The Society of Hospital Medicine Awards Four Hospital Medicine Leaders With Master in Hospital Medicine Designation

Drs. William Atchley, Daniel Dressler, Howard Epstein, and Jeffrey Glasheen Recognized as Innovators in the Field and Longtime Society Leaders

The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) recently announced four new recipients of the prestigious Master in Hospital Medicine (MHM) designation, an honor reserved for leaders who showcase outstanding contributions to the field of hospital medicine.

William D. Atchley, Jr., MD, FACP, MHM, Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FACP, MHM, Howard R. Epstein, MD, FACP, MHM, and Jeffrey J. Glasheen, MD, DTM&H, MHM emulate excellence in the principles of leadership, teamwork, and quality improvement within the field.

“Being selected as a Master in Hospital Medicine is a recognition of outstanding contribution to our specialty and is bestowed on true leaders in the field and in our society,” said Laurence Wellikson, MD, MHM, Chief Executive Officer of SHM. “All four hospitalists in the Class of 2020 are beyond deserving of this designation.”

SHM is proud to honor the following new Masters in Hospital Medicine for their distinguished contributions to SHM and to the hospital medicine specialty:

William D. Atchley, Jr., MD, FACP, MHM, hospitalist at Sentara Medical Group, is being honored for his unwavering dedication to the specialty and for his established leadership within SHM. After completing his residency at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, he held a private internal medicine practice until he became a practicing hospitalist, launching his career in the specialty alongside the budding field. Dr. Atchley's long-term commitment to hospital medicine has coined him a “founding father” of hospital medicine because of his leadership in forming the first hospitalist team in the Hampton Roads region. Dr. Atchley is also known as one of SHM’s founding members and served on the Board of Directors for six years.

His contributions to the SHM community extend beyond his continual attendance to all 23 annual meetings; he has taken on a variety of roles throughout our organization, including an editorial board member with The Hospitalist, SHM’s representative to ACP’s Council of Specialty Societies and was awarded SHM’s Award for Outstanding Services in 2012. He continues to showcase his unrivaled passion and work ethic through a variety of administrative and educational commitments and is a respected voice for quality for hospitalists and specialists alike. 

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FACP, MHM, is a Professor of Medicine, Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program and Fellowship Co-Director for the Hospital Medicine Faculty Fellowship at Emory University. Dr. Dressler is being honored for his leadership, innovations and service to advance the field of hospital medicine.

Dr. Dressler served as one of the editors of the Core Competencies in Hospital Medicine, an Associate Editor of the Journal of Hospital Medicine and has served as a course director of the annual Southern Hospital Medicine conference for the past eight years. Outside of SHM-related efforts, he has also had a hand in completing national work with support from the CDC in developing a quality improvement toolkit, redesigned Emory’s medical epidemiology curriculum and was instrumental in developing the Division of Hospital Medicine Faculty Development program. Dr. Dressler continues to epitomize the value, mission and vision of SHM and the future of hospital medicine.

Howard R. Epstein, MD, FACP, MHM, has more than 20 years of service to the hospital medicine community and SHM and started a nationally recognized hospitalist program at Health Partners, where he also founded their palliative care program and led their quality improvement and care management programs. Dr. Epstein has a distinguished and varied career in medicine, holding medical leadership positions in multiple institutions, including the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, and BCBS of Minnesota, Preferred One Health Plans.

Dr. Epstein served on the SHM Board of Directors for six years, including a term as secretary. He lent this talent and leadership to ten committees and special interest groups during his time with SHM and was presented with the Award of Excellence for Clinical Leadership in 2006. No matter what the role, Dr. Epstein is known by his colleagues as someone who will always confront a challenge head on and do whatever it takes to advance the organization, consistently putting the greater good above personal achievements.

Jeffrey J. Glasheen, MD, DTM&H, MHM, became one of the first ever academic hospitalists in the country after completing his chief resident year at the University of Colorado. Currently, Dr. Glasheen is the Director of Hospital Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and is the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Quality and Safety Education. He is being recognized as a Master in Hospital Medicine for his exception contributions to the field in the domains of research, education and administration.

Equally impressive as his leadership in education and certification on a national scale are his contributions to SHM. Dr. Glasheen served as editor of The Hospitalist for five years, led the development of the Academic Hospitalist Academy and served on SHM’s Board of Directors for six years. Dr. Glasheen’s impact on hospital medicine continues to be felt by many today and will be for years to come.

For further details on the Master in Hospital Medicine designation or SHM’s Fellow and Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine designations, please visit hospitalmedicine.org/fellows.