Welcome to the STFM Messenger Online
The STFM Messenger is the official news publication of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
Each month, members with e-mail addresses on file with STFM will receive an e-mail with links to the Messenger's online stories. Members will be also be able to access the Messenger's current issue as well as its archives on the STFM Web site at www.stfm.org/Messenger.
We welcome your feedback on our member newsletter; send your ideas and comments to Traci Nolte, tnolte@stfm.org.
2009 Conference on Families and Health Cancelled
Last week the STFM Board, leaders of the Group on the Family, and the STFM staff made a difficult decision regarding the Conference on Families and Health. We had hoped and planned to hold a final gathering of this conference in 2009; unfortunately, we did not receive enough submissions to hold the program and decided to cancel the 2009 Conference on Families and Health. This was a difficult decision, and I’m sure it leaves many of us without the closure we hoped to feel in Jacksonville.
In keeping with our commitment to encourage learning in the behavioral sciences, we have developed the following alternative plan, in consultation with the Conference on Families and Health planning committee chair, Group on the Family chair, the STFM Program Committee chair, and staff.
(1) There will be a 1-day preconference session at the STFM 2009 Annual Spring Conference, hosted by the Group on the Family. The Group on the Family will determine the content for the session, and their leaders already have some ideas on offering content that shares best practices and well as discussions on future directions.
(2) We will provide a family systems and behavioral science track at the 2009 annual meeting.
(3) We have held five slots within the 2009 annual meeting program for the best submissions from individuals who submitted for the 2009 family conference. These sessions will be selected by Victoria Gorski, MD, Group on the Family in Family Medicine chair, and Patricia Lebensohn, MD, 2009 Conference on Families and Health planning committee chair.
(4) We have invited individuals who submitted to the 2009 family conference to have their submission considered for the 2009 Annual Spring Conference. Drs Gorski and Lebensohn have agreed to review these submissions, and their ratings will be provided to the Program Committee for its consideration. These submissions are not guaranteed acceptance within the annual meeting but will be considered within the other annual meeting submission pool. In just a few short days, we’ve already heard back from more than half of the submitters for the family conference who have accepted our offer to have their submissions considered for the annual meeting.
In addition to the specific measures noted above, the Board is continuing to focus on meeting the needs of our members as related to behavioral sciences. Since this spring, we have been engaged in a process of communication and problem solving with both the Group on Family and the Group on Behavioral Science. Additionally, we have been working with the leaders of the Behavioral Science Forum, as well as the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association to define how these activities may support our members.
This is a process based on a commitment—a commitment to the importance of the principles of behavioral medicine and family within what is core for family medicine education—and a commitment to the needs of our members.
If you have questions or other suggestions for us to consider for the future, please contact me (safields@ohsu.edu) or Executive Director Stacy Brungardt, CAE (sbrungardt@stfm.org).
CONFERENCE NEWS
STFM’s New Faculty Development Series Workshop Centers
on Integrating Practice Redesign Into the Residency Curriculum
Attendees at the 2008 workshop will build their knowledge and skills on the subject of preparing learners for practicing in patient-centered medical homes. Just as clinical practice transformation involves a fundamental rethinking of how care is provided, so too will it require new and innovative educational models to transform our teaching environments to support education for the future.
This day-long, interactive workshop, “Training for the Patient-centered Medical Home: Integrating Practice Redesign Into the Residency Curriculum.” will include presentations and discussions on various components of the new model, as well as some time to reflect on how faculty can emerge from this process rejuvenated in their own careers.
This workshop is cosponsored by STFM and the University of South Carolina and will be held October 25, 2008, at the University of South Carolina.
There Is Still Time—Register Today for the STFM NorthEast Region Meeting!
Its not to late to register for this year's STFM NorthEast Region Meeting. The meeting will be held October
30–November 2, 2008, at the Baltimore Convention Center.
The
conference theme is "The New Deal in Health Care: A Medical Home for
All.” We believe it’s time to articulate the “new deal” that will lead
to equitable access to quality health care services for all Americans.
Plenary speakers will include: Shannon Brownlee (author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer), who will offer her critique of the current health care system and Richard Roberts, MD, who will describe family medicine’s response. Erika Bliss, MD, Michael Fine, MD, and John Saultz, MD, will describe “Direct Medical Practice,” an innovative approach to caring for all patients. On Sunday, John Frey, MD, will share his reflections on the current definitions of a medical home.
For more information, contact Laurence Bauer, MSW, MEd, at Laurence.bauer@sbcglobal.net or 937-428-7866 or go to www.fmec.net for registration forms, hotel information, and student scholarship application forms.
If You Are Attending the AAMC Meeting, Don’t Forget to Attend the Academic Family Medicine Fall Session
This year’s Academic Family Medicine Fall Session will describe the residency innovation projects taking place within the primary care training programs and how training program innovations attempt to better prepare graduates for future “real world” practice. It will also explore the common themes being assessed within post-graduate training innovation and the impact of residency innovation projects on those training programs not directly involved, but that are seeking to innovate as well and describe how the innovation projects of primary care “fit” within the ACGME’s overall efforts to evolve post-graduate education.
