by nathangl | Mar 3, 2021 | News
The early 20th Century was the birth of Black History Month. It began as a proposal of only a week. Carter G. Woodson, an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, started what was to become a movement. He announced that the second week of February would be Negro History Week. HIs choice of February is not well-documented, but some historians believe that the inspiration was because February was the birth months of both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas. Mr. Woodson’s extensive work on the Journal of Negro History, which took 10 years to complete, made him realize that the “recognition and importance” of Black people in this country was deserving of a larger audience.
I couldn’t agree with him more.
All of us need to pause and appreciate the many gifts that Black Americans have given to this country, in shackled times and in times of unshaken pride. The fact that the gifts, given by Black Americans, have traditionally gone unrecognized by history is what should make us all appreciate more the injustice Blacks have suffered by the erasure of individual and collective Black contributions.
February is the annual celebration of not just those African Americans who have made specific contributions but to all African Americans who have been downtrodden by not being appreciated. Years of not appreciating our collective lives and losses have created a hurt that has affected all of us.
As I look toward the New Year and reflect on the many past, present and planned graduate medical education (GME) initiatives for improving diversity at the UWSOM, I think of the many ways in which GME has attempted to nurture our Black residents and fellows and, as much as possible, help them in their endeavors and honor their presence while they are here.
In many ways, our Black trainees have had the strength and sheer will to make many of our activities of appreciating Black contributions possible. The Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows (NURF) started nearly 13 years ago from the request of 4 Black women graduates of UW medical school. That once small and inchoate group has continuously thrived and is fully recognized and appreciated by the entire UWSOM as dynamic, energetic and inclusive. Even during the pandemic, the group has been busy. NURF led the recruitment effort this year with two diversity Town Halls for all specialties and followed that up with a recent Second Look for URiM and diverse candidates. These virtual meetings have been organized, informative and well-attended.
NURF has also partnered with the Housestaff Quality & Safety Committee (HQSC), another resident-run, multi-specialty organization in which members are interested in quality and patient safety issues and initiatives. NURF and HQSC members have created the Joint Conference in QI & Health Care Equity which, with the involvement of medical directors and other faculty, has created substantial projects around health and equity for marginalized patient populations.
GME is collaborating with the Office of Healthcare Equity to host Black Men In White Coats this week. The founder of this movement, Dr. Dale Okorodudu will join us to describe his work in supporting Black families, diverse communities and all medical schools in celebrating Black academic achievement so that the process of recruiting and retaining more Black men in medical schools around our country is a reality. Black Americans represent about 13% of the population but fewer than 4.4% of all medical trainees and 2/3 of those are Black women. We have much work to do.
I celebrate the work that we have done, not just in February but throughout the year for our Black housestaff. I celebrate the work they have done and continue to do with their white and Brown allies to make the future better for us all. As I look toward 2021 – and the rest of our lives, I want us to appreciate Black achievement every day and celebrate Black history which is part of our collective American history.
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
by nybrady | Feb 19, 2021 | Announcements, GME News & Notes, News
Dear GME Community –
Many of you may know that the GME Office has been working to improve our communications mechanism, primarily by shifting to a robust website. Our goal is to provide information to our community in a clear and consistent way. Since September 2020, Dr. Joyner has penned a monthly DIO GMEC Update. After careful discussion, we have decided to expand our updates to bi-monthly. Dr. Joyner will continue to share a monthly blog post and we will add a monthly “GME News & Notes” blog post. This post will include updates about members of our community, policy updates, program changes, events of interest, and other updates.
If you have feedback, and/or information or events that you would like us to include in future posts, please send them to me at hamrac@uw.edu.
I enjoyed compiling this information and hope you enjoy reading,
Cindy
Cindy Hamra, JD
Assistant Dean of GME
People
- Check out this interview and article on KOMO featuring Paul Pottinger, who wears many hats, among them Program Director for the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program: Meet Seattle’s pandemic power couple: Julia Quinn and Dr. Paul Pottinger
- Lara Oyetunji, MD, MPH, former UW Thoracic Surgery fellow and current attending in Cardiothoracic Surgery was recently featured in The Huddle
- The Department of Medicine announced the inaugural Diversity Academic Development Scholar Awards, developed to promote and foster the transition of meritorious URM trainees to the roles of junior faculty and principal investigator. Awardees from the GME Community include:
- Chase Cannon, Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program
- Erik Kimble, Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program
- Helen Stankiewicz Karita, Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program
- Kennedy Ukadike, Rheumatology Fellowship Program
- Lisa Vande Vusse, Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program was first author and Dr. Jennifer Best, Associate Dean for GME and Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, was senior author, on a paper in Academic Medicine titled “Maximizing Career Advancement During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations for Postgraduate Training Programs”
- Melissa (Moe) Hagman, Program Director for the UW Boise Internal Medicine Residency program, received the Idaho American College of Physicians chapter Distinguished Teacher Award at the 2021 Virtual Hindson Winter Conference.
- Chris Knight, Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and associate professor, General Internal Medicine, has been appointed Governor-elect of the Washington Chapter of the American College of Physicians.
Policies
- In January, GMEC approved a new MedHub User Access Controls Policy, which establishes criteria and processes for requesting MedHub user access.
- In response to an audit by the University of Washington Internal Audit, the GME Office also recently completed an extensive audit of MedHub administrative user accounts, to bring us into compliance with this new Policy. Thank you to programs for all your work on this! User audits will be carried out annually in the future.
- The new policy also specifics that MedHub accounts must now be requested on the MedHub page of the GME website.
- Revisions to the Visa Policy were approved at the February GMEC meeting. The revisions add information and practice that weren’t addressed in the previous version, including:
- Addition of requirements for participation in early orientation and eligibility for compensation
- Addition of restrictions on gaps in visa sponsorship
- Restrictions on eligibility for outside work
Program Information
- Congratulations to the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine fellowship program in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, which received initial ACGME accreditation in January. The program director is Albert Gee.
- Welcome to the following new Program Directors:
- Michael Bamshad is the new program director for the Medical Biochemical Genetics Fellowship program, replacing Dr. Lawrence Merritt.
- Julie Rivers is the new program director for the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship program, replacing Dr. Amy Geddis. Dr. Geddis is transitioning to a role as Division Chief for Hematology at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
- Welcome to the following new Program Administrators:
- Jill Fulmore, Clinical Informatics Fellowship
- Danielle Townsend, Urology and Pediatric Urology programs
Events of Interest
- Programs are encouraged to invite their URM applicants to the Second Look Event, scheduled for Thursday, February 25th, 2021 from 6:30 pm – 8:30pm Pacific Time. This event is intended for applicants from underrepresented and/or disadvantaged backgrounds to ask questions of and get answers from our faculty and housestaff as they make their final rank list. Register online.
