Dear GME Community,
Cindy Hamra Assistant Dean, GME
First, I want to express our concern and support for the members of our community with connections to Ukraine. If you can benefit from support, please look to UW Medicine Employee Mental Health Resources.
Today, Friday, February 25, is Thank a Resident Day, sponsored by the Gold Foundation! Please join the GME Office, and over 500 Institutions and programs in thanking our residents and fellows for their incredible mentorship, tireless hours of care, and for caring for patients with the deepest compassion!
As Black History Month comes to a close, I want to highlight blog posts by Dr. Daniel Cabrera on the work of the GME EDI Subcommittee and Dr. Joey Nelson, featuring a poem he recently published in the Family Medicine Journal.
We also want to say thank you – the GME Team enjoyed meeting many of you on February 3 at UWMC-ML. We handed out 75 lunches and about 300 antigen tests. Big thanks to our colleagues in UW Medicine Advancement and Faculty Affairs for the antigen tests. We also enjoyed meeting with our Boise-based residents and fellows on January 27 following the annual Academic Affiliations Partnership Council meeting with the Boise VA.
The February 2022 issue of GME News & Notes includes a reminder about the COVID booster requirement, resources for parents, and many, many awards and publications. As usual, if there’s anything you’d like to see included in next month’s News & Notes, please let me know.
February 2022 marks one year since the GME Office launched our DIO and News & Notes blogs. Our goal was to provide information to our community in a clear and consistent way. In the last year, we’ve had over 4000 unique views of blog posts, and Dr. Joyner’s April 2021 post regarding recruitment and match results has been the most read so far. Thank you for reading and sharing and please let me know if you have feedback on how to make this better.
Policies and Processes
- COVID booster requirement: All UW Medicine employees (except for those in non-clinical roles in the School of Medicine) are required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot or complete a declination process by Friday, March 4, 2022. If you haven’t received your booster, please go to the UW Medicine Employee Website for COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling site to schedule your appointment.
- UW Medicine has updated the Policy on Professional Conduct
- UW Medicine Employee Assistance Fund: The University of Washington launched the COVID-19 Employee Emergency Fund (EEF) in June 2020 to support employees who have experienced a financial hardship due to the COVID-19. The EEF is still accepting applications. In addition, employees who have already received the maximum amount available to EEF recipients may now reapply if they experience a new financial hardship due to COVID-19 at least three months after last receiving EEF support. Details are available on the UW COVID-19 Employee Emergency Fund.
Program Information
- GMEC has approved appointment of the following new program directors. ACGME approval is still required.
- Ginny Ryan, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
- Hannah Tully, Child Neurology
- Welcome new GME Program Administrators:
- Anthony Crookes, Clinical Neurophysiology, Epilepsy, Neuromuscular Medicine, and Vascular Neurology
- Margot DuBois, Surgical Critical Care
Events of Interest
- Join the Program Administrator Advisory Council (PAAC) from noon-1pm on Thursday, March 3 for an Onboarding Workshop to discuss onboarding requirements and timelines for the 2022-23 onboarding season.
- Registration for the Spring Program Director Development Series (PDDS) is now open. This season we are excited to be bringing you information about Interdisciplinary Teamwork in the Clinical Learning Environment and Harmonizing the Milestones. Sessions will be offered Tuesday, March 29 and Thursday, April 28. Please see the agenda for additional details on these important topics. All sessions will be held on Zoom. Visit the PDDS Registration page to register.
- A recording of the February GME Lunch & Learn on GME Finance and Funding is posted to the GME Lunch & Learn page. Please join us on Thursday, March 17 from noon-1:30 to discuss Annual Program Evaluations.
- Join the Friday yoga series with Zem Yoga Studio. Ease into your Fridays with this eight-week, Friday morning yoga series beginning February 18. Classes are instructed by Amity Neumeister, resident director of the UW Rome Center.
- Other GME Events can be found on our calendar
Projects and Resources
- Please remember to check the GME website where many current forms, policies, processes, and educational resources are posted. We also appreciate your feedback about what else we can add to make it more useful. The GME Report a Concern form is a way for community members to report concerns to the GME Office (including the opportunity to report confidentially).
- The GME Office is hiring a fourth Wellness Counselor! Please share with anyone who you think might be interested.
- Thanks to UW Medicine Advancement for designing a new tool to support GME programs via the Graduate Medical Education Endowed Fund, which provides central support through the GME Office for resident and trainee research, diversity recruitment, community engagement and wellness activities.
- Check out these discounts for winter adventures from the WholeU.
- UW Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity Launches New Website: The new site includes information about the Healthcare Equity Blueprint, resources for employees, and information about OHCE programs.
