UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - May 5, 2026/CLINICAL | | |
Table of Contents
Upcoming Events
Focus of the Week - Clinical
Announcements
Department Member Recognition
Presentations and Publications
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Resources
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Upcoming Events
FMCH Grand Rounds
Tuesday, May 5th, 12:00 - 1:00pm, Jennifer Reidy, MD, MS, FAAHPM, presents "Difficult Conversations, Meaningful Care: Navigating End-of-Life in Primary Care".
Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09
Special Film Screening Grand Rounds-The Chaplain & the Doctor
Wednesday, May 6th, 5:30pm, Film Screening, Albert Sherman Auditorium.
About the film: A powerful exploration of the intersection of medicine, spirituality, and end-of-life care, highlighting the human side of clinical decision-making.
Howe Lecture Grand Rounds
Thursday, May 7th, 12:00-1:00pm, featuring film director Dr. Jessica Zitter, Chaplain Betty Clark, Albert Sherman Auditorium.
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds
Thursday, May 7th, 12:00 - 1:00pm, Jeffrey Swanson, Ph.D., presents "Gun Violence, Mental Illness, and the Law: Balancing Risk and Rights for Effective Policy". Lazare Auditorium, Room #S1-607 and via zoom.
Meeting ID: 818 349 233 Passcode: PsychGR1
https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/818349233?pwd=VVRDNUxZZmF4K3NqNXppTHJiVmNSUT09
2026 Thomas Zand Refugee Health Celebration Event
Please join us for this year’s Thomas Zand Refugee Health Celebration with visiting guest and nationally recognized speaker, Dr. Anisa M. Ibrahim, on Monday, May 18th, 4:30pm at 18 Chestnut Street, Worcester, MA (guests are advised to enter 1 Maple Place into GPS for convenient parking access). The event is free and open to the community, with optional donations to support the initiative. Please click here for more information and details of this event.
FMCH Grand Rounds - Thomas Zand Refugee Health Lectureship
Tuesday, May 19th, 12:00 - 1:00pm, Dr. Anisa M. Ibrahim presents "Care Without Conditions: Delivering Evidence-Based, Compassionate Care to Immigrant Children". Paul J. DiMare Center theater room #N1-1500 and virtually via Zoom.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09
Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH. Please click here to view flyer.
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Focus of the Week - Clinical
Josephine Fowler, MD, MBA, Vice Chair of Clinical Services
Spring Illnesses in Massachusetts & New England
Spring in New England brings a convergence of high pollen exposure, persistent viral activity, and early tick season, creating a uniquely complex clinical landscape. Proactive patient counseling and early intervention can significantly reduce morbidity during this period. At the same time, clinicians should remain vigilant for illnesses that persist from late winter into early spring—including influenza, RSV, and occasional COVID-19 cases still presenting in outpatient settings.
Allergic Rhinitis & Seasonal Allergies (New England Trends)
- Prevalence spike begins early with tree pollens (oak, maple, birch), followed by grasses in late spring.
- Coastal winds can increase pollen spread, even on cooler days.
- Common symptoms: sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, itchy eyes.
Viral Respiratory Infections
- Late-season influenza persists in New England into early spring, often overlapping with allergy onset.
- Continued circulation of rhinovirus and adenovirus, particularly in school-aged populations.
- Ongoing cases of RSV and intermittent COVID-19 are still seen in clinical practice.
- Diagnostic challenge: significant symptom overlaps with seasonal allergies.
Clinical Tips:
- Fever, myalgias, and abrupt onset favor viral infection over allergies.
- Consider local epidemiology when deciding on testing.
- Reinforce vaccination, including late-season influenza vaccination when appropriate.
- Continue emphasizing hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, especially in dense urban settings
Asthma Exacerbations
- Triggered by high tree pollen counts, cold morning air, and variable humidity.
- Urban environments may contribute additional burdens from air pollutants and mold exposure.
- Spring correlates with increased ED utilization, particularly in pediatric populations.
Management Focus:
- Review and update asthma action plans ahead of peak pollen season.
- Assess inhaler technique and adherence at every visit.
- Consider stepping up therapy (e.g., ICS/LABA) for high-risk or poorly controlled patients.
- Encourage pre-exercise bronchodilator for use during outdoor activities.
Tick-Borne Illnesses (High Priority in New England)
- Early emergence of Lyme disease as temperatures rise above freezing; nymphal ticks become active by mid-to-late spring.
- New England remains a high-incidence region for Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections, including anaplasmosis and babesiosis.
Key Reminders:
- Encourage preventive behaviors: permethrin-treated clothing, daily tick checks, and avoidance of wooded or brushy areas.
- Be vigilant for early signs: erythema migrans, fever, fatigue, headache.
- Coinfections are more common in this region—consider when symptoms are atypical.
- Early empiric treatment is appropriate in high-suspicion cases and reduces complications.
Bottom Line:
Spring in Massachusetts and across New England is marked by overlapping respiratory, allergic, and vector-borne conditions. Anticipatory guidance, early recognition, and targeted management remain essential to reducing seasonal morbidity and improving patient outcomes. For more information, check out Mass.gov for Respiratory Illness Reporting and Spring Illnesses.
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Announcements
Our future chancellor, Dr. David McManus was interviewed on Spectrum News (4/22; 7:06 minutes): https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2026/04/22/umass-chan-medical-school-david-mcmanus-chancellor
Reminder, the 2nd Annual UMass Chan Global Health Symposium, today, Tuesday, May 5th from 5-8pm in the Faculty Conference Room. Keynote will be given by Dr. Jennifer Adair, Associate Director of the Horae Gene Therapy Center, on global access to gene therapy. Event will also highlight the UMass Global Ghana Initiative that our nursing colleagues have developed. Please see flyer for more information and registration can be found here.
