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

No. 383, August 2005

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

Editorial Assistant: Allison Campbell, aac@umn.edu

View Past Issues

Orientation for the Class of 2009

Our newest class joins the Medical School this month on the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. Orientation in the Twin Cities begins August 8 with breakfast and tours; it officially launches at 10 a.m. in MCCB 3-120 with welcoming remarks from Dean Deborah Powell, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Education Kathleen Watson, M.D., and Admissions Director Marilyn Becker, Ph.D. Second-year students Erin Drasler and Christopher Vu also will welcome the class. The day includes a patient encounter, discussion of the curriculum, and advice for dealing with stress. An introduction to service learning is a highlight on August 9. And, on August 10, the class can learn about maintaining well-being and, if they like, take in a movie.

Fifty-five students will be matriculated into the Medical School Duluth on August 30. After welcoming remarks from Duluth Campus Dean Richard Ziegler, Ph.D., Duluth Chancellor Kathryn Martin, Ph.D., sophomore class president Ramsey Peterson, and Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions Lillian Repesh, Ph.D., students will begin orientation activities. A panel of second-year students will discuss study strategies, Education Specialist Phyllis Lindberg will provide tips on learning and test taking, students will go on tours of the facilities and campus, and the Rural Medicine Course will begin. The second week will feature a Well-Being Day. Highlights include the formation of vignette or support groups who will discuss skits put on by second-year students and faculty depicting challenges that medical students may encounter. Students will learn about ways of dealing with stressors and about resources available. A welcome picnic for faculty, staff, and students will be held September 9 at Park Point Beach House.

CAIMH director to head Association of American Indian Physicians

Joy Dorscher, M.D., director of our Center of American Indian and Minority Health, will be named president of the Association of American Indian Physicians on Saturday, August 6, during the association's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. CAIMH's delegation to the conference includes 25 pre-med students, 16 students from the Indian Health Pathway (from the first year of medical school through residents and a faculty fellow), and four staff members. During the conference, CAIMH and AAIP jointly sponsor a pre-admissions workshop for those considering medical school. CAIMH also will facilitate a discussion on academic medicine as a career choice for American Indian physicians. Please join me in congratulating Joy on this honor.

New interprofessional course this fall

Developing teamwork skills to promote an environment of collaboration, efficiency, and quality in health care is the goal of a new interprofessional communications course this fall. The new course was "designed by health care professionals, and will address the complex interactions of the health care community," says Karyn Baum, M.D., of the Medical School, who is the coordinator on the project. "This course will teach health care professionals how to resolve conflicts with each other, through communication, to improve the quality of a patient's care." Along with Baum, collaborators who developed the course include Mark Leenay, M.D., Medical School; Don Uden, Ph.D., College of Pharmacy; Sandra Potthoff, Ph.D., Healthcare Administration, Bill Riley, Ph.D., School of Public Health; and Ruth Lindquist, Ph.D., R.N., Mary Rowan, Ph.D., R.N., and Karen Dunlap, M.S.N., R.N., of the School of Nursing. For the medical students, this training will be within the required course Physician and Society; for public health students, this will be offered as an elective; and for nursing, pharmacy, and healthcare administration students, this will be offered as a one credit elective course. The development of this course has been supported by the individual schools involved, the Academic Health Center Office of Education, and by a grant through the Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment, and the Life Sciences.

Outstanding medical student receives $10,000 scholarship

In recognition of his excellence as a medical student and outstanding promise for a future career in medicine, Gareth Forde, Ph.D., a second-year medical student, has been named an American Medical Association Foundation Minority Scholar. This award is given to only 10 medical students in the country. "We are proud of Gareth's accomplishments and look forward to even more contributions to medicine from him in the future," said Deborah E. Powell, M.D., dean of the Medical School. Forde has published extensive research in academic journals and has been active in a number of professional organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Educational Excellence. He founded the Conference on the Medical Education of Minorities in Mississippi and has been working on the issue of a diverse health care workforce here in Minnesota. "We are pleased to recognize the outstanding achievements of Gareth Forde, and to provide him with substantial financial assistance," said AMA Foundation President Linda Ford. "We must do all we can to ensure that the cost of medical education remains within reach of our most talented students."

