No. 379,
April 2005
Editor: Kathleen Watson,
M.D., drwatson@umn.edu
Editorial Assistant: Allison
Campbell, aac@umn.edu
On the Web: MED 2010
The MED
2010 leadership announces its Web site: http://www.med.umn.edu/education/curriculum/
Along with an introduction to the project to transform medical education
at our
Positive review for M.D./Ph.D.
program
Our
M.D./Ph.D. program recently received a
highly favorable review following an external site visit by the National
Institute of General Medical Sciences. Students develop a robust identity as physician scientists-in-training from the program, the reviewers
said, and transitions between phases of learning--from classroom to laboratory
to clinic--are as seamless as possible. Cited for their energetic, committed
leadership were program Director Tucker LeBien, Ph.D., and Associate Director
Peter Bitterman, M.D. The review committee also highlighted the sense of
forward momentum and enthusiasm in the program's participants and recommended
it be supported. Congratulations to LeBien, Bitterman, and all students
enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. program.
Successful Match Day March 17
"It's
exactly what I wanted," said Ted Ruzanic, who will do his emergency medicine
residency at
Technology-enhanced learning task
force report approved
A
common, online learning space is the first recommendation of the
technology-enhanced learning task force report, which was approved by the
Outstanding students elected to AOA
Recently
elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society as juniors were Alison Adams; Jane
Brumbaugh; Patricia Bugliosi; Christina Dunn; John Redmond; Caleb Schultz; Robert
Schwartz; Louis Shinneman; Trina Weik; and, Shannon Zingula. This group
represents about a quarter of the students from the class who will be elected
to AOA. The remaining group will be chosen in October and their selection
will be noted in their MSPEs (deans' letters).
Community service: Steven Miles,
M.D.
Recently
returned from tsunami-ravaged
Come together for Harambe April
10
An
evening of multicultural arts called Harambe, which means "let's all come
together," starts at 5 p.m., Sunday, April 10, at Coffman Union's theater. The performance
program, which begins at 6:30 p.m., celebrates the healing power of the arts
and our common humanity, uniting the medical community with the greater campus
community. This year, a donation from the event's proceeds will be made to
Native American Community Clinic. The event is co-sponsored by the Student
National Medical Association and American Medical Student Association. For more
information, see the Web site: http://www.student.med.umn.edu/amsa/harambe/harambe.htm
Residents: Register and see R.E.D. (Resident Educator Development)
Giving effective feedback (April 15) and teaching at the bedside
(May 20) are upcoming topics during the monthly Resident Educator Development
(R.E.D.) training sessions. R.E.D. sessions are scheduled for the third Friday
of the month from 7 to 8 a.m. in B-646 Mayo.
Breakfast is provided and parking is validated. All residents who are involved
in teaching are strongly encouraged to participate. To find out more, and to
register, click on www.meded.umn.edu/red/
.
Moving to clinicals: Transition Day,
April 15
During
Transition Day April 15, second-year medical students from Duluth will join
those in the Twin Cities to learn how to do effective presentations, both oral
and written; how to write orders; how to write SOAP notes; about do's and
don'ts on the patient-care units; how to prioritize in the emergency room; be
introduced to log books; and, about OSHA regulations and needlestick
procedures. Professionalism will be discussed by students from the Gold
Humanism Honor Society and celebrated by honoring six outstanding residents.
Orientation activities for
Recognizing great teachers April
25
Our colleagues Tim Ebner, M.D., Ph.D., and Greg Vercellotti, M.D.,
will be recognized by the University with Awards for Outstanding Contributions
to Graduate and Professional Education on Monday, April 25, 3:30 to 6 p.m., in
Future residents: Prepare for the
next stage April 28
A
nuts-and-bolts introduction to applying for residencies is offered April 28 to
year three students entering year four. This all-day session covers the step
two clinical skills exam as well as explanations about getting into the
computer for the residency match. (An in-depth session on interviewing will be
offered in September.)
