Dear GME Community,

Welcome to beautiful Seattle summer and the new academic year! In June we held our New Resident & Fellow Orientation, welcoming nearly 500 new residents and fellows, the biggest incoming group ever! The July issue of GME News & Notes introduces new leadership, includes information about ACGME Milestones, new policies and more.

Many thanks to those who reached out to me with information to share here.  Please continue to do so by sending to me at hamrac@uw.edu.

Cindy Hamra
Assistant Dean of GME

People

• The UW Medicine Huddle recently published an article welcoming new residents and fellows: https://huddle.uwmedicine.org/welcome-housestaff-2021/
• Jennifer Best, Associate Dean, GME, has been named a 2021 Macy Faculty Scholar. The Macy Faculty Scholars Program is designed to identify and nurture the careers of promising educational innovators in medicine and nursing.
• Fuki Hisama, Program Director, Medical Genetics, is senior author on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics first Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline (EBG), “Exome and genome sequencing for pediatric patients with congenital anomalies or intellectual disability: an evidence-based clinical guideline of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.”
• Helen Jack, Internal Medicine R3, is the recipient of the Harborview Medial Center’s Annual Housestaff Achievement Award. Helen is recognized for her exceptional clinical ability, humanitarianism, and dedication to Harborview’s mission population.  
• Julia Kocian, GME Wellness Counselor, offers wise words in this Right as Rain article: 4 Ways to Set and Keep Boundaries
• Welcome new NURF Leadership for AY22
  • President: Joseph Nelson (FM, PGY3) 
  • Vice President: Gabriel Mendoza (Peds, PGY3) 
  • Secretary/Treasurer: James Abe (PM&R, PGY3) and Eric Robles (Peds, PGY1) 
  • Community Outreach Chair: Kelly Shontell (Peds, PGY3) 
  • Resident/Fellow Outreach Chair: Ricardo Pullido (OTO, PGY3) 
  • Medical Student Outreach Chair: Kilia Shanklin (Peds, PGY1) 
  • Education Chair: Sherise Epstein (OTO, PGY4) and Baer Karrington (Peds, PGY1) 
  • Social Media Chair: Jessica Pinto (IM, PGY1) 
  • HQSC-Liaison: To be filled 

Policies and Processes

• The following policy updates were approved at the July GMEC meeting. All are posted to the GME Policies and Procedures website:
  • Transfer Policy
  • GMEC Approved (Non-ACGME Accredited) Programs Policy:
  • Special Review Policy

Program Information

• Some local press welcoming our residents in the Montana Psychiatry track to Billings!
  • First residents in Billings Clinic Psychiatry Residency program arrive in Billings
  • First students welcomed to Montana’s only psychiatry residency program
• ACGME Milestones Webcasts Now Available: These presentations review the major differences between the original Milestones 1.0 and the revised Milestones 2.0, and cover detailed information regarding construction, content changes, and the new Supplemental Guides created to enhance understanding of the Milestones. Webcasts are currently available for the following:
  • Anesthesiology
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
  • Internal Medicine–Pediatrics (available on both the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Milestones specialty pages)
  • Infectious Disease
  • Medical Microbiology
  • Neuropathology
  • Occupational Medicine
  • Pediatrics 
  • Pulmonary Disease/Pulmonary Critical Care/Critical Care Medicine
  • Webcasts for additional specialties and subspecialties will be announced as they become available. Email questions to milestones@acgme.org.

Events of Interest

• ACGME Annual Educational Conference and Coordinator Forum Pre-Conference: The Call for Sessions for the 2022 Annual Educational Conference is now open! Session proposals are being accepted for the Conference itself and the Coordinator Forum Pre-Conference to be held February 24-26, 2022. All accepted sessions will be presented on site at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. Submit proposals by Monday, August 2, 2021 11:59 p.m. Central. Click here to learn more and submit a proposal!
• Montlake (Seattle) Bridge Closure: the Montlake Bridge summer closure will now be from August 9 to September 3, not September 2 as previously communicated. WSDOT crews will have up until 5 a.m. on September 3 to complete their work. Please see UWMC’s Montlake Bridge Closure webpage and Montlake Bridge Closure FAQ for more information.  WSDOT will post regular Twitter updates during the closure
• AHME’s Council of Program Administrators and Coordinators (COPAC) has designated Friday, August 20, 2021as GME Professionals Day.  More information is here.
• We will host another GME Drop In session at UWMC-Montlake on Thursday August 26 from 11am to 1pm. Stop by, say hello and pick up lunch and other goodies.  More information including location will be shared soon.  We look forward to meeting you!
• Register now for Life After Residency & Fellowship Seminar on Saturday August 28th.  Register now. Event topics include: avoiding job search pitfalls, how to negotiate and what to look for before you sign a contact.  You will leave the event with strategies, valuable insights and advice to support your transition into independent practice.
• Other GME Events can be found on our calendar.

COVID Updates

• Vaccine Requirement Update: UW Medicine is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or claim an exemption no later than Friday, September 10. This requirement aligns with UW’s broader campus policy for faculty, other academic personnel, staff, trainees and student employees.
• We continue to update our guidance for residents/fellows and programs on the GME COVID page: https://sites.uw.edu/uwgme/covid-19-updates-gme-community/

Projects and Resources

• UW CareLink Financial Connect is a free service that can support your family’s financial well-being. Make a confidential call to receive help on topics like these:
  • Making the most of the increased and expanded Child Tax Credit.
  • Planning for commute, food and child care costs that may change with the return to onsite work and/or in-person schooling.
  • Assessing your financial well-being as the COVID-19 economic impact payments expire.
  • UW CareLink consultants are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They will ask questions to understand your needs and schedule free appointments for you to meet with UW CareLink experts who can help.
• Whole U Discounts: Save money and time this summer with The Whole U discount network
• This recent article highlights a generous donation from Curt and Libba Anderson, which will support a new non-ACGME Sarcoma Fellowship and other Sarcoma research.