- February 26 is 2021 Thank a Resident Day! Residents and fellows make up 1 in 5 physicians at UW Medicine – please make sure to thank your resident/fellow colleagues for their important work!
- Please join GME and campus partners for the documentary film “Black Men in White Coats.”
- The film will be available for viewing anytime between February 27 and March 3, 2021. A unique streaming code will be emailed to attendees. Register Here
- Please join us on March 3rd from 5:00 pm – 6:00 p.m. PST/6:00 pm – 7:00 p.m. MST, for a virtual Q&A and discussion panel with Dr. Dale Okorodudu, founder and executive director of the film, Dr. Paula Houston, Chief Equity Officer, UW SOM Office of Healthcare Equity (facilitator), Dr. Byron Joyner, Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Ben Danielson, Dr. Chase Cannon (Infectious Diseases Fellow) and Dr. Gregory Walker (Orthopaedic Surgery resident).
- The GME Office held our AY22 Onboarding Kickoff Meeting for programs on February 2, 2021. Onboarding information is posted to the Appointments & Credentialing page of the GME website. Big thanks to Khrystine Buccat and Hayley Fisher for their incredible work in this area!
- Other GME Events can be found on our calendar.
COVID Updates
- Thank you to the 100+ residents and fellows who have participated in moonlighting shifts to help support UW Medicine hospitals address increased service needs driven by COVID. Beginning in early December 2020, these individuals have worked nearly 600 moonlighting shifts. As a result, we have been able to minimize any voluntary redeployments to 19 total shifts (around 3% of the total) and therefore minimize COVID impacts on resident / fellow education.
- Thank you also to the 7 residents from Internal Medicine and Family Medicine who have voluntarily redeployed to cover these 19 shifts.
- Please note that Dr. Joyner sent an email to programs on February 16, with ongoing guidance regarding restrictions for away rotations, recruitment events and interviews. Specifically, the February 16 message stipulated that all graduation activities should be virtual for AY21 graduates. Remember please that in-person interviews will not be allowed at any time during the 2021-2022 recruitment season, including in-person interviews for our own, local UW medical students or residents.
- The GME Guidance for Programs Regarding Medical Students & Residents/Fellows: Rotations & Interviews on the GME website was updated to reflect these changes.
- We continue to update our guidance for residents/fellows and programs on the GME COVID page.
Progress
- UWSOM received continued accreditation status from the ACGME with no citations or Areas for Improvement.
- Call Rooms, Lactation Rooms and Parental Support: Over the last year the GME Office has made a concerted effort to improve resources for our residents and fellows, in particular call rooms and parenting support. Information is posted in our news. Thanks to Natalie Brady for her work in this important area!
by nathangl | Jan 25, 2021 | Announcements, News
This month is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. Celebrate his life and his vision: Belonging! Thank you for taking part in learning more about diversity and inclusion, more about yourself! Enjoy the January 2020 GMEC Update.
People
Congratulations to the following members of our community:
- Bessie Young, Professor of Medicine, Division Chief of Nephrology at the VA resident was selected the 20201 Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award. This award is presented to an individual who or team which promotes and champions the values of DEI in their department of medicine. https://medicine.uw.edu/news/bessie-young-receives-aaim-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-award.
- Susan Merel, Associate Professor and Stephanie Timm, Dermatology Residency & Fellowship Programs Administrator from the Department of Medicine are co-chairs for the Department’s inaugural Gender Equity Council.
- Ken Steinberg, Program Director for Internal Medicine Residency Program and Professor of Medicine, has started a Health Equity pathway for R2s and R3s. The pathway is for residents who are considering careers incorporating health equity in clinical care, research, education and advocacy.
- Heather McPhillips, Program Director for the Pediatrics Residency Program and Professor, Department of Pediatrics, shared that the Pediatrics program has developed a health equity track, offered as a separate track in the NRMP Match.
- Daniel Cabrera, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, and Assistant Program Director for the Internal Medicine residency program, was named by Dr. Joyner as the inaugural Chair of the new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Subcommittee of the GMEC.
- Fiona Gallahue, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, and Program Director for the Emergency Medicine residency program successfully published an article in JGME entitled: A Critical Disconnect: Residency Selection Factors Lack Correlation With Intern Performance. https://meridian.allenpress.com/jgme/article/12/6/696/448210/A-Critical-Disconnect-Residency-Selection-Factors
- Byron Joyner, Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education, Designated Institutional Official, and Professor of Urology, received the Mass General/Brigham’s 2020 Alumnus Award for his 25 years of work in medical education.
Programs
- Three new program directors were approved by the GMEC: Yajuan Liu for Laboratory Genetics and Genomics; Fatemeh Behnia for Nuclear Medicine; and Niviann Blondet for Pediatric Transplant Hepatology.
- Jennifer Best, Associate Dean for GME and Hadar Duman, GME Director of Accreditation are working to assist programs on Special Review to reflect on areas where they might consider trying new approaches to areas for improvement.
Progress
- The GMEC-sponsored EDI Subcommittee was approved by the GMEC after a presentation of the EDI Task Force’s work to complete the charter.
Policies
- Gabrielle Pett, GME Senior Director of Business Affairs, presented the revised Resident and Fellow Position Agreement (RFPA) Agreement for 2021-2022. There was a tremendous amount of work that was done to make the changes in the RFPA so that it would be aligned with the 2019 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Thank you to all of the Policy Subcommittee members!
- Cindy Hamra presented the new MedHub User Access Controls policy which was approved by the Committee. The new policy establishes criteria and processes for requesting MedHub user access.
Partnerships
- The GME Office held a second winter Town Hall to discuss COVID-19 updates for the residents, fellows, and programs. Cindy Hamra, Assistant Dean for GME hosted Drs. Tim Dellit, Chris Kim, Nick Meo, Shireesha Dhanireddy and Byron Joyner. We will continue to hold similar Town Halls every month to be sure that our trainees and programs have current information about impacts of COVID-19 and to answer questions.
- Vaccinations for trainees are ahead of schedule. More than 1000 housestaff have already received at least their first of two COVID-19 vaccines
Projects
- Please see the COVID-19 Updates: GME Community section of the GME website for information and updates on the increasing COVID-19 pandemic in our community. Cindy Hamra has been working closely with UW Medicine leadership to include our housestaff thoughtfully and strategically in the COVID-19 response.
“We Delight In The Beauty Of The Butterfly, But Rarely Admit The Changes It Has Gone Through To Achieve That Beauty”. – Maya Angelou
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
by nathangl | Dec 14, 2020 | Announcements, News
Hanukkah and Christmas holiday are upon us this month. The much anticipated COVID-19 vaccine is here too. I hope the DIO Blog will put you in the holiday spirit to read the December 2020 GMEC Update.