The Academic Family Medicine Fall Session will be held Sunday, November 2, from 10 am to 12 pm, in Lone Star F Room of the Grand Hyatt San Antonio in San Antonio, Tex. The Fall Session is held each year in conjunction with the AAMC Annual Meeting.
Speakers include Larry Green, MD, University of Colorado; Jeanne Heard, MD, PhD, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, Illinois; and Samuel Matheny, MD, MPH, University of Kentucky; and Gregory Rouan, MD, University of Cincinnati.
The Academic Family Medicine Fall Session is sponsored by STFM, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.
For more information about the Academic Family Medicine Fall Session, contact Priscilla Noland at 800-274-2237, ext 5410 or pnoland@stfm.org.
STFM 2008–2009 Conference Calendar
Regional
Faculty Development Series Workshop: Training for the Patient-centered
Medical Home: Integrating Practice Redesign Into the Residency
Curriculum—October 25, 2008, Columbia, SC
Academic Family Medicine 2008 Fall Session, in conjunction with the AAMC meeting—November 2, 2008, San Antonio
Northeast Region Meeting—October 30–November 2, 2008, Baltimore
Conference on Practice Improvement—December 4–7, 2008, Savannah, Ga
Predoctoral Education Conference—January 22–25, 2009, Savannah, Ga
Predoctoral Directors Development Institute—January 22, 2009, at the Predoctoral Education Conference and April 29, 2009 at the Annual Spring Conference in Denver
Annual Spring Conference—April 29–May 3, 2009—Denver
Other Meetings of Note
AAMC Annual Meeting—October 31–November 5, 2008, San Antonio
NAPCRG Annual Meeting—November 15–19, 2008, Puerto Rico
Nominate a Colleague—or Yourself—for STFM Leadership, Research, and Teaching Awards
Deadlines Reminder—Call for Nominations for STFM Awards
October 15, 2008, is the nomination deadline for the following awards: (1) STFM Recognition Award, (2) STFM Excellence in Education Award, (3) STFM Innovative Program Award, (4) STFM Advocate Award, and (5) F. Marian Bishop Award.
November 15, 2008, is the nomination deadline for the following awards: (1) 2009 Curtis G. Hames Research Award in Family Medicine, and (2) 2009 Best Research Paper Award.
These leadership, research, and teaching awards will be presented at the 2009 STFM Annual Spring Conference, April 29–May 3, in Denver. Complete award information, including nomination forms and lists of previous winners, is available at www.stfm.org/awards/awardhub.html.
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE WITHIN THE PATIENT-CENTERED MEDICAL HOME—PERSPECTIVES FROM THE STFM BOARD
First Patient-centered Medical Home Principles and RRC Requirements
Residency programs must meet RRC requirements or face consequences of citations or worse. Understandably, residency program directors view any proposed change or innovation in their particular program in the context of these requirements. A program director being encouraged to develop the residency practice into a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) would quickly raise the question of whether the PCMH principles are compatible or in conflict with the RRC requirements. The following compares the PCMH Principles adopted February 2007 with relevant ACGME Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Family Medicine effective July 2007:
PCMH Principle: Personal physician—each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician trained to provide first contact and continuous and comprehensive care.
RRC IV.A.5.a) Patient Care
Residents must be able to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health.
PCMH Principle: Physician-directed medical practice—the personal physician leads a team of individuals at the practice level who collectively take responsibility for the ongoing care of patients.
RRC II.D.2.b) Administration and Staffing
(2) The Family Medicine Center (FMC) must be appropriately staffed with nurses, technicians, clerks, administrative personnel, and other health professionals to ensure efficiency of operation and adequate support for patient care and educational requirements.
RRC IV.A.5.a) (2) (c) (iv) Continuity and Accessibility
(a) The learning of continuity of care requires stable, protected physician-patient relationships that are structured to enhance both resident learning and patient care. Therefore, assignment of patients to a personal physician in the FMC is required. Whenever possible, residents should see their own patients to develop the doctor-patient relationship. In addition, there should be a team structure to ensure appropriate back-up for the patients to experience continuity of care.
RRC IV.A.5.f) Systems-based Practice
(f) ability to practice in a team and with a systems-based approach
(g) ability to present data to other members of the team and consultants
RRC IV.A.5.d) Interpersonal and Communication Skills
(3) work effectively as a member or leader of a health care team or other professional group
PCMH Principle: Whole person orientation—the personal physician is responsible for providing for all the patient’s health care needs or taking responsibility for appropriately arranging care with other qualified professionals. This includes care for all stages of life, acute care, chronic care, preventive services, end-of-life care.
RRC IV.A.5.a) (2) (b) Family-oriented Comprehensive Care Experience
(i) Comprehensive care is important for the welfare of the patients as they function in the family, the community, and in the health care system. Principles of comprehensive care for patients include physician availability, accessibility, efficiency, and continuity.
