No. 347,
August 2002
Editor: Gregory Vercellotti, M.D., verce001@umn.edu
Editorial Assistant: Allison Campbell, aac@umn.edu
Just
one step away from the new J.D./M.D. program
Final
approval depends on a vote of the Law School faculty, but a preliminary
agreement has been signed to establish a joint J.D./M.D. degree program. This
demanding joint degree calls for enrollees to switch between the immersions in
Law School and the Medical School during six years of study. The new degree
joins 18 existing joint-degree programs, combining law studies with
Pharmacology, Health Policy, Molecular Biology & Genomics, and
environmental studies. The students who enter the program will be
extraordinary, says, Dr. Susan Wolf, director of the Joint Degree Program in
Law, Health & the Life Sciences. And, like David Kessler, now dean of Yale
Medical School and former head of the FDA under two presidents, these
joint-degree graduates will have unusual expertise to influence public policy
and health-care systems in the future. For more on the Joint Degree Program,
see www.jointdegree.umn.edu
Student-led
evolution
Students who drafted a Medical Student Professionalism Code are to be complimented, said members of the Education Council at the July meeting. The code was drafted by
Allison Korell '02, Steph Walters '03, Angela Goepford '04, and Quy Ton '05,
and was approved by the Medical Student Council. In endorsing the code as a
guideline, Education Council Chair James Pacala noted that he also would ask
Dean Powell to consider forming a working group to draft a comprehensive
professionalism code that would apply to students, residents, and faculty. The
draft professionalism code has 12 specific suggestions, from being on time, to
committing to life-long learning, to carefully considering consequences to
colleagues and patients while fulfilling responsibilities. "In conclusion," the
students wrote, "we embrace the professional virtues of honesty, compassion,
integrity, fidelity, and dependability."
Learning
from the Masters
This
fall, we launch the Master Tutor program, in which some of our finest teachers
lead first-year students in two required courses: Physician and Patient, and
Physician and Society. Master Tutors, working solo or trading off in pairs,
will meet regularly with the same group of 10 to study essentials of history
and physical and explore contextual elements of health care: ethics, cultural
dynamics, health systems, working in interdisciplinary teams, and so on. The
Master Tutors, chosen for their teaching excellence and commitment, their
ability to relate well to students, and their expertise in the course topics,
will provide coherence, integration, and consistent quality in these key
courses.
The lead
Master Tutors are: Sharon Allen, M.D., Family Practice; Nancy Baker,
M.D., Family Practice; Karyn Baum, M.D., Internal Medicine; Brad
Benson, M.D., Internal Medicine; Dave Current, M.D., Family
Practice; Laurel Drevlow, M.D., Internal Medicine; Pat Fontaine,
M.D. Family Practice; Steve Hillson, M.D., Internal Medicine; Dave
Hunter, M.D., Family Practice; Gary Johnson, M.D., Internal
Medicine; Casey Martin, M.D., Family Practice; Wes Miller, M.D.,
Internal Medicine; James Nixon, M.D., Pediatrics; Stephanie Norris
Sanchez, M.D., Internal Medicine; Jim Pacala, M.D., Family Practice;
Claus Pierach, M.D., Medical Education; David Power, M.D., Family
Practice; Tim Ramer, M.D., Family Practice; Ed Ratner, M.D.,
Internal Medicine; Craig Roth, M.D., Internal Medicine; Angela
Sidler, M.D., Pediatrics; John Song, M.D., Internal Medicine &
Center for Bioethics; Scott Velders, M.D., Internal Medicine; Peter
Weissmann, M.D., Internal Medicine; Jennifer Welsh, M.D., Family
Practice; Mike Wooten, M.D., Family Practice. Back-up Master Tutors
are: Frank Cerra, M.D., Family Practice; Elie Gertner, M.D., Internal Medicine;
Jon Hallberg, M.D., Family Practice; Bill Jacott, M.D., Family Practice; Al
Michael, M.D., Internal Medicine; Charlie Moldow, M.D., Internal Medicine; Tom
Stillman, M.D., Internal Medicine; Greg Vercellotti, M.D., Internal Medicine.
Becoming
oriented
New this
year, too, for first-year students is a relaxing get-together the day before
Orientation. With lessons in Tai Ch'i, self-care, and community building, the
program begins at 9 a.m. Aug. 14 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. There is
room for about 50 people. To sign up, incoming students may contact Katrina
McGill, 626-0163 (larso372@umn.edu), and
should let her know if they need transportation to the Arboretum.
The next
day, Aug. 15, at 8 a.m., the official student orientation begins in the new
Molecular and Cellular Biology building. Class photos, white-coat fittings and
a welcome to the Medical School are on the agenda in the morning. After lunch
with the Master Tutors, students will hear from professors on the nitty-gritty
of anatomy and an approach to wellness, from other students on what to expect
in Medical School, and from financial aid staff on money issues. The cherry on
the top of this informative day will be an ice cream social.
New:
Emergency medicine department
A
welcome addition to our school, the new Emergency Medicine department results
from a recognition of the maturing field and growing student interest. It also
represents an evolutionary step up from the Program in Emergency Medicine that
has reported to the office of the dean for the last decade. Our first
department head is Joseph E. Clinton, M.D., chief of Emergency Medicine at
Hennepin County Medical Center, which has had a residency program in Emergency
Medicine since 1972. Dr. Clinton maintains an office at HCMC and on the sixth
floor of the Mayo building. Vice-chair is James Amsterdam, chief of Emergency
Medicine at Regions. Core faculty will number four to eight, with overall
faculty at HCMC and Regions totaling 45. Dr. Clinton received his medical
degree from University of Iowa and did his residency at HCMC. He also has held
a number of national leadership positions on the American Board of Emergency
Medicine.
Editor's
note: A tribute
The
Medical School family lost one of its own when 2002 graduate Alejandro Silva
Baigorria, M.D., passed away by drowning June 6, 2002. At the July 13, 2002,
memorial service at Macalester College, the speakers included our alumni Drs.
Judy Zweibel Weisenberg, Elena Apasova, and Nissrine Nabik. Alejandro's love of
life, his infectious smile, and his commitment to caring will be emblazoned in
our Medical School's heritage. Alejandro grew up in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and
graduated from Macalester College. He was an RPAP student and planned to start
his residency in urology at the University of Miami. His untimely loss should
remind all of us to our commitment to medicine and the health of all people.
Please remember that Alejandro is part of our family and that we as caregivers
have lost an individual who had so much to give. Alejandro would want all of
you to be compassionate physicians and to keep a sense of balance in your
lives.