“Life expectancy in the United States fell by an impressive year during the first half of 2020,” according to recent news.
For men, the average life expectancy is now 75.1 years and for women, 80.5 years.
DG Martin
This means that several of our most important national leaders (President Joe Biden, 78; US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, 80; and the US Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, 79) have exceeded their life expectations.
For most of us, the approach of our 80th anniversary is a time of retreat, not of challenging new ventures.
Not so for an 80-year-old North Carolina native who recently became the founding dean of a new medical school in the planning stage. The school is a joint venture between Belmont University and the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), both based in Nashville.
Belmont President Bob Fisher explained the reason for the partnership: “Medical School is the next natural step in Belmont’s healthcare offerings. HCA Healthcare will bring world-class experience to the Belmont School of Medicine, offering our students extraordinary instructors and a path to residency and clinical placements. “
The new dean, William Bates, grew up near Charlotte, attended Derita School and graduated from North Mecklenburg High School. He attended UNC-Chapel Hill on a Morehead scholarship and stayed at Chapel Hill to study medicine.
Why would an 80-year-old retired medical educator want what promises to be a challenging and probably exhausting leadership task? Those of us who knew Bates, now called “Bill”, as a high school student, have part of the answer. He was always eager to succeed at every opportunity, from academics to sports and service. It is fair to say in a positive way that he was motivated and was willing to take on the most difficult tasks.
Why would the organizers of the new medical school look at an older man when the job is sure to require the energy of someone much younger?
A quick look at Bates’ resume provides an answer.
In addition to a distinguished academic background in obstetrics and gynecology at several excellent medical schools, Bates has held leadership positions at top medical schools, including dean of Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and vice president of medical education and research in Greenville SC Hospital System.
Just as important, I’m sure, is Bates’ experience and business acumen. He developed an electronic medical record system for obstetrician gynecologists called “digiChart OB-GYN”. He organized a company that sold the product to doctors through subscription.
This kind of experience in teaching, medical practice, administration and business is golden for a dean of medical school. But I think Bates struck the deal by combining his previous experiences and his realistic vision for the necessary changes in a plan for the launch of the new medical school. Their plans were not general objectives, but specific details showing the role of each faculty member, which courses would be taught at each level, what the expenses would be and how they would be financed.
For example, he even outlined the admission requirements for entering students: “In addition to compassion, empathy, interpersonal and communication skills and leadership, what are the academic prerequisites for admission to medical school? I think of the following: Liberal Arts: English (writing and literature), social and political sciences, art, music, foreign language, philosophy, religion, economics. Science: Biology (8 hours), Chemistry (16 hours), Physics (8 hours) Mathematics: Calculus I (3 hours) and preferably, Calculus II (3 hours). “
Bates’ willingness to take on this new task and his enthusiasm for it are inspiring, albeit a little scary for this schoolmate. But I can hear what our North Mecklenburg teachers would say if they were still alive: “I always knew that William would be a great success”.
DG Martin presents “North Carolina Bookwatch” on Sunday at 3:30 pm and Tuesday at 5 pm on PBS North Carolina (formerly UNC-TV). The program will also air on the North Carolina Channel on Tuesday at 8 pm and other times. Sunday’s screening will be brought forward during the next fundraising campaigns.