(ii) The family physician assumes responsibility for the total health care of the individual and family, taking into account social, behavioral, economic, cultural, and biologic dimensions. Therefore, resident must learn to demonstrate cultural competence in caring for patients from varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
(iii) Residents must be given the opportunity to achieve high levels of competence in health maintenance and in disease and problem management and to develop attitudes that reflect expertise in comprehensive patient management and education.
(iv) The program must provide the opportunity for resident to acquire knowledge and experience in the provision of longitudinal health care to families, including assisting them in coping with serious illness and loss and in promoting family mechanisms to maintain wellness of its members.
(v) Essential elements to be integrated into the teaching of family care to resident include for the individual patient: health assessment, health maintenance, preventive care, acute and chronic illness and injury, rehabilitation, behavioral counseling, health education, and human sexuality.
(vi) Essential elements to be integrated into the teaching of family care to resident include for the family: family structure and dynamics, genetic counseling, family development, family planning, child rearing an education, aging, end-of-life issues, epidemiology of illness in families, the role of family in illness care, family counseling and education, nutrition, and safety.
PCMH Principle: Care is coordinated and/or integrated across all elements of the complex health care system and the patient’s community. Care is facilitated by registries, information technology, health information exchange, and other means to assure that patients get the indicated care when and where they need and want it in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.
RRC IV.A.5.a) (2) (a) Continuity of Care
Continuity of care is a recognized core value of the specialty of family medicine and must be a priority in each program. Continuity may pertain to individuals or to the practice in its entirety.
(iv) In order to coordinate and integrate each patient’s care and to optimize each resident’s continuity training, the program must require that each resident maintain continuity of responsibility for some of his or her patients in all settings when such patients require urgent or emergent care, home care, long-term care, hospitalization, or consultation with other providers. Continuity of responsibility should include active involvement in management and treatment decisions and interactive communications about management and treatment decisions. When a substitute physician, such as a member of a family medicine team, is involved in continuity of care, there must be a mechanism to transfer information clearly and expeditiously to the primary continuity physician.
PCMH Principle: Quality and safety are hallmarks of the medical home:
• Evidence-based medicine and clinical decision-support tools guide decision making
• Physicians in the practice accept accountability for continuous quality improvement through voluntary engagement in performance measurement and improvement.
• Information technology is utilized appropriately to support optimal patient care, performance measurement, patient education, and enhanced communication
RRC II.D.2.g) Record System
(2) The record system must provide the data needed for patient care audit and chart review of all facets of family care, including care rendered in the FMC, in the hospital, at home, by telephone, through consultations, and at other sites.
(3) The resident must be taught patterns of record keeping that incorporate a comprehensive information base, retrievable documentation of all aspects of care, and mechanisms for promotion of health maintenance and quality assessment of care. This should include experience with electronic medical records.
RRC IV.A.5.c) Practice-based Learning and Improvement
Residents must demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate their care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning. Residents are expected to develop skills and habits to be able to meet the following goals:
(4) systematically analyze practice using quality improvement methods and implement changes with the goal of practice improvement
(6) locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies related to their patients’ health problems
(7) Use information technology to optimize learning
RRC IV.A.5.f) Systems-based Practice
Resident must demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care. Residents are expected to:
(2) coordinate patient care within the health care system relevant to their clinical specialty
(4) advocate for quality patient care and optimal patient care systems
(5) work in interprofessional teams to enhance patient safety and improve patient care quality
(6) participate in identifying system errors and implementing potential systems solutions.
PCMH Principle: Enhanced access to care through systems such as open scheduling, expanded hours, and new options for communication between patients, their personal physician, and office staff.
RRC II.D.2.d) Location and Access
(3) The facility must be designed to ensure adequate accessibility and efficient patient flow, be environmentally sensitive to patient care needs, and provide appropriate access and accommodations for the handicapped.
RRC II.D.2.f) Patient Access to the Family Medical Center
(1) The FMC must be available for patient services at times commensurate with community medical standards and practice. When the Center is not open, there must be a well-organized plan that ensures continuing access to the patient’s personal physician or a designated family physician from the FMC.
(2) Patients of the FMC must receive education and direction as to how they may obtain access to their physician or a substitute family physician for continuity of care during the hours the Center is closed. Patients should have access to printed policies and procedures of the Center.
RRC IV.A.5.a) (2) (c) (iv) Continuity and Accessibility
(d) The FMC should provide a continuity experience for the residents and ensure continuity of care and access for the patient. The FMC staffing, scheduling system, and hours of operation must assure FMC patients access to health care by their primary provider of the FCM health care team as backup if the primary resident is unavailable. The program must document that each resident has provided continuity of care in the FMC. This may be accomplished in a number of ways and may include monitoring the number or percentage of visits by continuity patients to their continuity physician. The practice must also ensure 24 hour accessibility to care for their patients.
