By Caleb White
Deborah Blazey-Martin, MD, MPH, had not initially planned on entering medical school. Early in her career, she worked in cancer research and then in medical sales. From her interactions with doctors, however, she realized that she wanted to be one, too – and primary care was her calling.
As the vice chair for ambulatory affairs and chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, this calling has been the driving force of Dr. Blazey-Martin’s work as a physician and leader in the Department of Medicine. “I knew that primary care was where I wanted to be,” said Dr. Blazey-Martin. “Being a trusted diagnostician for patients, building relationships, integrating medical complexity with the patient’s goals, and managing their longitudinal care are some of the most rewarding aspects of the field. Primary care also provides the referral base for our specialists throughout the Department and beyond, so understanding the perspectives of our generalists really makes a difference in thinking about overall strategy.”
Dr. Blazey-Martin joined the Department of Medicine in early 2023, previously serving at Tufts Medical Center as the chief of General Internal Medicine. In her role as vice chair at UMass Chan, she oversees the Department’s ambulatory operations and strategy. She also supports ambulatory physician leads and works closely with Medical Center and System leadership to provide quality ambulatory care, and access, and to improve the work experience for ambulatory physicians, advanced practitioners, and clinic staff.
A primary component of ambulatory operations is the Department Ambulatory Working Group (DAWG), which Dr. Blazey-Martin leads. Working with Drs. Bruce Weinstein and Stephen Krinzman representing primary care and specialty clinicians respectively, and Christine Vallee as Senior Director for our ambulatory specialty clinic staff, the DAWG aims to improve outpatient care in clinics across all divisions of the Department of Medicine. To target their initiatives, the DAWG has spearheaded an annual survey for physicians, advanced practitioners, and staff in our ambulatory clinics that aims to identify sources of burnout and other barriers to patient care.
Last year, Dr. Blazey-Martin also established the DoM Ambulatory Strategy Committee to discuss and execute long-term plans and invited each chief, their ambulatory lead, and their senior director to present their division’s goals for the next five years. “Starting the Ambulatory Strategy Committee was something I'm especially proud of, as it has provided a venue for stronger communication between the division chiefs in the Department of Medicine and hospital and medical group leadership,” explained Dr. Blazey-Martin. “It was important to have those conversations so that we could better understand the vision for growth in each division, what their challenges were, and what they felt they needed the most help within their clinics.”
"Serving as Vice Chair of Ambulatory Affairs has given me the opportunity to lead the Department Ambulatory Working Group in driving day-to-day operational improvements across our outpatient clinics, enhancing the experience for both patients and clinicians," said Dr. Blazey-Martin. "It has also allowed me to support the long-range strategic vision of our Division Chiefs through the Department of Medicine Ambulatory Growth and Strategy Committee. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with and support so many committed and talented clinicians and administrators throughout both committees."
As the division chief of General Internal Medicine, Dr. Blazey-Martin is similarly thrilled by initiatives at UMass to enhance primary care in Central Massachusetts. “A positive trend we’ve seen is that the strength of our primary care residency track developed and run by Dr. Beth Murphy has elevated our academic practice and, has allowed us to hire some of the best and brightest physicians at a time that other practices are finding it challenging to hire. We have also added a CME conference run by Dr. Sonia Bagga that pulls together internists from across all of UMMH on a weekly basis, creating a culture of shared learning and the opportunity to showcase talent in the UMass system. The growth in the Benedict Primary Care Clinic, and the strategic importance of our GIM team in Tri-River as they integrate more specialists into their practice makes this an exciting time to be in primary care at UMass.”
Dr. Blazey-Martin earned her medical degree from the Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
We are deeply grateful for Dr. Blazey-Martin’s leadership in the Department of Medicine and the passion that she brings to patient care!