With a wave of sickness circulating campus, it may not be long until you make a visit to the Health Center; when you’re there, you might meet Dr. Christopher Diamond, the new Director of the Health Center. Dr. Diamond, who was welcomed to the school at the September 16 all-school meeting, started his new job as Director of the Health Center on Monday, September 21.
Dr. Diamond is no stranger when it comes to working with high school students. After majoring in anthropology at Wesleyan University, Dr. Diamond moved to Washington, D.C., to work for an environmental consulting firm. Three years later, he began teaching chemistry and math and coaching varsity soccer at a local private high school.
“I was inspired by my students to find the courage to apply to medical school,” Dr. Diamond fondly recalled. He then explained, “What I found was that I wanted to be more useful. When a kid had an injury, I didn’t want to just patch him up and send him somewhere else; I wanted to do more.” He graduated in the class of 1994 from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and subsequently did his residency at University of Vermont for three years as a family physician. A Board Certified Family Doctor, Dr. Diamond worked at a community health center in Clinton, CT. Before coming to Choate, Dr. Diamond spent six years as the Director of Student Wellness Services at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU).
Choate’s “truly integrated approach to health care” drew Dr. Diamond here. He appreciates that the Health Center can work so closely with dorm advisers and academic departments when determining treatment options for students. Dr. Diamond added, “My older child really benefitted from all the support she got at Westover, so it started really making me think about the difference one can make at a boarding school.”
His new job at Choate differs from his previous jobs, but Dr. Diamond seems to have transitioned smoothly and enjoyed his first week. He reflected, “There is so much to learn. I’m learning the systems and where things are. However, the students have been wonderful. They have been great to work with. I’ve met so many students from different places with different interests. It’s been great.”
Ms. Karen Klein, Associate Director of the Health Center, was the interim Director of the Health Center for one month prior to Dr. Diamond’s arrival. Ms. Klein was crucial in the process of transitioning to a new doctor. Dr. Diamond praised Ms. Klein’s dedication: “Karen has done an amazing job since Dr. Gardner left. She has been the only prescribing provider. She has been available 24 hours a day for one month now.”
Dr. Diamond experienced a warm welcome to campus from his colleagues. He observed, “the staff here is amazing.” He and Ms. Klein share several similarities. Ms. Klein noted that, “We have complementary roles. We both are really interested in education—that’s why we wanted to work at a school. I worked at a high school, and he worked at a college.”
Dr. Diamond and the trainers in the Athletic Center will be working closely to send kids back and forth between the Health Center and the trainers. “We are excited to be working with him!” expressed Emily Osterhout, an athletic trainer. “He is very experienced, nice, and knowledgeable,” added Matt Pendleton, another athletic trainer. Dr. Diamond remarked, “I have gotten the nicest reception from students, staff, and faculty that I could ever imagine. I have just felt so welcome.”
With Dr. Diamond in charge, the Health Center is considering changing some of its methods. “First I want to learn how the place works. I am already so impressed with the dedication on all levels. I’ll look into using the electronic health records a little more. I do believe that we need to get feedback and regular satisfaction assessments. What we will probably do is some sort of post-visit assessment surveys and try to get as much feedback from as many people as we can,” shared Dr. Diamond. He hopes to attract “students who don’t know how to access the Health Center’s services” or who are otherwise reluctant to go to the Health Center.
Dr. Diamond concluded, “My goal in student health is that I like to see students be and remain healthy, and then be ready to learn. We are here so you are able to stay in class and do as well as possible. I feel really fortunate to be a physician. It is a privilege, and it is even a bigger privilege to be a physician at Choate. I really get the sense of what an honor it is to be at Choate, and I feel very lucky.”