It appears from this comparison that a residency program that strives to change its FMC into a PCMH should be in compliance with the above RRC requirements. This should not be surprising, since the above PCMH Principles and RRC Requirements both reflect core values of family medicine, though neither are easy to achieve fully. The challenge of how to build PCMH FMCs remains, but at least one barrier should not be external accreditation standards. Residency program directors should be able to move ahead on this innovation with confidence that the RRC site visit will go well in this area.
The Holidays Are Coming—Shop Hassle Free With STFM
Make holiday shopping easy—from the comfort of your home or office—shop online this holiday season at www.stfm.org/bookstore. When you shop online using the STFM Online Bookstore and Amazon Portal at www.stfm.org/bookstore, you’ll also help STFM in the process. You can find everything you need: books, electronics, music, DVDs, clothes, housewares, and much, much more.
When your purchases are made through STFM’s portal, www.stfm.org/bookstore, STFM receives a small percentage of the total purchases (anything that Amazon.com sells).
Call for Authors for fmCASES: Web-based Virtual Patient Cases for the Family Medicine Clerkship
STFM, in collaboration with the Institute for Innovative Technology in Medical Education (iInTime), is developing a set of Web-based, virtual patient cases, named fmCASES (Family Medicine Computer-assisted Simulations in Educating Students). The cases will teach the core family medicine clerkship curriculum as well as address LCME ED-2 requirements and will complement the successful CLIPP (Computer-assisted Learning in Pediatrics Program) cases that have been adopted by more than 120 US and Canadian medical schools. For more details, see the April 2008 issue of the STFM Messenger.
Under the direction of the STFM Advisory Committee, five project leaders have been chosen to lead the project: Jason Chao, MD, MS, Case Western Reserve University; Alec Chessman, MD, Medical University of South Carolina; Shou Ling Leong, MD, Pennsylvania State University; Stephen Scott, MD, Baylor College of Medicine; and John Waits, MD, University of Alabama. The virtual patient cases will reflect the content of the Family Medicine Curriculum Resource (FMCR), NBME Task Force, and the Future of Family Medicine. fmCASES will foster self-directed and independent study, model clinical problem solving, teach an evidence-based, generalist approach, and offer a consistent learning experience across training sites and times of year. Students will experience a virtual clerkship site that has features of the patient-centered medical home, patient-centered care, team approach to care, advanced information systems, care provided within a community context, and attention to quality and safety. The project leaders have identified a comprehensive list of topics for the cases, developed a curriculum matrix, and outlined content for each case. We are now recruiting clerkship directors and STFM educators to author the cases.
Authors will be required to attend a 4-hour workshop at the STFM Predoctoral Education Conference in Savannah, Ga, on Saturday, January 24, 2009. Authoring a case will involve approximately 2 to 3 hours of time prior to the January meeting and approximately 40 hours of time over the following 6 months. At the workshop, authors will receive an outline of their case, training in case authoring, and an introduction to the computer tools that will be used to draft the cases. Each author will also be assigned a “mentor” from the fmCASES project team. Administrative and computer support for case authoring will be provided by iInTime and the fmCASES project team throughout the project. Each authored case will undergo peer review, and authors will be expected to assign copyright of the case to iInTime (similar to authoring a book chapter). Authors will receive a $500 honorarium once their case is complete. Case development is recognized as educational scholarship and can be listed in your CV as a publication.
Click here to download a list of the cases to be developed. If you are interested in authoring a case, send a brief description of your current position, why you are interested, your top three choices of cases to author (from the list below) and a copy of your CV to Shou Ling Leong, MD at fmcasesauthors@i-intime.org by November 1, 2008. If you have questions, contact Dr Leong directly at sleong@hmc.psu.edu or any of the project leaders.
Thank you for your interest in this exciting project. We look forward to working with you!
This section focuses on "Moments in STFM History," gleaned from the collections of the Center for the History of Family Medicine. Housed at AAFP headquarters and administered by the AAFP Foundation, the Center serves as the principal resource center for the collection, conservation, exhibition, and study of materials relating to the history of family medicine in the United States. For more information on the Center, or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for this feature, contact Center staff at 800-274-2237 (ext. 4420 or 4422), fax: 913-906-6095, orchfm@aafp.org.
10 Years Ago
As the Conference on Patient Education approached in November, cohosts STFM and the AAFP were preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary meeting in Orlando, Fla. The theme was “20/20: Celebrating the Vision” to honor those who have brought stature to the field of patient education.
Mary Smith, AAFP, Leawood, Kan, staffed the 20th anniversary display at the 1998 Patient Education Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Mickey feels the love from the 1998 Patient Education Conference Steering Committee members (from left) Roger Sherwood, CAE; Herb Young, MD, MA; Leah Raye Mabry, MD; Darlene Lawrence, MD; John Nagle, MPA; and Rick Streiffer, MD.
