- Upcoming Events & Opportunities
- MaineHealth Office of Faculty Affairs
- Medical Education
| |
- Library & Knowledge Services
- Research
- Innovation
| |
Upcoming Events & Opportunities | |
|
Early Career Investigator Series — NIH Grants: Writing a Strong Specific Aims Page
The Early Career Investigator (ECI) series brings together researchers from the Roux Institute and MaineHealth Institute for Research twice a month to foster collaborations and discuss strategies for finding and securing grants, mentoring and building a research lab, time management, going on the job market, and more. All are welcome!
On Thursday, October 3, at 10 a.m. in Room 204 at the Roux Institute, special guest Prof. Sri Sarma, computational neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University, will lead a workshop on writing a strong NIH Specific Aims page. This is the most important part of all NIH and many health foundation grant applications, and often frames your discussion of the grant with program officers, even before submission.
| |
Academic Affairs (Medical Education, Innovation, and Research) is accepting requests for year-long support of a clinical initiative. If you are working on a clinical initiative that may benefit from principles or programs within Academic Affairs, please consider submitting a brief description of your project by clicking the link below. | |
|
The FY24 project was focused on substance use disorders.
Deadline for submissions for the FY25 project: October 15, 2024.
| | |
|
Funding Opportunity for Early-Career Healthcare Providers
Application Deadline: October 14
The Mentored Research Grant (MRG) is an intramural grant program designed to encourage and support the intellectual curiosity and research capabilities of awardees.
Learn more
| |
|
The ninth annual Interdisciplinary Preventive Medicine Faculty Development Conference will be held Wednesday October 30 in the Dana Center Auditorium. Delving into the current crisis in health care access and its intersection with clinical, population and public health systems, this conference will explore the following questions:
- What are the patient and public health implications of barriers to care?
- What systemic and structural causes underlie this crisis, and what sustainable solutions can we find in Maine, New Hampshire and beyond?
- How can we enhance our knowledge and skills for teaching healthcare delivery in a rapidly changing system?
Participants will also explore new strategies for educating interprofessional medical learners about systems-based practice. The conference will include two panel discussions featuring prospectives from patients, physicians, payouts, and community health workers.
October 30, 7:30-3:45, Dana Center Auditorium
Full details here:
| |
Advanced Practice Providers Education | |
- The APP Education Office team met with the Tufts PA Program faculty and the class of 2026 to discuss new opportunities for MaineHealth rotations. We are excited to announce the MH-TUSM PA Student Placement Path Program, which is a pilot program beginning in 2025. A small cohort of Tufts PA students will complete rotations in Ortho, Surgery, and Emergency Medicine in various MaineHealth locations.
-
We are in the midst of our planning season for placements over the next academic year! Please consider signing up to precept a student Sign Up to precept a student or sharing the link with someone that might be interested. Do you have questions about what being a preceptor entails? Feel free to reach out to us via email or visit our SharePoint site to learn more.
-
APP Student Referral Form is available for preceptors who are looking to connect APP students with the MH Provider Recruitment Team. As a preceptor, once you submit this form, the recruitment team will connect directly with the student to advise them on the job search and hiring process.
| |
|
Staffing Announcements
Gavin Blair joined the team as a Simulation Specialist on September 3. Gavin brings experience in healthcare simulation, nursing education, EMS, and interdisciplinary committees to this role. Gavin has great passion and enthusiasm for simulation and is eager to further develop his skills across simulation modalities.
Randy Hunt has joined us as a Simulation Training Specialist on September 23. Randy’s dynamic experience includes technical systems administration and integration, and he is also an actor, director, playwright and improv artist.
| |
|
Notable Events
9/6 First In Situ NICU Interprofessional Continuing Code Nursery Event – Twelve participants across three interprofessional roles participated in this code training, which was the first in the NICU unit and took place on the overnight shift.
9/13 & 9/17 In Situ NICU Community Outreach Education at MMC-Biddeford – The Neonatal Simulation Team returned to the site where it all began in 2019 for a 1.5-day simulation neonatal resuscitation training blitz. 42 interprofessional team (IP) members participated over 3 x half day sessions and engaged in hands on skills stations followed by in situ simulation scenarios and a reflective debrief. Using a Healthcare Failure Modes Effect Analysis process, latent safety threats were identified, and mitigation strategies were discussed. This program provides an opportunity for IP teams to practice together as well as proactively support patient safety.
| |
|
9/10 & 9/25 Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum Training – The sim team supported this 2-day course that provides training for a variety of trauma scenarios.
