Shea Medical Center, UPMC Shadyside

Section of General Internal Medicine at UPMC Shadyside

The Section of General Internal Medicine at UPMC Shadyside was formed in 1998 following the merger of Shadyside Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). The section at Shadyside includes eight faculty members and two fellows. It is an outpatient teaching site for categorical internal medicine residents, medicine-pediatrics residents, osteopathic interns, and University of Pittsburgh medical students.

The section’s ambulatory care site is located in Shea Medical Center, in the Shadyside Medical Building, adjacent to the hospital. The new clinic contains 16 examination rooms, a residents’ conference room, and a research room for coordinating clinical trials. Within the section, areas of special interest include women’s health, sports medicine, and cardiovascular risk reduction.

Clinical Services at Shea Medical Center, UPMC Shadyside

Overview of Inpatient and Outpatient Services

Shea Medical Center is staffed by faculty and resident physicians of the General Internal Medicine Training Program at UPMC Shadyside. All faculty physicians are board certified in internal medicine and are members of the teaching staff of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Each of our physicians maintains an active clinical practice at Shea Medical Center. Resident physicians at Shea Medical Center care for patients under the close supervision of the full-time faculty physicians. Together, our physicians represent a broad array of backgrounds, experiences, and interests.

Physicians at Shea Medical Center have close working relationships with UPMC specialists and staff. Our patients have access to a wide range of services throughout the UPMC system, including referrals for specialty consultations and follow-up care, specialized tests and procedures, and physical therapy and rehabilitation. For inpatient hospital care and services, our patients have easy access to UPMC Shadyside and other UPMC hospitals.

Outpatient Care

At Shea Medical Center, physicians provide on-site diagnostic and preventive health services, including blood and other office laboratory tests, electrocardiography, vision and hearing screenings, and immunizations. They provide treatment for common outpatient problems and perform minor office procedures such as Pap tests, skin biopsies, and joint and tissue injections. The outpatient clinic’s location adjacent to UPMC Shadyside Hospital allows patients to have convenient access to X-rays, mammography, and other diagnostic services not offered in the clinic itself.

Specially trained registered nurses at Shea Medical Center are available on-site by telephone to help with medical questions and concerns. Social workers are also available to help with financial concerns and other matters. There is also a pharmacist on-site for medication issues, including anticoagulation management and smoking cessation program. Diabetes services are available through an onsite registered dietician and diabetic education nurse.

Choice of a Primary Care Physician — We encourage you to establish a relationship with a primary care physician (PCP) who can become acquainted with you and your needs and coordinate all aspects of your care. Once you have selected your PCP, we make every effort to ensure that any medical questions or urgent problems that you have are quickly brought to your PCP’s attention. If your PCP is not personally available to see you, another member of the group will take care of you and will update your PCP when he or she is available. Follow-up appointments will be scheduled with your own PCP.

Participation in the Women’s Health Program — The clinic has a comprehensive and interdisciplinary women’s health program. Services are provided by specially trained internists with expertise in women’s health and gynecology. The clinic offers routine gynecologic exams and breast exams; menopause counseling; contraception; and management of osteoporosis, eating disorders, incontinence, chest pain, and other medical problems in women. Drs. Corbelli and Donovan have had special training in Women’s Health issues.

Hypertension Care — Hypertension is an area of primary interest at Shea Medical Center. To increase diagnostic accuracy, a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor is available. Drs. Tabas and Elnicki have participated in hypertension research, and Dr. Elnicki holds the American Society of Hypertension designation as a specialist in clinical hypertension.

Sports Medicine — Specialized care is available for patients with acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries and exercise-related medical problems. Comprehensive medical pre-participation evaluations and individualized exercise prescriptions are offered for patients of diverse ages and levels of physical activity. Dr. Anish holds the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine and has special interests in managing overuse injuries, promoting physical activity, and addressing issues of older athletes.

