August 2008 , Issue 419
Editor: Kathleen Watson, M.D., drwatson@umn.edu
Editorial Assistant: Allison Campbell Jensen, aac@umn.edu
News | Students | Faculty | Events/Notices | Poem
NEWS
New mission statement for the Medical School
A process involving faculty, students, and staff has resulted in a new mission statement for the University of Minnesota Medical School: Committed to innovation and diversity, the Medical School educates physicians, scientists, and health professionals; generates knowledge and treatments; and cares for patients and communities with compassion and respect.
Student Affairs changes
The Medical School is improving its student services, as illustrated by the revamped and streamlined Student Handbook. Changes in career planning also are slated to be part of student services re-do. Career planning will begin early in year one and become 1) structured and longitudinal, 2) transparent and more accessible for students, and 3) designed to help students receive guidance to meet their aspirations for residency matches and beyond. In addition, students can expect to receive or be directed to surveys about student services this fall. This improvement process will continue with upcoming customer service training courses for staff members Scott Davenport, Sharon Brooks, and Katrina McGill. Kudos to them and everyone involved in this improvement effort.
White Coat Ceremony in Twin Cities: Update
At the Aug. 8 White Coat Ceremony (1-3 p.m., Northrop Auditorium), the entering class will recite an oath that they have developed during the two previous days of orientation. Steven Miles, M.D., professor of medicine and member of the University's Center for Bioethics, will be the keynote speaker; Gold Humanism awards also will be presented. Everyone from the Medical School is invited to the ceremony, which welcomes our entering class into the profession of medicine. On the Duluth campus, the White Coat Ceremony is slated for Oct. 4.
Minnesota's Future Doctors
Witnessing surgery at Unity Hospital was exciting for Vue Yang, while the mock admissions interviews and constructive criticism from year two medical students were highlights for Minnesota's Future Doctors Eman Abdullai, Neli Mottey, and Tony Nguyen. They were among the two dozen diverse college students who presented posters about their experiences on July 17. This was their last day of the first of three summers that they will devote to preparing to be successful medical school applicants and, ultimately, physicians. The first class enrolled spent their second summer at Mayo Medical School. Congratulations to all our future doctors and best wishes as they return to college here at the U and around the state to continue their studies.
Friedman heads Education Committee
The Education Committee has a new leader, Aaron Friedman, who became head of the Department of Pediatrics in March 2008. Friedman is a pediatric nephrologist whose extensive CV includes service on admissions and medical education policy committees in previous positions. He told the committee at his first meeting that he is interested in educational theory as well as policy.
Perspectives groups test learning hypotheses
Four faculty clinicians and approximately 40 students from years one through four have volunteered for Perspectives, a pilot program exploring strategies for professional development. Four small Perspectives groups will meet eight times during the academic year and will provide forums for evaluating whether the interaction of learners across the different stages of medical education enhances professional growth and development. Other questions are whether dedicated small groups working in reflective, cooperative environments influence students’ abilities to seek, receive, and give feedback and define their emerging learning and professional needs. Students will be exposed to informal learning through 1) patient and health care professional experiences, such as observation of patient education and support groups, patient panels, shadowing and/or attendance; 2) experiencing VTS (visual thinking strategies) at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts); and 3) debriefings of clinical conferences. These experiences will incorporate opportunities for students to compare individual observations and explore health care from multiple points of view. Successful experiences may be adapted to the small learning communities planned for launch with MED 2010.
STUDENTS
Interdisciplinary opportunity for students on Duluth campus
August 25 kicks off orientation week for new Medical School—Duluth campus students, who are grouped with incoming pharmacy students to travel to communities around Northern Minnesota. The students learn what it's like to become a valued member of a health care team in rural communities. They visit hospitals, clinics and government and community organizations such as police and fire departments, nursing homes, and businesses in towns such as Two Harbors, Cloquet, Moose Lake, and Grand Rapids.
