Table of Contents

Message From the Chair

Upcoming Events

Focus of the Week - Research

Announcements

Faculty Presentations/Publications

Frankly Speaking Podcast

Clinical Services Spotlight

Message From the Chair

It is appropriate during the week of Thanksgiving for me to share my gratitude for all of you, and for the efforts of the entire department to fulfill our missions of clinical care, medical education, research, and health policy, particularly for those who are at most risk. 

Our accomplishments as a department were most evident in our annual awards celebration last week (you can watch it here: https://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/faculty-resources/gr/2019-grand-rounds2/). Our new faculty, new fellows, promotions, and the many local, national, and regional awards are impressive! 

I would like to again highlight the 2022 awardees of our department awards. The nominations for these awards come from our faculty and chiefs, and the leadership team votes on the nominations.. Please join me in recognizing these individuals. 

Community Clinician: 

Satu Salonen, MD

Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity:

Katharine Barnard, MD

Education Awards:

Kathleen Barry, MD

Trish Seymour, MD

Laura Sturgill, MD

Judy Savageau, MPH

Chair’s Award: 

Philip Bolduc, MD

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you all find time to enjoy the holiday with family and friends. 

Upcoming Events

FMCH Grand Rounds

Tuesday, November 22nd, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, "Putting Antiracism Into Practice in Health Care Settings", presented by Tiffany Cook, MA.

Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/91581334605?pwd=dndhY3paSmRRZ1RTQndtTEwxaWZOdz09

FMCH Grand Rounds

Tuesday, November 29th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, "EPIC Tips", presented by Henry Del Rosario, MD.

Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/91581334605?pwd=dndhY3paSmRRZ1RTQndtTEwxaWZOdz09

Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Thursday, December 1st, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, "Neurodevelopmental Underpinnings of Depression, Self-Injury and Suicide Risk in Youth: Ideas to Guide Treatment Design", presented by Kathryn Cullen, MD.

Meeting ID: 818349233 Passcode: PsychGR1

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/818349233?pwd=VVRDNUxZZmF4K3NqNXppTHJiVmNSUT09

Focus of the Week - Research

Thank you to everyone who joined our Research Retreat on Monday, November 14th!

• This was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect in person, reflect on research bright spots and motivations, and revisit the outcomes of the departmental retreat.
• We re-affirmed the departmental mission and vision for 2030 and brainstormed ideas and strategies related to two key themes: collaboration and infrastructure.
• We highlighted some challenges, including capacity for data analysis, sustaining teams in a work-from-home environment, and clinical finances and grant funding.
• We highlighted many opportunities as well, including successful learners and faculty, diversity of our clinical sites, and collaborative work with primary care departments and clinical partners.
• In small groups, we discussed how to promote infrastructure and collaboration.
• Collaboration strategies/ opportunities included: protected time for clinical research, freeform research incubators, preventative medicine scholarship and fellowship, and supports for information exchange and dialogue between departments.
• Infrastructure strategies included: faculty development, project management, in-house qualitative/quantitative support, and teams with pre- and post-award expertise. 

Suturing skills instructors needed! Please volunteer December 12^th at 6pm in the Albert Sherman Center with students from FMIG, MassAHEC Rural and Urban Health Scholars and Primary Care Principles OEE.  We want to show students that Family Medicine ROCKS with different skills sessions over the year. This is the ONLY suturing session for AY22-23.  If available, please contact [email protected]

The new VISTA curriculum will have 8 Pathways. All students need to choose a Pathway. Pathways include the following themes:

• Inequity/Advocacy/social justice ​
• Entrepreneurship/biomedical innovation​
• Clinical care​
• Research​
• Population/global/community health​
• Health systems science ​
• Education​
• PURCH - Springfield students

Students will be required to work on a project over 3.5 years. This will replace Capstone projects. They can be very diverse in nature. Faculty who mentor students on their project will meet with them initially and then periodically.

There are 3 ways to get onto a list for potential students to work with:

1. Put your name out there with an area that you are interested in (e.g. substance use disorder or women's health) and which Pathway or Pathways appeal to you and you will be put on a list for students to look at
2. Have an idea for a project and forward that project and students can look at your idea
3. Already have a project you are working on and list that and a student can join your project with you

If you have an idea, please reach out to Hugh Silk at [email protected].

The medical school has kicked off the annual employee giving campaign – UMass Chan Cares – a time when the medical school community comes together to demonstrate care and compassion for friends and neighbors.