Office Hours and Appointments — General Internal Medicine at Shea Medical Center maintains office hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Physician visits are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call our office at 412-623-2458 during office hours. Our staff will make every attempt to schedule a time that best meets your needs. If you have a true medical emergency, you should go to the nearest emergency room.

Insurance and Billing — We accept the UPMC Health Plan, most Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance plans, Medicare, Medicaid, Gateway, and many other plans. If you do not have insurance, a financial counselor is available to discuss financial arrangements with you. Invoices are sent to you from UPMC, and you may also receive an invoice from the University of Pittsburgh Physicians.

Location and Parking—See the attached map.

Education and Training Programs

The Section of General Internal Medicine at UPMC Shadyside is heavily involved in the educational endeavors of University of Pittsburgh residents, fellows, and medical students.

Several residency programs are based at UPMC Shadyside Hospital. Dr. Dario Torre directs the Community Categorical Program, Dr. Gary Tabas directs the Transitional Internship Program, and Dr. William Lamb directs the Osteopathic Internship. Residents in the Internal Medicine–Pediatrics Program are based at UPMC Montefiore but spend roughly half of their internal medicine experiences at UPMC Shadyside.

The section also supervises the experience of the Cooper General Internal Medicine Fellow, funded by the Shadyside Hospital Foundation.

Medical students from the School of Medicine rotate through UPMC Shadyside during a number of clinical experiences. The first-year and second-year clinical skills courses are coordinated by Dr. Caridad Hernandez. The third-year inpatient experience and the fourth-year medical student electives and subinternships at UPMC Shadyside are coordinated by Dr. Amanda Cooper. The third-year Combined Ambulatory Medicine-Pediatrics Clerkship (CAMPC) is directed by Dr. D. Michael Elnicki, and the clerkship’s internal medicine component is largely based at UPMC Shadyside ambulatory sites.

In addition to these programs, Dr. Dianne Zalenski coordinates the women’s health efforts at UPMC Shadyside and the student health experiences for faculty and trainees at Carnegie Mellon University’s Student Health Service.

In 2009, Dr. Cooper received the Clinical Preceptor of the Year Award from Pitt medical students.

Research

The scholarly efforts of the Section of General Internal Medicine at UPMC Shadyside have been steadily growing. Over the past year, section faculty have published book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals and have received grants. The following are examples.

Chapters and Articles

  • Dr. Eric Anish published a book chapter entitled “The Senior Athlete.”
  • Dr. D. Michael Elnicki published “Learning with Emotion: Which Emotions and Learning What?” in Academic Medicine.
  • Dr. Caridad Hernandez published “Validation of a Provider Self-Report Inventory for Measuring Patient-Centered Cultural Sensitivity in Health Care Using a Sample of Medical Students” in the Journal of Community Health.
  • Dr. Dario Torre published “Journal Watch from the Alliance for Clinical Education (ACE): Annual Review of Medical Education Articles in Internal Medicine Journals, 2008–2009” in Teaching and Learning in Medicine.
  • Drs. Dario Torre and D. Michael Elnicki published “Themes and Characteristics of Medical Students’ Self-Identified Clerkship Learning Goals: A Quasi-statistical Qualitative Study” and “Clerkship Directors’ Practices with Respect to Preparing Students for and Using the National Board of Medical Examiners Subject Exam in Medicine: Results of a United States and Canadian Survey” in Academic Medicine. They also published “Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) 2009 Spotlight on Educational Research” in Medical Teacher.

Grants from the Shadyside Hospital Foundation

  • Drs. D. Michael Elnicki and Amanda Cooper received grants for “Predicting Clinical Skill Development with Student Log Data” and for “Effects of Varying Inpatient Attending Physician Rotation Length on Medical Students’ and Attending Physicians’ Perceptions of Teaching Quality.”
  • Drs. D. Michael Elnicki and Dario Torre received a grant for “Thought Processes during Multiple-Choice Examinations.”

Contact Us

Division of General Internal Medicine Academic Offices

UPMC Montefiore Hospital
Suite W933
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-692-4821

Patient/Clinical Inquiries

412-692-4888

Administrative Office

412-692-4889