Moving to residency: May 3 intro
A
workshop designed to give soon-to-be residents hints to reduce anxiety as they
go into a residency takes place May 3. The session starts at 4:30 p.m., with
didactics, continues with workshops in family medicine, medicine, pediatrics,
surgery, and ob/gyn. It is slated to finish about about 7 p.m.
Commencement May 6
Faculty
are encouraged to don their caps and gowns and join the procession to honor the
latest to join our profession at commencement May 6. The procession to Northrop
Auditorium starts from Coffman at 1:45 p.m. The class of 2005 will be addressed
by outstanding alumna Joia Mukherjee, M.D., M.P.H., who has been involved in
health care access and human rights issues since 1989 in the
New pediatrics fellowship for
clinician researchers
Pediatrics'
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health is accepting applications
for a new fellowship, the Primary Care Fellowship in General Pediatrics. The
overall purpose of this fellowship is to improve the status of children and
adolescents by training a cadre of pediatric clinician researchers who will
assume positions of leadership in general pediatrics within academic
institutions, conduct the next generation of primary care research, and train a
new generation of pediatricians who will be committed to serving children in
low-income, high-need areas. The fellowship is two to three years and includes
an integrated set of coursework leading to a Master's in Public Health, two
half-days per week in clinics serving historically underserved populations of
children, and mentored research experiences. The fellowship will be grounded in
a division with an extensive research and publication record as well as 25
years of experience in post-graduate fellowship training. The fellowship is
open to physicians who have completed a pediatrics residency program by the
start of the program and are board-certified or board-eligible. Those from
racial and ethnic communities underrepresented in medicine and primary care are
encouraged to apply. To find out more, please e-mail Iris Borowsky, M.D.,
Ph.D., at borow004@umn.edu.
Course director close-up: Elke Eckert, M.D.
One
challenge in the psychiatry clerkship is providing outpatient experience to
students, says course director Elke Eckert, M.D. "We have tried to provide it
in the past but the problems outweighed the benefits in that often patients do
not show up and there is usually no patient follow-up opportunity during the
clerkship period." In an inpatient setting, follow-up is more likely, but these
are typically the more severe cases. "We always try to provide the students
with a balance of experiences," she says, and a wide range of psychiatric
problems and treatment. In addition to general inpatient psychiatry, most students
are able to choose a second area, such as geriatric care, substance abuse, or
child and adolescent psychiatry.
Eckert
sees the clerkship as evolving. For instance, she's considering offering fewer
lectures and emphasizing more small group learning, which would involve the
students more directly. Independent learning is valued, says Eckert, and
students write papers, typically describing a specific patient's problem. Each
year the department awards a $500 prize for the best paper. Some have even been
published in psychiatric journals, says Eckert.
Last
year Eckert's team provided a "learning day" on schizophrenia, during which
students gathered to hear about various aspects of the condition, including
basic science discoveries and the latest treatments. Focused learning days are
something the faculty would like to offer more often, says Eckert.
She
hopes the exposure to psychiatry will help medical students, regardless of
which area they choose to specialize. "An understanding of psychiatry benefits
those going into family medicine as well as every other specialty," who may
need to refer patients, she says. But just as important, health care providers
should be aware of their patients' physical and mental health.
Literary inspiration
The Neurons Who Watch Birds
We
have to think now what it would be like
To
be old. Some funny little neurons,
Developed
for high-speed runners, and quick-
Handed
bowmen, begin to get tired. They fire
But
then lay down their bows and watch birds.
The
kidney cells--"Too much thinking!" the Chinese
Say--look
around for help, but the kids have
All
gone to the city. Your friends get hit by lightning,
And
your enemies live on. This isn't going to get
Better.
Crows yelling from the telephone wires
Don't
include you in the stories they tell, and they seem
To
remember some story that you haven't heard.
What
can you do? We'll have to round up
All
those little people wandering about
In
the body, get them to sit up straight, and study
This problem: How do we die?
--Robert Bly