The 22nd Annual Gerald F. Berlin Prize for Creative Writing Award Ceremony is taking place on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, from 7:00pm-8:00pm via Zoom:
https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/92290588488pwd=ZPK29ZMerx5KEJUSgIbp6CkOouylrJ.1
The Gerald F. Berlin Prize is awarded for creative writing, prose, or poetry, authored by medical students, nursing students, GSBS students, residents, and fellows based at UMass Chan Medical School, Berkshire Medical Center, Worcester Medical Center/St. Vincent’s, Baystate Medical Center, or Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. The award winners are here.
MassAFP’s next major event will be Advocacy Day at the State House in Boston,
May 13th. As there is strength in numbers, all Massachusetts Family Physicians are encouraged to join MassAFP (and AAFP). Details available here: https://www.massafp.org/membership
Tuesday, May 19th, 12:00–1:00PM. We have visiting guest speaker Anisa M. Ibrahim, MD, Dr. Ibrahim is a University of Washington Clinic Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and pediatric primary care provider at Harborview Medical Center's Pediatrics Clinic. Her specific clinical interests include caring for and outreach to immigrant and refugee populations with focus on those from East Africa. She is committed to caring for low income, socially vulnerable populations with low English proficiency to connect them to the resources and services they need for their health and well-being. To be held in the Paul J. DiMare Center theater room N1-1500 and virtually via Zoom.
From Judy Steinberg, a board member of Primary Care for All Americans (PC4AA):
Primary Care for All Americans inaugural Health Care Renaissance Summit on
May 20th, 2026 at the Le Méridien Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. PC4AA believes that every person, in every community, deserves access to a primary care clinician. PC4AA is building a national, grassroots movement to disrupt the status quo in health care and build a lasting alternative: primary care for all, built from the bottom up, community by community. Please see the Summit Flyer and Brochure, attached. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon delivering the keynote; Dr. Michael Fine on the structural failures driving primary care's decline and what it will take to rebuild; Senator Cindy Friedman, Chair of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, receiving the Primary Care Champion Award; Interactive table talks to learn from leaders redesigning how primary care is financed and delivered, and leave with concrete approaches and playbooks for building primary care power in your own community. Register and learn more about the summit here. *Financial assistance is available for those who need support to attend. For questions, contact
pc4aa.summit@gmail.com.
The WDMS and Medical Humanities Lab at the Lamar Souter Library's 2026 Annual Meet the Author on May 20, 2026 will feature Carolyn Roy-Bornstein, MD speaking at the Lazare Auditorium. Her talk is: This Examined Life: An Evening of Poetry, Reflection and Narrative Medicine. Please register per this flyer. Her book, A Prescription for Burnout, Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals, is a gold level winner in Medical and Mental Health from the Nonfiction Authors Association and will be available for purchase.
Intro to Pocus Hands On Course (Introduction of Point of Care Ultrasound)
Friday, June 12th, 8:00am-5:00pm, iCELS Simulation Lab, Albert Sherman Center
Please see flyer for additional information. https://www.umassmed.edu/icels
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Department Member Recognition
Congratulations to Nick Hajj who was awarded an Educational Achievement (Star) Awards (Faculty) Award on April 30th for his passionate, engaging teaching and long‑standing mentorship that strengthens students’ commitment to rural health through hands‑on learning, community engagement, and thoughtful guidance.
Jillian Joseph was a panelist in the Plenary Panel representing Road to Care at the Together for Hope (Substance Use Disorder focus) conference in Boston on April 29th on the topic of Rolling Toward Recovery: How Mobile Clinics Are Rewriting Access to Substance Use Disorder Care and Harm Reduction. Diana Rinker, Michelle Ojeda, Scott Hebert, Hugh Silk, and UMass Chan medical student Dani Torres also presented a workshop on the topic of Helping People in Recovery with their Oral Health Issues – A How to Guide.
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Presentations and Publications
Olga Valdman and the RISE team are proud to share that they will be attending the International Refugee and Migration Health Conference in San Diego in June. The team had 3 posters and 1 presentation accepted. Congrats to: Olga Valdman, Katharine Barnard, Isabel Perez, Viviane Rutabingwa, Opeoluwa Olukorede, Katherine Coyne, Sandela Cenege, Gelian Rosa, Daniel (Nosike) Uzochukwu, Mariane St. Juste, Katherine Merport, Claire Branley, Baderha Bujiriri, Taranum Orya, Farahnaz Sharify, and Olga Yulikova.
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Frankly Speaking Podcast
Please join us for a weekly Podcast series. Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination can prevent most cases of cervical cancers, yet global coverage remains critically low. In this episode, we discuss the latest evidence on single-dose vs. two-dose HPV vaccination regimens, empowering you to counsel patients and families with confidence, address barriers to series completion, and maximize cancer prevention in your adolescent population. Guest: Anne Powell, MD, presents, "One and Done? Comparing Dosing Regimens for HPV Vaccination". Frankly Speaking Episode #483. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frankly-speaking-about-family-medicine/id1194659367
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Please help us continue gathering information about instances of racism, bias, and microaggressions experienced by our learners, faculty, and staff. We encourage everyone to use our support tool, which takes approximately five minutes to complete. The information collected helps us identify appropriate and meaningful intervention options. Please access the form using the QR code or by using the Ombuds Support Form link: https://umassmed.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a3LP0h8mpHYDnqS
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