Featured Post from ChristianaCare

Ray Blackwell, M.D., ChristianaCare Cardiac Surgery Chief Honored with 2021 Tilton Award for Medical Excellence and Commitment to Community

Nov 8, 2021

3 min

Ray A. Blackwell, M.D., MJ, chief of Cardiac Surgery and the W. Samuel Carpenter, III, Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at ChristianaCare, received the 2021 Tilton Award from the Medical Society of Delaware on Oct. 28 at the Tilton Mansion, now the University & Whist Club in Wilmington, Del.


The award recognizes Dr. Blackwell as a pre-eminent cardiac surgeon the past 21 years and for his life-long commitment to service for the betterment of patients, the local community and the nation. The award is named for James Tilton, M.D., the first U.S. Army Surgeon General of the United States and the first president of the Medical Society of Delaware.


“Dr. Blackwell is an outstanding choice for this prestigious award,” said Kirk Garratt, M.D., medical director of ChristianaCare’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health. “He has given a great deal to his patients, his colleagues and his profession. His strong leadership and clinical expertise have led to optimal health and an exceptional experience for many patients in our community. In addition to being an excellent surgeon, Dr. Blackwell has been dedicated to driving innovations that improve patient outcomes and has been committed to finding ways of keeping patients healthy and preventing cardiovascular disease.”


Since joining ChristianaCare in 1996, Dr. Blackwell has been recognized among the top cardiac physicians in our region and has been instrumental to the development of the cardiac surgery program. In 2011, he became the surgical director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and led the initiative to establish Christiana Care’s Ventricular Assist Device Program. In 2017 he was named Chief of Cardiac Surgery and has since led the health system’s team of highly skilled and experienced heart surgeons who perform more than 700 heart surgeries each year.


Dr. Blackwell is a clinical assistant professor of Surgery at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. He served as the chair of ChristianaCare’s Blood Pressure Ambassador Advisory Committee.


Dr. Blackwell has dedicated his life to service of others, especially on behalf of underprivileged and underrepresented people. As a high school student, he participated in A Better Chance Program, which places underprivileged, underrepresented and underfunded students in better academic environments. He is still active with the organization. He also served on the minority admissions subcommittee and later became a regional recruiter for Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School. In 2019, he received a lifetime achievement award as part of a Dartmouth College celebration, “Standing at the Threshold,” honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


Dr. Blackwell also received the Raising Kings award in 2018 from the One Village Alliance, an agency dedicated to elevating positive images and setting high expectations for Wilmington’s Black men and boys, He is a regional alumni council member of National Medical Fellowships, which funds underrepresented and underfunded medical students and is co-founder of the Association of Black Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons, which supports and develops upcoming and practicing cardiothoracic surgeons.


He has also held numerous leadership board positions for Delaware organizations, including the Delaware Medical Education Foundation, the Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, the New Castle County and Great Rivers Affiliate Boards of Directors for the American Heart Association. He is also a board member of the Friends of Hockessin Colored School 107C and Indoor Track Delaware.


Dr. Blackwell is also a recipient of the James H. Gilliam, Jr. Award from the American Heart Association for his contributions to the health, welfare and benefit of the community.

Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from ChristianaCare

1 min

Delaware Statewide Collaboration Expands Physician Pipeline with First‑of‑Its‑Kind Clinical Campus — Expert Commentary Available

Delaware is taking a major step to strengthen its health care workforce. ChristianaCare, Bayhealth and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) have announced the Delaware Collaborative Clinical Campus, a first‑in‑the‑region initiative that will expand medical student training opportunities, increase residency placements and build a more sustainable pipeline of physicians committed to caring for Delawareans. This collaboration positions Delaware to attract, train and retain the clinicians our communities depend on — ensuring a stronger, more resilient health care workforce. Brian Levine, M.D., chief academic officer and designated institutional official for ChristianaCare is available for interviews to discuss: What the new clinical campus means for Delaware’s health care future How this collaboration strengthens the physician pipeline The impact on training, recruitment and long‑term retention of physicians in the state

2 min

Brian Levine, M.D., Named Chief Academic Officer and Intellectual Property Administrator

