UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - November 28, 2023/RESEARCH | |
Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to FMCHtuesdaytalk@umassmed.edu. | |
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Table of Contents
Message From the Chair
Upcoming Events
Focus of the Week – Research
Announcements
Presentations and Publications
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Clinical Services Spotlight
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Message From the Chair
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with friends, family, and of course, food. I want to add my gratitude for all you do, every day, to provide outstanding care to our patients and community, to train our learners, and to support each other. It is truly a privilege to work with you.
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Focus of the Week - Research
Suzanne Mitchell, MD, MS, Director, Research
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For additional information about the meetings or to highlight any funding news in a future newsletter, please reach out to Suzanne.Mitchell2@umassmed.edu.
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Important Meeting Dates
Research-in-progress meetings are held monthly on the 2nd Friday of each month at 10:00am. These small group meetings are designed for research faculty to discuss any part of their research (final results not required) and gather feedback from colleagues.
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Our next research-in-progress meeting will be on Friday, December 8th. This will be an extended IN PERSON gathering from 9am-12pm. Save the date and RSVP!
- We are still looking for volunteer presenters in 2024. Please sign up if you haven’t already.
A reminder that the FMCH research forum are scheduled on the 3rd Friday of each month at 12:00pm noon. All are welcome.
- Join us for the next meeting on December 17th. Our speaker will be Suzanne Mitchell.
- Have a suggestion for a future speaker? Contact us!
For scheduling questions, contact
Sandra.GirouardTodd@umassmed.edu and Barbara.DeLaCruz@umassmed.edu.
Consistent with existing policy, all IRB submissions from faculty and their supervisees are required to undergo internal departmental review before formal submission to the IRB. Philip G Day (Philip.Day@umassmed.edu) will be assuming the responsibility as the department’s IRB consultant. He will screen all IRB submissions and provide brief feedback to the investigators. Please expect a two-week turnaround time for this process. For details and updates, please visit:
https://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/research/irb/
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Announcements
Judy Savageau Annual Coat Drive:
In memory of Judy Savageau, we are collecting coats for the Union Hill School in Worcester – you can donate by venmo or check (see the attached flyer for details) or buy a coat for the boxes in your practice area. The most needed coat sizes are 5/6 (youth small) for boys, 7/8 (youth medium) for boys and girls, 10/12 (youth large) for boys and girls, and 14/16 (youth x-large) for boys and girls. If you buy a coat, please let Linda.Hollis@umassmed.edu know the size and gender. We will collect coats through December 1st. Thank you!
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Presentations and Publications
Dennis M. Dimitri was an invited speaker at The Organization of State Medical Association Presidents that recently took place at the AMA 2023 Interim meeting in National Harbor Maryland. His presentation was titled Safe Injection/Consumption Facilities – Obstacles and Recommendations, and highlighted efforts in Massachusetts to pass legislation that would enable establishment of Overdose Prevention Centers.
Lauren Eidt Pearson and Daniel Mullin are both co-authors on a new paper published in the Annals of Family Medicine. The paper describes results from a PCORI funded study investigating the benefits of integrated behavioral and primary care services, and strategies for increasing practice’s integration of these services. "A Cluster Randomized Trial of Primary Care Practice Redesign to Integrate Behavioral Health for Those Who Need It Most: Patients With Multiple Chronic Conditions", The Annals of Family Medicine, 21(6), 483–495. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.3027.
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Frankly Speaking Podcast
A weekly Podcast series covering newsworthy topics in primary care medicine.
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frankly-speaking-about-family-medicine/id1194659367.
Please join us for an overview: Patient-reported penicillin allergies are common; however, more than 95% of such patients have negative penicillin allergy testing and will tolerate subsequent antibiotic use. Currently, disproving a penicillin allergy includes negative skin testing followed by an oral challenge, which is considered the gold standard to remove the penicillin allergy label, as skin testing alone lacks 100% negative predictive value. Recent reports have suggested that low-risk individuals can be assessed with a direct oral challenge, but the safety and efficacy of such an approach has not been rigorously studied. Listen in as expert faculty discuss a recent randomized controlled trial that validates such an approach. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP, presents: "Addressing Penicillin Allergies in Primary Care" - Frankly Speaking Ep 356.
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Clinical Services Spotlight:
Josephine Fowler, MD, MBA, Vice Chair of Clinical Services
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The World Health Organization Report New Clusters of Pneumonia in Children
- At present, etiology undetermined. Could represent COVID, RSV, mycoplasma or a new virus.
- Clusters include Influenza- like illness and pneumonia, mostly in children.
- For the first time in US history, the US has a vaccine for the three major viral illnesses (COVID, RSV, Flu).
COVID-19 MA
- COVID variant B.2.86 is increasing in the region. It is the newest variant in the region.
- In the last week, we have seen 1,890 new COVID cases.
- There has been 36,655 new cases confirmed this season.
- There have been 344 confirmed deaths this season with 14 confirmed deaths in the last 7 days.
COVID-UMMMC
- The prior 7-day average of current positivity rate is 7.5%.
- Prior 7-day average inpatient, 20.
Resident/Fellow Opportunity: National Medical Association and NIDA CTN Mentor-Facilitated Training Award
The National Medical Association (NMA) is partnering, as an Award Sponsor, with the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) CTN Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Program for the 2023-2024 cycle. The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Program was developed to enhance trainee health care professionals’ expertise in substance use disorder dissemination activities. NIDA CTN funds awardees and their mentors for a year, will develop projects that address gaps in evidence-based knowledge of addiction and treatment of substance use disorders.
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Target/Awardees: Resident and fellow physicians (African American – the community mainly served by the NMA).
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Project and Goal: The goal is to develop clinicians skilled in disseminating best practices in substance use disorder assessment and treatment. Henceforth, NIDA is expecting dissemination projects rather than research projects. Research projects will not be considered.
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Award Amount: Each resident/ fellow will receive $10,000 for one year to implement his/her project and pay for expenses (travel and accommodation) to attend the National Medical Association 2024 Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly in New York this summer (August 3-August 7, 2024).
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Number of Awards: 3
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Mentors: NMA has identified subject matter experts among its physicians to serve as mentors for awardees. Awardees could be mentored by more than one physician. We will provide mentors' biographies to interested participants.
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Application Deadline: November 30, 2023
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Award Funding begins: January 5, 2024
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How to Apply: Please refer to the attached document for more information. The application can also be accessed via this link online application. Make sure to select "National Medical Application" on the drop down menu.
Contact: Interested residents / fellows should contact Madeleine Oertel, Director of Grant Initiatives & Development at the National Medical Association, via email: moertel@nmanet.org or call 202-347-1895 ext. 310.
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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.
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