by nathangl | Sep 10, 2021 | News
Dr. Joseph Nelson, a PGY-3 Family Medicine resident is the president of the Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows (NURF) this year. With the help of the NURF executive board and many allies, Dr. Nelson has been deeply engaged with diversity recruitment efforts. Last year, when Dr. Nelson was the vice president of NURF, the group hosted its inaugural, virtual diversity recruitment town hall for medical students from all backgrounds but mostly those who identified as underprivileged or underrepresented in medicine (URiM).
This month, I have invited Dr. Nelson write the DIO Blog, highlighting the diversity efforts that NURF is organizing.
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
Dear Colleagues,
As the summer winds down and Green Day’s Wake Me Up When September Ends undoubtedly plays once or
twice as we go to work each day, it’s hard not to reflect. The Summer began with a resurgence of COVID-19 by way of the Delta variant, just as we thought vaccination had altered the curve for the better. A heat wave engulfed the Pacific Northwest, fires rampaged across the country, dramatic floods struck Asia and Europe, and now hurricanes threaten the southeast once again. With our inevitable exit from Afghanistan came a wave of horror as the Taliban and ISIS resurfaced, leaving a country and many lives lost. And now, Texas approves the most extreme anti-abortion law in US history.
Despite all of this, we continue to move forward. On August 31st, the Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows hosted our second annual Virtual Diversity Recruitment Town Hall, where we had the privilege to meet hundreds of prospective residency and fellowship applicants who are underrepresented in medicine or who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. In an impressive showing, it was a bright spot amidst a challenging time. These individuals represent the future of healthcare and are the outcome of centuries of resilience and strength by people of color and others who have faced discrimination in a land where liberty and justice are meant for all. I thank everyone involved, from administrators, to faculty, to trainees, for helping to show that the University of Washington is dedicated to the support and advancement of those who have overcome so much adversity in not only their training, but also their lives.
We look forward to an exciting year, with a powerful line-up for our Diversity Lecture Series with the theme of Intersectionality in mind. We are also partnering with the Resident and Fellow Physician Union – Northwest to host a happy hour for trainees, which will be our first since the onset of the pandemic. And speaking of changes during the pandemic, my own Family Medicine residency will soon be welcoming an in-person underrepresented in medicine visiting sub-intern later this month. We are also looking to continue our virtual URM experience. I am hopeful that other residency and fellowship programs share my excitement and are working to create similar opportunities.
Here’s to the year ahead.
A note from the GME Office: as Dr. Nelson mentions, there are many difficult events going on in the world that may be difficult for members of our community. In addition we remember the events of 9/11, twenty years on. If you are struggling or need support, please reach out: GME Wellness Service and UW Medicine Employee Mental Health Resources.
by nathangl | Sep 7, 2021 | Announcements, News
Please join us in welcoming Patty Long-Brohm, our new GME Wellness Counselor!! Patty starts with us today, September 7, and will be based at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She comes with more than two decades of experience and training and will be a wonderful addition to our counseling staff. Look for Patty’s schedule to open on Schedulicity soon – more details to follow.
Below is Patty’s welcome message to the GME community:
Hello! I’m thrilled to be joining the GME Wellness team! I’m grateful for the opportunity to help support the UW medical residents, fellows, and their partners during this challenging and rewarding time in their careers.
To share a bit about myself, I am first and foremost shaped by my early experiences growing up the youngest of four in a small town in the Midwest. My early experiences, some of which included adversity and loss, helped to shape my concern and compassion for others and for the suffering in the world. These early experiences also planted the seeds for core values of integrity, equity, and social justice, which together with my psychological interests led me to the field of clinical social work.
My graduate education at Smith College School for Social Work provided a strong clinical foundation of psychological and developmental theories – while also providing a critique of these theories and a broadening of their application from the lenses of diversity, equity, and social justice. Moving to New England for graduate school and other parts of the country for training has also been a significant part of my development as it allowed me to experience new perspectives and more diversity than my early life afforded, and fostered internal strength and courage as I adjusted to different settings.
During my career over the past 20+ years I have had the privilege to work with children, youth, families, and adults from diverse backgrounds in a variety of clinical settings including residential, school-based settings, community mental health clinics, an eating disorder clinic, a hospital emergency department, and most recently a community health clinic. My clients have been important teachers and my years of practice have strengthened my clinical interests in trauma, attachment, grief and loss, mindfulness-based therapies, and holistic health and wellness. Furthermore, my work is guided by my personal mindfulness meditation training and practice.