People
Congratulations to the following members of our community:
- Dr. Brian Cervoini Rosario (PGY-2) was selected as a resident member of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Review Committee (RC) at the ACGME.
- Drs. Ben Massenburg (PGY-4) and Kajal Mehta (PGY-3) were selected by the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons for two Global Surgery Work Group leadership positions. Dr. Massenburg will hold the Subspecialty Engagement Lead position and Dr. Mehta start as secretary and will advance to Vice Chair in 2022 and then to Chair in 2023.
- Gregory Walker (PGY-5) resident in the Department of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine has published a paper with his department chair, Dr. Howard Chansky and another faculty member Dr. Mario Taylor for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery entitled What’s Important: Take a Knee: It is our collective responsibility to dismantle systemic racism.
- Dr. Grant Hughes, associate professor of Rheumatology has received a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award from the Arthritis Foundation for $10,000 to support the Rheumatology Fellowship training program.
- Dr. Bessie Young, professor of IM, VA division chief of Nephrology, won the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award.
- The Triple I Outstanding Research Mentor Award was presented to Dr. Fuki Hisama, professor of IM, division of Medical Genetics for her exemplary mentorship of our UW medical students in the conduct of scholarly work.
- The Department of Surgery faculty members, Drs. Lisa Mcintyre and Nicole Zern published an article in JAMA entitled Emergency Restructuring of a General Surgery Program During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: The University of Washington Experience.
- Drs. Nick Meo, Jon Ilgen, Niten Singh and Byron Joyner were involved in the recent article in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education about the University of Washington’s experience in the COVID-19 surge in the spring.
Programs
- Special Reviews continue to make improvements to our learning environment for residents and fellows. Dr. Best and Hadar Duman are working to assist each of the programs to reflect on areas where they might consider trying new approaches.
Progress
- The GMEC-sponsored CLER Subcommittee had its inaugural meeting the month to kick off the many projects to make progress in the areas of Patient Safety, Quality, and especially in Healthcare Equity and Teaming. This committee is chaired by Dr. Lindee Strizich, GME Director of Quality and Patient Safety, UWMC-Montlake.
- The GMEC-sponsored Clinical Learning Environment Review Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Task Force has completed its final meeting and the final draft of its charter which will be presented ot the GMEC for a vote next month.
Policies
There were three new GME policies presented and approved by GMEC:
- GME Appointment Policy
- GME Credentialing Policy
- GME Scheduling and Boarders Policy
Each of these new policies will clarify processes to improve conditions for residents and fellows in our community. Check them out.
Partnerships
- GME held a winter Town Hall to discuss COVID-19 updates for the residents and fellows. Drs. Tim Dellit, Chris Kim and Nick Meo were present to answer questions, as were Cindy Hamra, Dipti Chrastka and Byron Joyner. We will continue to hold similar Town Halls every month to be sure that our trainees understand current COVID-19 information and obtain answers to their questions.
Projects
- Please see the COVID-19 Updates: GME Community for information for updates on the increasing COVID-19 pandemic in our community. We are working closely with UW Medicine leadership to include our housestaff thoughtfully and strategically in our efforts to protect our community.
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
by nybrady | Nov 23, 2020 | Announcements, News
November has a lot of celebrations, in fact 135, according to one source. But, the Thanksgiving holiday is the most popular in the US. While you’re nibbling on turkey, thanks for reading the November 2020 GMEC Update for our community.
People
- Congratulations to the following members of our community:
- Seattle Children’s Hospital in-patient resident team which has included space during their rounds to discuss any concerns around equity, diversity and inclusion that may impact patient care.
- Dr. Joel Kaufman was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
- Dr. Elina Quiroga received the UW Award of Excellence for her outstanding work in mentoring Underrepresented in Medicine members of the community.
- Dr. Kemi Doll published a personal essay in the New England Journal of Medicine about structural solutions for minority faculty in subspecialties in Medicine
- Dr. Fuki Hisama published “Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in Medical Genetics: The time is now” in Medical Genetics
- A former IM resident, Dr. Harvey Alter, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his contributions to the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus.
Programs
Progress
- The GMEC Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Executive Task Force, chaired by Dr. Byron Joyner and Dr. Barbara Goff (Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology) had its first meeting this past week. The Task Force voted to approve a long-standing GMEC-sponsored EDI Subcommittee. The GMEC-sponsored Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Task Force will have its last meeting this month, just before presenting its findings and recommendations to the GMEC in January.
- The inchoate GMEC Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) Subcommittee has started to organize its committee members to better integrate, elevate and support accountability for efforts toward enhancing the CLER focus area: Patient Safety, Health Care Quality (including Disparities), Teaming and Supervision. If you are interested in contributing to the CLER Subcommittee, please look for the announcements.
Policies
- There is a new, comprehensive GME Leave Policy, which was approved by GMEC at the November meeting. The policy addresses state and federal laws, as well as ACGME and ABMS requirements.
Partnerships
- Dr. Tom Gallagher from the Center for Scholarship in Patient Quality and Safety, called attention to resources about helping to build an anti-racist society. The list included both local and national resources that will help people to have opportunities to become involved in anti-racist issues, concerns and projects.
Projects
- Please see the COVID-19 Updates: GME Community for information for updates on the increasing COVID-19 pandemic in our community. We are working closely with UW Medicine leadership to include our housestaff thoughtfully and strategically in our efforts to protect our community.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
by nybrady | Nov 2, 2020 | News, Teach for Impact
The GME Education Team introduces the new “Teach for Impact!” series to share selected teaching methods with our faculty and trainees quarterly. Our Team would like to contribute to our community’s devotion to quality education by sharing novel ideas as well as “oldies but goodies” that will help us expand our teaching repertoire.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Meaningful feedback going beyond the feedback process
Have you noticed that some trainees become defensive when you point out areas for improvement while giving feedback? Do you want to provide feedback that helps trainees manage the complex, new, and ambiguous professional challenges? Two articles were recently published that encourage educators to rethink feedback as a tool for life-long learning and to engage learners actively in the feedback process.
Feedback should focus on long-term learning toward autonomous practice and both educators and learners should be able to take their feedback conversations into their future work. This article provides concrete strategies to help trainees develop evaluative judgment and capability to identify and appraise the qualities of good practice.
Feedback should be a relational activity between learners and educators, not an educator “delivering monologue.” “Socially-embedded” nature of sharing feedback needs trust between the two parties to reveal and communicate vulnerability as well as to co-construct knowledge.
Want to observe how other faculty engage learners in feedback?
Watch this 8-minute video. You will see examples of bad, better, and excellent feedback that (dis)engage learners.