By visiting UMassChanCares.org, you may donate by payroll deduction, check or credit card, and direct your donation to a variety of worthy organizations and causes. They are:

• UMass Chan’s North Quadrant Support Services initiative in partnership with the Worcester Public Schools providing support to address socioeconomic barriers to academic success faced by students.
• Several funds administered by the UMass Chan Medical School Foundation:
• The Research Fund supports UMass Chan research that advances treatments and cures for a range of diseases.
• The Student Financial Aid Fund provides students who are financially disadvantaged.
• The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fund supports institution-wide efforts to educate our community about the importance of diversity and inclusion and address bias.
• The UMass Chan Cancer Walk supports adult and pediatric cancer research and clinical trials of new and potentially lifesaving therapies.
• The UMass Chan Medical School Fund allows UMass Chan to put the funds to use wherever and whenever the mission-critical need is greatest as situations arise throughout the year.
• United Way of Central Massachusetts or more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations

Faculty Presentations/Publications

Philip G. Day, PhD and colleagues recently published a general framework for analyzing ethical and legal issues in sports medicine in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

https://www.jabfm.org/content/jabfp/early/2022/11/17/jabfm.2022.220208R1.full.pdf.

Philip Bolduc, MD, Philip G. Day, PhD, and NEAETC colleagues Vanessa Carson-Sasso, Hathy Simpson, and Scott Hebert recently published an evaluation study of the Community-Based HIV/Viral Hepatitis Fellowship that Dr. Bolduc directs in the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/21501319221138193.

Frankly Speaking Podcast

A weekly Podcast series covering newsworthy topics in primary care medicine.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frankly-speaking-about-family-medicine/id1194659367.

Please join us for an overview: Millions of Americans take Vitamin D supplementation to prevent a variety of illnesses, from COVID-19 and osteoporosis to heart disease and cancer. While most studies have failed to show a benefit in preventing COVID-19, heart disease, and cancer, the evidence has been mixed, at best, in showing benefits for preventing bone fractures. Despite this, vitamin D supplementation remains popular for fracture prevention. Join us to review a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that failed to find any benefits for preventing fractures. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, presents: "Time to Stop Recommending Vitamin D?". - Frankly Speaking Ep 303.

COVID-19 UPDATES

RSV

RSV has placed a tremendous strain on the healthcare system throughout the US including MA. 

• Hospital resources and capacity are stretched.
• Children and adolescents with fever, upper respiratory symptoms, cough, should remain home for 24 hours after fever resolves. 
• The Presidents of the MMS, AAFP, and AAP call for measures to decrease the spread of RSV including wearing masks in indoor crowded venues (including children with symptoms). They also recommend that families vaccinate children greater than 6 months for flu and COVID-19.

How should you counsel your patients?

Recommendations

• No child should attend daycare or school with cold symptoms until they are cleared by their healthcare provider.
• Educate patients that people of any age can get RSV.
• The incubation period for RSV is 3-8 days after symptoms begin. It can be longer for those who have weakened immune systems. 
• In patients with weak immune systems, they can spread the virus for up to 4 weeks.
• Early signs of RSV may present like the common cold. Runny nose, congestion, and decreased appetite.  

COVID-19 MA

• Confirmed COVID cases in the last 7 days, 4,497.
• The 7-day average of percent positivity is 5.44%.
• Total confirmed cases for MA are 2,104,453; confirmed deaths 22,303.

COVID-19 UMMMC

• The 7-day average percent positivity is 21.5%.
• Prior 7-day average confirmed positive in-house cases, 34.
• Of the in-house positive cases, 76% are fully vaccinated. 
• Of 8 in the ICU, 5 are fully vaccinated. 

TIPS FOR IMPROVING PATIENT EXPERIENCE

The top item that positively impacts patient experience is the degree to which patients are informed about any delays.  

Let's be intentional. If the provider is more than 15 minutes delayed, notify patients of the delay. If 30 minutes are more, alert the patient again and ask if they mind waiting. This can be done by any team member. 

Wellness Resources

The Caring for the Caregiver Program provides resources such as the Caregiver Support Line (508-334-HELP) and The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which offers a variety of services and supports (including virtual peer support and wellness tips. EAP can be accessed at 866-263-3525, or www.LiveandWorkWell.com, [company code UmassMemorial]. More information is available on the Caring for the Caregiver page.