I am so grateful to be living in the Pacific Northwest – having moved to Seattle seven years ago from Minneapolis. I appreciate the more temperate climate, the incredible beauty of the many bodies of water and mountain ranges, and the diversity and cultural experiences that Seattle offers. I enjoy the natural beauty we live in as much as possible through hiking and kayaking. I am also sustained by gardening, meditation, music, the arts, and spending time with friends, my spouse and our pup, Biela.
I look forward to working with you and the GME Wellness team!
by nathangl | Aug 20, 2021 | Announcements, News
The Association of Hospital Medical Education (AHME) has designated August 20, 2021 as GME Professionals Day.
GME Professionals Day is an opportunity for ACGME Sponsoring Institutions and Residency and Fellowship programs to celebrate the important contributions made by the GME Professionals who staff their programs and central GME offices. As defined in the ACGME Common Program Requirements, program administrators manage the day-to-day operations of the program and serve as an important liaison with learners, faculty, other staff members, and the ACGME. They serve as members of the leadership team, are critical to the success of the program, must possess skills in leadership and personnel management, and are expected to develop unique knowledge of the ACGME and Program Requirements, policies, and procedures. Sponsoring institutions and programs are highly dependent on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes GME professionals possess, and the dedication they exhibit in supporting the learning environment of the institution, their programs, and the success of their trainees.
We in the UW GME Office would like to take this time to recognize the immense dedication of each of you who make up the 110+ ACGME program administrators, dental residency program administrators, non-ACGME program administrators, and numerous additional program staff that support our 200+ training programs. You are key to their success. Every year brings new requirements and challenges to navigate, and the last 18 months during COVID-19 have been particularly challenging. In spite of this, you have found new opportunities to improve management of your programs, have flipped the structure of recruitment to a virtual environment, shared best practices with your colleagues, and done this while supporting the mission of this institution and the education and wellness of your trainees. Your work does not go unnoticed, and we want to thank you for being such an important part of our GME community.
The UW Graduate Medical Education Office Team
by nathangl | Aug 18, 2021 | Announcements, GME News & Notes, News
Dear GME Community,
This Friday, August 20, is GME Professionals Day! Please thank the program managers, administrators and coordinators who work tirelessly on behalf of residents and fellows.
The August GME News and Notes contains some important information and deadlines including a reminder about UW’s vaccine requirement and information about Washington’s new long term care premiums. Additionally, and as with past months, this issue of GME News & Notes has lots of great information about awards, publications, opportunities, new leadership, team members, etc.
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
Policies and Processes
- Vaccine Attestation Requirement: Residents and fellows, along with SOM faculty who are clinically active, should complete the UW Medicine attestation at UW Medicine | COVID-19 Vaccine. The revised deadline is October 18, 2021.
- Long-Term Care Insurance Premium: Effective January 1, 2022 the University of Washington will begin to deduct from employees’ paychecks a long-term care premium and remit the funds deducted to the Employment Security Department as required in the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Act under RCW 50B.04.080. This premium collection from the employee supports the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program, designated as the WA Cares Fund. More information on the WA Cares Fund is on the UW HR website.
Program Information
- New Program Directors: GMEC approved the following new program directors. All are awaiting ACGME Review Committee approval:
- Rebecca Wiester, Child Abuse Fellowship
- Julie Hodapp, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency program
- ACGME Common Program Requirements FAQs Updated: The FAQs related to the ACGME Common Program Requirements have been updated, effective July 1, 2021. The FAQs can be found on the ACGME Common Program Requirements page under “Additional Resources”.
Events of Interest
- AHME’s Council of Program Administrators and Coordinators (COPAC) has designated Friday, August 20 as GME Professionals Day! More information is here.
- GME Drop In: GME team members will be at UWMC-Montlake on Thursday, August 26 from 11am – 1pm in the AA wing. Drop by to pick up lunch and say hello. We will share more information via email the morning of the 26th.
- Life After Residency & Fellowship Seminar: The annual seminar is coming up on Saturday, August 28 from 9am – noon. Register now. Event topics include: avoiding job search pitfalls, how to negotiate and what to look for before you sign a contact.
- NURF Diversity Recruitment Town Hall: The Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows (NURF) is hosting a Diversity Recruitment Town Hall for prospective residents and fellows on Tuesday, August 31, from 6 – 8pm. More details here.
- Our Family Planning & Fertility for Resident Physicians event is Thursday, September 30, from 6:00 – 7:45pm. All residents, fellows and guests are encouraged to attend. Agenda and registration information here.
- Registration for our Fall Program Director Development Series is now open. Please register here. This season we are excited to be bringing you information about Standing up to Microaggressions, the Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP), and the Peer Support Program. Please see the agenda for additional details on these important topics.
- Other GME Events can be found on our calendar.