Food for Thought: Competency-based GME during and after a pandemic
Canada has launched a nationwide transition to the competency-based time-variable (CB-TV) GME. Even though GME in the US vouches for competency-based GME, it is still tethered to time- and case-volume based training requirements. Goldhamer et al. share suggestions to transition to CB-TV GME as planned curriculum-based training opportunities are lost or reduced due to COVID-19.
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
Scaffolding:
“Scaffolding” is a way to support learners by breaking learning up into chunks and providing a concrete structure for each. Does medical knowledge you want to teach involve understanding of several concepts with progressive difficulty levels? Would (struggling) learners benefit from explicitly guiding from where they are now to the next level by teasing out the task? Here is more information on scaffolding.
The GME Education Team is available for consultations. Please contact Incho Lee, PhD, Director of Educational Quality Improvement, at
ilee@uw.edu.
by nybrady | Oct 27, 2020 | Announcements, News
Over the last year the GME Office has made a concerted effort to improve resources for our residents and fellows, in particular call rooms and parenting support. We know that the intersection between parenthood and training can be a pinch point for many of our residents and fellows and will continue our improvements around this and other issues.
Recent improvements have included:
We want to thank all of our GME staff who have worked on these initiatives especially Natalie Brady, Hadar Duman, Cindy Hamra, Dr. Jennifer Best and Hayley Fisher. Additionally we sincerely appreciate the hard work of our hospital partners including Dr. Tom Staiger (UWMC-Montlake), Dr. Vivek Jain (VAPS), Seth Hennessey (UWMC-Northwest), Kari Dietrich (SCH), Holly Smith (VAPS), Debbie Colpitts (VAPS), Evelyn Sinsel (HMC), Pam Renna (UWMC-Northwest), Amy Akers (UWMC-Northwest) and Chris Pendergrass (SCH).
The GME Office continues to work on improving support and resources available for all of our residents and fellows. We look forward to continuing to share our work with the community.
by nathangl | Oct 12, 2020 | Announcements, Events, News
It is m
y pleasure as acting meeting chair, to provide the October 2020 GMEC Update for our community.
People
- Congratulations to Dr. Debra Cherry on her $175K SHIP grant from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries for projects to improve reproductive health for Washington workers
- Congratulations to our newly approved Program Directors:
- Dr. Kathleen Kieran (Pediatric Urology – 1 year interim)
- Dr. Sarah Prager (Complex Family Planning)
Programs
- Complex Family Planning, previously a non-ACGME fellowship program, is applying for ACGME accreditation (see PD approval above).
Progress
- The GMEC Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Executive Task Force, chaired by Dr. Byron Joyner and Dr. Barbara Goff (Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology) had its first meeting this past week. The Task Force voted to approve a long-standing GMEC-sponsored EDI Subcommittee. They will begin to write the charter for approval by the GMEC next month.
- GMEC approved a charter for a newly formed GMEC Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) Subcommittee to better integrate, elevate and support accountability for efforts to enhance the CLER focus area: Patient Safety, Health Care Quality (including Disparities), Teaming and Supervision. Though outside of the current charter, Well-Being and Professionalism efforts, also included in the CLER program, are actively ongoing.
Partnerships
- Dr. John Scott presented an update on Telemedicine programs across UW Medicine.
Projects
- Please see the GME website for information on a slew of upcoming events including:
- “Family Planning and Fertility and Navigating Parental Leave for Resident Physicians” (10/7)
- Dr. Bill McDade, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the ACGME will be a GMEC-sponsored virtual Visiting Professor (10/8, 3:00-5:00pm).
- The second NURF Diversity Recruitment Open House (10/12).
- Program Director Development Series – Fall Curriculum: Implicit Bias in Candidate Selection and Navigating Vulnerability and Shame in Medical Education) (10/19)
Jennifer Best, MD
Associate Dean, Accreditation and Education
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
by nathangl | Sep 25, 2020 | Announcements, News
Welcome to the new Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) Update!
I am excited to share information with you on a monthly basis about our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) meetings which take place the second Thursday of every month.
The primary duty of UW GMEC is to oversee the learning environment for more than 1500 residents and fellows in our training programs. In order to provide the best oversight, all GMEC meetings involve representatives from all around our GME community, including housestaff, program directors, program administrators, compliance personnel, dental school administrators, VA leaders, dean’s office administrators and many others. Since we cannot fit everyone around the virtual GMEC table, I hope that these DIO Updates will allow you to follow news about our housestaff and those involved in training residents and fellows.
Starting this month, I will provide regular updates on GMEC’s activities, actions and initiatives. As the Chair of GMEC, I feel that it is my duty to inform you, the GME community of how GMEC cares for and protects the housestaff. As the Chair of the GMEC, I take this job seriously.
Every month, I will provide updates in the 6 Ps we have selected: People, Policies, Progress, Programs, Partnerships and Projects. I hope that these categories will cover the GMEC Update.
People
This section will cover those who have new, GME leadership positions or are transitioning in some way into or away from GME leadership.
- New program director: Dr. Tracy Tylee – Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition
- New program director: Dr. Michelle Weathered – Neurology
- New committee chair: Dr. Lia Halasz is assuming a new role as Chair of the GMEC Approved Fellowship (GAF) Committee. We thank Dr. Lisa Taitsman for her nearly 3 years of service!
Policies
One of the roles of the GMEC is to introduce new or revise existing policies that must be voted on by GMEC members.
Progress
In this section, updates will be provided regarding progress in Institutional and Programmatic Accreditation, the Learning Gateway educational modules and quality and patient safety news.
Hadar Duman (Director of Accreditation) presented the results of our annual Accreditation Dashboard. This year, our Sponsoring Institution, the UW SOM has full accreditation, as do all of our programs. There are only 14 ACGME-accredited programs that have been identified for our Special Review process, which is intended to assist programs with meeting accreditation standards.
Partnerships and Projects
This section will provide high-level information about GME, UW Medicine, and UW SOM.
- The GMEC heard about the formation of a GMEC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force that will create the charge for the work of a long-standing GMEC-sponsored EDI Subcommittee. The Task Force will meet in early October.
- The work of the Scheduling Task Force is ongoing with an anticipated completion date of November 2020. Recommendations will be brought to GMEC early in 2020.
Keep up with GME news by following the GME Updates. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
by nathangl | Aug 3, 2020 | Announcements, News
Please join us in welcoming Alexandru “Andrei” Dandescu, our new GME Wellness Counselor!! Andrei comes with strong clinical skills as well as many unique experiences that include working as a therapist in varied settings.
Andrei starts his new position with us today, August 3 and will work three days a week. His office will be at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Dipti Chrastka, our GME Wellness Service Director will work with Andrei to get him oriented to GME and open up his schedule to Wellness appointments in the next few weeks. Here is a bit of what Andrei shared with us.
