UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - October 10, 2023/EDUCATION

Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to [email protected]. 

Table of Contents

Message From the Chair

Focus of the Week – Education

Announcements

Presentations and Publications

Frankly Speaking Podcast

Clinical Services Spotlight

Message From the Chair

M. Diane McKee, MD, MS

Please join me on October 24th at 6:00pm for the department’s Annual Awards ceremony. Please RSVP to Jean Roy [email protected] by October 13th. The event will be in-person in the Faculty Conference Room on the University campus with appetizers and wine from 6:00-6:30pm and the program starting at 6:30pm. This is our opportunity to reflect on the year and recognize the efforts of faculty across the department. We will also recognize Judy Savageau’s legacy in the department and community. All are welcome! 

Meeting ID: 397 1147 218

Password: MassAHEC

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/3971147218?pwd=NmJoaThZczc1MGJMMUlMZWpCSG1BZz09&from=addon

UMass Memorial Benefits enrollment is Monday, October 16th to Friday, October 27th. Everyone MUST enroll to continue benefits coverage. If you miss the window to enroll you will not have benefits for the coming year 2024 (medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, etc.) and will not be able to enroll until next year unless you have a life qualifying event such as marriage, new child, etc. If you would like to review your current 2023 benefits you can see them here: http://mybenefits.umassmemorial.org/.

Click on “Benefits” then “My Benefits”. To download a full summary click on “Download” in the top section for “Estimated Cost”. If you have questions about this year’s enrollment. you can call: UMass Memorial Open Enrollment Support Center at 877-295-2577. Benefits information will be coming out soon so please pay close attention to emails from the Benefits Contact Center.

Undergraduate Education: The Education Policy Committee voted to accept the new Vista curriculum for the exploration year (formerly 3rd year). This includes a longitudinal clerkship in family medicine which will help highlight longitudinal care as a cornerstone of our specialty. We have a large group of students applying for family medicine residencies this year- 23! Thank you to all for your teaching, guidance and mentorship!

Faculty development: Are you looking for presentations to enhance your CV for promotion? Consider the following call from UMass Chan. Do you have expertise you want to share with your peer faculty? Submit a proposal to present a faculty development session as part of the Advance program! https://www.umassmed.edu/ofa/development/advance/

• Overview:

Advance is a faculty development series offered by the UMass Chan Office of Faculty Affairs that utilizes and amplifies the vast experience of our faculty. The monthly series is designed to address areas in which faculty are evaluated as part of the promotions process: educational effectiveness, scholarship, and academic reputation.

The Advance series takes place on Tuesdays, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, via Zoom. Proposed presentations should be no longer than 50 minutes in length.

Proposals for spring 2024 sessions are due by December 1st, 2023.

• Benefits to Faculty Presenters

Advance is designed to benefit presenters as well as participants. Presenting as part of the Advance series is an opportunity for you to share your expertise with peers, grow your local reputation, and to receive individualized feedback on your presentation as part of the development and delivery process.

Each accepted presenter will be asked to participate in a “dry run” presentation in which they will receive feedback on their content organization, slide design and presentation skills. This process ensures high-quality programming as well as educational skill-building for presenters.



Question 2: How does EoC fit into healthcare?

Response 2: Clinical practice often requires adopting a pluralistic approach to moral reasoning and judgement (1 Tunzi). EoC moves beyond the generalizable behavior promoted in principlism to highlight the ethical situation of a particular patient. For example, the principle of autonomy asserts that a patient’s autonomy should be respected, while EoC goes a step further in arguing that patient autonomy can only be exercised as an act interdependent on their care providers. This places moral weight in virtues such as trust, communication, and accountability that fall outside the standard principlist or utilitarian approaches in healthcare.

Question 3: Great! How can I put this into practice?

Response 3: You likely already do. Theorists have highlighted the centrality of EoC to trauma-informed care (2), meeting the needs of underserved populations (3), and in end of life and palliative care medicine (4).

Conclusion: EoC complements more standard, reason-based approaches to ethical issues within clinical care and medical practice. It begins with a recognition of the vulnerability of patients and the centrality of the provider-patient dyad.

References: (1) Tunzi M, Ventres W. Family Medicine Ethics: An Integrative Approach. Fam Med. 2018;50(8):583-588; (2) Rudolph K. Ethical Considerations in Trauma-Informed Care. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2021;44(4):521-535. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2021.07.001; (3) Branch WT Jr. A piece of my mind. The ethics of patient care. JAMA. 2015;3131(14):1421–2; (4) De Panfilis L, Di Leo S., Peruselli C. et al. “I go into crisis when …”: ethics of care and moral dilemmas in palliative care. BMC Palliat Care 18, 70 (2019).

The FMCH Community Health Committee has reviewed and narrowed nominations for the inaugural Warren J. Ferguson Community Health Visiting Professorship to four inspiring leaders in our field. Please review the bios, then use the link to rank, by October 27th, the person you would most like to present Grand Rounds during National Public Health Week, April 2024, with time planned for discussion with learners, faculty and leadership at the department and institutional level. 

• Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, MSc, is Director of the Center for Health Equity Research at the University of North Carolina, and co-lead for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Advancing Change Leadership Clinical Scholars Program. https://www.med.unc.edu/socialmed/directory/giselle-corbie-smith/ 
• Michael Curry, Esq., serves as President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which represents 52 health centers across the state, and is on the National Board of Directors for the NAACP.  

https://naacp.org/people/michael-curry  

• Kiame Mahaniah, MD, MBA, is the Undersecretary for Health in the Healy administration. Dr. Mahaniah is a practicing physician in the field of addiction and primary care and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. https://www.mass.gov/news/dr-kiame-mahaniah-and-mary-mcgeown-appointed-executive-office-of-health-and-human-services-undersecretaries 
• Loretta Ross, is a professor at Smith College in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender where she teaches courses on white supremacy, human rights, and Calling In the Call Out culture. She co-created the theory of Reproductive Justice, launched the Women of Color Program for the National Organization for Women (NOW), and was the national program director of the National Black Women’s Health Project.  https://lorettajross.com/mediakit 

Please rank the four nominees for the 2024 Warren J. Ferguson Visiting Professorship. https://umassmed.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cY10O0Xp8or7OYe 

The Worcester Free Care Collaborative (WFCC) programs are seeing a rising number of people seeking care due to the settlement of new refugees. They need the help of additional physicians and APPs. Their faculty advisor, Jim Ledwith, is happy to share about how the free care programs work with anyone interested. The work is generally relaxed, and it is a real pleasure to see our students developing their clinical skills and connecting their studies to real patient care in their 1st and 2nd years. Please don't feel a need to commit to weekly volunteering – a single evening or once every 1-2 months would be greatly appreciated! Programs run from Monday to Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00pm. If you are interested in getting involved, even if just for one shift, let student Gil Avramovich know when you can attend.

(j[email protected]; g[email protected])

"Equity from the Start" Community Forum

Wednesday, October 11th, 5:30 - 7:30pm, Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence Street, Worcester. Please join to help build a comprehensive actionable Early Childhood Plan for the city. See flyer for additional information.

The UMass Chan Diversity Summit will be held on October 11th and 12th, and for the first time it is open to all members of the institution. This is a great opportunity to learn about work in the community, education, professional development, and recruitment/retention strategies related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Register by September 30th.

https://umassmed.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5nAqI1lwhBcaSTc



Teaching of Tomorrow (TOT) is a nationally recognized and highly acclaimed faculty development program that focuses on building and refining foundational skills for effective clinical teaching in inpatient and ambulatory settings. Preceptors from any specialty and discipline will enhance their clinical teaching skills through discourse and practice. Workshop dates are November 17-18, 2023, and March 8-9, 2024, and will be held at the Hotel Northampton. Participants must attend all four days. See the brochure for details and

register at https://umassmed.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0GUbJ2w3HifJC8S.

Presentations and Publications

Our FMCH Preventive Medicine Residency faculty member, Dr. Michael Argenyi published an article "Comfort Levels of Outpatient Healthcare Professionals When Asking about Substance Use-Related Sexual Activity: A Pilot Survey Sexually Transmitted Diseases". Publish Ahead of Print DOI: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001869

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: Recent observational data has shown the potential for bariatric surgery to lower breast cancer risk in women with obesity. Tune in as faculty discuss what the evidence says about this connection and when to consider exploring the option for your patients' weigh-loss management. Guest: Robert A. Baldo, MD, FAAFP, presents: "Bariatric Surgery: A Great Option to Lower Breast Cancer Risk" - Frankly Speaking Ep 349.

Reminder: UMatter Central will shut down on November 1st.

COVID-19 UMMMC

• The 7-day average percent positivity is 8.2%.
• As of 10/9/23, the 7-day average of inpatient cases was 24 with 75% fully vaccinated. Of the 24, 33% had primary COVID.
• There were 3 in the ICU with 2 fully vaccinated.

RSV

• RSV can be a dangerous infection in adults.
• Insurance barriers and distribution challenges are impacting the rollout of highly anticipated new shots to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and young kids from COVID-19.
• RSV may not be severe when it first starts. However, it can become more severe a few days into the illness. Early symptoms of RSV may include:
• Runny nose
• Eating or drinking less
• Cough, which may progress to wheezing or difficulty breathing

RSV in mothers

• Does maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination safely reduce the likelihood of RSV in their newborns?
• A bivalent RSV vaccine given to pregnant women between 24 and 36 weeks' gestation safely reduces the likelihood of severe RSV in their newborns (NNT = 81 at 6 months of age). (LOE = 1b-)*
• CDC recommends that pregnant people should get a single dose of Pfizer's bivalent RSVpreF vaccine (Abrysvo) during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy from September through January.
• Although rare, a few patients developed Guillain-Barré syndrome in the days following the shot. Guillain-Barré is a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
• The vaccine is not currently available.

*Source: poems@essentialevidenceplus Kampmann B, Madhi SA, Munjal I, et al, for the MATISSE Study Group. Bivalent prefusion F vaccine in pregnancy to prevent RSV illness in infants. N Engl J Med 2023;388(16):1451-1464.

Changes to NICU Visitor Policy Effective Tuesday, October 10th

Due to the respiratory viral season, anyone entering the NICU must wear a mask at all times. Children < 2 years of age or anyone that is unable to wear a mask, are allowed in the family waiting room. All staff must wear a mask at all times in the NICU.

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.

Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban



Please note that there is no yoga class on October 11th or 18th. Yoga class will resume at a new link on October 25th. Please join us at 6:30-7:30am for a gentle awakening yoga session led by the talented Liz Erban. All are welcome. Happy third year anniversary to the yoga class.  

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/91343267992?pwd=ZHF3NHVrVlR1MVdMV09HSE5lTzdsQT09