Chapter 13: Perspectives on Changes at MD Anderson Culture and Contributions to the Institution

Ms. Houston begins this segment by observing that since the seventies, MD Anderson has grown so much that it is impossible to know everyone, and interactions have become more impersonal. Technology has contributed this, as people email and text one another instead of communicating by phone or fact-to-face. Reflecting on whether the Institution can become too large, Ms. Houston observes that the Regional Care Centers return in a sense to the more personal feel of the old, smaller MD Anderson. In the case of Information Systems, she says, there is no quality compromise as the institution expands into remote units. In the case of overseas units (Global Oncology), she notes there is always a question about whether patient care is delivered in the same way as in Houston. Next Ms. Houston says that her greatest concern is to find her replacement. She hopes that people in Information Systems will continue to foster a culture in which “everybody has worth” and can feel successful in what they do. MD Anderson has given her tremendous opportunities for success and to make friends. Once she retires, she intends to indulge her love of travel (especially taking cruises), her dogs who are like her children, and her various hobbies such as needlework.https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/1893/thumbnail.jp