01 Nov Daniel Novak, DO: A 2024 Unsung Hero
Dr. Daniel Novak has been an integral part of the Maimonides Emergency Department since he first began training here six years ago and currently serves as our assistant medical director. However, his story at Maimonides began long before he started his residency training here. He was born in this very hospital and began his first foray into healthcare as a hospital volunteer by helping take care of the South Brooklyn community he grew up in. We are so lucky he returned to complete his emergency medicine residency, chief residency, and his administration & operations fellowship here at Maimonides.
It is incredible how he balances the roles of clinician, administrator, educator, friend, husband, and now a father. He has always gone above and beyond for those around him, including patients, colleagues, students, and staff. Whenever someone needs help, whether it is with last-minute shift coverage or help caring for a critical patient, he always responds “yes” with a smile. He approaches every patient interaction with the utmost compassion and respect. Daniel also served as the chair of the EMRA Admin & Ops committee and is a representative of our program to the ACGME Quality and Safety Committee. Dr. Novak is passionate about delivering safe and effective care to every emergency department patient.
What sets him apart is his dedication to the department and the countless passion projects he has brought to fruition to make Maimonides safer and better for patients. Dr. Novak helped launch a volunteer program called the “Health Scholars” program in our emergency department. This program recruits high school and college students and allows them to gain first-hand experience with healthcare. The students get an impactful experience as they interact with patients, work closely with our nursing staff, and shadow physicians. Dr. Novak has also taken on several patient experience projects that have had a profound impact. For example, he helped organize and distribute care packages for patients boarding in the emergency department in order to make them comfortable while waiting for inpatient beds. Dr. Novak also heads a multidisciplinary team that reviews patient feedback and follows up with patients to gain a deeper understanding of their experience in our emergency department. He uses this information to make continuous improvements in the way we deliver care. Along with enhancing patient experience, Dr. Novak is also dedicated to optimizing emergency department (ED) throughput. He identifies bottlenecks and examines the root causes of delays, developing strategies to enhance care efficiency. We at Maimonides are lucky to have Dr. Novak as part of our team.
Recipient Bio:
Dr. Daniel Novak is a graduate of Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine and serves as our assistant medical director. He completed an administration & operations fellowship at Maimonides Medical Center and earned a Master’s in Business Administration through the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He also completed his emergency medicine residency at Maimonides Medical Center and served as chief resident during his senior year. Dr. Novak is passionate about delivering safe and effective care to every emergency department patient and has been a part of several peer-reviewed abstracts and manuscripts in an effort to continue improving the practice and delivery of emergency medicine.
– Nubaha Elahi, MD MPH