New policy on taking classes outside the Medical School

Medical students who wish to take classes outside the Medical School now will self-register and be charged the standard course and technology fees. Costs of these classes will not be covered by Medical School financial aid. Students may apply for a medical school reimbursement award to cover the cost of the additional tuition. To qualify for these awards, the students must be in good academic standing, apply for only one course a semester, take a course for credit that relates to their medical education (such as medical Spanish or courses in public health or Spirituality and Healing), and have not previously withdrawn from a course outside the Medical School. For more information, contact Helene Horwitz at 612-624-8101 or horwi001@umn.edu.

Program director profile: Gwen Halaas, M.D.

As director of the Rural Physician Associate Program, Gwen Halaas, M.D., helps place 30 to 40 third-year medical students in small towns and rural areas throughout Minnesota. "I often tell my students, 'The good news is you're the only student; the bad news is you're the only student,'" says Halaas. Students work directly with family practice physicians and other health care providers in the community. "Everyone wants to teach them, and as a result, our students are invited to participate in many procedures. They typically see a wide range of cases in the nine months they're on the program." It's possible a student may diagnose a pregnancy, provide prenatal care, deliver the baby, and see the infant at its first well-child appointment, in addition to assisting in surgeries and emergency room medicine. On the other hand, being exposed to such a variety of experiences can be challenging, especially initially, says Halaas. In addition, some students find it difficult to adjust to a small community, where they may need to create a new social network. But, she adds, most RPAP participants agree the benefits far outweigh any hardships.

Halaas has extensive experience in family practice medicine. After graduating from Harvard Medical School, she completed her residency at St. Joseph's Hospital family medicine program in St. Paul, later becoming assistant director. In addition to practicing family medicine and being a health plan medical director, Halaas has been involved in residency education at the University since 1986, joining the RPAP faculty in 2003 and serving as director of the RPAP clerkship since July 2004. RPAP has been extremely successful, says Halaas. Most preceptors are former RPAP students. Two-thirds of former RPAP students practice in rural settings. "I have a lot of fun seeing the students become real physicians in nine months," she says. "In that time, they go from scientists to practicing doctors."

Student writing contest on preventive medicine

The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) is offering an award for the best paper on preventive medicine written by a medical student. The winning paper will be published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The author will receive a $1,000 prize and will be honored at the ACPM's annual meeting. All prevention-related topics will be considered. Submissions must be received by September 20. For more information, contact Erica Frank, M.D., M.P.H., Emory University School of Medicine, efrank@emory.edu .

Summer Internship in Medicine

In its third summer, the Summer Internship in Medicine program signed up 34 medical students for a rural, interprofessional experience of up to 8 weeks, each earning up to 12 credits. Each student submitted a project proposal prior to working with preceptors in small towns in Minnesota, surrounding states, and even Alaska and Hawaii. Raymond Christensen, M.D., of the Duluth campus, coordinates the program for students between their first and second years. It is implemented with the support of the Minnesota Hospital Association, the Minnesota Area Health Education Centers, and rural hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers in Minnesota and elsewhere.

Twin Cities Golf Classic August 8

The Minnesota Medical Foundation Golf Classic in the Twin Cities will be held Monday, August 8, at Midland Hills Country Club. During the past 15 years, the event has raised nearly $600,000 to support medical education and research. Lunch and registration begins at 11 a.m.; tee off is at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $250 per person, which includes tournament, lunch, cart, banquet, prizes, and a $70 tax-deductible gift. To register as an individual or as a foursome, call Sue Clark at 612-626-0619 or visit the MMF Web site, www.mmf.umn.edu/golf .

Speaker on community health centers and health disparities September 7

Hal Streinick, M.D., director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Institute for Community and Collaborative Health, speaks on the Impact of Community Health Centers on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities at noon, September 7, in Coffman Union Theatre.

Dean's Report, online

Whether doing research, providing health care to underserved communities at home, building connections abroad, or dealing with their own family health crisis, our students are amazing. Read about just a few of them or gain access to the entire Dean's Report 2005 via the Web (www.med.umn.edu/news/students/home.html).

Literary inspiration

The Little Ways that Encourage Good Fortune

by William Stafford

Wisdom is having things right in your life
and knowing why.
If you do not have things right in your life,
you will be overwhelmed:
you may be heroic,
but you will not be wise.

from The Way it Is, published by Graywolf Press