Paul N. Uhlig, MD, MPA

Associate Professor

Research Interests
Complete Biosketch

BGS 1975 University of Kansas
MD   1978 University of Kansas School of Medicine
Residency in General Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital (1978-1985)
Residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery Indiana University (1986-1988)
MPA 1997 Harvard University

Phone:   316-293-3790
Fax:        316-293-2695
E-mail:   puhlig@kumc.edu

Research Interests

• High Reliability Healthcare Teamwork
• Patient Safety
• Patient and Family Centered Care
• Interprofessional Healthcare Education

Biosketch

Dr. Paul Uhlig, a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon, is a nationally recognized authority on healthcare practice culture, high reliability healthcare teamwork, and patient safety.

Dr. Uhlig received his M.D. degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.  He completed his residency training in general surgery and general thoracic surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and in cardiothoracic surgery at Indiana University. For the academic year 1996-1997, Dr. Uhlig was the Thoracic Surgery Foundation Alley-Sheridan Scholar-in-Residence in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he studied healthcare policy and received a Master of Public Administration degree.

Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Dr. Uhlig was associate professor of surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Vice President, Medical Administration, at the Health Alliance in Cincinnati, OH. Previously Dr. Uhlig was a member of the Departments of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, and, from 1999-2004, was associate professor of surgery at Dartmouth Medical School. Prior to Joining the Dartmouth faculty Dr. Uhlig practiced surgery in Wichita, Kansas, and was a member of the clinical faculty at KUSM-W.

In October 2002, Dr. Uhlig and the cardiac team he led at Concord Hospital, Concord, NH, received the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Award for System Innovation given by the National Quality Forum and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. This award was for developing the Concord Collaborative Care Model, a method of collaborative practice based on human factors science, with active involvement of patients and families in all aspects of care and decision making.

In February 2000, Dr. Uhlig and Mr. Patrick Hanrahan of Wichita received the Mary M. Gates award of the United Way of America for their work replicating Project Access, a community-centered program of care for the uninsured.

Dr. Uhlig was the founding president of the Central Plains Regional Health Care Foundation in Wichita. He is a member of the board of directors of the Center for Health Design, is past chair of the education committee of the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education, and is past chair of the health policy committee of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

His research concerns the use of social science to study and reconfigure clinical care processes. He is particularly interested in healthcare teamwork, patient and family involvement in care, and interprofessional healthcare education.