- Access TurboTax for free or receive a discount through UW CareLink: Use TurboTax for free or save up to $15 on TurboTax products. Log into your CareLink account, go to “Finances,” “Tax” and click “Save on TurboTax” to find out more.
- Resources for parents:
- Looking for a nanny? Through Bright Horizons, UW employees receive discounted rates for nanny services from College Nannies and free background checks for care providers through Sittercity.
- Did you know that UW CareLink can research summer camps for your kids? UW CareLink’s family specialists will ask about your family’s needs and identify options to keep your child safe, engaged and growing all summer long. The service is confidential and no-cost.
- $0 co-pay for Bright Horizons in-center backup care: During March and April, Bright Horizons is waiving co-pays for all in-center backup care. Reserve your spot now.
- Child care openings for ages 3 to 5, available now at Harborview: Apply now for immediate child care availability at Harborview by submitting your application to the UW Children’s Center Harborview location.
People
- Ryan (Johnson) Abe, acting instructor and chief resident, Internal Medicine, is lead author, and Tyler Albert, assistant professor (General Internal Medicine) is senior author of “Chief Residency Selection in Internal Medicine: Who Is Left Out?” in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. DOM co-authors are Oyinkansola Osobamiro, Anna Morenz, Nancy Mugisha, and Linda Liu.
- Anne Browning, UW Medicine Assistant Dean for Wellbeing, is featured in this article about the UW Resilience Lab.
- Eric Chow, fellow, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is lead author of “SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Children” in Infectious Disease Clinics of North America.
- Andre Dick, associate program director, Abdominal Transplant Surgery, has been appointed Seattle Children’s senior vice president (SVP) and surgeon-in-chief. Dr. Dick also had a presentation at the American College of Surgeons annual meeting October 2019 and a publication entitled, “Does the Funding Source Influence the Long-term Patient Survival in Pediatric Liver Transplantation” in Pediatric Transplantation, March 2021.
- The GME Office is thrilled to welcome Amanda Easton as Program Manager for Operations and Administration! In this newly created GME role, Amanda will help knit together the complex functions of the operations and administration team, providing program and project management. Amanda joins us from the Department of Radiology where she is has served as Education Manager for almost 2 years, responsible for administration of education programs including 100+ full time trainees and 200+ other individuals rotating through the 10+ training programs. Her first day with GME will be Monday March 14.
- Melissa (Moe) Hagman receives 2022 Laureate Award. Dr. Hagman, associate professor (General Internal Medicine) and program director for the Boise Internal Medicine Residency Program was selected for the 2022 Laureate Award by the Idaho American College of Physicians. The Laureate Award honors those Fellows and Masters of the College who have demonstrated by their example and conduct, an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research and in service to their community, their Chapter, and the American College of Physicians. She was selected for her track record of hard work in supporting and role modelling in medical education, professionalism and academic leadership in the state of Idaho and nationally.
- Madeleine Heldman, fellow, is lead author and Joshua Hill, assistant professor, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is senior author of “Assessing and restoring adaptive immunity to HSV, VZV and HHV-6 in solid organ and hematopoietic cell transplant recipients” in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
- Aris Karatasakis, senior fellow, is lead author and Kelley Branch, professor, Cardiology, is senior author of “Prevalence and Patterns of Resuscitation-Associated Injury Detected by Head-to-Pelvis Computed Tomography After Successful Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation” in the Journal of the American Heart Association. DOM co-authors are Linda Liu, Peter Kudenchuk, and David Carlbom.
- Michael Leu, program director, Clinical Informatics fellowship, is the new Chair of the American Medical Informatics Association Community of Informatics Program Directors.
- Michael Linenberger, program director, Hematology-Oncology fellowship, has been awarded the American Society for Apheresis Presidential Award for 2022. This is the apheresis society’s most prestigious annual award and is bestowed upon a member of the Society who has consistently made major contributions to, and performed outstanding service for the Society over a number of years.
- Tanya Meyer, program director, Otolaryngology – HNS, reports new findings on the benefits to work productivity of ongoing botulinum neurotoxin injections for those experiencing spasmodic dysphonia, a rare disorder that makes the voice sound strangled and hoarse. The findings will help many patients receive the treatment they need in order to be able to function at work, where communication is so critical. Read the full article in the UW Medicine Newsroom.
- Dr. Meyer is also working on Project West, a multi-institutional research project with Emory, Vanderbilt, and Michigan. Grace Wandell, resident, Otolaryngology – HNS, is serving as UW’s resident liaison. The project is a longitudinal perspective survey of surgical trainees from multiple fields including otolaryngology. It investigates work satisfaction, such as how certain workplace experiences relate to URM and gender status, and explores factors associated with well-being and burnout.
