Weinstein Named New President of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic

James N. Weinstein D.O, M.S.

James N. Weinstein D.O., M.S., an internationally known orthopaedic surgeon, health services researcher, and pioneer in the field of informed choice for patients, has been named president of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic (DHC). He succeeds Thomas A. Colacchio, M.D. who is transitioning into his new role as the inaugural President of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health.

Dr. Weinstein will continue to serve as Director of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) a research, policy, and educational component of Dartmouth Medical School (DMS), dedicated to the ongoing reform of health care. Home of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, TDI has been a major resource for the media and for policymakers as they consider health reform legislation.

"We find ourselves in unprecedented times in health care, times which are filled with great challenges as well as great opportunities," said Michael J. Goran, M.D., chair of the DHC Board of Trustees. "Given these challenges and opportunities, the DHC Board was in unanimous agreement that Jim Weinstein was the right person to lead the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, and that his skills and experience will perfectly complement Tom Colacchio and Nancy Formella and give Dartmouth-Hitchcock a formidable leadership team."

"This is an enormous honor and privilege," Dr. Weinstein said. "Dartmouth-Hitchcock has been a national leader in innovations in clinical care, and collaborating with colleagues across the country to improve the health of the patients and communities we serve. I look forward to building upon the efforts of those who have come before me as well as my colleagues in this outstanding institution. In partnership with Nancy Formella and my extraordinary predecessor, Tom Colacchio, I see incredible opportunities ahead for Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the people in the regions we serve."

The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic is a multispecialty physician group practice, employing more than 900 physicians throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, with major clinic locations in Lebanon, Concord, Keene, Manchester and Nashua. DHC, together with Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital (MHMH) in Lebanon, Dartmouth Medical School, and the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, comprise Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC).

"Jim Weinstein is a gifted physician-leader and I look forward to collaborating with him as we move forward with the development of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and continue to look at how Dartmouth-Hitchcock can achieve its vision of creating the healthiest population possible," said Thomas A. Colacchio, President of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. "His clinical expertise, his intimate knowledge of health policy and his innate ability to engage others will be invaluable assets."

"We are very fortunate to have someone like Jim Weinstein step into this role," said Nancy Formella, president of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital. "Jim is not only a gifted clinician but is an inspirational leader and a passionate advocate for patients. If you look at Dartmouth-Hitchcock's mission, vision and goals, Jim in some way embodies them all, from leading the transformation of health care, to providing patient and family-centered care. I look forward to working with him in this new role."

"The selection of Jim Weinstein clearly reaffirms Dartmouth-Hitchcock's ongoing commitment to its research and educational missions," said William Green, Dean of Dartmouth Medical School (DMS). "Jim Weinstein is not only a superb clinician, but has distinguished himself as a researcher and a health policy expert at a national level. At a time when we are facing unprecedented change in the delivery of health care, health care policy, and the way we fund medical research, having someone like Jim in this role will be tremendously beneficial to DMS and Dartmouth-Hitchcock."

Dr. Weinstein joined the Dartmouth-Hitchcock staff in 1996 and in 2003, he formed, and was named the inaugural Chair of, the Departments of Orthopaedics at DMS and DHMC. He is a renowned orthopaedic spine surgeon and health services researcher with a particular expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of spine cancers. He has also been involved extensively in studying variation in clinical practice nationally and was a pioneer in the concept of shared decision making.

Dr. Weinstein has received more than $35 million in research grants during his career and is the author of more than 250 peer-reviewed papers. He is principal investigator for the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT,) the first large-scale study to look at the effectiveness of surgical versus non-surgical treatments for the three most common back conditions.

A longtime collaborator with Dr. John E. Wennberg (and his successor as Director of TDI,) Dr. Weinstein co-authored a number of editions of the Dartmouth Atlas, including the Musculoskeletal Atlas of Health Care, which documented significant racial and ethnic disparities in the treatment of musculoskeletal disease and variation in rates in spinal surgery, joint replacement surgery, arthroscopy and other musculoskeletal procedures.

Dr. Weinstein founded the Center for Shared Decision Making to give patients, across a broad range of medical and surgical conditions, the tools necessary to make informed choices about their care, incorporating their preferences and values in clinical treatment and diagnostic decisions. The Center for Shared Decision Making and the revolutionary Spine Center established by Dr. Weinstein have served as models upon which health systems around the world are basing their own programs.

Dr. Weinstein's selection follows months of deliberations conducted by the DHC Presidential Nominating Committee and the unanimous recommendation of the Board of Governors. He will formally assume the president's job effective immediately. Concurrently, he will step down as Chair of the Departments of Orthopaedics at DMS and DHMC.

Dr. Weinstein lives in Lyme, NH, with his wife and daughter.