med ed
A newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the University of Minnesota Medical School

No. 366, March 2004

Editor: Gregory Vercellotti, M.D., verce001@umn.edu

Editorial Assistant: Allison Campbell, aac@umn.edu

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LCME and ACGME site visits, March 28-April 1

 

After nearly two years of preparation by faculty, staff, and students, the University of Minnesota Medical School will be visited by accreditation teams from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education at the end of this month. From March 28 to April 1, our curriculum, courses, and clerkships, our faculty, students, and staff, and our finances, facilities, and affiliates will be subjected to intense scrutiny by site visitors from these accrediting agencies.

From concrete facts like uncluttered hallways to intangibles like professional attitudes, every aspect of our Medical School will be on display for our accreditation site visitors. We want to demonstrate to them our commitment to education. Let us all work together to ensure our visitors receive a warm welcome and gain the best possible impression.

Assessing our school in person, the site visitors will talk with more than 125 faculty and administrators, converse with students, visit both the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses, and tour facilities. Based on reports and the database that we have given them, the site visitors will ask many questions. These questions will explore all aspects of our undergraduate and graduate medical education programs and whether they are in compliance with the organizations' standards.

We believe that we have depicted an accurate picture of our school in the self-study database and executive summary for the LCME and the Institutional Review Document for the ACGME. We have demonstrated the progress that we have made over the last several years in improving our programs. Those who are scheduled to meet the site visitors may want to review these documents in order to prepare for the visits. To access the LCME database and self-study summary, go to a password-protected section of our Web site http://meded1.ahc.umn.edu/LCME_CD/. To logon, username = guest and the password = sitevisit. The Institutional Review Document is slated to be posted online later this month; for information, contact Lisa Swanson in the GME office, skoug001@umn.edu, 612-625-8285.

In addition, mock site visits to allow members of the Twin Cities community to practice are being set up by Deborah Zorn. Those scheduled to meet with the site visitors will be contacted separately by Zorn, who can be reached at schre038@umn.edu. In Duluth, Jim Boulger, Ph.D., also will be setting up informal meetings with faculty and students to go over possible site visitor questions and help them prepare.

Much has changed and improved since our last LCME accreditation visit. Along with a renewed focus on education, the Medical School's finances are stable, the curriculum has been revamped, and curriculum governance has been clarified. We believe that, if we all pull together, this site visit can be affirming of our vision of medical education and stimulating to achieve further progress. If you have questions or concerns, please e-mail lcme@mail.ahc.umn.edu or Linda Reilly at reill002@umn.edu.

 

Open house celebrated for American Indian student resource center

 

A traditional blessing ceremony performed by Phoebe Iron Necklace of the Powderhorn/Phillips Cultural Wellness Center kicked off an open house last month for new Student Resource Center established by the Twin Cities office of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health (CAIMH). Located at 2221 University Avenue S.E., Minneapolis, the resource center offers Native American students access 24/7 for individual and group study, to computers, and to a reference library. The Center of American Indian and Minority Health program director Joy Dorscher, M.D., assistant director Anna Wirta, and student support services assistant Bob Miller from the School of Medicine-Duluth joined Eileen Grundstrom of the Twin Cities CAIMH in hosting the open house. For more information about the CAIMH Student Resource Center, contact Grundstrom at grund016@umn.edu, 612-624-0465.

 

Share the healing arts at Harambe, March 13

 

The second annual Harambe show, a celebration of culture and the arts in community and in medicine, takes place Saturday evening March 13, at Coffman Union. Sponsored by the Student National Medical Association, Harambe brings diversity, reality, empowerment, and relaxation into students' lives; for the community, Harambe aims to make more human popular images of medical students and physicians. The art gallery opens at 5 p.m., and at 7 p.m., the show begins at Coffman's theater. For information, contact pham0079@umn.edu.