ChristianaCare announced Feb. 12 the promotion of Brian Levine, M.D., to chief academic officer, along with his appointment as intellectual property administrator. He will also continue in his role as designated institutional official. As chief academic officer and leader of ChristianaCare’s Department of Academic Affairs, Levine oversees 38 residency and fellowship programs encompassing 315 residents and fellows, along with the education and training of students across the continuum of medical education. He leads the continued growth and strengthening of ChristianaCare’s undergraduate and graduate medical education infrastructure, ensuring that ChristianaCare continues to prepare physicians to care for our community well into the future. In addition, Levine oversees physician assistant education and allied health educational programming, supporting workforce development and long-term community health needs. As the largest academic medical center between Philadelphia and Baltimore, ChristianaCare has been a hub of academic excellence for over a century. ChristianaCare is one of the largest community-based teaching hospital systems in the United States. ChristianaCare also serves as the Delaware Branch Campus for Sidney Kimmel Medical College and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. This unique program allows medical students to complete their third and fourth years of clinical rotations exclusively at ChristianaCare, providing a clear pathway to launch their medical careers in Delaware. Each year, 55 students participate in the Branch Campus program, with many continuing into ChristianaCare’s highly sought-after residency programs and remaining in Delaware to serve local communities. ChristianaCare is a destination of choice for medical students and residents because of its strong patient-centered culture, reputation for excellence, and diversity of clinical experiences that include urban and suburban campuses with a wide range of pathologies. In his newly expanded role as intellectual property administrator, Levine manages and enforces ChristianaCare’s intellectual property policy, ensuring fair and consistent application in alignment with applicable laws and regulations. He also leads the multidisciplinary committee responsible for guiding organizational decisions related to intellectual property valuation, commercialization strategies and revenue distribution. Levine brings deep experience in academic medicine, health system education and scholarly publishing to these responsibilities. An emergency physician, he led the development of widely used clinical reference guides published by the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association. These pocket-sized tools — covering topics such as antibiotic stewardship, orthopedic injury management, and EKG interpretation — are used by thousands of emergency medicine residents worldwide. Levine has held leadership roles at ChristianaCare for nearly two decades. Since 2018, he has served as associate chief academic officer and designated institutional official. Previously, he was program director of the Emergency Medicine Residency program from 2012 to 2018 and associate program director from 2006 to 2012. Levine is a clinical professor of Emergency Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and previously served as associate medical director for the LifeNet aeromedical transport program. He earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency at ChristianaCare.

3 min

ChristianaCare Plans to Build Health Campus in Georgetown, Delaware

At a time when there is uncertainty about the future of heath care in the U.S., ChristianaCare is doubling down on its investments to expand access to care in Delaware. As part of $865 million in new investments in Delaware over three years that ChristianaCare announced last July, ChristianaCare today submitted a Notice of Intent to the Delaware Health Resources Board to develop a new health campus in Georgetown. The proposed campus will bring more comprehensive care closer to home for residents of Sussex County, an area experiencing rapid population growth and long-standing gaps in access to essential health services. Designed to Meet the Needs of a Growing Community Similar to ChristianaCare’s West Grove Campus in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, and its upcoming campuses in Springfield and Aston in Delaware County, the new campus will feature a health center offering primary care, specialty care, behavioral health and other outpatient services and a neighborhood hospital with eight emergency beds and eight inpatient beds. This facility is designed to make it easier for residents to receive timely, high-quality care in their own community. “Sussex county is home to a growing and aging population and is designated by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) as a Medically Underserved Area,” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH, president and CEO of ChristianaCare. “This new campus will help close gaps in access by bringing high-quality, equitable and more convenient care directly into the community that needs it most. Our goal is simple: ensure that every Delawarean can access the care they need, in the right place at the right time.” Expanding Access While Strengthening Regional Care This new ChristianaCare campus will add local outpatient care, emergency and inpatient care, creating a closer network of services connecting residents to advanced specialty care at ChristianaCare’s regional hospitals. ChristianaCare is partnering with Emerus Holdings, Inc. with respect to the neighborhood hospital component. Emerus is the nation’s leading developer of this care delivery model, partnering in the operation of more than 45 acute care facilities nationwide. This partnership reflects ChristianaCare’s commitment to bringing nationally recognized, high-quality care to Delaware. “We are proud to continue our partnership with ChristianaCare to bring sustainable, compassionate and high-quality health care to the residents of Sussex County,” said Vic Schmerbeck, CEO of Emerus Holdings Inc. “Together, we are building a next-generation model of care designed around the needs of the community—today and for the future.” The 42,000-square-foot Georgetown campus is expected to open in late 2028. The campus is planned for 20769 DuPont Boulevard in Georgetown. The campus is estimated to cost $65.1 million. Planning for Today’s Demand and Tomorrow’s Growth ChristianaCare already offers a range of services in Sussex County—including primary care, specialty care, virtual care and home health and hospice services. However, Sussex and Kent counties are projected to see an 8% population increase by 2030, with a significant rise in residents age 65 and older. As demand for emergency, primary and specialty care grows, this new campus is designed to make care more local, more connected and more responsive to community needs. In addition, ChristianaCare will continue to explore opportunities to expand access to care in other areas of Delaware, including in Kent County.

View all posts
Powered by