Medical School — Duluth campus students part of new program
The first three integrated biosciences doctoral students are scheduled to start classes August 26, 2008. This new integrated biosciences graduate program is a consortium among: Medical School — Duluth Campus, College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Duluth; College of Pharmacy — Duluth campus; Natural Resources Research Institute; Environmental Protection Agency (Duluth); and Medical School Twin Cities campus. Gary Davis, Ph.D., Duluth campus senior associate dean, notes that the new Ph.D. program provides new research possibilities and collaborations for our Medical School faculty. A Ph.D. degree program in integrated biosciences is offered at only three other universities in the United States: the University of Akron, the University of California, Berkeley, and Penn State University.
Report from Norio Hanata
I was a medical exchange student from Japan who rotated on neurosurgery, allergy, and rheumatology from April 21 to July 3. I was happy to be able to see patients myself. This is because as residents in Japan we do almost the same thing as medical students in the USA, but we don't have enough opportunity to see patients directly. In addition, I was inspired by the atmosphere in the conferences where residents could freely express their opinions without hesitation. I have benefited immensely from the opportunity to witness medical practice in the U.S.A. first hand. (Hanata is a sixth-year medical student at Niigata University School of Medicine in Japan, which has a different medical education system.)
FACULTY
Santilli's new role in education
“I am a physician, coach, and bedside teacher,” says Jamie Santilli, M.D., and new course director for year two students in Physician and Society, “I enjoy coaching enthusiastic students who thirst for the nourishment of medical knowledge to apply to the science of medicine, health improvement, and wellness.” Santilli has always been interested in health education and she has been coaching medical students, residents, and her patients since her first private practice at Park Nicollet in 1988. Throughout her career, she has appreciated the impact of teaching on her work as a physician, and she looks forward to her move back into undergraduate medical education. “I’m so excited about my new role in medical education. I get to return to medical school in the 21st century. Technology-enhanced learning, electronic health records, and an explosion in medical knowledge has occurred since I was in medical school…. Together, we will gain a better understanding of patient-centered care in the context of modern society and complex medical systems, for improved health teamwork for optimal health and educational fitness.”
CME: positive report
The Continuing Medical Education office is celebrating its positive report from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). The department is now in compliance (although standards are expected to change in the near future). The department’s success can specifically be contributed to: self-study, file audits, and progress report process. In addition, CME Director Ginny Jacobs has passed the certified CME Professional examination. This exam recognizes that CME staff are moving away from meeting planning functions toward developing courses that apply sound adult learning principles, incorporate more interactive instructional design, and ultimately focus on the impact of the education as it relates to patient care (outcomes measurement).
Medical Educator Development and Scholarship
Be sure to check the MEDS web site for free workshops and activities coming up this year to help guide and develop medical education, teaching, and scholarship at our Medical School.
EVENTS & NOTICES
Honoring alumni
The Medical School — Duluth campus will honor the recipients of the University of Minnesota Medical Alumni Society’s Harold S. Diehl Award for Lifetime Achievement and Early Distinguished Career Award, John Thomas, M.D., and Arne Vainio, M.D., respectively, Aug. 5, 5-7 p.m., in the courtyard or atrium. The official awards will be given to the two physicians on October 26, 2008, at a Medical Alumni Society Banquet. Please RSVP to (218) 726-6876.
Mondale speaks Oct. 2
Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale speaks on “Complexity and Meaning in Health Care and Politics,” 4 p.m., Oct. 2, in Mayo Auditorium. A reception follows the talk. Everyone is invited to Mondale’s talk, which also helps to launch a new Emerging Physician Leaders program within the Medical School.
Powell Center conference on women's reproductive health Sept. 22
Women's reproductive health — including environmental influences on reproductive health, teen pregnancy, and research on toxic shock syndrome research — will be highlighted at the Fifth Annual Women's Health Research Conference hosted by the Powell Center for Women's Health, Monday, Sept. 22, 2008. The keynote talk on environmental influences will be presented by David Savitz, Ph.D., director of the Center of Excellence in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Disease Prevention at Mount Sinai University. The conference will be held at McNamara Alumni Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and participants are asked to register by Monday, September 10. The conference is free for students, $25 for all other attendees. CME credits are available for an additional cost. Visit www.womenshealth.umn.edu for more information or to register.
POEM
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of all its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
— Jalal al-Din Rumi