 

Alfred Michael Student Research Day, March 15, includes lecture by Harvard professor

 

Join in the celebration of student researchers Monday, March 15, when more than 20 medical students will present during Alfred Michael Student Research Day. Students' research posters will be displayed from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the second-floor corridor of the Phillips Wangensteen Building (near the Outside Inn). From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., there will be a social hour. At 4:30 p.m., a lecture honoring the student research experience will be given by Nancy C. Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., Leland Fikes Professor Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Basic Sciences & Graduate Studies at Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital, in PWB 2-470.

 

Student Bioethics Paper Competition

 

Bioethical dilemmas are the subject for the 2004 Student Committee on Bioethics Paper Competition. Deadline is April 1, 2004, for students from the Medical School, the Carlson School of Management, the Law School, or graduate programs in the College of Liberal Arts, to submit papers on such controversies as whether a woman should sell her kidney. Four top achievers will be chosen and given cash prizes of $500 or $250 each and the opportunity to present the paper during the committee's spring lecture series. Applications for the bioethics paper competition are available in the CHIP Student Center, 1-425 Moos Tower, or via email by contacting Maesie Speer, speer003@umn.edu.

 

UpToDate access for Twin Cities and Duluth campuses

 

The Bio-Medical Library and the Medical School have partnered to license UpToDate for the Twin Cites and Duluth campuses. UpToDate is a subscription-based electronic clinical database with searchable, up-to-date topic reviews. The topic reviews include links to related subjects, references, tables, charts, graphics, X-rays, video, and drug information.

 

Please visit www.uptodate.com and follow the link that says "Click here to log on to UpToDate online" (ID and Password not required). Due to the terms of the license agreement with UpToDate, access will be limited to campus IP addresses and will not be accessible off-site or from home. Contact the Bio-Medical Library reference desk at 612-626-3260 or email medref@umn.edu with questions.

 

Know anyone considering medical school?

 

Those wondering what it would be like to go to medical school can get an introduction on Pre-Med Day, Saturday, April 3, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2-470 Phillips Wangensteen Building. Potential applicants and their advisors can learn about the University of Minnesota Medical School, the application process, financial, and the rewards and challenges of pursuing a medical career. Those interested in attending must register by March 30 at www.meded.umn.edu/admissions/premedday.htm

 

Summer opportunities ahead for first-year students

 

Our first-year class enjoys a nine-week summer break from coursework, which allows them to explore aspects of medicine such as rural rotations and research. More information is available at http://www.meded.umn.edu/resopps/summer.htm.

 

Get out the calendars: Clerkship lottery begins

 

Year two students have been randomly assigned to a dozen lottery groups. (For details, see www.meded.umn.edu/year34/course_scheduling/group_definitions.htm) Within the windows set aside for their groups, students will request clerkships for their year three and four schedules. The first two rounds of the clerkship lottery run March 8 through 13; the third round is March 22 to April 3. After that date, students may continue to change their schedules for periods that have not yet passed the deadline. (Electives away must be approved for credit; see the year three/four home page, under Goals, program requirements, planning and procedures.) Once students' schedules have filled, their advisors must approve them online, from April 4 through 9.

 

Before the break, an Island Party

 

In anticipation of Spring Break, Duluth is hosting an island party with a D.J., Friday, March 5. Faculty, staff, and students are welcome and encouraged to wear their wildest shirt; someone will win the wildest shirt contest. The Island Party takes place at Grandma's Sports Garden.

 

Editor's note: Stem cell research

 

While Rep. Tim Wilkin seems to be backing off the bill that would cut off funding to the University if it continues to pursue privately funded embryo stem cell research, the threat remains. At the University of Minnesota, we adhere to the principles of academic freedom. Our biomedical researchers carry out their work within stringent guidelines and oversight, with the support of ethicists, of course. With the goal to pursue knowledge that could lead to treatments or cures, they work on the boundaries of science. As the Star Tribune editorialized Feb. 11, 2004: "Reaching for the next breakthrough often means taking a dare -- and sometimes means flouting conventional thinking." A faculty forum on stem cell research is being planned. In the meantime, for more information on stem cell research at the University of Minnesota, see www.ahc.umn.edu/news/NewsFiles/stemcell021204/