UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - September 15, 2026/COMMUNITY

Table of Contents

Upcoming Events

Focus of the Week - Community

Announcements

Presentations and Publications

Frankly Speaking Podcast

Resources

Upcoming Events


FMCH Grand Rounds

Tuesday, September 15th, 12:00 - 1:00pm, Hugh Silk, MD, MPH and Regina Taylor, MPH, present "Community Resource Referrals: Workflows, Tools, & Best Practices."

Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09


SAVE the DATE - FMCH Grand Rounds

Annual Steven L. Putterman Memorial Lecture. A hybrid event scheduled for Tuesday, September 29th, 12:00-1:00pm, will be presented by guest speaker Michael A. Curry, Esq., President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.


SAVE the DATE - for our Annual Awards Celebration: October 27th, 5:30pm.

More details to come!

Focus of the Week - Community

Hugh Silk, MD, MPH, Vice Chair of Community Health


David Runyan, DNP, FNP-BC, NRP, a provider at White City Plaza and president of the Worcester Free Care Collaborative shared these important statistics at the department’s September 10th Community Health Committee meeting:

  • 7 community based free care sites across Worcester and Shrewsbury
  • >7,500 people served per year
  • 100% volunteer driven with 375+ volunteers, >80% are UMass affiliated
  • 106+ first year medical students are participating along with many students from other schools

The clinics were never intended to be a replacement for longitudinal primary care; they are operating as such out of necessity and demand will increase due to the impact of One Big Beautiful Bill/HR1.

  • More clinical volunteers are needed.
  • If everyone volunteered just 3-4 times a year, this would help! To volunteer click link below: https://www.wfccinc.org/volunteer


Observed each year on September 18th, National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day raises awareness of the growing number of people living long, full lives with HIV and the unique challenges they may face as they age. More than half of people living with diagnosed HIV in the U.S. and dependent areas are age 50 or older. (Source: National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day | HIV.gov)


Locally, to celebrate and educate:

The 22nd Conference on HIV and Aging, sponsored by the New England AIDS Education and Training Center and the New England Association on HIV Over 50 is September 25th, 2026, 8:30-3:30 at the UMass Club, 1 Beacon St. Boston. There is a registration fee of $30. For more information and to register: HIV and Aging


MassAHEC, under the leadership of Philip Day, has accepted 47 medical students to be AHEC Scholars with a focus on rural or urban unserved communities. Thanks to all the faculty and residents who volunteered to be longitudinal preceptors. (FYI, 55 students applied- that is 25% of the class!)


MA DPH, state agencies, and community partners use data from the Community Health Equity Survey | Mass.gov to apply for funding, develop programming, and advocate for policies that advance health equity. Please take a moment to complete the survey, available until November and in 11 language versions.

Announcements


The UMMHC Clinician Experience Office is offering Peer Wellness Coaching sessions. Enrollment is first-come, first-served through September 24th for sessions from October to December. There is no cost. More details and the link to register are here.


REMINDER: UMMH Dependent Verification

If you are enrolled in a UMass Memorial Health benefit plan and cover dependents, you should have received communications from UMMH’s verification process partner, Willis Towers Watson (WTW), requesting documentation to confirm dependent eligibility. Please know that dependent verifications are a common practice across employers. They are considered an industry-standard process used to ensure that organizations remain compliant with benefit plan requirements and applicable regulations. 

What you need to know:

  • Don’t ignore! All required documentation must be submitted by September 25th, 2026. We are being told this is a hard deadline. 
  • Failure to submit the required documentation will result in dependents being dropped as of January 2027.
  • This does not apply to school employees (but it does apply to dual employees taking advantage of UMMH benefits).
  • If you can’t find the information sent to you, go to ummhealthdrs.ehr.com and sign in with your umass memorial email.
  • You will need 2 qualifying documents to verify. Details available here.
  • Once you have the documents, it only takes a minute to upload them. 

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.


The Road to Care Mobile Clinic is seeking an experienced, compassionate, and highly autonomous physician, NP, or PA to join our team on a per diem basis, about 2-4 hours per week. We are a small group providing low barrier, high quality, relationship-based, patient-centered care to people in Worcester experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, serious mental illness, and other complex medical and social needs. For more information, read here. If interested, please send your CV to the team at roadtocare@umassmed.edu.


Rahi Patel (Class of ’27) is working with Gopal Vijayaraghavan on a study examining primary care providers’ perspectives on breast cancer risk assessment and screening. The team is seeking primary care providers to complete a brief 5-minute survey about the use of breast cancer risk assessment models and opportunities to improve screening practices. Findings will be considered alongside retrospective data to better understand how risk assessment models are being used and their potential impact on breast cancer screening and outcomes. Primary care providers are encouraged to participate and share their perspectives. Take the 5-minute survey here.


FUNDING THE PROVIDER WORKROOM AT RISE

Hello - we are beginning a fundraising challenge in the department to sponsor the Provider Work Room at Worcester RISE for Health, led by our colleagues Olga Valdman and Katharine Barnard. Our goal is to raise $10 000. It will take 4 $1000 donations, 4 $500, 4 $250, 20 $100 and 20 $50 donations. Hugh Silk and his wife started the donations with a gift of $1000. Please choose a level that works for you and go to https://givebutter.com/FMCH_RISE. There is more information about RISE and this campaign at this link. It will feel good to support our colleagues who are helping those with great needs in our community. Thank you for considering.


