Dear GME Community,
Cindy Hamra
Associate Dean, GME
Yesterday the GME Office hosted New Resident & Fellow Orientation with nearly 400 of the over 500 incoming residents and fellows in attendance! GME Orientation takes months of planning by many members of the GME Team and I’m thankful to this great group for an excellent event! The Huddle also featured an article on our incoming residents and fellows: Welcome, 2024 UW Medicine Trainees.
In addition to Orientation, June is graduation month for many of our trainees. We also celebrate Juneteenth, Pride and the first cohort of UW Medicine LeadUp graduates!
June News & Notes includes new policies regarding non-ACGME programs and Physician Impairment, several upcoming events and reminders. Please reach out with questions or suggestions.
Thanks,
Cindy
Policies and Processes
- The GME Office is currently hiring for a second Float Administrator (Req #233223). If you have questions about the position, please contact Gabrielle Pett.
- The GMEC approved revisions to the following policies at the June meeting. All are posted on the Policies and Procedures page of the GME website.
- Non-ACGME Accredited Programs Policy: Minor revisions, specifically updating name of the GMEC subcommittee charged with oversight of these programs (now the Non-ACGME Program Oversight Subcommittee).
- Physician Impairment Policy: The GMEC approved significant changes to the GME Physician Impairment Policy, which outlines the protocol for UWSOM clinical training program leadership and residents when there are concerns about a resident’s ability to practice safely due to an impairing health condition. Please direct questions to Cindy Hamra.
Program Information
- The GMEC has approved appointment of the following new program directors; ACGME appointments require Review Committee confirmation:
- Brian Liem, Sports Medicine (PMR)
- Gail Pokorney, Internal Medicine Alaska
- Robyn Reed, Pediatric Pathology
- Russell Ettinger, Plastic Surgery – Integrated
- The GMEC has approved appointment of the following new non-ACGME program directors for three newly approved non-ACGME clinical fellowships.
- Andrew Chen, Glaucoma
- Coutney Francis, Neuro-Ophthalmology
- Hanna Hunter, Cancer Rehabilitation
- The ACGME has a weekly e-Communication. If you wish to receive it, email ACGMECommunications@acgme.org.
Events of Interest
- GME Lunch & Learns
- Join us on July 18 for ADS Annual Update and Program Oversight.
- AY25 Lunch & Learn schedule is posted to the GME website.
- Save the Date: The fifth session of our Cultivating Skills in Feedback and Critical Conversations Education Series is August 6 from 12:30pm to 2:00pm (Zoom). The topic is: Supporting BIPOC and URiM trainees. Program directors, associate program directors, program administrators and faculty are welcome. An RSVP email will be sent out closer to the event.
- Residents & Fellows are encouraged to register for our June 25, 2024 lecture on ‘Bystander Intervention’ with Jonathan Kanter, PhD and Lee Davis from the Office of Healthcare Equity. Register using this link.
- Thalamus Demo (Date Change): Program Directors and Program Administrators are invited to join a Thalamus Demo on Tuesday, July 16 from noon-1pm. A calendar invite has separately been sent to programs via email from Gabrielle Pett. The July Program Administrator has been cancelled as the Thalamus meeting noted above was previously set to take place the same day.
- We’re pleased to invite training programs to enroll in the 2024-2025 GME Quality and Safety Foundations Course. Developed by the UW Center for Scholarship in Patient Care Quality and Safety, this course provides high-quality, efficient instruction in Quality Improvement (QI) and Patient Safety (PS) for residents and fellows. Detailed information on fees and the curriculum is available on the GME Quality and Safety Foundations Course. Enrollment is at the program level, based on total program size. We’re excited to share that the Dean’s office and GME have provided substantial funding to reduce course costs.
- As a reminder, PDDS is now EDGE! In an effort to enhance inclusivity and because we welcome individuals other than program directors to our events, we are rebranding PDDS as Educator Development for GME Excellence (EDGE). Specific times for Spring 2025 sessions will be shared in advance of the 90-day UW Medicine clinical schedule deadline.
- Thursday, September 19, 2024; 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: “Coaching to Consequences: Support and Remediation of Challenging Trainee and Physician Behaviors”: Dr. Eva Aagaard, Washington University
- Tuesday, October 22, 2024; 9:00 am – 10:30 am: “Entrustable Professional Activities: Dr. Brenessa Lindeman, University of Alabama-Birmingham
- Tuesday, March 18, 2025; TBD between 9:00 am and 12:00pm: “Supporting Trainee Disability Accommodations”, Hayley Fisher, UW GME
- Thursday, April 24, 2025; TBD between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm: “How Our Program Does It” Session: Individualized Learning Plans OR Trainee Professional Development Curricula (concurrent)
- Other GME Events can be found on our calendar.
