated with the small proportion of people that could still get the virus, but also those who may transmit it to others without realizing it. And so all those concerns that we have had and that we have worked through, we still need to be vigilant as we look to the future.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Absolutely. We can't let our guard down and celebrate too early. Because like I said earlier, we've seen what happened when india thought that they had overcome the virus and the virus came back with menacing speed and has now reached a level, which is unprecedented in this pandemic, the number of deaths and suffering that those citizens are going through on a daily basis.
Steve Surprenant: So one last question for you, Syed. As you think about this experience that's been coming up on a year and a half, ,what do you think is the one or the greatest self-learning you've had from dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic that you'll take with you as you continue your ministry as a leader in Trinity Health.
Dr. Syed Hussain: So one thing that I've learned, Steve, is that we can never over-communicate. We always need to communicate especially as leaders, especially in times which may seem very dark, when hope may not be apparent to many people. And I salute the healthcare colleagues, physicians, everybody on the frontlines who've delivered such outstanding care. And this organization that I'm so proud to be a part of. I don't think I could've been in any other organization and so proud of the team at Trinity Health and Trinity Health of New England.
But communication is the one key aspect. And thanks to the incident command centers that we set up that are still running, by the way, even though it's been over a year since this pandemic started. They're running here in this region, they run at our ministry level as well as system office. There's perfect alignment in terms of communication. And that has been absolutely phenomenal.
Steve Surprenant: Thank you. Thank you for that insight. Well, as I listened to your sharing, and thank you for being with us today, I can't help but think about really the way that you began this conversation, which was reflecting on all of our core values. And really, you know, the living of our values is the public witness that you and I and all 120,000 of our coworkers demonstrate every day all across our ministry, all across our Trinity Health footprint.
So when I think about, you know, the importance of communication, I can't help but think about our core value of reverence, where we, honor the dignity of every person, both those we serve and those with whom we serve.
And you yourself mentioned our core value of commitment to those who were poor the steps that we're taking all across our ministry, not just to New England, to really go the extra mile to reach out to those who are marginalized, those most vulnerable in our society and continuing our work to reach out to them.
And the last it's core value that I think about is our value of integrity, you know, where we say we are faithful to who we say we are. So I'd like to just thank you in the name of all of our colleagues at Trinity Health of New England and really all of Trinity Health to thank you for your demonstration of that fidelity, to that integrity to being faithful to who we say we are.
So Syed, I'd like to thank you for being with us today and for sharing your experience and some of your insights with us. And I wish you continued success in your ministry at Trinity Health of New England.
Dr. Syed Hussain: Thank you very much.
Steve Surprenant: So my name is Steve Suprenant. I've been happy to be your host today. And my guest has been Dr. Syed Hussain, who is the Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Trinity Health of New England. Thank you for listening.