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Alexandru Andrei Dandescu, please call me Andrei.
I was born and spent my early years in Campulung Muscel, a small medieval town nestled in the forests of the foothills of the Carpathian mountains.
The idyllic peaks, bucolic valleys, jagged canyons and lively mountain streams of the Carpathians formed part of the natural borders between Walachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia the early nations that later became part of modern day Romania in 1918. Their serene, unspoiled natural environment fascinated me as a child, just as much as the vibrant local folklore and ancient lines of people.
I have a strong sense of origin and yet I see myself as an amalgam of diverse and constantly emerging interests. I am a proud Husky psychology undergrad and hold a Master’s Degree In Clinical Psychology from Radford University.
Exploring the Cascades and the greater Pacific Northwest helped me reconnect to the healing power of nature and the exuberant joy of hiking, skiing, biking and sailing. I feel compelled to research the therapeutic effects inherent in outdoor natural environments and the possible clinical and ecological impact of our species’ increasing disconnect from nature.
Over the course of the past twenty-something years, I have worked in various clinical settings, such as community mental health, private practice, residential care facilities, detention facilities, and hospitals.
My clients, co-workers, friends, and family, ongoing multicultural experiences and occasional world travel helped me better appreciate the individual complexity, numerous struggles and amazing potential of the always expanding human consciousness.
At this time, I feel happy to be part of the Resident & Fellow Wellness Graduate Medical Education team and contribute to the wellbeing of our future healers and their partners.
by nathangl | Jun 26, 2020 | Announcements, News
In the News
- Dr. Abir Hussein, fellow (Allergy and Infectious Diseases) is quoted in “Necessary or needless? Three months into the pandemic, Americans are divided on wearing masks” from NBC News.
- Dr. Nandita Mani, fellow, is lead author and Dr. Seth Cohen, clinical assistant professor (Allergy and Infectious Diseases) is senior author of “Prevalence of COVID-19 Infection and Outcomes Among Symptomatic Healthcare Workers in Seattle, Washington” in Clinical Infectious Diseases. DOM co-authors are Jehan Budak, Kristine Lan, Chloe Bryson-Cahn, Maria Corcorran, Lisa Chew, Paul Pottinger, Timothy Dellit, Catherine Liu, Steven Pergam, Santiago Neme, John Lynch, and H. Nina Kim.
Recent Publications by General Surgery Residents
- Dr. Dara Horn, General Surgery Research Resident in the T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Trauma, Injury and Inflammation under Principal Investigator Grant O’Keefe, published “Predictors
of Mortality, Limb Loss, and Discharge Disposition at Admission Amongst Patients With Necrotizing Skin and Soft Tissue Infections” in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (February 2020).
- Dr. John Monu, General Surgery R4, published “Evaluating Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Lung Cancer Screening Using Crowdsourcing” in the Journal CHEST. (February 2020).
- Dr. Francys Verdial, General Surgery Chief Resident, published two articles in CHEST Journal: “Safety and Costs of Endobronchial Ultrasound–Guided Nodal Aspiration and Mediastinoscopy” (March 2020) and “Multidisciplinary Team–Based Management of Incidentally Detected Lung Nodules” (April 2020)
Awards
Shiv Bhandari, MD, MS4 (now UW Internal Medicine R1) and James Sze, MD, R2 (now UW Internal Medicine R3) were recently named recipients of the 2020 Evans Award in the UW Department of Medicine. This award is presented every year to one graduating medical student and one 2nd year resident. The award recognizes the special qualities of warmth, understanding, compassion and concern for the needs of others as exemplified by and expressed throughout the life of Dr. Robert S. Evans, who served as Chief of Medicine for many years at the Seattle VA Medical Center.
Community Updates
HQSC Leadership Board for 2020-2021
The UW Housestaff Quality and Safety Committee (HQSC) announced their Leadership Board for the 2020-2021 academic year.
- Chair of Development: Jenny Yu, MD (Plastic Surgery)
- Chair of Diversity and Inclusion: Jacqueline Dunahoe, MD (Orthopedic Surgery)
- Chair of Publications: Vince Raikhel, MD (Internal Medicine)
- Chairs of SQuIRREL: Ashley Tollefson, MD (Anesthesiology) & John Lipiz (Anesthesiology)
UW GME Leaders Appointed to ACGME Review Committees
Several leaders in our GME community were recently welcomed as members to the ACGME’s Review Committees:
- Byron Joyner, MD, MPA, Vice Dean, GME and Designated Instiutional Official (Institutional Review Committee)
- Heather McPhillips, MD, Program Director, Pediatrics Residency (Pediatrics RRC)
Program Updates
Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program Expansion
The UW Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program has received a 5-year $1.3 million training award from HRSA to expand from two to four fellows each year. Fellows will train and provide care for underserved populations at Harborview Medical Center, Evergreen Treatment Services, Downtown Public Health Center, and Pioneer Square Clinic/Downtown Programs, and will participate in fellow didactics at the VA. The program is based in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Harborview and is led by Drs. Joseph Merrill, Judith Tsui, and Jared Klein. Active recruitment for these additional positions is underway.
Internal Medicine Residency: Spotlight on Resident Research
The Internal Medicine Residency Program launched: “Spotlight on Resident Scholarship” to highlight research, quality improvement, medical education, advocacy, and other scholarly activities of UW Internal Medicine residents. In the latest spotlight, “Sustainable mental health research capacity-building in Africa,” Dr. Helen Jack (R2) transformed the curriculum from a five-day workshop – on performing systematic reviews for early career mental health researchers from Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe – to teach a “Training of Trainers” workshop that would allow local university faculty to repeat the workshop. Universities in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe integrated Dr. Jack’s workshop into permanent curricula. Dr. Jack intends to pursue a research-intensive career and continue her work examining capacity and implementation of mental health services in low- resource settings locally and abroad.
GME Updates
New UW/UWHA Contract
The new contract between UW and the UWHA was ratified by UWHA members on June 14. The new UWHA Contract (effective until June 30, 2022) will be available on the UW Labor Relations website in the coming days. The updated Stipend Schedule for UWHA Members effective July 1, 2020 is on the GME website.
GME Policy Updates
The Meals Policy has been updated to include new meal reimbursement rates at UWMC and HMC. These were approved at the June 11 GMEC meeting.
by nybrady | Jun 16, 2020 | News, Resident & Fellow Events
Welcome to our incoming Residents and Fellows!
We are looking forward to meeting you at the UW GME Orientation. Be sure to complete the GME Orientation Checklist prior to your Clinical start date, and tune into the LIVE UW GME Orientation on Monday June 22nd.
