In This Issue:

Poetry Corner

• IF, Michael Esson

Call For Submissions!

Transformational Times will have parent issues this year, around Mothers Day and Fathers Day. We are looking for a variety of submissions ranging from untraditional families, advice, what you wish you knew, or anything else folks might like to share around parenting. If you are interested, please reach out to the email below.

• With warm weather and spring buds coming in, we want to know what your favorite spring activity is!

Answers from last week: What is your favorite spring flower?



-Lilac

-Daffodils

-Lily of the Valley

IF

By: Michael Esson



If I had time,

I would call my grandmother and make her smile,

She would invite me to a feast under the moonlight,

With my belly full, I would laugh with friends as we drank wine,

We would tell silly stories throughout the night,

Whether lightning or thunder strikes, we would find solace under the starry skies.

If I had time,

I would visit my sister and to my niece and nephew, I would say “hi”,

We would play to our heart’s content, and I would comfort them as they cried,

Filled with joy, I would call my mother and ask about her ailing heart,

She would confess, and I would listen from the start,

I would tell her I’m falling apart, and she would comfort me- like she always has,

I would say to her, “I love you”, as I’ve forgotten when I uttered these words last.

If I had time,

I would journey across the sea to a place I once called home,

My people would rejoice and never let me go,

We would walk hand in hand on the beach: friend or foe,

We would gather along the fire: toe to toe,

Joy rings true as we tell tales I would forever behold,

 The stars would be our only guide home.

I have time,

I called my grandmother, she is no longer living- I was told,

All my friends are out enjoying, and I’m home- studying alone,

I visited my niece and nephew, but they are all grown, and

It seems like my face, they no longer know,

I called my mother, but her ailment has returned; she’s no longer home,

So many words left unsaid, so many stories left untold,

I got on a boat and set sail home,

But everyone has forgotten me, and the beach is ice cold,

Only if.

Michael Kofi Esson is a Ghanaian born artist, brother, uncle, friend, soccer player, student, and the apple of his mother's eyes. His hope is to share a secret with you in his search for peace and freedom. He hopes to bring this to you as well.



The phrase I hear most often among medical students is " I'm so busy...". One of them even told me they planned to check on my wellbeing, but they were "so busy". This poem is a reflection of the things that could be, and the things that are. 

KICS Medical Education Journal Club

May 10, 2023

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. CDT

 

All students, trainees, faculty and staff are invited to join!

Register to join us at our monthly Kern Institute Collaboration for Scholarship Medical Education Journal Club! Each month, we discuss recent medical education scholarship with its author for a lively, intimate conversation about the transformation of medical education. This month MCW’s own Dr. Cassie Ferguson will be discussing the REACH curriculum and how she went about getting the curriculum published in Academic Medicine.

Leveraging Your Strengths, Talents, and Lived Experiences to Promote Excellence across the Medical Education Continuum

Monday, May 22, 2023

10:00am - 10:50pm

Zoom

Kristina Kaljo, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty Pillar Director, Kern Institute; Co-Director, SPARCC Program

In recent years, we have observed a shift away from the traditional understanding of "excellence", i.e. perfect grades, high test scores, or number of publications. Join this panel discussion as we explore the evolution of excellence in medical education and collaboratively identify strategies to better recognize excellence among our colleagues, learners and ourselves.

Understanding Medical Professional Identity and

Character Development

April 28, 2023

8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT

Professional identity formation (PIF), as defined by the Carnegie Foundation, is the “ongoing self-reflective process involving habits of thinking, feeling, and acting” as a physician. The holistic development of these capacities of PIF can be interpreted as essential qualities of one's character and integrity.

Education in the professions must design learning environments that center self-reflection within the PIF curriculum and provide growth opportunities that challenge while offering support and guidance for PIF growth, as well as the learner's well-being. In this symposium, we aim to convene medical education researchers, instructors, and others to engage on the state of PIF research, the goals, and interests of attendees, going beyond the confines of reductionist approaches. Our overarching goal is to transcend to holistic and humanistic integration spaces, weaving a central thread that is crucial to the person’s professional self.

Keynote Presentation

Can You Imagine How Far They've Come?:

PIF As Immigration

Presented by

Lara Varpio, PhD 

Visit our website for more information about the program, including agenda, topics, and presenters.  

Jeff Fritz, PhD, Editor-in-Chief



Editorial Board: Bruce Campbell, MD, Kathlyn Fletcher, MD, Adina Kalet, MD, Wendy Peltier, MD, Karen Herzog, Justine Espisito, Nabil Attlassy, Julia Bosco, Ana Istrate, Linda Nwumeh, Wolf Pulsiano, Eileen Peterson, Anna Visser, Sophie Voss, James Wu & Emelyn Zaworski