20 Years Ago
The STFM Board of Directors adopted a budget for the 1989 fiscal year, showing income of $895,000 and expenses of $875,000
30 Years Ago
The Family Medicine Times reported that STFM was to be one of four health/education organizations to participate in a contract from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) in the coming year. Under the contract, STFM would receive $21,300 to cover salary, telephone, and indirect costs incurred while providing technical assistance to the NHSC for inservice and orientation conferences.
40 Years Ago
STFM was preparing for its third meeting, to be held on November 1, 1968, at the Houston Towers Motel. This meeting was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). An estimated 90 people were in attendance.
The UCLA International Medical Graduate Program: An Innovative Program to Address the Shortage of Bilingual/Bicultural Hispanic Family Physicians in California
Hispanics represent 36% of California’s 37 million people, yet only 4% of the physician workforce. According to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (2005), 35% reside in designated underserved areas, almost twice as high as the rest of the population. To increase the number of bilingual physicians and improve access to care, the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has developed an innovative program to supplement the more traditional pipeline programs to train more Hispanic physicians. The UCLA program is privately funded and provides an opportunity for well-qualified bilingual English/Spanish unlicensed Hispanic international medical graduates (IMGs) legally residing in the United States ultimately to compete for a position in one of California’s family medicine residency programs.
The program’s goal is to provide the IMG with both didactic and experiential learning venues to achieve competitive passing scores on the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) as well as immersion into the US health care delivery system and culture. Those accepted into the program receive stipends, thereby allowing them to focus solely on their continuing medical education. In exchange for this educational opportunity, those who are successful in advancing through the program are required to serve a minimum of 18 to 36 months after completion of a family medicine residency in one of California’s urban or rural underserved communities. The length of community service depends on the entry point into the program. Over the past 18 months, the UCLA IMG Program has successfully matched nine IMGS and anticipates matching another 10–12 IMGs in March 2009. This is significant given the fact that each of the 126 allopathic medical schools nationwide graduates an average of 8.8 Hispanic MDs annually.1
The curriculum is composed of three required program components that prepare the IMG for Step 1 USMLE and the Step 2 clinical knowledge (CK) and clinical skills (CS) portions of the USMLE, respectively. In addition, there is a 2-month observership during which time the participant shadows family medicine residents providing clinical care. Upon successful completion of the observership, the IMG will receive assistance in completing the electronic residency program application (ERAS) and a letter of recommendation from the program. With more than 15,000 IMGs competing for the 6,000 unfilled PGY-1 GME positions each year, the letter of recommendation provides residency program directors with evidence of clinical competence.
Since the first cohort enrolled in Program A (USMLE Step 1) in January 2006, the attrition from Program A has been substantial, whereas those entering in Program B and C have resulted in 100% completion. To date, all matched IMGs have remained in good standing in their respective residency programs, with more formal evaluations forthcoming.
Our preliminary data demonstrates that IMGs must be fluent in oral and written English and require at least 1 year preparing for the USMLE Step 1 prior to enrolling in the 6-month USMLE Step 1 course. A major challenge has been teaching the judicious use of technology and our large pharmaceutical armamentarium given that most of world lacks the health care resources readily available to US physicians. Another challenge involves how to effectively teach IMGs US medical culture and subsequently measuring the success of instruction. Although the ACGME Core Competencies are well understood by medical educators, these competencies may not provide adequate performance evaluation in areas such as punctuality, time to complete tasks, the art of roundsmanship, and documentation skills addressing medico-legal concerns.
We believe that this program will help to address many of the unique needs of our state’s underserved Hispanic population by increasing the number of bilingual physicians and placing them in areas of unmet need.
Reference
1. Diversity in the physician workforce: facts and figures 2006. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges. www.aamc.org/factsandfigures.
Future Family Docs: Spotlight on the Colorado AHEC System: CREATE Health and Aurora LIGHTS
Health care providers who thrive in a rural family medicine practice were educated and mentored long before medical school. Starting in grade school, this education included experiences within a supportive rural community. The Colorado AHEC System has launched two health care pipeline programs aimed at providing these experiences: CREATE Health and Aurora LIGHTS. Goals are to (1) improve basic educational building blocks, (2) increase the number of students entering health care careers, and (3) help our communities understand their role in health care provider pipeline programs.
CREATE Health
The Colorado Rural Education and Training Enterprise for Health (CREATE Health) provides collaborative, statewide education experiences to increase student interest in health professions care to increase the numbers of rural physicians. CREATE Health will facilitate idea sharing and partnering with several organizations already doing good work around pipeline projects.
Grade school students will be exposed to health careers through The Great Hospital Adventure puppet program and the Medical Academy of Science and Health (MASH) Camp, which provide children the opportunity to explore the day-to-day work of health professionals. Teachers, counselors, and administrators will be able to experience health care careers through the Teachers Exploring and Advocating Careers in Health (TEACH) program and the Science Teacher Institute at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus (UCD-AMC).
