UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - March 23, 2021/RESEARCH
Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk.

We will have a focus of the memo each week, along with timely upcoming events and other announcements.

Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to [email protected]. Feel free to title according to the focus area. We look forward to hearing your news!
Upcoming Events

FMCH Town Hall
March 23rd, Tuesday - 12 - 12:30pm
Meeting ID: 984 0987 3384 Password: 952023
Focus of the week - Research

Grants Received
Sonal Singh, MD, MPH has received a grant from the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration to develop and apply a framework to evaluate diagnostic algorithms for major adverse cardiovascular events.

Research-Oriented Faculty Development Workshops
Judy Savageau, MPH will lead two faculty development workshops: May 12th & May 26th. RSVP to [email protected].
  • #1. Dissemination: Getting Started, Picking the Right Journal, Authorship, Responding to Reviewers’ Comments, and More. May 12th, 5:30-7:00 pm
  • #2. Writing for the Peer-Reviewed Literature: What Goes into Each Section of a Manuscript. May 26, 5:30-7 pm.

Upcoming Conferences and Calls for Abstracts
The research staff maintains a list of upcoming meeting and conferences that FMCH faculty members often attend. The list has information on deadlines for abstract submissions and links to conference websites. The list can be downloaded from the Department website: https://umassmed.edu/fmch/research/upcoming-conferences/
Contact Kate Sullivan if you would like to add a conference to the list: [email protected].

Research Support
A reminder that the Department offers support for FMCH faculty research leading to scholarly publications and/or presentations. You can find more information, including a form for requesting support, on the FMCH website: Research Initiatives - UMass Medical School - Worcester.

Capstone Presentation Day
Please see the attached which highlights our FMCH faculty who served as Advisors to 25 4th year medical students (doing 18 projects; several were team projects).
Announcements

  • FHCW Wednesday Cultural Rounds The residents at FHCW host the event each Wednesday from 5 – 5:30pm. We welcome a member of the community to talk about their culture and the ways it can impact their health and the care they receive. The sessions are informal and involve a robust Q&A. Through these weekly discussions, we hope to promote cultural humility and the continuous process of learning about perspectives outside of our own in order to improve the care we provide. We welcome anyone interested in joining us each week at the link below: https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/91563174994pwd=Um1MVWdPalloMWE2V3ptMXB5aDA1dz09

  • Worcester’s 2021 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) will be featured at the Coalition for Healthy Greater Worcester’s annual meeting on March 24th, 4:00-6:00 p.m.  See attached announcement for registration and zoom information.

  • The FMCH Town Halls are once again being recorded for those unable to join the live meeting. A separate folder has been created on the FMCH website under Faculty Resources. No password is required to view these recordings. This URL will take you to the Faculty Resources portion of the FMCH website and it can be bookmarked for future reference. https://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/faculty-resources/gr/
Faculty Presentations

Christine Runyan, PhD was interviewed by Krista Tippett recently regarding how our nervous systems are managing the pandemic.  On Being with Krista Tippett airs on more than 400 public radio stations across the U.S. and is distributed by WNYC Studios. The podcast has been played/downloaded more than 200 million times.
Listen to this enlightening podcast at:
Research Publications
Sonal Singh, MD, MPH; Cocoros, NM, Haynes, K; Harkins, TP; Rochon, PA; et al. Identifying Prescribing Cascades in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: The Calcium Channel Blocker-Diuretic Prescribing Cascade. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. https://doi-org.umassmed.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/pds.5230

Crocker, A. M., Kessler, R., Eeghen, C. van, Bonnell, L. N., Breshears, R. E., Callas, P., Clifton, J., Elder, W., Fox, C., Frisbie, S., Hitt, J., Jewiss, J., Kathol, R., Clark/Keefe, K., Lavoie, J., Leibowitz, G. S., Macchi, C., McGovern, M., Mollis, B., Daniel Mullin, PsyD, MPH, Littenberg, B. (2020). Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care (IBH-PC) to improve patient-centered outcomes in adults with multiple chronic medical and behavioral health conditions: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster-randomized control trial. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-54202/v1

Clinical Services Spotlight: COVID 19 Updates
COVID-19 UPDATES
Massachusetts moved into stage 1 of phase 4 of the reopening plan on Monday, March 22, 2021.
  • Outdoor gatherings at private residences - 25 people max.
  • Indoor house gatherings - 10 people max.
  • Public events can have up to 100 people indoors and 150 people outdoors; these allowances support a dance floor at an event and overnight summer camps.

