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Transformational Times
Words of Hope, Character & Resilience from our Virtual Community
Friday, December 9, 2022
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Guest Director's Corner
Perspective/Opinion
Take 3
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Poetry Corner
- Julia Carlson, MS: Reflection on participation in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk
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Siomara Santana, BS: Reflection from participation in the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin Statewide Down Syndrome Awareness Walk
Your Turn
Upcoming Events/Announcements
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Guest Director's Corner
Focus on Genetics: Lessons from Uncle Dave
By Wendy Peltier, MD
In this Guest Director’s Corner, Dr. Peltier shares the story of how her uncle both inspired her to pursue a career in Medicine, and opened her eyes to the personal challenges and opportunities of genetic testing as he faced a rare, progressive lung disease...
My uncle, Dr. David Pogue, worked as a cardiologist for 29 years in the small community of Wichita Falls, Texas. As “Yankees” from Illinois, my family lived far away from Texas, and rare holiday time together with the Pogue clan was truly a gift. I have wonderful memories of my brother and I connecting with our three cousins, all similar age, and giggling together around the big table at family meals as our parents had spirited discussions. On one of these memorable visits, my uncle took me on hospital rounds, where I observed his kindness and generosity to patients and staff. There were no Hospitalist services in those days, so “checking in” on patients was customary practice, even on a holiday weekend. I can bring in my mind’s eye his long white coat, gentle smile, and patience as he carefully listened to heart sounds and reviewed care plans with his patients.
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Perspective/Opinion
The Power of Story – When We Truly Listen
By Jenny Geurts, MS
Jenny Geurts, the inaugural program director of the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling (MSGC) training program at MCW, reflects on her community engagement experiences and the impact volunteer work has on learners.
This year, our genetic counseling program had the pleasure of engaging with the Sisters Network SE WI Chapter which is doing amazing work in the Black/African American community to increase access to resources and information, advocate for change, and provide supportive sisterhood. While the invitation was for us to provide information about genetics to their group of cancer survivors and thrivers, I found myself on the receiving end of the knowledge….
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Perspective / Opinion
Slaying the nine-headed Hydra: Cancer in the era of precision medicine
By Razelle Kurzrock, MD
Professor of Medicine, Founding Director, Michels Rare Cancers Research Laboratories, Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin
Associate Director, Clinical Research, MCW Cancer Center and Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine Center, Linda T. And John A. Mellowes Endowed Chair of Precision Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin
In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra was a monster with nine heads. If someone cut off one head, two heads would grow out of the stump. There was only way to kill the Hydra. Heracles cut off all the monster’s heads and burned the neck.
We now understand that, in order to slay the nine-headed Hydra that is cancer, we must attack all the heads. If we slay one head, two grow back (resistance). The Hydra can be killed, but not one step at a time.
In the best-selling book “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” (2011 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction), Siddhartha Mukherjee describes, in the most eloquent way possible, the history of cancer. It is, indeed, the emperor of all maladies, with hundreds of types of cancers and untold numbers of treatments, some of them worse than the disease.
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Take 3
Take 3 with Dr. Jeff Whittle
Jeff Whittle, MD, MPH, a General Internal Medicine faculty member practicing at the Milwaukee VA reflects on the impact of the NIH’s development of the All of Us Research Program, a national research database to which the Medical College of Wisconsin is contributing.
Dr. Whittle answers the following questions:
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What are the goals of the national and the MCW-led site of the All of Us Research program?
- In what ways do you foresee this research database transforming healthcare delivery?
- What does this mean for trainees, researchers, and community members?
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Reflection on participation in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk
By Julia Carlson, MS
(MCW Masters of Science in Genetics Counseling Class of 2023)
“Cancer will forever be a part of my life.”
Will I be old in a pink tutu,
Or will my friends and family
Wear my name on their chest
To honor,
Remember.
Hopeful October air and sun
A bittersweet reminder,
The time of year she left.
Cancer will forever be a part of my life.
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Reflection from participation in the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin Statewide Down Syndrome Awareness Walk
By Siomara Santana, BS
(Masters in Science of Genetics Counseling Class of 2023)
I’m a little lost. Can you help?
This is my first time here. Shocked.
Is this new?
I didn’t even know that this existed…until we got the diagnosis.
I hope they don’t think I’m a bad parent ‘sigh’
Maybe I should’ve known about this.
I’m a little lost can you help me and my son.
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Readers share their responses:
What three words best describe you?