Please direct questions to the content experts listed in each section on the GME Orientation webpage. If you are unsure where to go or who to ask, please contact
UW GME.
by nathangl | Jun 4, 2020 | Announcements, News
Message sent to GME Community on June 1, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
With many others, the leadership and staff of Graduate Medical Education stand alongside our community at this devastating and violent crossroads in our nation’s history.
With you, we grieve the violent and senseless murders of Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others who throughout centuries have died unseen and unnamed. We acknowledge that the history of Medicine on which our institution is built cannot be extracted from the abuse and disregard of black and brown bodies that continues today.
We support those of you engaged in peaceful protest and those of you marking these events in your own less visible ways. The path toward reconciliation is both collective and individual – and must be marked by action. That action may differ for each member of our community. All of us must consider our privilege, our knowledge and the importance of our voice.
We hope that you have seen the message from Dr. Ramsey regarding the virtual community gathering scheduled for June 3, during which there will be further discussion about what it means to be part of an institution that embodies anti-racism as a core value.
GME would also like to convene a virtual safe space in which our residents and fellows, program directors, administrators, staff and faculty may be and reflect together.
Please hold Thursday 6/4 at 6pm for a virtual forum (email uwgme@uw.edu to register). We also invite you to connect with our Wellness resources, or consider meeting with our Wellness counselors Dipti Chrastka or Julia Kocian.
Sincerely,
Cindy A. Hamra, JD, MA
Assistant Dean, Operations & Administration
Graduate Medical Education| UW Medicine
Jennifer A. Best, MD
Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education
Associate PD, Internal Medicine Residency Program
School of Medicine | UW Medicine
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean
Graduate Medical Education| University of Washington
Designated Institutional Official | UW Medicine
by nathangl | May 26, 2020 | Announcements, News
Dr. Byron Joyner
Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education & Designated Institutional Official for UW SOM
I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all of you as we begin this exciting and historic academic year together.
In February, the city of Seattle was the first epicenter for COVID-19 in the US. Since then, many have been affected by the pandemic. We have all faced challenges and uncertainty. As you start your journey at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM), we want you to know that we are here for you. We want you to gain all of the experiences and have all of the learning opportunities you need to do your work. We want you to feel that you are working in a safe learning environment. There will be a lot of uncertainty, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is slowly improving. But, there will also be a lot of uncertainty during your training because you will be – and should be – learning new things about your chosen specialty. You will meet new colleagues and friends. You will encounter new interdisciplinary teams. You will learn to take care of patients and, along the way, learn more about yourself.
Many things will be different and disorienting to us all and yet, the same great faculty and staff will be here to teach you and to help you along the way. Matriculating now into your new residency or fellowship program should be exciting– even for those of you who are UW alumni returning as subspecialty fellows. Our top priority is to offer all of you the best and safest clinical learning environment so that you can develop the skills, behaviors, and attitudes you will need to be successful, independent doctors.
You are one of the amazing high-caliber physicians-and dentists in-training that sets UW apart from other institutions. The new wave of 450+ residents and fellows joining us over the next 3 months only highlights this point. You represent an exceptional, diverse, and exceedingly qualified class who will enrich each other’s learning experiences.
Who you are
Exceptional.
- In total, you are 473 incoming residents and fellows
- You are pursuing 100 different specialties
- 287 of you are first-year residents
In some cases nearly 1/3 of all US medical school graduates going into your specialty applied to your UW program, and you are among the select few to be admitted to these very competitive programs.
Diverse.
- Altogether, you were born in 36 different countries
- 28% of you were born outside of the United States
- 44 of you graduated from a medical school outside of the United States.
- You span generations – you are GenZ’ers, Gen Y’ers, and Gen X’ers.
This is no accident. Diversity and inclusion are core values of UW Medicine and are affiliated training hospitals.
Qualified.
108 of you have achieved other graduate degrees. To name a few, these include:
Where you are
Graduate Medical Education (GME). GME programs sponsored by the UW School of Medicine are designed to train physicians with habits of life-long learning and mature ethical and professional approaches to their practice.
UW Medicine. Among nearly 800 institutions, UWSOM is the 5th largest in the number of programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and 8th largest in the number of trainees. The UWSOM offers over 122 residency and clinical fellowship programs and partners with the School of Dentistry to support four dental residency programs which are accredited by the Commission On Dental Accreditation (CODA). There are more than 70 non-accredited fellowship programs, too!
For more information about our accredited programs, see the Residency and Clinical Fellowship Programs.
WWAMI. UW Medicine is by far the largest sponsor of GME programs in the five-state region known as WWAMI, which includes Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI). UW Medicine has a very important role in building a physician workforce capable of meeting the requirements of a rapidly-evolving healthcare environment for urban, rural and underserved areas in our region.
In addition to Seattle-based training, there are three distinct models for GME across the WWAMI region – Community Based–UW Affiliated, Regional Training Tracks, and Regional Resident Rotations.
Who we are
GME Leadership. We are responsible for the administrative oversight and academic quality of UW’s residency and clinical fellowship programs. Most importantly, we are here for you. We want you to feel safe in an environment where you can learn. The GME leaders listed below oversee an amazing and committed team that supports residents, fellows and programs in the UWSOM.
Please contact any of us with questions, comments, or concerns.
Getting Started
For reference materials, useful forms, and information on the various benefits that are available to residents and fellows at UW, please see the Incoming Residents & Fellows page on this site. Many pertinent details surrounding your rights and responsibilities can be found in the GME Residency and Fellowship Position Appointment (RFPA) Agreement.
Wellness. Be on the lookout for information from our Wellness team, highlighting wellness activities and opportunities in Seattle and around Puget Sound. At this time, for our safety and that of the safety of the public, we are still under Governor Jay Inslee’s orders of social distancing. We look forward to the time when you can hang up your white coat, get out of the hospital – and your home – and enjoy the life that indeed does exist outside of residency or fellowship training.
COVID-19 Culture. In the context of COVID-19, we must be mindful and vigilant. If you are ill, stay at home. Wear your mask and learn to don and doff properly. Look out for each other and for yourselves. We are in an uncertain time but we will get through this together, as long as we work together!
I look forward to working with you on new initiatives and ideas that will address the challenges we now face head-on. And, for all the new and exciting things this academic year will certainly bring for you, the GME Office’s core priorities remain the same: that you receive the best possible education, achieve and maintain a healthy work-life balance, and make a real difference for the patients that you serve. Our most significant wins and defining achievements in GME have always been rooted in housestaff ideas and in their participation.
In order for me to best do my job, I need to – and would like to – hear from you all of you. Your engagement is critical to ensuring that we have the best possible program for you, as well as for the patients we serve.
It is my distinct pleasure to welcome all of you to the University of Washington. I look forward to working with you and to embrace the opportunities and challenges that await us in the 2020-2021 academic year.
Be well and stay healthy!
