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

No. 370, July 2004

Editor: Kathleen Watson, M.D., drwatson@umn.edu

Editorial Assistant: Allison Campbell, aac@umn.edu
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An introduction

This is my first edition as editor of Med Ed, and I look forward to sharing this newsletter with you---and hearing your ideas for articles and news items. I am Kathleen Watson, M.D., an alumna of our Medical School who has served for several years as residency program director for the Department of Medicine. I've long been passionate about medical education and contributing to our outstanding education programs. Recently, with Dean Deborah Powell, M.D., Karyn Baum, M.D., and Greg Vercellotti, M.D., I have been involved in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement teaching improvement initiative. As the new Interim Senior Associate Dean for Education, I'll be collaborating with leaders, faculty, staff, and students to help move educational programs to the next level. I am very excited about working together with all of you as our medical education programs continue to evolve and improve. Please send any comments or questions to me at drwatson@umn.edu.

Welcoming the Class of 2008

This fall, the Medical School launches its Twin Cities campus entering class with a new, more extensive orientation. On Aug. 9, the first day of the three-day orientation, Watson officially welcomes the Class of 2008 to the Medical School at 10 a.m., in MCBB 3-120. Learning from patient encounters will be presented by Jon Hallberg, M.D., and John Song, M.D., that morning, while afternoon workshops will cover such practical matters as financial aid, academic support, and the Bio-Medical Library. On Aug. 10, the class will attend an all-day retreat off-campus facilitated by Center for Spirituality and Healing staff. Aug. 11, Thomas Mackenzie, M.D., will discuss coping with stress and professional values, students will have an opportunity to write their own oaths, and Life as a Medical Student will be discussed by a panel of year-two students. Workshops and campus tours fill out the day.

Education outside of the classroom

In its second year, the Summer Internship in Medicine program has 16 University of Minnesota medical students participating from the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses. Three of those students are going to rural communities in Alaska, including Homer and Cordova. The program, led by Ray Christensen, M.D., of Duluth, continues to find placement centers; Christensen is working on cementing relationships with the Alaskan rural communities. Discussions also are taking place about the possibility of having third- and fourth-year rotations available in rural Alaska communities. In Minnesota this year, 12 communities are participating: Ely, White Earth, Moose Lake, Sandstone, St. Cloud, Virginia, Cloquet, Two Harbors, Hibbing, Winona, and Brainerd. Finally, one student will be going to Aberdeen, S.D.

Education outside of the country

Inaugurating a new program for medical students in Quito, Ecuador, this summer are Theresa Rosendahl, Monica Rani, Heather Hamernick, Juan Jaimes, and Kamran Samakar. During the summer between their first and second year, these students will spend one month learning medical Spanish, basic clinical skills, and public health measures. In March of this year, International Medical Education and Research heads Phil Peterson, M.D., and Paul Quie, M.D., visited Quito's CIMAS program and found it quite appropriate for our Medical School's students. In Quito, CIMAS Director Jose Suarez, M.D., Ph.D., and an interdisciplinary team of health professionals have established an outstanding training environment for students with an interest in seeing the public health consequences of "globalization" in developing countries and how to respond to these challenges. Peterson and Quie also believe that, for faculty members interested in working in a Spanish-speaking country, CIMAS would serve as a superb platform for public health-related research.

Education outside of the country, part II

"We had the opportunity to travel and to see medicine aside from the normal University setting," says Tara McMichael, a third-year medical student and former member of the Medical Education through Diversity Program (MEDS). The MEDS program enables first-year medical students from the University of Minnesota Medical School to travel abroad in order to work in hospitals with patients that live in areas of the world that lack the staff and supplies to treat diseases that are commonly treated in the United States. This is the fourth year of the MEDS program, which its president Liza Jain says "helps magnify patient-relations skills and hone our medical skills." MEDS students have gone to Brazil, Mongolia, Maine, Alaska, and many other places. This year, six students will travel to Honduras, bringing medical supplies to treat patients with head lice and other infectious conditions. The students raised travel money by holding bake sales, pot luck lunches, and car washes. "Many medical students would want to do this, and it's an incredible opportunity to get out of the classroom," says Rebecca Baudain, one of the students traveling to Honduras at the end of the summer. She adds that it will be very educational to see medicine in a very different environment from her own. "This trip will be something to add to my repertoire."

Kudos to the new members of the Academy

On June 24, at Eastcliff, newly inducted members to the Academy of Medical Educators were honored. Joining the academy this year are: Sharon Allen, M.D., Ph.D.; James Carey, Ph.D.; Scott Davies, M.D.; Steve Downing, Ph.D.; Kenneth Roberts, Ph.D.; and Theodore Thompson, M.D. Please join me in congratulating these outstanding educators.

