December 2007, Issue 411
Editor: Kathleen Watson, M.D., drwatson@umn.edu
Editorial Assistant: Allison Campbell Jensen, aac@umn.edu
News | Students | Faculty | Events/Notices | Poem/Reading
NEWS
Award to Powell among highlights from the AAMC annual meeting
"Diversity doesn't stand alone but is interwoven amongst everything," said AAMC President Darrell Kirch, M.D., in presenting an Institutional Leadership Diversity Award from the Minority Affairs Section of the Group on Student Affairs to his "friend and colleague" Dean Deborah Powell, M.D. Powell received the award at the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges last month in Washington, D.C. Powell said that this is "an amazing award to receive but no one person changes an institution's culture." She cited Joy Dorscher, M.D., Jo Peterson, Ph.D., Mary Tate, and Paul White, J.D., saying, "These people make it happen. I just encourage them and find the money to make it sustainable."
Medical School faculty contributions to AAMC
The University of Minnesota Medical School had several voices heard at the AAMC annual meeting. Presenters included: Frederic W. Hafferty, Ph.D., and Steven Miles, M.D., who took part in a debate sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Honor Society: "Human and the Withholding of Medical Services on Moral Grounds." Linda Perkowski, Ph.D., led a workshop on MERC program evaluation and evaluation research, as well as taking part in other sessions. Powell joined other deans and health leaders in a conversation on institutional advancement. Contributions from David Power, M.D., included presenting an abstract, "The Impact of Race on Student Well-being." Jonathan Ravdin, M.D., took part in a discussion of "Perspectives on International Biomedical Research." Jennifer Welsh, M.D., presented on how the chronic illness care grant provoked changes in residency training at Smiley's Clinic. Thanks to all who represented our Medical School—and apologies to anyone we missed.
AAMC: four posters from U of M
In the Innovations in Medical Education exhibit area at the AAMC, our colleagues displayed four posters.
- Enterprise Level Portfolio Development: User narratives and the Process for Innovation (Kathleen Watson, M.D., Perkowski, Majka Woods, Ph.D.)
- Competencies: Linking the Learning Continuum (Perkowski, Watson, Leslie Anderson, Woods)
- The Minnesota Portfolio Experience: Design to Implementation (James Nixon, M.D.; Brad Benson, M.D.)
- Transforming Medical Education and Librarianship through Partnerships of Consequence: The University of Minnesota Experience (James Beattie, M.L.I.S., Linda Watson, M.L.S., Perkowski)
Longitudinal mentoring for students
First-year medical students on Twin Cities and Duluth campus are participating in a pilot program to understand the value of an electronic portfolio and long term mentoring to learning and professional development. Students are asked to record selected learning experiences and reflections on learning in their e-portfolio and to share those selections of that e-portfolio with their master tutor. In addition, on the Duluth campus, they share portfolio entries with a peer in the second-year class. In Duluth, the master tutors or mentors are six clinical faculty members from the Duluth branch of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. In the Twin Cities, the Master tutors are 16 clinical faculty who have been teaching and leading small group discussions since 2002 in the Physician and Society-1 course. Examples of learning experiences include: videos of their first mock patient interview and their physical diagnosis exam for Applied Anatomy and papers. When they meet with their master tutors, they receive formative feedback regarding their strengths and weaknesses and guidance on ways to improve. The combination provides a longitudinal mentoring experience that will follow the students through medical school.
Harassment resources and policies available online
The University of Minnesota has strong policies against harassment and offers resources to students, faculty and staff. Addressing harassment and discrimination is a responsibility for each of us. For information, see the Medical Student Handbook on racial or ethnic harassment or sexual harassment. To report an incident, contact Medical School Equal Opportunity Officer Mary Tate, 612-625-1494.
STUDENTS
Developing reflective practice with storytelling
"It's almost like an emotional catharsis; you realize you're not alone in what you experience," says Samantha Pace, a fourth-year student. She is among the students in the Primary Care Clerkship who gather to share tales from their rotations, under the direction of Medical School faculty members David Power, M.D., Ken Olson, M.D., and Michael Kim, M.D. (For more, see the story on the Medical School Web site.) These reflection exercises run once per eight-week course. The next sessions will be held on take place12:40-3:00 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6 and April 2. Lunch will be provided, and primary care faculty members who are interested in facilitating a group are encouraged to contact Power at power007@umn.edu
Local AMSA hosts Region 8 conference
The University of Minnesota Medical School and the Mayo Medical School chapters of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) recently co-hosted the AMSA Region 8 Conference, at which about 150 medical and premedical students gathered from Minnesota, the Dakotas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa. Speakers included representatives from Minneapolis's Center for Victims of Torture, as well as a number of renowned physicians from our own institution, including Steven Miles, M.D., Jon Hallberg, M.D., Kola Okuyemi, M.D., M.P.H., and Jim Pacala, M.D., M.S. Discussion topics included the physician's role in government-sponsored torture; disparities in health care access; health care delivery to the growing geriatric patient population; and, maintaining our humanity in medical practice. The conference was wonderfully successful, as it connected civic-minded future health professionals for a weekend of intellectual and practical discussion, along with evening dances featuring Halloween costumes. —Rhamy Magid
Student Council: New committees
Student Council is continuing to address school issues and meeting the first Thursday of every month. The committees are well underway and have started addressing topics, including the new Web site and listserve, community projects, possible fall concert/party with alumni, and much more. Current events, minutes, and announcements can be found on our Web site. As always, we are here to serve you, so let us know what we can do to help; e-mail sayl0039@umn.edu. Student Council is here to serve you!