Byron Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education &
Designated Institutional Official for UW SOM
by nathangl | May 15, 2020 | Announcements, Awards, News
Awards
The University of Washington Housestaff Quality and Safety Committee (HQSC) is thrilled to announce Chloe Bryson-Cahn, MD as recipient of the 2020 Gene Peterson Faculty Award for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Dr. Bryson-Cahn is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases. She serves as the Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship and Associate Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Harborview Medical Center. She also is the Associate Medical Director of the University of Washington Tele-Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (UW TASP).
Congratulations to Khalida Arif, MD, UW School of Medicine class of 2020, and incoming UW Internal Medicine resident, who was recently named to the Husky 100. The Husky 100 recognizes 100 UW undergraduate and graduate students each year who are making the most of their time at the UW in the classroom and community.
GME Updates
GME Policy Updates
Revisions to the USMLE and Licensing Examination Policy were approved at the May 14 GMEC meeting.
New GME Program Administrator
Welcome to Paul Ford, Program Administrator for Hematology-Oncology.
Committee Nominations for AY21
The GME Office is currently accepting nominations for Committee membership for 2020-2021. Nominations should be sent to Lani Wall at lwall13@uw.edu by May 29.
by nathangl | May 3, 2020 | Announcements, Awards, News
Awards
Tanya Meyer, MD, UW Otolaryngology Associate Professor, and Otolaryngology Residency Program Director, has been elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society at the faculty level by current members of the University of Washington chapter. Dr. Meyer joins an elite group who have received the honor: in 2020, only 3 were elected from among approximately 2,100 full-time faculty in the School of Medicine.
Douglas Paauw, faculty councilor for the UW AΩA chapter, writes, “Each year, the UW AΩA chapter elects faculty, residents, and fellows who demonstrate commitment to and excellence in teaching medical students as well as displaying outstanding leadership, professionalism, service, and professional achievement. . . election to AΩA is one of the highest honors that physicians can receive.”
Dr. Meyer is a senior laryngologist with a national reputation in clinical neurolaryngology and for her research on the impact of voice disorders in the workplace. She is the residency program director for UW Otolaryngology-HNS and serves as co-chair of its Diversity Committee. Dr. Meyer was a recipient of the 2018-2019 Presidential Citation from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS).
GME Updates
New GME Finance Manager
Casey Dalluge joined the GME team as the new GME Finance Manager on April 23. He joins the University of Washington with an extensive background in financial modeling, business analysis, and team leadership. Welcome Casey!
New ACGME Programs for AY21
The ACGME recently approved the accreditation for the following programs:
- Pediatric Hospital Medicine
- Psychiatry-Boise
Committee Nominations for AY21
The GME Office is now accepting nominations for Committee membership for 2020-2021. Nominations should be sent to Lani Wall at lwall13@uw.edu by May 29.
by nathangl | Apr 17, 2020 | Announcements, Awards, News
In the News
- Harnessing Our Humanity — How Washington’s Health Care Workers Have Risen to the Pandemic Challenge, Lisa Rosenbaum, MD – NEJM
- “We Signed Up for This!” — Student and Trainee Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Thomas H. Gallagher, MD and Anneliese M. Schleyer, MD, MHA – NEJM
- Hold on to humanity while we still can, Jay Brahmbhatt, MD – KevinMD
- Caring for coronavirus patients in a Seattle ICU: ‘move forward and accept the risk’, Andy Luks, MD – The Washington Post
Residents raising money for “Off Their Plate”
The Internal Medicine residents at the University of Washington have started a campaign to raise money to support communities impacted by Coronavirus around the U.S. They are supporting “Off Their Plate”, a grassroots organization powered by nonprofit World Central Kitchen. “Off Their Plate” partners with local restaurants and workers to restore wages and provide meals to healthcare workers on the COVID frontline in cities across the U.S. They have raised over $1,570 so far.
To read more hero stories, from the front lines and behind the scenes, please visit the DOM heroes page on the Department of Medicine website.
Awards
The UW Pediatric Residency Program Alaska Track has been awarded the Outstanding Teaching Program Award for 2020 from the Academic Pediatric Association (APA). This is the highest honor in the US given each year to a pediatric teaching program – student, resident or fellowship.
Internal Medicine resident Ryan Stultz, MD (Class of 2022) and member of the Physician-Scientist Learning Pathway, was awarded a Resident Research Preceptorship from the Rheumatology Research Foundation with his mentor Dr. Christian Lood, assistant professor (Rheumatology). Their translational research will examine potential links between extracellular mitochondria and auto-antibody formation in systemic sclerosis.
Kelli Alderman, fellowship program administrator (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine) won the 2020 Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors (APCCMPD) Award for Innovative Fellowship Program Administration Abstract, and presented at the APCCMPD annual meeting’s vrtual conference in March. Title: “The Hackathon as a Way to Innovate in Fellowship Education.” Co-authors: Rosemary Adamson, Nick Johnson, Andy Luks, and Başak Çoruh.
GME Updates
Welcome to our new Program Directors and Administrators!
Program Directors:
- Andrew Ayars, MD, Allergy and Immunology
- Michi Shinohara, MD, Dermatopathology
Program Administrators:
- Rene Barton, Medical Genetics
- Tara Camill, Pediatric Radiology
- Erin Moore, Pain Medicine and Anesthesia Critical Care
New ACGME Programs for AY21
The ACGME recently approved the accreditation for the following programs:
- Obstetric Anesthesiology
- Addiction Medicine-Boise
Committee Nominations for AY21
Look for an announcement in the coming weeks calling for nominations for our GME Committees for AY21. Check out our Committees page for desciprtions of each Committee.
GME Policies Updates
by nathangl | Mar 20, 2020 | Announcements, News
Dear UW GME Community,
Even as we focus intently on the immediate needs of our community and patients in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, we also look to the future!
Today, is Match Day for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match – an opportunity to celebrate the bright future of medicine and to welcome 291 new members to our University of Washington School of Medicine GME community.
We wish to acknowledge the immense effort of ALL of our residents, fellows, faculty and staff during the recruitment season – and your year-round efforts to create and contribute to a highly sought-after learning environment!
For those of you interested in data:
National Data
UW Data
- # UW Positions offered/filled in Match: 291/291
- Largest UW Match: In 2019 had 281 positions
- # of Specialties: 23
- # of Tracks: 46 (2 participated in SOAP)
- # of Rural Tracks: 4
- UW Students Matched: 52 (Tied for largest Match of UW students)
GME is mindful of the fact that matching in Seattle during this time of uncertainty may raise certain questions for our incoming residents and fellows. We will be communicating with them directly in short order to provide information about anticipated concerns and to ease their transition in whatever way we can. We will also be updating the Incoming Residents and Fellows page on the this website as new information is available:
Congratulations to all! We hope you will pause for a moment with your teams to acknowledge this wonderful annual milestone.
by nathangl | Mar 19, 2020 | News
In the midst of a stressful time, we are so happy to have some wonderful news to share; GME is thrilled to introduce our NEW addition to the Wellness Team: Dipti Chrastka, LMFT!