Projects and Resources
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We recognize that the
recent crises in Afghanistan and Haiti may be very difficult for members of our GME community. Please know that you are not alone and that resources are available to you if you need support. Talk to your friends, colleagues, review the resources for foreign national physicians and US Veterans on the
Wellness page under General Wellness and Self Care, or reach out to one of our
Wellness Service counselors for support.
- The updated UW Medicine Patient Rights and Responsibilities Policy is available on the intranets for Harborview and for UW Medical Center. The Patient Rights and Responsibilities handbook is currently being revised to include this anti-discrimination language. If you experience any type of discrimination by a patient or visitor or another staff member, please reach out to your manager, supervisor or lead. You can also report an incident using the UW Medicine Bias Reporting Tool.
- Recruitment Resources for Programs and Applicants: Check out the GME website for helpful recruitment resources for programs and applicants, including:
- Prospective Residents & Fellows: Videos for prospective applicants, letter to applicants from Dr. Joyner, eligibility and recruitment policies, resources on appointments, salary and benefits including links to the RFPU-NW contract, RFPA, salary schedule, and benefits at a glance guide.
- Recruitment Resources: Required notifications to applicants, eligibility requirements, application and interview tools, EDI resources, resources and best practices for virtual recruitment.
- Recordings of Fall 2020 events:
- The WWAMI Rural Residency Training Opportunities page has resources and information regarding rural training opportunities, including ACGME’s focus on Medically Underserved Areas and Populations.
- The GME Office is accepting nominations for the 2021 Bruce C. Gilliland Award for Excellence in Teaching of Residents and Fellows. The award recognizes outstanding teaching in graduate medical education in any specialty and at any UW Medicine or affiliated training site. Send your nominations tp Tammy Ramirez by 5 p.m. on August 20, 2021.
- The GME Office is hiring a temporary/project Accreditation Specialist (Req #193053). See posting here.
- The Program Administrator Advisory Council (PAAC) is looking for new members! If you are interested in joining or would like to nominate a colleague, please email Gabrielle Pett.
People
- Omeed Alipour, Gastroenterology fellow, is lead author of “Systematic review and meta-analysis: real-world data rates of deep remission with anti-TNFα in inflammatory bowel disease” in BMC Gastroenterology and “The assessment of sarcopenia using psoas muscle thickness per height is not predictive of post-operative complications in IBD” in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology.
- Check out the Huddle article on Geoff Baird, who has been named chair of the combined Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology: Meet Geoffrey Baird: Pathologist and Musician. Geoff is also the Program Director for the Clinical Chemistry fellowship program.
- Sarah Benbow, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine fellow, received funding from the NIA for a K99 Career Development Award entitled “Mutant tubulins confer resistance to pathological tau,” aimed to study the role of the microtubule cytoskeleton in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and uncover novel therapeutic approaches. She will be working with her mentor Dr. Brian Kraemer.
- The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) has named Başak Çoruh, Program Director, Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship, as 2021 Distinguished CHEST Educator (DCE). The DCE designation places her well within the top 4% of CHEST faculty worldwide and provides national-level recognition of excellence in continuing medical education.
- GME is excited to announce that Casey Dalluge is our new GME Finance Director effective August 16, 2021. Casey is a UW graduate and has been the Finance Manager in the GME office since April 2020. Prior to joining the UW, he worked in the private sector for Liberty Mutual, Univar, and Washington Mutual. Casey has over 15 years of experience with financial planning and analysis, financial modeling, and accounting. He will continue to bring his experience, enthusiasm and dedication to the GME Office.
- Lauren Feld, Transplant Hepatology fellow, is lead author and Rachel Issaka, assistant professor (Gastroenterology) is senior author of “Analysis of Speaker Introduction Formality by Gender at the American College of Gastroenterology 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting” in Digestive Diseases and Sciences. DOM co-author is Erin Cleveland.
- Madeleine Heldman, Infectious Diseases fellow, is lead author and Joshua Hill, assistant professor, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is senior author of “CMV and HSV Pneumonia After Immunosuppressive Agents for Treatment of Cytokine Release Syndrome Due to Chimeric Antigen Receptor–modified T (CAR-T)-Cell Immunotherapy” in the Journal of Immunotherapy. DOM co-authors are Jimmy Ma, Jordan Gauthier, Andrew Cowan, Leah Yoke, Elizabeth Gulleen, Elizabeth Duke, Catherine Liu, and Cameron Turtle.
- Seth Judson, Internal Medicine resident, is lead author of “Zoonoses and global epidemics” in Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases.