Massachusetts COVID Count
  • Confirmed cases 579,580; estimated active cases 27,113.
  • Statewide total deaths - 16,531 (as of 3/21/21).
  • 7-day positivity 1.95%.
  • Currently 580 hospitalizations; 144 in ICU and 88 intubated.

Reminder- Pre COVID testing before procedures
  • COVID testing must be done within 3 days for all elective procedures for which COVID testing is mandatory.
  • Individuals who present having had testing done 4 or more days beforehand will have to have their procedure rescheduled and have testing repeated within the 3-day testing period.
  • Please be reminded to schedule COVID testing prior to inductions and procedures on labor and delivery.

Travel Policy Updates
UMass Memorial
  • Business travel domestic or international only with manager pre-approval.
  • Employee must inform their manager and Employee Health and complete an Employee Travel Form in advance of travel plans.
  • Travel by vaccination status
  • Fully vaccinated (14 days post final shot)
  • If vaccinated outside UMMHC, email photo of vaccination card to EH.
  • For Domestic travel, no travel form required, and no EH clearance required to return to work.
  • For International travel, follow current CDC guidance (7 day quarantine if non-patient facing and 14 days if patient facing).
  • Unvaccinated (or incomplete)
  • Employee Travel Form required.
  • Upon return from Domestic travel, either (1) quarantine for 10 days after travel (if asymptomatic) or quarantine for seven days and receive a negative PCR test result for a test that occurs on day 5, 6 or 7 of quarantine; or (2) have a COVID-19 PCR test done within 72 hours of their return-to-work date.
  • International travel, follow current CDC guidance (7 or 14 day quarantine).
Medical School Policy
  • Travel (business or personal) still discouraged.
  • University-related international travel only with pre-approval from Provost (case by case basis).
  • University-related domestic travel now possible, with pre-approval from manager, if fully vaccinated.
  • All out of state travel must be registered using University travel form.
  • Domestic Travel for Vaccinated Individuals.
  • Not required to quarantine or be tested prior to return to work
  • Employees/students working in school sites are required to schedule a surveillance test in the first 24 hours after return to work and resume weekly testing regardless of vaccination status.
  • Domestic Travel for Unvaccinated- No change.
  • Obtain a PCR test up to 72 hours prior to return, or upon arrival with quarantine until the test results are known. Email Gladys Matos if you need a test upon returning from travel. Don’t return to work until cleared by infection control.
  • International travel- following CDC guidance; 7 day required quarantine if non-patient facing and 14 days if patient facing.
 
Vaccination
Massachusetts receives a limited number of vaccines each week. Individuals can pre-register on the Massachusetts website.
 
UMass Memorial Caregiver Gathering: A Time to Mourn and Reflect on COVID-19
March 25, 2021 10:00AM-10:30AM (will also be recorded)
  • Meeting ID:132 292 0718 ; Passcode COVID
  • Join via Webex link or by telephone at 408-418-9388, 1322920718#

Medical Staff Meeting
  • There will be a Medical Staff Meeting on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, from 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.  Agenda and meeting materials will be sent out prior to the meeting (including Bylaws Amendments, COVID Highlights/Post-COVID Recovery, Epic Changes and other business items).
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.
Working on Wellness
Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban

Please join department members for early morning gentle yoga, Wednesday mornings 6:30am via Zoom. Much appreciation to Dr. Erban for hosting these outstanding classes. Join Zoom Meeting
Zumba with Dr. Anna Zheng
Please join department members Monday mornings at 6:00am, Thursday evenings at 6:00pm, Saturday mornings at 9:00am and get moving with Zumba via Zoom. Much appreciation to Dr. Anna Zheng for hosting these outstanding classes. Join Zoom meeting: https://kennedychc.zoom.us/j/5578995952?pwd=bzVnY0xXdFNTQkpQQ1hmZkw3Snh6Zz09