Godley shares best practices with Chinese eye specialists

Posted: July 2009

GALVESTON, Texas — Dr. Bernard Godley, chairman of the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, traveled to China recently to share best practices related to quality patient service and residency programs.

Godley spoke to approximately 100 ophthalmologists, ophthalmologists in training and faculty at the Department of Ophthalmology, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University. The university is in Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province in Northeastern China.

"I was invited to lecture on how we train eye specialists in the American health care system," Godley said. "I talked about our approach to customer service and our residency training program."

UTMB eye centers in Friendswood and Galveston, which provide a full range of ophthalmology services, have raised and maintained high patient satisfaction scores through a concerted effort that includes leadership training, culture change and a focus on excellence.

By revitalizing and strengthening the residency training program, the ophthalmology and visual sciences department has drawn top candidates from around the globe.

Godley, who has developed collaborative relationships with the Jilin University hospital and three other eye departments across China, said there are a number of mutual benefits.

"We all benefit from building durable, long-term relationships to share training and research opportunities," he said, adding that two visiting Chinese scientists participated in research at UTMB.