M.D./Ph.D. program retreat

The July 15-16 retreat for the M.D./Ph.D. program features a keynote speech by graduate Jason Chesney, M.D., Ph.D., now an assistant professor of medicine at University of Louisville. Participants also will discuss student progress in graduate training and medical school and exchange ideas about career development. Those who have recently completed their doctoral training and are returning to medical education include Eleanor Chen (thesis advisor Steve Ekker, Ph.D.), Michael Linden (thesis advisor Brian Van Ness, Ph.D.), and Robert Schwartz (thesis advisor Catherine Verfaillie, M.D.).

CAIMH: Reaching out to Native American youth

On Monday, June 21, Center of American Indian and Minority Health welcomed 42 high-school and undergraduate students from Minnesota, California, New York, and Washington to six-week summer programs on the Duluth campus. High-school SuperStars focus on math and science. Supervised by medical school faculty and taught by University of Minnesota medical students, the group engages in experiments and activities developing problem-based learning, structured experiments, and individual research. Their final projects are experiments on the effects of exercise on the body, presented as posters.

Native Americans into Medicine is an enrichment program on math and biochemistry, health care in diverse communities, and study skills and computer skills. Participants prepare for future application to health professions schools. Each one is responsible for completing a formal research project, with results presented orally to staff and students during the final week. The summer programs conclude with an awards banquet on July 30. For more information, contact CAIMH at 218-726-7235.

Pre-Admissions program hosted by CAIMH

On July 26 and 27, students from around the United States will participate in a pre-admissions workshop co-hosted by the Center of American Indian and Minority Health and the Association of American Indian Physicians. The workshop, held in Tulsa, Okla., in conjunction with the AAIP Annual Conference, provides guidance to undergraduate and graduate students in applying to health professions schools. Along with receiving practical advice, participants have an opportunity to connect with current University of Minnesota medical students during a mixer and formal presentations.

Reflections on Santa Fe conference

Greater understanding of the legal implications of the U.S. Supreme Court's Michigan affirmative action decision was discussed at the 2004 Association of American Medical Colleges conference for admissions, minority affairs, and student records officers held in Santa Fe last month. Reflections on this issue of national import were brought back to the Medical School by Mary Tate, head of minority affairs, Eileen Grundstrom of the Twin Cities CAIMH office, and Elodia Galvan of the minority affairs office. They were encouraged to move forward on diversity initiatives by the keynote speaker on the court case, who cited former president Gerald Ford's statement that previous generations have really been impoverished by a lack of diversity. "We don't want to have that happen," said Grundstrom. Tate noted that some schools are addressing diversity through applicant attributes, seeking those who demonstrate leadership and social commitment. Individuals need to respond well to adversity to thrive in medical school, Grundstrom said: "It's really important that we learn to be resilient."

Boulger honored

Faculty and staff on the Duluth campus are proud and thrilled with the decision of the Minnesota Medical Foundation to honor and recognize more than 30 years of unselfish and dedicated service by James Boulger, Ph.D., by awarding him the prestigious Diehl Award. Boulger is well-known on the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses, throughout Minnesota, and nationally for his work on rural health education, policy, and the training of rural physicians. He has established long-lasting relationships with physicians, health care leaders, and alumni throughout the state and nationally. Please join in congratulating him for his tireless work.

Research project with homeless youth in Duluth

Homeless and street-involved youth now have health care available to them at the Wellness Center in downtown Duluth. Emancipated youth have access to free and confidential care through a research project headed by Barbara Elliott, Ph.D., professor of Family Medicine in Duluth, in collaboration with Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota. The research project provides a nurse practitioner and social worker available during non-traditional hours to address the youth's health and well-being concerns. The project investigates the extent to which having accessible services impacts the youths' use of emergency rooms, connection to community services, and quality of life. The Wellness Center's major funder is Generations Health Care Initiatives, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding solutions to health care issues for the uninsured and underserved populations.

Guest editor's note: Educating for competencies

Dean Deborah Powell recently presented to the Education Council of the Medical School her vision of medical education, which has as one of its goals the development of a continuum of education. In discussions following her visits, James Pacala, M.D., head of the Education Council, noted that faculty, staff, and students already have made some first steps toward the continuum. The school has aligned its educational objectives for the M.D. program with the core competencies of the Advisory Council of Graduate Medical Education, for example. Everyone might not be aware of the details, however; to review the Medical School's educational objectives, see www.meded.umn.edu/students/competencies/ed_objectives (there is an underscore between "ed" and "objectives"). To review the ACGME core competencies, go to www.acgme.org and click on Competencies and Outcomes Assessment.