9/16 Interprofessional Undergraduate Learning Event on Medical Miscommunication – The UME and Standardized Patient Teams worked with interprofessional learners from the TUSM MaineTrack and University of New England School of Pharmacy to deliver the second annual innovative experiential learning opportunity to address best practices in counseling patient with medical miscommunication. Development of this program was supported by two grants from the AAMC and CDC under PI Dr. Jennifer Hayman in 2023 and 2024.
| |
9/4 and 9/24 MOMSim 2.0 our OB Emergency Telesim Program supported by the RMOMS HRSA Grant launched! On 9/4 the first telesim training occurred at Memorial Hospital followed by Pen Bay on September 24. MOMSim 2.0 aims to provide low technology simulation equipment, curricular and telesim support to enable local delivery room teams to implement regular in situ experiential training for OB Emergencies. The program will ultimately launch across 10 sites within and outside of MaineHealth. | |
The PenBay team manages a Hypertensive Emergency in a pregnant patient via telesim | |
|
Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs) – Throughout the month Undergraduate Medical students completed OSCEs with our Standardized Patient team covering several medical disciplines.
New SP Orientation Module – We welcomed a new group of Standardized Patients to our growing pool.
| |
|
Grant Funding:
Drs. Mallory, Zanno, Melendi and Tania Strout as co-leads received a $243,000 award from the NIH/NIGMS Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Acute Care Research and Rural Disparities – Team Science Supplement Award to support: ANTEATER: Assessment of Neonatal Resuscitation Team Simulation Performance (comparison of the HoloBabyTM Extended Reality Simulator with Manikin Based Simulation)
Publications:
Sierra Soghikian M26 published her 2023 Summer Simulation Research Internship Project Comparing Team Performance Assessment tools for our MOOSE program along with local co-authors: Jeff Holmes, Shelly Chipman and Leah Mallory. Congratulations Sierra!
Assessing Team Performance in a Longitudinal Neonatal Resuscitation Simulation Training Program: Comparing Validity Evidence to Select the Best Tool | Cureus
Development and Evaluation of a Rural Longitudinal NRP® Telesimulation Program (MOOSE: Maine Ongoing Outreach Simulation Education) the report of the MOOSE Pilot Experience was accepted for publication in the American Journal of Perinatology! Congrats to Drs. Melendi, Zanno, Holmes, Ottolini, Craig and Mallory. Also, Shelly Chipman, Anya Cutler, Henry Stoddard, Leah Seften, Anna Gilbert and the rest of the MOOSE team.
| |
Undergraduate Medical Education | |
|
InterClerkship Week
Our clerkship year students participated in InterClerkship week Monday, September 16th through Friday September 20th. Students who are part of the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) returned to Portland and our block students came off rotation in order to come back together as a class to take part in an interactive, experiential week that balances learning in a fun and active way that also provides a bit of a “break” from their rigorous schedule. ICW is part of the Perspectives in Medicine (PiM) course, which provides a longitudinal experience in important aspects of medical training like Population Health, Health Care Systems, Personal and Professional Development, and Patient Experience. They received instruction in this course throughout the M1 and M2 year. In M3 year, they revisit the course after having some clinical experiences in which to better ground these concepts.
Here are just some of the innovative learning activities offered during the week:
| |
Social determinants of health: We discussed food insecurity and the concept of food as medicine which culminated with a cooking lesson at the SMCC campus. | |
Service-learning opportunities included a group who was trained to give vaccines and provided almost100 flu shots to vulnerable people and another who put together Harm Reduction Kits for patients at the Preble Street Learning Collaborative. | |
“Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America” Students learned about not-for profit organizations the partner with the MaineHealth vision. We visited Wolfe’s Neck and learned about sustainable micro-agriculture that is striving to feed under-resourced Mainers, extend the growing season in a rapidly changing environment, and address the climate impact of farming. | |
Intersection of arts/humanities and medicine. A day at Portland Museum of Art taught the students the importance of observation, being curious and “sitting” with uncertainty. Students participated in visual thinking strategy sessions, which have been shown to increase physician empathy, critical thinking and tolerance of ambiguity. | |
|
Interprofessional education to address medical misinformation. ~40 Maine Track students and 20 UNE School of Pharmacy students participated in a formative, SP-based OSCE to learn about advanced communication skills and the importance of working on an interprofessional team to mitigate the impact of medical misinformation.