Dipti is excited to join the UW GME Wellness team! Here is her introduction for you all:
“As a young child, I discovered that I loved being around people and enjoyed listening to stories. Being patient, caring, offering support were values that I held deeply. This inspired me to study Clinical Psychology and volunteer in underserved, low income and minority communities. In 1994, I completed a Post Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
I worked in a clinic setting as well as outreach to schools with the goal of reducing stigma and building awareness of mental health and wellness.”
“I grew up in Bombay, India and have lived in the US for 28 years where I have continued to work in the field of behavioral health. My work has been with adults, children, youth, families, schools and communities of color with poor access to resources. I am an Ethnic Minority consultant and trainer, with over 25 years of experience. This has included leading conversations and training on how to support Asian/Pacific Islander populations . I have a strong sense of fairness, equity and social justice. Having worked the gamut from behavioral health, community mental health, consultation to crisis, I am very excited about this new role.
My goal is to build a culture of wellness that encourages a healthy work environment, community building, and purpose as well as stress-management. This includes improving access to health initiatives, and working collaboratively to create an impact on the system as a whole.
My favorite quote that guides me is ‘Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much’.”
In her spare time, Dipti loves playing sports. She is an avid table tennis player (started playing before she was 5 years old!) and participates in tournaments every year! You won’t have to wait long to meet Dipti—she will be starting at GME Wellness this Monday, March 23rd at HMC!
by nathangl | Mar 11, 2020 | News
Ongoing updates provided by the University of Washington and UW Medicine regarding the Novel Coronavirus can now be found on the COVID-19 Updates: GME Community page on this website.
by nathangl | Feb 28, 2020 | News
Daniel Leifer, MD, Dermatology R3, received the David C. Leach award this week at the ACGME 
Annual Educational Conference in San Diego, CA. The David C. Leach Award recognizes residents and fellows who have fostered innovation and improvement in their programs, advanced humanism in medicine, and increased efficiency and emphasis on educational outcomes.
Dr. Leifer received the award for his work developing DermLinks in 2018. DermLinks is a collaborative online home page for University of Washington dermatology residents. It makes frequently-used online resources easily accessible by situating them on a single page. DermLinks is resident-run and collaborative: residents edit DermLinks through the Google Docs interface and contribute their own useful links.
His work was recognized for targeting the following areas to improve GME and/or patient care: fostering innovation and improvement in the learning environment, increasing efficiency and reducing non-educational burden in the program, and improving communication and collaboration in education and patient care within the program.
Please join us on congratulating Dr. Leifer on his award!
by nathangl | Feb 28, 2020 | News
Fiona Gallahue, MD, Program Director for the UW Emergency Medicine residency program, was awarded the 2020 ACGME Parker Palmer Courage to Teach Award and will receive her award at the ACGME Annual Educational Conference in San Diego, CA this week.
The Honoring Excellence: Q and A with Dr. Gallahue, is one in a series of interviews with recipients of the 2020 ACGME Awards. The awardees join an outstanding group of previous honorees whose work and contributions to graduate medical education (GME) represent the best in the field.
by nybrady | Feb 28, 2020 | News
by nathangl | Feb 26, 2020 | News
Dear Community,
Welcome to our brand new GME website, which launched in January!
The GME Strategic Communication Workgroup, consisting of Gabrielle Pett, Joe Wilson, Natalie Brady, Hadar Duman, Liz Fawthrop and Tammy Ramirez, has worked tirelessly to build this new website for the last few months. They prioritized making it informative, functional, user-friendly and fun. Our goal is to more easily share with you GME’s resources, just-in-time information and exciting news that won’t overwhelm your email. We also heard from you that it was challenging to find information on two different sites. You can now access pertinent GME information, policies, resources, wellness resources, a comprehensive event calendar (also embedded on the MedHub home page), and these new blog posts all on one website.
We heard you!
I want to update you on our Clinical Learning Environment Review metrics. The last of our 6 Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) metrics communications was distributed at the beginning of the New Year. As promised, I wanted to provide information that is critical to making sweeping improvements to the learning environment for our residents and fellows. Together with Lindee Strizich, GME Director of Quality and Patient Safety, I have met with C-Suite leaders, including Paul Ramsey, CEO, UW Medicine; Tim Dellit, CMO, UW Medicine; Lisa Brandenburg, Chief Health System Officer, UW Medicine; and Cindy Sayer, Associate Administrator, UWMC. We also met with department leadership including program directors and program administrators and many residents and fellows. The GME CLER team has been adapting our focus to include teaming, a new CLER concept that reinforces inter-professional interactions that improve patient care. We are always looking for suggestions on how to make improvements in these areas.
I also want to announce our new Housestaff Quality & Safety Committee Co-Chair, Dr. Daniel Cho, a PGY-5 Plastic Surgery resident. He started in January and is committed to working with Dr. Nikita Baclig, a PGY-4 Internal Medicine chief resident to continue the great work that HQSC has been doing for 10 years. Welcome Dr. Cho!
We are committed to regularly celebrating community accomplishments and want to highlight a few this month:
- Dr. Fiona Gallahue, Program Director for the Emergency Medicine residency program, was awarded the ACGME Parker Palmer Courage to Teach Award and will receive her award at the ACGME Annual Educational Conference in San Diego, CA this week.
- Dr. Mo Hagman, Program Director for the Boise Internal Medicine program, won the 2020 Idaho-WWAMI award for excellence in mentoring, teaching, leadership and patient care.
- Dermatology resident Dr. Josiah Hanson received January’s LifeCenter’s monthly LifeSaver Award for his selfless assistance during a recent organ donation.
Congratulations to everyone! If you have accomplishments or celebrations to share, please let the GME Office know.
February is Black History Month. I saw Harriet last night. In this biopic, Cynthia Erivo, the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-award winning actress, brings Harriet Tubman to life. Harriet Tubman was born into slavery and escaped to Philadelphia, running 100 miles for her life. Following her taste of freedom, she made 13 courageous missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, using antislavery activists and “safe houses”, known collectively as the Underground Railroad. Harriet had faith which made her a fearless abolitionist and political activist.
Finally, the Gold Humanism Society has declared February 28th as “Thank-A-Resident Day!”. Our trainees work so very hard, learning to be better to care for patients. Please join me in thanking our residents and fellows every day, not just on this day.
Byron D. Joyner, MD, MPA
Vice Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Graduate Medical Education, UW Medicine