High school students will have opportunities for science and health career education through Health Occupations Student Association (HOSA); Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA); EMT Training; Summer Health Institutes; and the Colorado Rural Health Scholars Program.
College is when students choose specific health care fields, and those who attend rural colleges tend to stay in a rural area. Active premedical or pre-health professional groups, along with volunteer and employment opportunities in health fields, help students confirm their career decisions. CREATE Health will support pre-health professional clubs, summer internships at UCD-AMC, Kaplan MCAT Preparation Course, faculty and medical student visits, premedical advisor support, and Science Faculty Institute at UCD-AMC.
Aurora LIGHTS
The Colorado and Central AHEC’s and the Aurora Public Schools announce the new program, Aurora LIGHTS (LeadinG the way in HealTH Sciences), a collaboration allowing students in urban and educationally disadvantaged Aurora to enter a pipeline program from kindergarten through health professional school at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). It is designed to help minority and disadvantaged students succeed in science and then enroll in pre-medical and health sciences programs. Aurora LIGHTS is up and running thanks to its partners’ expertise and resources for developing curricula and expanding science fair and summer health care career programs. In addition to Colorado AHEC and Aurora Public Schools, these partners include UCD-AM, Colorado Rural Health Center, Community College of Aurora, Health Occupations Student Association, Math, Engineering, Science Achievement, the Metropolitan Community Provider Network (Aurora’s local community health network), and Colorado Family Medicine Residencies-Commission on Family Medicine. Like the aurora borealis, minority and disadvantaged students who succeed in Aurora LIGHTS will become beacons of light to exemplify what’s possible for the next generation of students from their communities to enter health science professions. Family medicine faculty and clinicians are invited to participate in these exciting and essential pipeline programs.
Contact Jack Westfall, MD, MPH, Colorado AHEC Director, at jack.westfall@uchsc.edu or Carol Giffin-Jeansonne, EdD, executive director, Western Colorado AHEC, at cgiffin@wcahec.org.
Self Nominations Sought for Group on Predoctoral Education Steering Committee
The STFM Group on Predoctoral Education serves an important role in representing the interests of predoctoral family medicine faculty within the STFM organization. Each year, we request self-nominations from individuals working in predoctoral education to serve a 2-year term on the five-member group Steering Committee.
Any individual wishing to self-nominate should send a brief (one paragraph) bio listing their medical (or graduate) school and year of graduation, residency and year of graduation (if appropriate), faculty experience, and current role/interests in predoctoral education. Members rotating off the committee must send in bio and be elected to continue to serve on the Steering Committee.
Nominations should be sent to Kay Frank, STFM, at kfrank@stfm.org. Kay will compile the nominations and send out a ballot in late November. The term of service begins at the STFM Predoctoral Education Conference in January 2009. Anyone with questions about the Steering Committee should contact the current chair, Chantal Brazeau, MD, at brazeacm@umdnj.edu.
The deadline for e-mailing self-nominations is November 7, 2008.
Renew Your STFM Membership and Receive Free Conference Registration
Don't miss your chance to win free registration to one of STFM's 2009 conferences just by renewing your membership by November 14. To renew, go to www.stfm.org/renew/ now!
STFM Members Shine at the AAFP Scientific Assembly
The AAFP Congress of Delegates met September 14–17, and the AAFP Scientific Assembly was held September 17–21, both in San Diego. At the meetings:
• STFM member Bill Ellert, MD, Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, was named AAFP National Family Physician of the Year. Dr Ellert has participated in the last three STFM Annual Spring Conferences. For more information about his impressive background, click here.
• STFM member Jeffrey Cain, MD, University of Colorado, was elected to the AAFP Board of Directors.
• STFM Past President Jeannette South-Paul, MD, received the AAFP John G. Walsh Award for Lifetime Contributions to Family Medicine. This award honors individuals whose dedication and effective leadership has furthered the development of family medicine.
Jeannette South-Paul, MD, received the AAFP John G. Walsh Award for Lifetime Contributions to Family Medicine from then AAFP President Jim King.
• STFM member Norman Kahn Jr, MD, received the Thomas W. Johnson Award for Career Contributions to Family Medicine Education, which is designed to be the highest honor presented by the Academy for outstanding contributions to family medicine education in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education spheres.
• Jen Bacani, MD, Via Christi FPRP, Wichita, Kan, STFM’s recent resident representative, was elected resident representative to the AAFP Board.
• STFM President Scott Fields, MD, did an outstanding job providing greetings and representing STFM. He and Executive Director Stacy Brungardt, CAE, had several good meetings while in San Diego, including a dinner with Wonca President Chris van Weel, MD, and other leaders from the North American Region of Wonca.
• Scott and Stacy also met with the leadership of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) to discuss how STFM and ACOFP might collaborate as organizations. This meeting led to a joint survey that we’ll be working on with the ACOFP to identify needs of their constituency that STFM and the ACOFP might be able to address.
