KNN Connection | December 2020
School Spotlight

Character and Caring Through End of Life Discussions
Over the past year, Vanderbilt focused on caring and character through a series of End of Life Discussions. The first four-part lecture series focused on the personal, policy, practical and professional dimensions of care for the dying and invited attendees to see the connections between individual and collective attitudes towards dying and the wide-ranging effects these attitudes have on policy decisions and practices of care. The four topics to be covered by the lecture series included: Exploring the Personal Dimensions of Dying, End of Life Care and the Role of Public Policy, Advance Care Planning as Conversational Art, and Distinctive Skills and the Importance of Interdisciplinary Teams in the Care of the Dying. A quote from an attendee of the first lecture demonstrates how impactful these lectures were from an educational standpoint: “Dr. Fanning’s talk on the personal dimensions of dying was thoughtful and engaging. In his usual manner, he was able to make a difficult subject approachable for the audience. I particularly liked the interactive nature with word maps, and how this connected the audience as a group. This should be a required talk for anyone training to be a healthcare provider.” (Dr. Brian Drolet, MD, FACS) 
KNN News
Please Let the KNN Accelerator Group Know About KNN related Manuscripts or Projects
As we begin the second half of our generous investment from the Kern Family Foundation, it will be important for the KNN to focus on dissemination. The Accelerator Group was created in the summer of 2020 to assist in achieving this goal.

The KNN Accelerator Group hopes to be able to track all manuscripts/project ideas as well as those already in progress.  This tracking is important to our efforts for the following reasons:

  • We can connect KNN faculty members across institutions who share similar interests or may be working on similar projects.

  • We can provide technical or conceptual support for any phase of the project if requested, including advice about potential journals, pre-submission comment and review, and actual writing.

  • We can help promote manuscripts that have been published through our website and through KNN newsletters.

We are also happy to help with other forms of dissemination, including podcasts and social media.

Visit the KNN Website to submit your project/manuscript idea or share information about those that are in progress.
Take 5 Videos are now accessible via KNN Website
Take5 videos are 5-minute or less videos developed by the KNN Mayo Team presenting 5 learning points related to a particular faculty development topic. Take 5 videos cover the following topics can be found here: https://knncaringcharactermedicine.org/KNN/Resources/Video-Gallery.htm

  • Cultivating Learner Autonomy: Get in the Zone
  • Microaggressions in the Learning Environment
  • Microaggressions in the Learning Environment – Podcast
  • Professionalism Pivot
  • Reducing Implicit Bias in the Admissions Process
  • Strategies for Building Trust and Autonomy in the Clinical Learning Environment
  • Strategies to Support Learner Well-Being
  • Strategies to Support Learners Seeking Help
  • Telling the Patient’s Story
  • Teaching High-Value Care in the Learning Environment
The Transformational Times is the WEEKLY e-newsletter published by the Kern Institute to deliver stories of hope, character and resilience from our virtual community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bookmark the web page linked below to access the weekly issues.
KNN Updates
Board Bulletin
Click below to learn about the KNN Board discussions and highlights from November.
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KNN Collaborative Initiatives
Click below to learn more about what is happening with the KNN Collaborative Initiatives.
KNN Meetings this Month
Please check your outlook calendar for meeting details.
Week of November 30th

Accelerator Writing Group Meeting
Monday, November 30th | 3 - 4 PM CST

Clinical Learning Environment Collaborative Project Meeting
Wednesday, December 2nd | 11 AM - 12PM

KNN Virtual Panel: Medical Education through the lens of Human Flourishing
Wednesday, December 2nd | 2 - 3 PM CST

Holistic Admissions Meeting
Friday, December 4th | 10 -11 AM CST

Faculty Development Collaborative Project Meeting
Friday, December 4th | 11 AM - 12PM CST


Week of December 7th

Board Meeting
Thursday, December 10th | 11 AM -12 PM CST


Week of December 14th

Staff Leadership Team Meeting
Monday, December 14th | 1 -2 PM CST

Accelerator Writing Group Meeting
Monday, December 14th | 2:30 - 3:30 PM CST

Faculty Development Collaborative Project Meeting
Friday, December 18th | 12:30 - 1:30 PM CST


For more information on KNN meetings and initiatives, please contact Tara Fikejs at [email protected].
KNN Program Office News
Launch of Refreshed KNN Website

The KNN Program Office is excited to share the launch of a refreshed Kern National Network website. The KNN Program Office began working on the website refresh this summer and partnered with KNN faculty and staff leaders to outline the content for the refreshed site.

As always we welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please visit the site when you have a chance and let us know your thoughts.
Noteworthy Events & Resources
Taking Action on Harmful Bias and Discrimination in Clinical Learning Environments.
Thursday, December 3rd at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation will be hosting a webinar discussing the 2020 Conference Recommendations on addressing bias and eliminating discrimination in the clinical learning environment
GRIT for Women in Medicine: Growth, Resilience, Inspiration & Tenacity 2021
September 16-18, 2021
Colorado Springs, CO
Noteworthy Resources
Dyrbye, Liselotte N.; Leep Hunderfund, Andrea N.; Winters, Richard C.; Moeschler, Susan M.; Vaa Stelling, Brianna E.; Dozois, Eric J.; Satele, Daniel V.; West, Colin P.

Margot Kelly-Hedrick, MBE; Madeline M. Rodriguez, MD; Anne E. Ruble, MD, MPH; Scott M. Wright, MD; Margaret S. Chisolm, MD

Catherine R. Lucey, MD; S. Claiborne Johnston, MD, PhD

An ABMS and NBME Symposium, Chicago | September 22, 2019
Kern National Network | [email protected] | website
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