- Anisha Noble, R5, Otolaryngology – HNS, has been named the 2021 WIO Exemplary Senior Trainee. This award, from the Women in Otolaryngology section at AAO-HNS, “recognizes an outstanding female senior resident or fellow in an otolaryngology – head and neck surgery training program who demonstrates excellence in leadership, research, education, and mentoring.”
- Henry Ou, program director, Pediatric Otolaryngology fellowship, received a 2021 Family Choice Award from Seattle Children’s. This is the only award exclusively nominated by patients and their families and voted on by the Family Advisory Council. Oh created a Minecraft World of Seattle Children’s Hospital.
- The UW Medicine Office of Student Affairs joined with the career advising team to host its inaugural First-Generation advising session on November 9, 2021, the day after National First-Generation College Day. The AAMC defines first-generation students as those whose parents have not earned an associate’s degree or higher. The goal was to create a sense of community among all UW medical students from across the WWAMI region by acknowledging their paths to medical school, providing an opportunity to network, and providing holistic advising and support for students for successful progression through medical school. Ricky Pulido, resident, Otolaryngology – HNS and Jessica Pinto, resident, Internal Medicine, co-hosted the event.
- Vince Raikhel, acting instructor and chief resident for Quality and Safety at the VA Puget Sound and Kevin Blau, inpatient chief resident at the VA Puget Sound, are co-first authors, and Jeff Redinger, clinical assistant professor (General Internal Medicine), is senior author of “From Panic to Promise: Harnessing Medical Student Leadership in COVID-19” in the American Journal of Medicine.
- Tara Reid, fellow, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been awarded the Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Centers (STI CRC) Developmental Research Project (DRP) award for her work in Syphilis vaccine strategies.
- Doug Wood, Chair, Department of Surgery, is featured in this article in the UW Newsroom regarding screening to prevent cancer deaths.
- David Yun and Matt Wolter, residents, Boise Internal Medicine residency program, won Best Clinical Vignette for their poster “A Seasonal Case of Encephalitis: Neuroinvasive West Nile” at the recent Northwest Chapter of the Society for General Internal Medicine conference.
- Two UW Otolaryngology – HNS residents have been awarded prestigious CORE grants from two of the member societies of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery: ARS and AAO-HNSF.
- Eve Champaloux was awarded an ARS Resident Research Grant for her project, “Olfactory Stimulation of Dopaminergic Reward Pathways in the Rat Brain.”
- Allison Ikeda was awarded an AAO-HNSF Resident Research Grant for her project, “Decision Making Among Adults Considering Sleep Surgery.”
- The American College of Surgeons 2021 Clinical Congress “Resilience in the Pursuit of Excellence” was held virtually in October 2021. Department of Surgery faculty and residents were well represented at the event, notably participating in the following lectures and panels:
- Nina Clark, resident, was nominated for the 2021 Emergency Medicine Consultant of the Year Award. This award recognizes the exceptional work of those who assist in the care of patients within the Emergency Departments at the UWMC-ML and Harborview Medical Center.
- Lindsay Dickerson, resident, general surgery, was awarded a postdoctoral training fellowship from the Cancer Research Institute. This is a prestigious research fellowship that “furthers career development and supports laboratory research for promising young scientists working under the mentorship of leading immunologists.”
- David Droullard, resident, general surgery, “Assessing the Impact of Diverticulitis on Quality of Life Over Time
- Alex Lois, resident, general surgery, “The Use and Safety of POEM and Other Definitive Management Strategies for Achalasia”
- Amit Pujari, resident, vascular surgery, “How I Do It: Left Renal Vein Transposition”
- Joshua Rosen, resident, general surgery, “Treatment Risk Perceptions Vary Based on How Risk Information is Communicated” and “Unrealistic Optimism About Surgical Treatment Risk”
- Abra Shen, resident, plastic surgery, “Medical Student Program–Resident Panel: Transitioning into Residency”
- Denzel Woode, resident, general surgery, was awarded second prize for his presentation, “DEI in the Department of Surgery: Exploring Our Present and Building Our Future,” at the 2021 WA/OR ACS Annual Meeting
- Irene Zhang, resident, general surgery, “Perspectives on Opioid Minimization After Surgery and The Impact of Surgeon Messaging”
- Congratulations to members of the GME community nominated for the Together We Will Awards. Temporarily replacing the Distinguished Staff Awards, the Together We Will Awards were created to celebrate outstanding staff contributions made during extraordinary challenges. The nominees include:
- Gwen Credit, Associate Director, Family Medicine Residency Program
- Sonya Fukeda, Program Operations Specialist, School of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Stephanie Timm, Education & Training Programs Manager, Dermatology