A huge thank you to Dr. Frank Chessa and our entire UME team, supported by several dozen teaching faculty from Maine Health and community organizations, for an outstanding week!
| |
Graduate Medical Education | | |
|
|
Kalli Varaklis, MD, MSEd - Designated Institutional Official
Click here for a detailed Graduate Medical Education (GME) update.
You can view the 2023-2024 GME Annual Program Evaluation by clicking here.
| |
Journal of Maine Medical Center | |
|
Call for Papers!!
The Journal of Maine Medical Center is putting out a call for papers for our Spring 2025 Special Issue. The focus will be on Tick-borne Illnesses in the Maine/New England region.
Our Guest Editor is Dr. Robert Smith, Director and Co-Founder, Vector-borne Disease Laboratory, and Co-Director, Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative, MaineHealth Institute for Research
We are soliciting papers in a broad range of categories, including Original Research, Reviews, and Case reports. Please review the manuscript categories and guidelines on the JMMC website:
Our target audience is front line health providers and public health-oriented individuals.
We encourage authors to include learners as co-authors and papers reflecting an interprofessional perspective.
All manuscripts will under a double-blind peer review process with typically two reviewers.
JMMC does not charge author or article fees.
Submission deadline: Monday, January 20, 2025
Submissions are made in the Editorial Manager system for JMMC. You can submit your paper by clicking the tick above!
Questions? Please contact Bob Bing-You, M.D., JMMC Editor-in-Chief
| |
|
We have many useful online resources, check out MITE’s newest pages:
| |
Library & Learning Commons | |
MaineHealth Library & Learning Commons | |
|
New Exhibit: The Center of the World: In Memoriam by Photographer Steven Horowitz, MD
Photographer Steve Horowitz, MD honors the victims and first responders of 9/11 with this exhibition. About the images, he says, “The buildings, and the people who worked there plus the first responders, are unforgettable. This is in recognition of them.”
While living in New York City, he photographed the World Trade Center from different perspectives. After 9/11 and the ensuing world crises, he viewed it as the center of the world. To visualize this concept, and memorialize the victims and first responders, he created these montages, combining celestial antique map representations and views of lower Manhattan with his photographs.
Steven Horowitz, MD is a retired academic neurologist who continues to teach medical students as an adjunct clinical professor of neurology at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He is also on the teaching faculty of MaineHealth Maine Medical Center.
The exhibit will be on display in the Library until mid-October.
| |
Do you want to know how to navigate to the library from the MH Intranet homepage? Click the picture below to get the answer! | |
Admin II Position Available (30hrs): Spread the word! We are seeking an Administrative Assistant II to work with Pam Barringer in the Dana Center. This role is primarily responsible for scheduling in a complex and dynamic learning environment. Did I mention that you get to work with Pam?!! Share this opportunity with someone who loves solving puzzles and helping people! |
|
|
Blood Drive at MHIR
MaineHealth is sponsoring a blood drive on Tuesday, October 1 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Maine Health Institute for Research in Scarborough. All donors will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. PLUS, automatically be entered for a chance to win one of three $5,000 gift cards!
Critically needed are Power Red donors – if you’re type O, A-, or B- you can maximize your impact with this type of donation. Learn more information about Power Red: https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/types-of-blood-donations/power-red-donation.html
Register by clicking on the picture to the right above.
Sponsor code: MMC
Also mark your calendars (or sign up now!), the next drive will be December 3rd!
Contact Victoria Van Berlo for more information.
| |
Research Training & Education | |
Please click on the picture above to access the RTE Update for September 2024. | |
|
Florence is an important addition to the research infrastructure at MaineHealth that will allow us to reduce compliance risk while simultaneously expanding clinical research opportunities for our patients.
What is Florence?
- A secure electronic storage platform for essential documentation for clinical research projects.
Why is MaineHealth investing in Florence?
- The system promotes regulatory compliance through version controls, user permissions, and automated audit trails, allowing us to appropriately manage our current projects while simultaneously expanding clinical research opportunities for our patients.
How does this change impact you?