New Chairs
STFM has received news of the following new department of family medicine chair appointments:
• Martha McGrew, MD, University of New Mexico
• F. David Schneider, MD, MSPH, St Louis University
Kudos
K. Ashok Kumar, MD, was recently sworn in as the president-elect of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians (TAFP). Dr Kumar is currently serving as professor and director of medical education in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. As TAFP president-elect, Dr Kumar will train and prepare for his year as president in 2009–2010. He will serve as an advocate for family medicine, meeting with state legislators and other advocacy groups around Texas.
Larry Halverson, MD, CoxHealth Family Medical Care Center, is a family physician who has served his community in Springfield, Mo, his entire career. In his ongoing effort to bring critical diabetes care to those who need it, Dr Halverson is on a cross-country bike ride to raise money for the Family Medicine Diabetes Fund. He has a passion to respond to the pain and suffering of the less advantaged in his community, especially those experiencing the complications of chronic diseases like diabetes.
Dr Halverson started his ride August 17 in Anacortes, Wash, and will travel for 2 months until he reaches his goal of Stamford, Conn. Dr Halverson said, “As I reflect on my career as a family doctor, I am frustrated that diabetes and related chronic conditions are increasingly wreaking havoc on people. Diabetes is killing my patients, and I believe that much of that harm is preventable.” A few years ago, he started raising funds to create a center that would support prevention efforts through their residency program and local community health center. He had some success but it was slow going. So he decided to do something dramatic in the hope it would ignite a major response.
Click here a complete map for his travels. To make a donation to support Dr Halverson’s effort, go to his Web site. On his Web site, you can also read his blog about his experiences on this exciting and worthwhile adventure.
Larry Halverson, MD, endures rain, sleet, and a flat tire on his bike journey to raise funds for diabetes care.
| Alabama Julia Boothe, MD |
Michigan Katherine Gold, MD, MSW, MS Debra Machlem, PhD Maggie Riley, MD |
| Arizona Melody Jordahl, MD |
Minnesota Kathleen Brooks, MD |
| Arkansas John Schwartz, MD |
Missouri Leigh Tenkku, PhD, MPH |
| California Benjamin Brown, MD Huey Lin, MD Fasih Hameed, MD Shelly Henderson, MA Kara Walker, MD, MPH |
New York Rita Aszalos, MD Judy Chertok, MD Cara Herbitter, MPH Deborah Jones, MD Jennifer Kabak, DO Pebble Kranz, MD Kimberly Noyes, MD, MPH Marcella Scaccia, MD Minal Vaidya, MD |
| District of Columbia Keisa Bennett, MD, MPH TyWanda McLaurin-Jones, PhD |
North Carolina Lisa Cassidy-Vu, MD Stephen Snow, PhD Gloria Trujillo, MD |
| Florida Leena Hancock, MD, MPH |
Ohio Chris White, MD, JD |
| Georgia April Getz, MD |
Oregon Danielle Eigner, DO |
| Illinois Christopher Babiuch, MD Bechara Choucair, MD Kathleen Freeburg, MS, LMFT Tracey Smith, PA C. Kimi Suh, MD |
Pennsylvania Chun Wai Chan, MD Katherine Sullivan, PharmD |
| Indiana Elaine Willerton, PhD |
South Carolina William Bungarz, MD Matt Orr, PhD Sarah Shrader, PharmD |
| Kentucky Stephen Hanson, PhD |
Texas Summer Alexander Merritt, MD Saleh Elsaid, MD Sarah Holder, DO Richard Robinson, MD Anisa Ssengoba-Ubogu, MD Hena Zaki, DO |
| Maine Tim Pieh, MD Jenifer VanDeusen, MEd |
Virginia Mark Lutterbie, MD Amiesha Panchal, MD M. Pendleton, MD |
| Maryland Alison Bartleman, MD |
Washington Jaqueline Raetz, MD |
| Massachusetts Felix Chang, MD Cheryl Divito, DO |
Wisconsin Sarah Fox, MD |
Exciting International Opportunity Now Available Through the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Program
The Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Program is an exciting clinical research training experience for graduate-level US students in the health professions. The program offers a 1-year clinical research training experience to advanced-standing students in US medical, osteopathic, or dental school or students enrolled in doctoral level programs at US schools of public health, optometry, nursing, pharmacy, or veterinary medicine.
This is an opportunity for highly motivated individuals to experience mentored research training at top-ranked NIH-funded research centers in a diverse group of countries, including Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, China, Haiti, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia.
The program is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s Fogarty International Center (FIC) in partnership with the NIH Office of the Director, and a number of NIH centers. The program is administered by Vanderbilt University, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Association of Schools of Public Health.
The deadline to apply for the program is December 5, 2008. To learn more and to obtain an application, go to www.aamc.org/overseasfellowship, or direct your questions to fic-fellowship@aamc.org.