- Olivia Kates, Infectious Diseases senior fellow, is lead author, and Catherine Liu, associate professor, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is senior author of “Association of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) with Inpatient Antimicrobial Use at End of Life in Patients with Cancer” in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. DOM co-authors are Elizabeth Loggers and Steven Pergam.
- GME is excited to welcome our new wellness counselor, Patty Long-Brohm to the team! Patty starts in September and you can read more about her in the August 17 Wellness Corner.
- Nicholas Meo, Associate Medical Director for Quality and Patient Safety at Harborview Medical Center and assistant professor, General Internal Medicine is lead author of “Prevalence and Characteristics of House Staff Quality and Safety Councils Within Clinical Learning Environments: Results of a National Survey” in the American Journal of Medical Quality.
- Ryan Murphy, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine fellow, is lead author and Matthew Altman, associate professor, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is senior author of “Management Strategies to Reduce Exacerbations in non-T2 Asthma” in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
- Paul Pottinger, Program Director, Infectious Diseases fellowship, is co-author of “Evaluation of the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s Core Antimicrobial Stewardship Curriculum for Infectious Diseases Fellows” in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
- Lisa Vande Vusse, John Choe & Jennifer Best (Internal Medicine APDs) published “Reading—and Reconnecting—Between the Lines” in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
- Welcome new HQSC Leadership for 2021-2022
- Co-chairs: Madeleine Jackson (Orthopedics resident), and Vince Raikhel (Internal Medicine resident)
- Chair of Development: Ena Nielsen (Orthopedics resident)
- Chair of Diversity and Inclusion: Amanda Cai (Adult Congenital Heart Disease fellow)
- Chair of Publications: Erin Fredrickson (Family Medicine resident)
- Chairs of SQuIRREL: Castrenze Fricano (Emergency Medicine resident), and Lauren Onofrey (Internal Medicine resident)
- University of Washington Medical Center ranked No. 1 : For the tenth consecutive year, the University of Washington Medical Center was named the No. 1 hospital in Washington state and in the Seattle metropolitan area by S. News & World Report in its annual “Best Hospitals” rankings.
by nathangl | Aug 4, 2021 | News
Confronting Stress and Suicide
TW: Suicide
Last month, a PGY-3 urology resident at the University of Iowa died by suicide. Although I did not know him personally, I am filled with great sadness and my sympathies are with his family, friends, the trainees and faculty at Iowa.
This tragic event is a grim reminder of how stressful residency training can be and how we need each other, especially now.
We have all chosen an incredibly difficult profession. It is perhaps one of the highest callings and our work brings us incredible happiness, but the demands we face, though increasingly familiar, never get easier. It is important to acknowledge the challenges of training: the responsibilities, the rush of the day, the chaotic night calls, and the enduring fatigue.
Suicide is usually a consequence of several health factors and life situations leading to stress, anxiety, and other mental health conditions such as depression and loneliness. Sometimes, when these risk factors go unnoticed, the condition can progress and may be accompanied by physical pain, grief, and hopelessness. It is our responsibility as physicians to recognize colleagues who are experiencing extreme stress. Speak with them. Take a moment to ask them how they are doing, especially if they appear to be struggling. It is important for us to look after ourselves and out for each other. Take a run, take a walk, take a break. Look for ways to build and maintain community in your new environment. Speak with a peer, resident or faculty mentor about this sad news, even if you do not have a personal connection.
Some of you have come to Seattle by yourself to meet new friends and to start new adventures. Some have come with family and are struggling to find a new apartment. Others are excited about exploring a new hiking trail or discovering a new favorite restaurant or bar. Some of you have left partners behind so that each of you can pursue your chosen careers in separate cities, finding time to visit each other when you can. Changes and transitions can come with added stress, which can wrap you in isolation and warp your sense of belonging.
No matter where you are from, you should know that we all have something in common: we are all adjusting to our new lifestyle in a new environment with new people. Whatever your story, recognize that you are not alone and there are resources here to help you.
- GME Wellness Service is a UW Medicine resource which supports mental health care for our trainees. It offers free, confidential and unlimited counseling services for UW residents and fellows (and their partners) seeking counseling. Use Schedulicity to make an appointment online at any time of the day.
- GME Report-A-Concern is an online tool which allows you to submit an issue or problem you have noticed in the learning environment.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800.273.8255, and a Physician Support Line (licensed psychiatrists volunteer on this confidential phone line) operates 7 days a week from 8 am to 1 am EST and the phone number is 888.409.0141.
- CareLink is a 24/7 resource for all UW employees that connects you with someone to talk to when life presents challenges, conflicts or other stressors.
Reach out to this wonderful new community of people. Consider how you might honor our colleague’s memory by continuing to do the good work that all of us have chosen, not only for our patients, but for each other.
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
