Neveen S. El-Farra, MD Appointed Vice Chair for Inpatient and Hospitalist Services / Linda K. Czypinski, MD Appointed Associate Director of the Hospital Medicine Section
The department of medicine (DoM) is pleased to announce that Neveen S. El-Farra, MD has been appointed vice chair for inpatient and hospitalist services, and Linda K. Czypinski, MD has been appointed associate director of the hospital medicine section.
As the vice chair for inpatient and hospitalist services, Dr. El-Farra will assume responsibility for leading and ensuring effective and collaborative clinical practice across all DoM inpatient services, DoM training programs, and other clinical programs the DoM partners with in the delivery of care. Additional responsibilities include working with the health system executive team to optimize flow of medicine patients throughout the health system, reviewing and optimizing clinical operations, overseeing quality and safety initiatives alongside the DoM Chief Quality Officer, and collaborating with the Internal Medicine Residency Program leadership on issues related to resident trainees and clinical operations.
Dr. El-Farra is a professor of clinical medicine and a hospitalist in the Department of Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She currently serves as an associate program director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program in the Department of Medicine at UCLA. She served as the associate dean for curricular affairs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA from December 2014 until July 2019. In July 2020, Dr. El-Farra was appointed as medical director for International Services for UCLA Health where she works closely with the team on strategic initiatives and patient care operations. She has received numerous awards for her teaching, service and humanism. Among these awards and honors include the Award for Excellence in Education from the DGSOM. She is a five-time recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching from medical students and residents. She was also selected as a faculty inductee for the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) in 2017, and currently serves as the GHHS Chapter Advisor. She was selected as a recipient of the 2019-2020 Distinguished Teaching Senate Faculty Award, UCLA’s highest honor for teaching.
Dr. El-Farra obtained her medical degree from the Chicago Medical School and completed her internship, residency and chief residency at UCLA. She subsequently joined the faculty at DGSOM in 2005 and completed a fellowship in Medical Education in 2009.
As the associate director of the hospital medicine section, Dr. Czypinski will oversee operations of the hospital medicine section and lead the hiring, staffing and scheduling of all hospitalist-based services. She will also lead hospitalist faculty-based affairs including ensuring professionalism standards, performance metrics, academic productivity, and faculty well-being.
Dr. Czypinski is an associate professor of clinical medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine and a hospitalist in the Department of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Czypinski assumed the role of the medical director of the Gonda Observation Unit and lead physician of the Observation/Triage Hospitalist cohort in 2016. She broadened her leadership oversight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in 2020 to become the medical director of general medicine services and director of the newly created Direct Care Hospitalist service. Within these roles, she oversees clinical operations for inpatient medical services and fosters intra- and inter-departmental collaborative partnerships. She has led numerous initiatives within the health system focusing on operations, quality improvement, and the delivery of safe, high-value patient care.
In July 2021, Dr. Czypinski became an associate co-director of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center hospitalist services. She has also served as an executive board member of the Department of Medicine Professional Group (DMPG) since July 2022. Dr. Czypinski is committed to faculty wellness and development, promoting academic productivity, and enhancing health system resources to support inpatient care and transitions of care to the ambulatory setting.
Dr. Czypinski obtained her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed her internship and residency at UCLA Medical Center. She joined the faculty at UCLA in 2013.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. El-Farra and Dr. Czypinski as they assume these new leadership roles. The department also extends our sincere gratitude to Dr. Michael Lazarus for his leadership in the hospitalist section over the past 20 years. Along with his co-directors Dr. Roger Lee and Dr. Maggie Ptazsny, Dr. Lazarus has been instrumental in the growth of the section of hospital medicine whose faculty provide essential inpatient care to UCLA patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, the West LA VA, Olive View–UCLA Medical Center, and multiple community hospitals across Southern California. Dr. Lazarus will work with our newly appointed hospitalist leadership to ensure that we continue delivering exceptional patient care, training, academic opportunities and attracting exceptional talent to our ranks.
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