Projects and Resources
Please review the GME Annual Program Timeline for important dates for the months of June and July.- The GME Track Annual update opened on May 15th. To assist you with this process, we have updated the GME webpage with valuable information and resources, including the GME Census timeline, steps for completing the program and resident surveys, and FAQs. Please note that the deadline for the August FREIDA Online Listing is July 12, 2024, with the final deadline being December 13, 2024.
- The UW GME Office has updated our Recruitment Resources for 2024-2025. There are no substantive changes regarding interview formats from last academic year.
- The GME Office would like to update our collection of trainee photos for use on our website, promotional materials, and articles for The Huddle/other in-house publications. We would very much appreciate programs submitting photos of trainees engaged in training, wellness, learning, or volunteering activities. Please use our GME Photos Request form to upload any available photos. Please note that for compliance purposes there must be a photo waiver on file for any individual in the photo.
- The 2024-2025 SCH QI Scholars Program Request for Applications (RFA) has been released. Applications are due on June 28, 2024. More information is available here: How to Apply | Seattle Children’s (seattlechildrens.org). Please contact Dr. Lori Rutman, Program Director, with questions.
- In February, UW GME launched the new UW GME WhatsApp group exclusively for residents and fellows. Since its launch, we’ve welcomed over 220+ trainees to the community, and we have Expanded our Opportunities to include interest groups like “GME Parents” and “Quick Meals on the go!” Additionally, some other WhatsApp groups, such as “UW IMG Residents & Fellows” and “UW Surgery,” have linked up with the UW GME community, further enhancing connectivity and collaboration.
- The GME Office has put together a resource regarding information about legal matters for trainees. This document was created with input from Risk Management and Claims Services and is designed to be used by both trainees and programs. The resource is posted to the GME Website and can be found on the Current Residents and Fellows page under UW Resources.
- Physicians Anonymous is a peer based nonprofit organization which offers free anonymous support groups with med students, residents/fellows and MD/DOs who are suffering from burnout/mental health/suicidal ideation and substance use. There are a couple of groups during the week (free) and they also offer coaching (nominal fees). The group is fully anonymous so there is no mechanism for documentation or mandating referrals.
- Get legal services through the WA EAP: If you or your family are facing a legal issue, the Washington State Employee Assistance Program can help with free expert advice from a qualified attorney, plus online support with legal forms, simple wills and a library of legal articles.
- Use your backup care benefit at select summer camps: Your backup care benefit through Bright Horizons applies to discounts at Steve & Kate’s Camps around the Puget Sound, where your child can design their own day of activities.
- Keep moving with Fitness Day partner discounts: Feeling energized by UW Fitness Day and want to keep moving? The Whole U’s community fitness partners offer great discounts to UW employees on classes and memberships.
People
- The University of Washington Population Health Initiative has awarded 13 Tier 1 pilot grants to teams of interdisciplinary researchers representing 11 UW schools and colleges as well as several community-based partners. Funded projects that include Department of Medicine members:
- “Identity safety in medicine: a qualitative study to elicit patient perspectives and develop a framework to apply in clinical settings and research” [Crystal Brown, Justin Bullock (fellow), Brian Wood]
- “Individual and community-level effects from climate change driven heat and wildfire smoke co-exposures among a Washington state agricultural community” [Coralynn Sack (Occupational and Environmental Medicine Associate Program Director)]
- Congratulations to the following Hematology and Oncology members who received 2024 Conquer Cancer grants and awards from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO):
- Young Investigator Awards: First awarded in 1984, the Young Investigator Award provides research funding to promising young physicians during the final years of training to support the transition to a faculty appointment and to encourage quality research in clinical oncology.
- Steve Blinka, fellow
- Natasha Kwendakwema, fellow
- Emily Liang, fellow
- Annual meeting merit awards: Merit Awards recognize oncology trainees and students whose research is addressed in high-quality abstracts submitted to the ASCO Annual Meeting and recognized for their scientific merit.
- Jennifer Huang, fellow
- Emily Liang, fellow
- Lauren Shih, fellow
- Young Investigator Awards: First awarded in 1984, the Young Investigator Award provides research funding to promising young physicians during the final years of training to support the transition to a faculty appointment and to encourage quality research in clinical oncology.
- Ahmad Kassar, postdoctoral scholar, is lead author and Nazem Akoum, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Program Director, is senior author of “Performance of Large Language Models as a Resource for Atrial Fibrillation Patients and Providers” in Heart Rhythm. Department of Medicine co-authors are Fima Macheret, Nitin Kondamudi, Yaacoub Chahine, Nadia Chamoun, and Hala Al Yasiri.
- Bradley Anawalt, Chief of Medicine, UWMC, is quoted in “Low Testosterone Associated With Elevated Death Risk” in Cardiology Advisor. He is also quoted in “Science alone can’t solve fairness debate on transgender athletes, says expert endocrinologist and UW professor” in the Spokesman-Review.
