UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - July 6, 2021/CLINICAL
Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to [email protected].
Table of Contents
Focus of the Week - Clinical
Announcements
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Faculty Presentations/Publications
Department Member Recognition
Clinical Services Spotlight
Wellness Resources
Working on Wellness
Message from the Chair

The recording of the Department’s June 29th Town Hall is available here: https://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/faculty-resources/gr/2019-grand-rounds2/. In case you missed it, I shared updates and announcements and the department’s plans to support the wellness of our faculty and residents as we return to a new normal. This includes our plans for Septemberfest! - a family oriented day on Sept. 25th – more details to follow.  I also shared about our finances as we are in the midst of budget development. Stacy laid out the approach for our strategic planning effort and lead us through an exercise that lays a strong foundation. I encourage you to watch the video and see the word clouds from this discussion! Most importantly, I wished everyone a good summer and I want to reinforce this message here. I hope you find time to relax and enjoy with family and friends.
2021 Convocation
The Chancellor has shared the plans for Convocation in September:
 
A Celebration of Faculty: Convocation and Investiture
Thursday, September 9, 2021, 4 p.m. Albert Sherman Center Auditorium.
Investiture honors members of our faculty who have been appointed to named professorships and the generous donors who made these appointments possible
 
The Joy McCann Professor for Women in Medicine Recipient: Jennifer Reidy, MS, MD
 
School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony
Friday, September 17, 2021, 4p.m. The Hanover Theater.
Class of 2025
Keynote Speaker: Frank Domino, MD
The White Coat Ceremony emphasizes the importance of scientific excellence and compassionate care for the patient. The cloaking with the white coat—the mantle of the medical profession—is a hands-on experience that underscores the bonding process. The white coat is placed on each student's shoulders by two people: an individual significant in the student’s personal and/or professional development, chosen by the student, and the student’s Learning Community mentor, who represents the value system of the school and the new profession the students are about to enter.
Focus of the Week - Clinical 

Maternal and Child Health
We deliver!
Thank you to Dr. Kristina Gracey, Sue Foley, Angelique Ranno and Madeline Johns for your dedication and commitment to the planning for a successful ALSO course in 2021. What is ALSO? ALSO, Advanced Life Support Obstetrics, is a standardized course developed by the AAFP.  Each year FMCH trains its residents and faculty to recognize and manage the most common obstetrical problems seen on labor and delivery. Continuous learning, commitment, and focusing on these topics helps us to deliver great care. Stay ready and prepared. If you are a maternity care provider in our Department and you are approaching your expiration date of ALSO certification, please begin thinking about the course in 2022. Remember you are required to complete this course for OB privileging at UMass. As soon as the date is available, you’ll be the first to know.  
 
Wellness Resources
The Department of Family Medicine wellness committee “WOW” would like you to join us at several events coming soon to the area. Please see below. 
 
Summer Wellness Event! 
Salute to Disney at Institute Park 
Sunday, July 11, 2021, 7:00pm, “Salute to Disney” concert featuring popular music of Disney and Pixar blockbusters for the enjoyment of children and their families. Jorge Soto, conductor; Taylor Lawton and Elisabeth Gondek, soloists. Bobbie Chase, announcer. Rain date: Sunday, July 18. Stephanie Carter-Henry will be hosting this event. If you would like to gather with coworkers, please RSVP to Jennifer Masoud. [email protected]
 
Future events will be posted on the Faculty Resources page 
Announcements

The Preventive Medicine Residency Program was proud to celebrate our two graduates for this year on Wednesday June 23.
  • Lauren Jansen, MD, MPH will be ​joining the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, EIS Officer Training Program.
  • Alicia Oliver, MD, MPH will be joining the Adolescent Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital.

Learning Opportunity:
UMMS has two great survey software platforms that you have free access to: REDCap & Qualtrics. Our staff members Jess Baer and Diana Rinker will be giving one hour Getting Started workshops. Please register: https://umassmed.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d6EHIwsWE2eXDHU for Qualtrics - July 20th from 2pm to 3pm (Jess Baer) and REDCap - July 22nd from 2pm to 3pm (Diana Rinker).

Worcester Public Schools provide meals Monday through Friday through the summer. Not practicing in Worcester? Take a minute to check with the school system in towns you serve to see how food access for kids is structured in your area. 

The WFMR is happy to announce a Fall Resident Retreat date: 
10/5/21 8am to 5pm at Camp Selah, Orange, MA. We appreciate faculty who will be doing additional service to allow the residents this important wellness and team building time. Also, residency faculty who are interested and able to be free are invited to join. Please mark your calendars and contact Hilda Alers for further details.

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:

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/.

Upcoming Conferences and Calls for Abstracts
The research staff maintains a list of upcoming meetings 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:

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.
Frankly Speaking Podcast

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

Join us for this episode to discuss how to diagnose and treat neck pain in the primary care setting. Review the techniques for assessing neck pain, determining its cause and providing relief. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP presents: Pain in EVERYONE's Neck - Frankly Speaking Ep 231.
Faculty Awards/Presentations/Publications

During the National AHEC Organization virtual conference last week, Linda Cragin, MS, in her role as director of MassAHEC, presented on three panels for the new directors’ orientation, evaluation and data collection, and completing the HRSA annual performance report.
Clinical Services Spotlight:
COVID-19 Update
  • World case count 184,435,632; Recovered 168,749,925.
  • US Total COVID-19 cases 34,588,360; Recovered 29,087,424.
  • Variants now account for 10% of US cases.
 
UMass
  • As of July 3, 2021, UMass has given more than 70,000 vaccinations with about half completing both doses and the remainder awaiting the 2nd dose. 
  • UMass Memorial inpatient census is 5 (2 in ICU).
  • As of July 2nd, the Mercantile Center vaccination site has closed.
  • Vaccination is now available in the ED and inpatient units.
  • In-house test positivity is 1.8% for symptomatic patients and 0.2% for asymptomatic patients.
 
Massachusetts
  • Total confirmed cases 710,318; Deaths 17,998; Hospitalizations 98; ICU 28; Intubated 10.
  • 7-day average percent positivity 0.38.
  • Delta COVID Variant is in Massachusetts. Average age of patients with the variant is ages 2-20. 
  • Delta Variant accounts for 7% of positive samples sequenced in MA. 
  • Across the state most mass vaccination sites have closed. Efforts going forward will focus on local targeted campaigns.
 
Health Equity and COVID
  • Blacks were 2.9 times more likely to be hospitalized and 2.0 times more likely to die from COVID-19 disease compared to whites.
  • Hispanics were 2.8 times more likely to be hospitalized and 2.3 times more likely to die when compared with whites.
  • American Indians/Alaskan Natives were 3.3 times more likely to be hospitalized and 2.4 times more likely to die when compared to whites. 
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

May 2021 & summer months (until Sep 2021):
Please join department members Monday mornings at 6:00am, Thursday evenings at 5:45pm**(new time; outdoor location), some Saturday mornings at 9:15am**(only 1x/month; outdoor location) and get moving with Zumba. Please note schedule changes via webpage: http://annazheng.zumba.com/. ZOOM still possible for all classes.

Much appreciation to Dr. Anna Zheng for hosting these outstanding classes. Join Zoom meeting: https://kennedychc.zoom.us/j/5578995952?pwd=bzVnY0xXdFNTQkpQQ1hmZkw3Snh6Zz09.