No. 398, November 2006
Editor: Kathleen Watson, M.D., drwatson@umn.edu
Editorial Assistant: Allison Campbell Jensen, aac@umn.edu
In this issue:
NEWS: MED 2010 and more
STUDENTS
EVENTS
LITERARY INSPIRATION
NEWS
MED 2010 leadership meeting, Oct. 17
Dean Deborah Powell emphasized that MED 2010 is not an effort to simply reform a curriculum, it is an initiative to change the whole process of medical education, during an Oct. 17 meeting of MED 2010 work group leaders. This change in medical education will be based on medical students, residents, and practitioners achieving competencies and demonstrating outcomes. We want to educate our students in the skills, attitudes and knowledge that are the basis for the six core competencies of physicians, described by the ACGME Outcome Project. Building a lexicon of competencies for our medical students will be hard work, yet it's essential because competencies and outcomes will allow us to integrate individualized flexibility into our medical education. Moreover, competencies and outcomes will be the measures for physicians in their practice lives. For more information, see the FAQs on the MED 2010 Web site.
New AAMC president calls for leadership in seeking public goods
In his inaugural address as president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., called upon the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals to take the lead in reaffirming higher education, scientific discovery, and health care as "public goods" worthy of more national support. The AAMC annual meeting took place in Seattle the last weekend of October.
Dean's Report for 2006 available online
MED 2010, education in global health, the contribution of imaging to understanding of mental illness, Medical School researchers' contribution to advances in genetics, and continued leadership in transplantation are among the topics in the 2006 Medical School Dean's Report. It's available online as a PDF, from a link on the home page (www.med.umn.edu). In addition, printed copies are available from Allison Campbell Jensen, aac@umn.edu.
STUDENTS
Drums and alum contribute to White Coat ceremonies, Oct. 7 & 21
Wonderful contributions highlighted the White Coat ceremonies this month, where medical students received their first white coats that symbolize taking on the responsibilities of their profession. Among the contributors was the Center for American Indian and Minority Health drum group, made up of current American Indian medical students as well as alumni. The drum group honored with song and drumbeats the first-year medical students on the Duluth campus Oct. 7. At the White Coat ceremony Oct. 21 on the Twin Cities campus, recent graduate Catherine Ehlen, M.D., spoke about her experiences as a patient and as a medical student. "A few years after being diagnosed," she said, "my attitude toward illness matured... My tumors were a profound education and I felt lucky to have experienced and lived through them... Several experiences during medical school, however, reminded me that somewhere deep inside of me is a patient... When I exposed the joint on my cadaver [during anatomy], my breath left me for a moment. I think I even gasped. Here was the joint that led me to medicine. It was lovelier than ever I had imagined -- aesthetics and physics and biology at their most pristine." Please join me in expressing appreciation to the drum group, Ehlen, our other speakers, musicians, and faculty -- all those who made these White Coat ceremonies meaningful for our first-year medical students, their families and friends.
Alpha Omega Alpha, Class of 2007
Please join me in congratulating the 28 medical students who were recently elected to Alpha Omega Alpha as seniors. They will be initiated into AOA on Nov. 29, 2006. They are: Rehana L. Ahmed-Saucedo, Michelle K. Atchison, Elizabeth A. Baldwin, Brian P. Bjerke, Joshua R. Blomberg, Brianne M. Brandt-Griffith, Michael B. Colgan, Craig E. Eckfeldt, Tara L. Frerks, Kathryn A. Gehrig, Casey L. Hall, Sarah M. Larson, Lissa K. Lubinski, Elizabeth A. Melin, Matthew W. Miller, Johanna C. Moore, Lukas M. Nystrom, Seth M. Oskie, Heather M. Pearson, Andrew D. Peltier, Kathleen M. Pfister, Alexa A. Pragman, Katherine P. Radcliffe, Sara A. Rademacher, Monica Rani, Neil A. Shah, Evan M. Sirc, and Heidi F. Walz.
Kudos to Kim Schoonover
Kim Schoonover's presentation, "Alcoholism Diagnosis in Family Practice," was awarded second place among nine medical students' presentations at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians in Washington, D.C., in September. In the past 13 years, our medical students have presented 49 research presentations at the Annual Scientific meeting of the AAFP. Designed to evaluate parameters of alcoholism diagnosis and treatment, Schoonover's study involved practicing family physicians' anonymous responses to a mailed questionnaire. Co-authors were Ruth Westra, D.O., M.P.H., head of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, and Jim Boulger, Ph.D., Behavioral Sciences and Family Medicine, both of the Medical School -- Duluth Campus. Autumn Erwin also presented her study concerning a Web site: "Physician's Guide: Hmong Health Beliefs."