- Florence is being implemented enterprise-wide – all clinical research teams will be expected to use the system to store electronic research files in the near future.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
-
The MaineHealth Clinical Trials Office is leading the implementation – please contact Karen Wilson with any questions you have about the system, functionality, or implementation timeline.
| |
|
CDC Funding for Lyme Disease Surveillance
The MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR) Vector-Borne Disease Lab (VBDL) is collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital and TuftsMedicine on the CDC-funded project “Harnessing Electronic Health Records for Surveillance of Lyme Disease in the Northeastern United States.” The VBDL is led by Dr. Rob Smith, the former Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at MMC-Portland and an MHIR Faculty Scientist. Dr. Smith and team identify patients with Lyme disease in the MaineHealth system through regularly scheduled electronic medical health record scans and extract clinical information to provide details of disease to a combined database in concert with a coordinated approach at MGH and TuftsMedicine. This data is shared with researchers at the CDC to gain a better understanding of the health burden and outcomes of Lyme disease in our region.
| |
|
NIH Funding to Address Women’s Health Issues Across the Lifespan
MHIR Faculty Scientists Dr. Lucy Liaw and Dr. Cara Frankenfeld have received NIH funding to investigate whether the risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) or Type 2 Diabetes Melitus (T2DM) is increased in reproductive-age women. Using commercial and Medicaid longitudinal claims for five million women from 2007-2021, the researchers will evaluate the risk of IBD in relation to GDM and T2DM in a cohort of younger reproductive-age women. A secondary aim will be to conduct an exploratory analysis of colorectal cancer risk in relation to GDM and T2DM.
| |
|
NIH Grant to Purchase Equipment
Dr. Liaw has secured NIH funding to purchase an Instron model 34SC-45 biomechanical testing frame, which is a universal force testing system for tensile, compression, and flexure testing. MHIR has developed a critical mass of investigators studying various aspects of skeletal biology, including cellular differentiation, biomechanical properties, osteoporosis and other bone diseases, energy utilization, and bone pathology, but does not have appropriate machinery to test bone strength. The new in-house mechanical testing platform will benefit numerous MHIR investigators, reducing waiting times and costs associated with using external, highly subscribed core facilities.
| |
|
National Bleeding Disorders Foundation
Louise Baca, Sr. Director of Oncology Services at MMCP Cancer Care, received an Excellence Fellowship Award from the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation for her project “Outreach in Rural Maine: Identifying New Patients and Establishing New Satellite Sites for New and Established Patients.” The goals of the project are to educate rural nurses who care for patients with bleeding disorders, and to research how increased nurse education impacts hemophilia treatment centers.
| |
|
ARPA-H/U Chicago Award
Nick Bevins, Imaging Physicist and Assistant Radiation Safety Officer at MMC-Portland, is collaborating with the University of Chicago on an ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health) contract: “Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC) for Rapid Response to COVID-19 Pandemic.” Dr. Bevins will contribute CT data to the MIDRC Biomedical Data Fabric (BDF) Imaging Hub, a data hub that allows researchers to query and analyze data from independent data repositories or resources related to medical imaging. He will also develop recommendations for expansion to radiography, MRI, and ultrasound.
| |
|
UVM ACS Grant
MHIR Faculty Scientist Liz Scharnetzki has received an American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (ACS-IRG) from the University of Vermont. Dr. Scharnetzki’s project, “Bridging the Gap: Understanding Lung Cancer Survivors’ Needs and Care Access Challenges,” aims to support the growing population of lung cancer survivors in the US by developing a comprehensive understanding of lung cancer survivors’ needs. To accomplish this, research teams from Maine and Vermont will develop and field an exploratory assessment of lung cancer survivors’ behavioral and medical healthcare needs and identify care access challenges. Results of the survey will inform the development of future interventions designed to address the identified unmet needs of lung cancer survivors and to promote equitable access to services.
| |
|
PCORI Funding for Shared Decision-Making Best Practice Alert
MaineHealth is collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) on the PCORI-funded project “Promoting shared decision making about colorectal cancer testing in older adults.” Dr. Kathleen Fairfield, Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine for Research and Quality Improvement at MMC-Portland and an Affiliated Investigator at MHIR, will serve as the Site Investigator for MaineHealth and will support the expansion of a web-based training for primary care clinicians and the development and implementation of an electronic prompt in the form of a Best Practice Alert (BPA). PCORI funded MGH to test and demonstrate a shared decision making (SDM) strategy that was effective in increasing patient-reported SDM, and this follow-on project builds on that study. Dr. Fairfield and her MMC-Portland colleague Dr. Benjamin Felix will work with the MGH team to provide data to track maintenance and sustainability of the interventions, as we as data on colorectal cancer testing rates for the target population to examine the impact on rates of testing.