Submit proposals online to AAFP's FUTURE conference by September 23rd.


Regional Tuberculosis Infection ECHO

The Global Tuberculosis Institute will partner again this year with the Brown University ECHO hub and health departments across 20 TB program areas in the Northeastern United States to offer a Regional Tuberculosis Infection (TBI) ECHO Course in Fall 2026 for primary care team members. This is a six-session virtual and interactive TBI ECHO course which begins September 24th. Participants can receive up to 6 CME credits and the course is free. Please see brochure for more details. Register here.


Caregiver Photography Show - Call for Art

The art committee has announced that they will be showcasing another Caregiver Photography Show. The call for photography is open to any caregiver who would like to participate. Submissions open October 1st and close December 15th. Please see flyer for more information.


iCELS Intro to POCUS hands on course

October 6th, 8:00-5:00pm, Albert Sherman Center. See flyer for more information.


SAVE THE DATE FOR MED MOTH - Tuesday, October 13th at 5:30 PM in the Albert Sherman Center Multi-Purpose Room (Cafeteria).

Med Moth is an event based on The Moth Story Hour, where members of the UMass Chan community (including SOM, GSN, GSBS, faculty, residents, and hospital staff) share stories for 5–10 minutes each. This year, we'll also be welcoming live music, poetry, visual art, and other forms of expression. Past talks have explored speakers' journeys into medicine, meaningful patient encounters, and other experiences that shape personal or professional identity in health care. Some have been humorous and others more serious.

They are looking for speakers too! Those interested in sharing a story can contact the event organizers, Mariam Tolba (mariam.tolba@umassmed.edu) or Maddie Mulkern (madeline.mulkern2@umassmed.edu), for more information. 


Unlock your teaching potential at the TOT Workshop - 2 Days of Training

October 23rd and April 2nd, 8:00-4:00pm, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, 11 French Drive, Boylston, MA. See flyer, contact susan.foley@umassmed.edu, or visit the website Teaching of Tomorrow for more information.


Emerging Leaders Fellowship Applications NOW OPEN until November 14th.

The STFM Emerging Leaders Fellowship is now accepting applications. Designed for new faculty and those transitioning into or aspiring toward leadership roles, this highly competitive, yearlong fellowship provides the training, tools, mentorship, and support needed to grow as a leader in academic family medicine. Learn more and apply at link below:

https://stfm.org/facultydevelopment/fellowships/emergingleadersfellowship/overview/


Core Workshops in Education

Co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Health Education Academy for Leadership & Learning (HEALL), these monthly virtual workshops are an opportunity for medical, nursing and science educators to get up to date information on various aspects of teaching and learning!

Various dates | 5:30-6:30pm REGISTER

  • 10/21 Curriculum Development and Assessment: Meeting learners’ needs
  • 11/18 Developing a Career as a Clinician/Scientist Educator: Creating the history of your future
  • 12/16 GenAI Foundations and Power Prompting

Here’s a picture of WFMR residents Jason Denoncourt, Tony Hu, Jessica Zhou, Anusmriti Guragain, Tesa Danusantoso, and Alisha Ding with Melanie Gnazzo and Jeanne Cawse-Lucas at the very rainy but fun MassAFP Apple Picking event on Sunday.



Presentations and Publications


Kristina Gracey, MD, MPH, and Erin Cathcart, MD, MPH presented at the 2026 STFM on Practice and Quality Improvement on the work done with Liam Burke, MD, Lori Davis and Kori Beradino (FM at White City Plaza) on "Lunch-Learning in Full Teams (LIFT): Case-Based, Collaborative Continuing Education to Make Patient Care Safe."


Congrats to the MassAHEC Rural Health Scholars team and student for their publication about the program: Magnuson R, Cashman S, Hajj N, Laford J, Day PG. Bound in Breadth: Linking a Rural Health Pathway to Family Medicine Careers. PRiMER. 2026;10:34. https://doi.org/10.22454/PRiMER.2026.835027

Frankly Speaking Podcast


Please join us for a weekly Podcast series. Abdominal obesity can influence both the severity of menopausal symptoms and treatment decisions. Listen in as we discuss how to recognize this important relationship, apply practical screening tools, and individualize menopause management to improve symptom control and overall health outcomes for your patients. Guest: Jillian Joseph, MPAS, PA-C, presents, "Abdominal Obesity and Menopausal Symptoms: Recognizing the Connection, Personalizing Care" Frankly Speaking Episode #502. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frankly-speaking-about-family-medicine/id1194659367

Resources


Past editions of the Tuesday Talk are available at 

https://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/ under Resources.


The UMass Memorial Caring for Caregivers Program is available at 508-334-HELP,

EAP at 866-263-3525, and the UMass Chan EAP at 800-322-5327.

www.LiveandWorkWell.com 


Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban. New members always welcome. Wednesday(s), 6:30-7:30am

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


FMCH Department Calendar a centralized resource designed to highlight departmental dates, deadlines, and events. If you experience any issues, please reach out to natalia.tobon@umassmed.edu or sandra.girouardtodd@umassmed.edu.

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