STFM Members to Receive Free Electronic Version of Family Practice Management
We're pleased to offer a new service for STFM members. Family Practice Management, published six times a year by the American Academy of Family Physicians, will soon be sent free to STFM members electronically. It’s identical to the print journal (available only with a paid subscription) but will be delivered electronically. Recipients will be given the opportunity to opt out if so desired. The first digital edition will go out in November 2008.
2009 Call for Applications: The Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholars Award
The John A. Hartford Foundation and the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging announce The Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholars Awards Program. This program supports physician-scientists committed to improving the health care of older adults during the critical transition from junior faculty to independent researcher.
Research must be focused on older adults and may address clinical
strategies and effectiveness, innovative outcomes measures, and quality
of life. Hartford Outcomes Scholars must have a research sponsor who
has a strong background in training and outcomes research, as well as
expertise and interest in the outcomes research that is being proposed.
Application Deadline: December 5, 2008
Start of Grant: July 1, 2009
Award Amount: $100,000 per year for 2 years
Number of Awards: Up to four awards will be made in 2009
Manuscripts Sought for FP Essentials
The AAFP's Home Study Program is soliciting proposals for manuscripts for FP Essentials, the program's monthly, peer-reviewed monograph series. The topics for which proposals are being solicited are:
• Seizure Disorders
• Heart Failure Update
• Sports Medicine
• Respiratory Emergencies
• Personality Disorders
• Care of Patients With HIV/AIDS
An honorarium is provided to FP Essentials monograph authors. More information is available at www.aafp.org/homestudy/fpessentials/authorinstructions.
Group Project Fund: A Progress Report
As promised, a summary of progress that has been made by the four group projects funded for 2008 is the topic of this column. This funding was made possible due to the success of the STFM Foundation’s 2007 Annual Giving Campaign.
Overcoming Obstacles to Writing for Family Medicine Educators
Group on Minority and Multicultural Health Care
Purpose: To promote the development of a community of teachers of family medicine with enhanced writing skills through four writing workshops. The project is designed to support minority faculty, enhance their ability to recruit others to the field, and build capacity for research through strengthening writing ability.
Progress: The first of four writing workshops was held as an all-day preconference workshop on April 30, just prior to the STFM Annual Spring Conference in Baltimore. Pre- and post-evaluation tools were developed, IRB approval to conduct a study of the project was obtained from the University of Arizona, and the second workshop is planned for September 27. There were 20 participants in the first workshop, all of whom agreed or strongly agreed that the speakers were excellent and planned to maintain the collaboration among participants beyond the workshop.
Patricia Lebensohn, MD, said “The benefits of these workshops go beyond helping individual STFM members with their writing skills; they also create a community of writers through networking and support for specific writing projects.”
Ongoing Third-year Family Medicine Resident Satisfaction
Group on Behavioral Science
Purpose: To create and offer to all US and Canadian family medicine residency programs a confidential, objective, self-report questionnaire that will be administered online to graduating third-year residents as a part of the exit interview process.
Progress: A preexisting questionnaire was modified as a result of input from focus groups conducted at four family medicine residencies. Program/resident recruitment was accomplished through handouts at conferences and workshops (MD and DO) and e-mails to all program directors in the United States and Canada. The questionnaire was administered to 470 residents, 100 of whom completed it. Analysis of factors contributing to low participation rates has begun, which will result in a different approach to third-year residents in June 2009.
“To improve the quality of residency training, we must look beyond the content of the curriculum and consider the training process. This research will identify what residents perceive as relative strengths and weaknesses of this process,” said Timothy Spruill, EdD.
Teaching E-mail Communication in a Residency Program
Group on Information Technology
Purpose: To develop a curriculum to teach residents how best to communicate via e-mail with patients while guarding patient confidentiality, safety, and imparting appropriate information in a suitable time to the correct recipient. The curriculum will be published on FMDRL.
Progress: Twenty-two family medicine residency programs are participating in the project. An initial survey to document knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to physician/patient e-mail has been developed and sent to residents and faculty using SurveyMonkey.
Heather Paladine, MD, says “Electronic communication with patients is a timely topic, and being able to teach its correct use is an important issue for family medicine educators. STFM is really on the cutting edge in this area.”
Adolescent Health for Primary Care: Development of a Web-based, Comprehensive, Competency-based Curriculum
Group on Adolescent Health
Purpose: To (1) develop, implement, and evaluate a curricular instruction plan, (2) develop, implement, and maintain a peer-reviewed database of adolescent-related teaching resources through a link to STFM’s Family Medicine Digital Resources Library, and (3) house the curriculum on the Web to maximize access.
Progress: A survey of residency directors to evaluate how adolescent medicine is taught in family medicine residencies has been developed to be distributed by e-mail. The results should be analyzed and ready for presentation at the STFM 2009 Annual Spring Conference in Denver. These results will be incorporated into curriculum design.
According to Francesco Leanza, MD, “We hope that this project will be used by family medicine residencies as well as by pediatric and internal medicine residencies as a tool and guide for teaching adolescent medicine.”