Future physician-leaders: opportunity at CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are seeking applications for their 2007 CDC Experience fellowship program. The CDC Experience provides third- and fourth-year medical students with a 10- to 12-month placement at the CDC offices in Atlanta, Georgia. Fellows carry out epidemiologic analyses in a wide range of public health issues, including parasitic diseases, cardiovascular health, birth defects, food-borne diseases, and air pollution and respiratory health. CDC Experience graduates have the potential to become future physician-leaders and substantially contribute to the quality of the health care system. Applications must be postmarked by Dec. 4. Information: http://www.cdcfoundation.org/thecdcexperience
International clinical research training program
The Association of American Medical Colleges is seeking applicants for an international clinical research training fellowship for graduate level health professions students. The program is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health's Fogarty International Center, in partnership with the Ellison Medical Foundation. The AAMC and the Association of Schools of Public Health manage the program, which is beginning its fourth year. This one-year program provides students with mentored research training at top-ranked, NIH-funded research centers in a diverse group of countries. Applications are due Dec. 8. For more information, go to http://www.aamc.org/overseasfellowship.
Bringing candidates to campus: Kudos to AMSA group
Opportunities to hear from candidates about health-care issues were organized by some of our medical students last month. Rep. Mark Kennedy, running for Senate, and Peter Hutchinson and Maureen Reed, running for governor and lieutenant governor, were among the candidates who came to campus and talked with students. The events were organized by members of the American Medical Student Association, including: Sam Maiser, Benjamin Ho, Michelle Carlson, James McCabe, Kat Krohn, Rhamy Magid, Ann Vogt, Charlie Billington, Mike Parrott, Luke Healy, Jenny Fish, and Christina Brakken-Thal. They demonstrated leadership in putting together these events. Thanks to them and to all who attended. Remember to vote Nov. 7.
Calling all students: For future issues, we'd love to hear your news about volunteer efforts, research work, or medical experiences in new environments. Send an e-mail to Allison Campbell Jensen, aac@umn.edu.
EVENTS AND LECTURES
Rural Pre-Med Summit, Nov. 4
A Rural Pre-Med Summit designed to inform and encourage premedical undergraduates between their sophomore and junior years, as well as nontraditional students who plan to enter medical school will be held 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Nov. 4, at Medical School -- Duluth Campus. School faculty, rural physicians and current first- and second-year medical students will discuss the challenges and rewards of pursuing a career in medicine. Included in the full day of activities are breakout groups that offer hands-on experiences in OB/delivery, medical imaging, histology, heart sounds and pathology. There will also be instruction on MCAT entry exams, writing personal statements, interviewing for medical school and applying for financial aid. Paul T. White, J.D., admissions director in the Twin Cities, and Lillian Repesh, Ph.D., associate dean for student affairs and admissions in Duluth, will present information about the Medical School.
Anatomy Memorial, Nov. 14
A memorial service in honor of the donors whose selfless gifts are invaluable to medical education will be hosted by medical students, 7 p.m., Nov. 14, at Ted Mann Concert Hall. The hall is located at 2128 Fourth St. S., on the West Bank of the U campus; parking is available at 21st Avenue Ramp and parking stubs will be validated at the service.
Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety conference, Nov. 15-16
The keynote speaker will be the author of the best-seller Internal Bleeding: The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes, and Chief of the Medical Service at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center Bob Wachter, M.D. He will discuss how far health care systems and providers have come since 1999, and how far they need to go in sustaining our commitment to address medical mistakes. Registration at the conference is $310; for details, see the MAPS Web site.
International HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, Dec. 1
The connection between HIV/AIDS, poverty, and human rights will be discussed by Steven Miles, M.D., and Alan Lifson, M.D., M.P.H., starting at 9:30 a.m., Dec. 1, in Coffman Theater. This program, part of the School of Public Health Roundtable Series, is free but registration is requested.
LITERARY INSPIRATION
CXV
FINITE to fail, but infinite to
venture.
For the one ship that struts the
shore
Manys the gallant, overwhelmed
creature
Nodding in navies nevermore.
--Emily Dickinson, from Complete Poems Part One: Life