| |
|
Please contact the Research Grants Office for all Research Grant Inquiries
If you are interested in applying for a research grant or have been contacted to participate in a grant-funded clinical trial, please email our office at researchgrants@mainehealth.org as soon as possible, ideally up to 10-12 weeks prior to the deadline. We know this is not always possible and will adjust timelines based on your deadline. You can also contact us at any time with questions about the grants process or if you would like to set up a meeting to learn more about research grants at MaineHealth.
| |
the connective tissue between research, education, and care | |
|
Announcing the Interprofessional Innovation in Education Fund Awardees!
Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Interprofessional Innovation in Education Fund Award! This award, a collaboration between the Maine Medical Center Department of Medical Education and MaineHealth Innovation, supports groundbreaking ideas that address critical unmet needs in healthcare professional education with an emphasis on Interprofessional collaboration.
| |
|
Building Expertise: Designing Specialized Education and Training Curriculum for Cellular Therapies at MaineHealth
Led by Noelle Cooper, NP, with Kellie Sprague, MD; Olivia DeSena, NP; Lauren Jones, RN; and Heidi Morse, RN, this team is developing an innovative curriculum and training program to establish a cellular therapy program at MaineHealth. This initiative aims to make advanced therapies like BiTE and CAR T more accessible to oncology patients in Maine, reducing the need for travel to Boston and supporting patient-centered care.
| |
|
Healthcare Career Pathway Program for College Students
Ashlee Plowman, MHA, and Laura Bennett are addressing Maine's critical healthcare workforce shortages with a project that targets freshman and sophomore health science and biomedical students. By partnering with the University of Southern Maine, they are piloting a program that offers students hands-on experiences, mentorship, networking, and guidance to explore clinical and non-clinical career paths, with plans to expand to other colleges and universities.
To learn more about the Interprofessional Innovation in Education Fund, click here.
| |
|
|
Deadline Approaching: Innovation Cohort and Ignite Fund Applications Due Oct. 3
Join our 8-week Innovation Cohort to gain the skills, guidance, and connections needed to bring your healthcare innovation to life. Whether it’s patient care, a medical device, or optimizing healthcare processes, this program equips you to accelerate your novel solution.
The Cohort will meet on 10/17, 10/31, 11/14, and 12/5 from 8-9:30am.
Applications are due October 3 at 10:00 am. Learn More + Apply
The Innovation Ignite Fund offers up to $20,000 in investment funding for prototyping, pilot testing, or assumption testing to advance novel ideas that address unmet care needs. Gain the resources and expert connections needed to accelerate your innovation and transform care!
Applications are due October 3 at 10:00 am. Learn More + Apply
| |
Care Team Members Supporting the Future of Healthcare Founder Residency
Short Story:
The 2024 Future of Healthcare Founder Residency, a collaboration between MaineHealth, Northern Light Health, Maine Venture Fund, and The Roux Institute, is accelerating the development of early-stage healthcare startups to create innovative solutions for patients and communities. MaineHealth Innovation extends a special thank you to the 25+ care team members whose support is guiding these innovators through the complexities of healthcare. Read the full story here to learn more about the impact and those involved.
If you want to read the full story, please click the big button.
If you're advising or interested in connecting with any Future of Healthcare Founder Residency companies, please email innovation_center@mainehealth.org – we would love to hear from you!
To learn more about the companies involved, click here.
| |
|
Keep up with MaineHealth Innovation by signing up for our monthly newsletter.
MaineHealth Innovation builds connections to drive diversity of thought, educates to produce creative problem-solvers, and funds to accelerate ideas. By leveraging the ideas, insights and expertise of all care team members to develop novel solutions to our unmet care needs, we are working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.
To learn more about these or other innovation opportunities at MaineHealth, visit the MaineHealth Innovation website or email innovation_center@mainehealth.org.
| |
|
Got a suggestion or would you like a colleague to receive the newsletter?
Contact Academic Affairs
View previous Academic Affairs Newsletters here.
| |
Academic Affairs | academicaffairs@mainehealth.org | | | | |