Health & Medical Journalism course offered this spring
Medical students are invited to enroll in Journalism 5155 Advanced Reporting: Health & Medical Journalism, offered Spring 2008 and taught by veteran health journalist Professor Gary Schwitzer. Students will learn how health care news fits in the culture of today's journalism; analyze examples of excellence in health journalism in different media and formats; and work on multi-platform projects to cover health topics creatively, accurately and with balance. Questions? Contact Gary Schwitzer at 6-4637 or at schwitz@umn.edu.
Research opportunities: departmental contacts added
Medical students seeking research opportunities are encouraged to check out the listings on the Medical Education Web site. New to the page: A list of faculty contacts, by department, who will guide students to faculty members with specific interests.
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
FACULTY
Linda Watson named president of AAHSL
Linda Watson, director of health sciences libraries at the University of Minnesota, has been named president of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries. The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) includes the libraries serving accredited U.S. and Canadian medical schools belonging to or affiliated with the Association of American Medical Colleges. AAHSL seeks to improve academic health sciences libraries by assessing, advancing, strengthening, leading and reframing their roles in patient care, research and teaching. As president for 2008, Watson will lead a Board of Directors in carrying out AAHSL's priorities and projects in leadership development, outcomes and assessment, advocacy, and partnerships. Watson has been director of the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries (the Bio-Medical Library, the Veterinary Medical Library, and the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine) since August 2005.
EVENTS & NOTICES
New Boman fellow named Nov. 7 at Duluth campus event
Jenna M. Mollison was awarded the Annette Boman Women's Fellowship for Cancer Research Nov. 7, at an event on the Medical School–Duluth campus. Mollison is a second year Integrated Biosciences graduate student conducting cancer-research related to stem cell characteristics. She is advised by Edward Perkins, Ph.D., and Jon Holy, Ph.D. The award honors the memory of Annette Boman, a gifted researcher, wife, and mother of two young children, who died in 2003 as a result of complications from cancer.
Thank you! Art of Caring benefit successful for Phillips Neighborhood Clinic
With art, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, and a silent auction, more than $10,000 was raised by the Art of Caring benefit to support the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic. Thank you to all who contributed. Phillips Neighborhood Clinic is a free clinic operated by more than 100 University of Minnesota students from the fields of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, and public health. The clinic, founded by John Song, M.D., M.P.H., M.A.T., in 2002 is now under the supervision of Brian Sick, M.D., with the operational support of the University of Minnesota Physicians. It has a two-fold mission: to provide diverse citizens of the Twin Cities free access to culturally sensitive, high-quality health care, while providing students the experience and skills to effectively and compassionately work in underserved communities.
National Brain Awareness Week leader named: Fitzakerley
Janet Fitzakerley, Ph.D., has been asked to lead a national subcommittee in charge of promoting National Brain Awareness Week, scheduled for March 10-16, 2008. She organizes the Duluth Brain Awareness Week educational activities and matches medical students and professors with local schools that have requested presentations. The University of Minnesota Duluth and Twin Cities campuses both participate in Brain Awareness Week. Last year they reached a record 5,800 students throughout Minnesota. Launched in 1996, Brain Awareness Week united the Society for Neuroscience with the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and a coalition of more than 1,600 science, advocacy, and health organizations that share an interest in elevating public awareness of brain and nervous system research.
New Dean's Report looks back to the future
The new 2007 Dean's Report features the past and future of cardiovascular research and care at the Medical School, a fresh look at students taking advantage of the Flexible M.D., the promise offered by researchers watching brains at work, and extending the benefits of BMT to new patients. The latest report is 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
Medical Bulletin available online
Keeping up with University of Minnesota Medical School news just got easier. Now you can sign up to receive the latest Medical Bulletin headlines—with links to all the current stories—via e-mail. It's simple to subscribe at www.mmf.umn.edu/mb/subscribe You can always view the entire Medical Bulletin, as well as past issues, online at www.mmf.umn.edu/bulletin
POEM & RECOMMENDED READING
Coats
I saw him leaving the hospital
with a woman's coat over his arm.
Clearly she would not need it.
The sunglasses he wore could not
conceal his wet face, his bafflement.
As if in mockery the day was fair,
and the air mild for December. All the same
he had zipped his own coat and tied
the hood under his chin, preparing
for irremediable cold.
— Jane Kenyon
Dr. Watson recommends:
"A Complementary Approach to Promoting Professionalism: Identifying, Measuring and Addressing Unprofessional Behaviors," by Gerald B. Hickson, M.D., et al., in Academic Medicine, November 2007. Vol 82, issue 11.