- Katherine Bennett, Geriatric Medicine Program Director, is co-author of “Agents of Change: Geriatrics Workforce Programs Addressing Systemic Racism and Health Equity” in the Gerontologist. She is also senior author of “Growth and impact of Project ECHO for workforce development in age-friendly care” in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
- Kelley Branch, Cardiovascular Disease Program Director, and Jeffrey Probstfield, professor (Cardiology) are co-authors of “The Cost-Effectiveness of Rivaroxaban Plus Aspirin Compared with Aspirin Alone in the COMPASS Trial: A US Perspective” in The American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs. Dr. Branch is also co-author of “Computed tomographic angiography measures of coronary plaque in clinical trials: opportunities and considerations to accelerate drug translation” in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.
- Anne Browning, Associate Dean for Well-Being at the UW School of Medicine, has been named the 2024 recipient of the John R. Pettit Endowed Leadership Award a recognition of her administrative excellence and outstanding leadership. She is also featured in “One Fun Thing: Proactive Ways to Stay in a Healthy Mindset” from The Huddle.
- Chris Buresh, Emergency Medicine Associate Program Director, is featured in “WA health officials turn to emergency rooms in fight against opioid epidemic” from Washington State Standard. He is also featured in “Helping Emergency Clinicians Treat Opioid-Use Disorder” from UW Newsroom.
- Rosemary Adamson, associate professor (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine) is senior author of “Discussing and Teaching About Race and Health Inequities” in Chest. Co-author is Hugo Carmona (Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Associate Program Director).
- The latest Department of Medicine staff spotlight is on Andréa Campbell, assist to the directors for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Learn more about her on the Department of Medicine news site.
- Başak Çoruh, Pulmonary and Critical Care Program Director, is senior author of “Effective Behaviors of Leaders During Clinical Emergencies: A Qualitative Study of Followers’ Perspectives” in CHEST. Department of Medicine co-author is Ann Jennerich.
- Jeffrey Friedrich, Plastic Surgery-Integrated Program Director is first author of “Transparency in Plastic Surgery Program Accreditation” from Journal of Graduate Medical Education.
- Austin Gaal, alumnus of and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the UW Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) residency, is featured in “Austin Gaal spreads cleft care expertise, treatment at home and abroad” from UW School of Dentistry. The story spotlights his outreach trips to Bolivia, and beyond, to treat children with cleft lip and palate. OMS residents, including Aparna Bhat and Leena Zurayk, have participated in these trips and speak about their experience.
- Carrie Ho, fellow (Hematology and Oncology) is co-author of “Anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy for Richter Transformation: An International, Multicenter, Retrospective Study” in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
- Amanda Casto, acting assistant professor, is lead author, and Christine Johnston, Infectious Diseases Associate Program Director, is senior author of “Viral genomic variation and the severity of genital HSV-2 infection as quantified by shedding rate: a viral genome-wide association study” in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Department of Medicine co-author is Anna Wald.
- Byron Joyner, Vice Dean of GME and DIO, received the Frank Jones Excellence in Urology (Lifetime) Award and the Presidential Citation from the American Urological Association (AUA) for contributions to Graduate Medical Education.
- Visesh Kapur, Sleep Medicine Program Director, is featured in “How to get back to sleep after waking up at night” from Time.
- Annika Kohlmeier, R3, Boise IM Residency Program, is this year’s recipient of the Hindson Award. Named in honor of Dr. David Hindson, this award is given to the resident who embodies excellence in leadership, teaching and clinical care at the Boise VAMC.
- Ila Nimgaonkar, R2, Internal Medicine residency program, is lead author, and Joshua Hill, associate professor (Allergy and Infectious Diseases) is senior author of “Acute Endothelial Complications Post-Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant in Patients with Pre-Cellular Therapy SARS-CoV-2 Infection” in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Department of Medicine co-author is Masumi Ueda Oshima.
- Ganesh Raghu, Interstitial Lung Disease Program Director, is lead author of “Pamrevlumab for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: The ZEPHYRUS-1 Randomized Clinical Trial” in JAMA.
- May Reed, Geriatric Medicine Associate Program Director, is PI and has been awarded a $2.6 million NIH/NIA R01 titled: “Collagen IV and Amyloid Beta Interactions in Alzheimer’s Disease.” DOM members on the grant include William Banks (Co-I) and Michelle Erickson (VA PI subaward). She has also been appointed MPI for the TRIAD R01 (Test of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs) as well as PI for Core A and Project 1 of the overall Dog Aging Project U19. Resubmission Grants to NIA are presently under review for both the TRIAD R01 and The DAP U19, but in the meantime the projects have garnered nearly 4 million in private donations.
- The Department of Surgery Newsletter ‘Surgery Synopsis’ features many voices of the GME community, including Program Directors, trainees, and program staff. Check out the Spring 2024 issue.
- Emily Godfrey and Ying Zhang (Reproductive Healthcare and Advocacy Fellowship Program Director) authored a journal commentary about the FDA restrictions on commercial pharmacies for mifepristone.