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Kind, Confident, and Empathetic.
– Cassandra L. Wright, Staff
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For this week's reflection prompt, please answer the following question:
What's a common activity that you've never done?
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Letters of Intent for Kern Medical Education Transformation Collaboratories now being Accepted
We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting Letters of Intent for the second cohort of Medical Education Transformation Collaboratories, a research funding opportunity for audacious ideas to transform medical education. Funded by the Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education at the Medical College of Wisconsin, this grant opportunity provides funding and a community of practice for transforming medical education through the values of caring, character, and competence. Please see the attached Request for Proposals for full details and submission instructions.
Letters of Intent are due Friday, January 13, 2023. All letters will be reviewed, and all will receive feedback.
Full proposals are due Friday, March 31, 2023. Funding decisions will be announced by Friday, May 19, 2023.
Funding begins July 1, 2023.
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Healthcare Professionalism: Education, Research & Resources Podcast: Transformative Learning in Healthcare
William Branch, MD, talks about small group teaching, skills development with critical reflection and interprofessional education enhancing relationships with Preston Reynolds, MD, PhD, MACP.
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Accepted Focus Session at IAMSE 2023
Congratulations to Drs. Jeff Fritz, Kristina Kaljo, Adina Kalet and Kimara Ellefson for the acceptance of their accepted Focus Session at IAMSE 2023: Faculty Development in the Promotion of Human Flourishing in Health Sciences Education
This session is described as follows:
Discover a transformative framework for human flourishing in medical education & medicine, then apply it to re-envisioning faculty development programming. A model program’s Excellence in Teaching and Medical Education Research tracks will guide participants in applications for their settings.
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Kern Collaboratory publishes article: Blind spots in medical education: how can we envision new possibilities
Sean Tackett, Yvonne Steinert, Cynthia R. Whitehead, Darcy A. Reed, Scott M. Wright
This collaboratory published a definition and conceptual model of blind spots in medical education and explain how this could help us think differently about old problems and lead to innovation and transformation. Ultimately, looking for blind spots - and being open to examining our own - is an approach that is inclusive, values diversity, embraces complexity, and promotes honesty, transparency, and humility.
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Kern Scholars Program Faculty Development Opportunities
We are excited to announce two opportunities for faculty development through our Kern Scholars Program. Each year we support one Kern Scholar in each of the following programs:
Masters of Health Professions Education through New York University Langone's Department of Medicine
Master of Arts in Character Education at the Jubilee Center for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
Letters of Interest are due to Jeff Fritz in December. Learn more through the link below.
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Please Join Us!
Kern Institute Connection Café: Piloting Patient-Based Discussions in Discovery Curriculum: Lessons Learned to Inform MCWfusion, Perspectives of Students and Faculty
Patient-based discussion (PBD) is a key component of MCWfusion Phase 1 Integrated Science Blocks. The goal of PBD is to use inquiry-focused learning to support student curiosity as they apply foundational science knowledge to patient assessment and management.
Current Discovery curriculum has piloted a number of PBDs with M1 and M2 courses. Connection Café will explore what exactly PBD is and what pilot data revealed. Current students and faculty will be part of panel to answer questions and speak to lessons learned.
January 5, 2023
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Hybrid Event: Join via Zoom or in Person
MEB – M1540 - Kerrigan Auditorium
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Call for Auscult Submissions
Deadline: December 15, 2022
Attention photographers, poets, writers, and artists:
MCW's student-curated literary journal, Auscult, seeks original fiction, non-fiction, photography, art, and poetry for the 2023 issue. Creative people connected with all of the MCW campuses (e.g., students, residents, faculty, staff) and their partnering institutions (e.g., Froedtert, CW, Versiti, Zablocki VAMC) are eligible to submit.
Check out previous issues here. Submit your original, never-before-published work here.
Questions?
Contact the Auscult editor, Connor Pedersen or faculty advisor Bruce Campbell, MD.
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The Transformational Times publishes weekly, delivering stories of hope, character and resilience to our virtual community. | |
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Jeff Fritz, PhD, Editor-in-Chief
Editorial Board: Bruce Campbell, MD, Kathlyn Fletcher, MD, Adina Kalet, MD, Wendy Peltier, MD, Erin Weileder, Nabil Attlassy, Julia Bosco, Ana Istrate, Wolf Pulsiano, Eileen Peterson, Anna Visser, James Wu & Emelyn Zaworski
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