FROM THE CHAIR

We pride ourselves on being “Leaders and Best” in all our missions. The reason we’re able to do this, as well as the reason for our long and distinguished history of success, is clearly the committed people who work here. We feel we have some of the best faculty, staff and residents of any program in the country.

The Department of Family Medicine was established in 1978. At that time we had four faculty members, one site, and one hospital service. We have since grown tremendously, and now count over 75 full-time faculty (plus innumerable clinical associates and adjunct faculty), manage four inpatient services, and have five outpatient clinics with a sixth one scheduled to open in 2014. Clinically, we provide care in multiple areas, and have faculty with special expertise in sports medicine, geriatrics, palliative care and hospice medicine, integrative medicine, women’s health, genetics, men’s health and hearing loss among other areas.

Our faculty teach at all levels – ranging from college undergraduates to CME – and we have consistently been rated the #1 clerkship by the 3rd year medical students since the inception of a required third-year clerkship in 1996. We have a top-rated residency program with 11 residents per year, and offer seven fellowships. Scholarly, we are among the top five Family Medicine programs in NIH funding, with our researchers performing innovative research and publishing innumerable papers in high quality journals. And, our outreach efforts also are robust, both locally and internationally, with active programs in Ecuador, Ghana, and Japan, as well at the Hope Clinic, and the Delonis homeless clinic in Ann Arbor.

Our mission and vision can be succinctly summarized: We exist both to improve the health of our patients, their families, and our communities, as well as to develop the next generation of Family Medicine leaders.

We are proud to be part of the University of Michigan: One of the only schools in the country that has a top ten medical school, dental school, nursing school, social work school, business school, law school, and engineering school. The potential opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration are enormous. We’re also located in a wonderful community, Ann Arbor, which has a diverse population and provides a high quality of life.

For more details, please peruse our website. If you have trouble finding what you’re looking for, please let us know. Thanks again for visiting us.

Go Blue!

Philip Zazove, M.D
The George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine

 

CURRENT DEPARTMENT NEWS

See the Department of Family Medicine Spring 2012 Newsletter.

March 22, 2013: Statins Often Prescribed Without Good Evidence

Physicians may not fully consider cardiovascular risks when prescribing medications to lower patients’ cholesterol levels, according to a new University of Michigan Health System study that appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine this week.

Using a survey, the research team asked more than 200 physicians to make choices on the treatment of six different patients that they might consider treating for high cholesterol. Statins such as Lipitor, Crestor, and Zocor have become a widely-used method to lower cholesterol levels. In 2010 around 20 billion dollars was spent on statins.

“We found that physicians may be treating low-risk patients with statin medications that are unlikely to benefit,” says lead author Michael E. Johansen, M.D., clinical lecturer. Read more in the UMHS Headlines.

Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, Ananda Sen, Ph.D., associate professor, and Lee A. Green., M.D., M.P.H., professer emeritus were co-authors of the publication "A National Survey of the Treatment of Hyperlipidemia in Primary Prevention."

Dr. Johansen was also featured on Rueters and Fox News for this work.

 

March 8, 2013: Leaders and Best in Family Medicine

Twelve Department faculty members were named among the country’s Best Doctors in Family Medicine according to StyleLine Magazine. 

Congratulations to all the honorees, including:

• Barbara S. Apgar, M.D.
• William E. Chavey II, M.D., M.S.
• Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A.
• Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D.
• Masahito Jimbo, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
• Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S.
• Christina W. Krause, M.D.
• Karen L. Musolf, M.D.
• James F. Peggs, M.D.
• Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D.
• Eric P. Skye, M.D.
• Lourdes Velez, M.S.

Read more in the UMHS Headlines or see the complete list (PDF).

 

March 4, 2013: Developments in the PCMH

David C. Serlin, M.D., assistant professor, has been named the Department’s first Patient-Centered Medical Home Medical Director.  In his new role, Dr. Serlin will he will help lead us as we endeavor to implement a quantum leap forward in our clinical operations, more focused on population management. Kathryn M. Harmes, M.D., lecturer, and Heather L. Holmstrom, M.D., lecturer, will also be involved in this exciting new project. 

February 8, 2013: Family Physician Serves on Prominent Guideline Panel

Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., FAAFP, FACG, associate professor in family medicine and urology, was recently named as the sole primary care member of the American Gastroenterological Association's Guideline Panel on Immunomodulators and Anti-TNF Biologics in Moderate to Severe Crohn's Disease.

"What we see and do as primary care physicians is quite different from gastroenterologists.  Thus, it's exciting having someone of such high caliber as Dr. Heidelbaugh involved in this panel.  It's a wonderful opportunity to make sure that the primary care perspective is included as we move forward into the new age of taking care of patients with Crohn's and other autoimmune diseases." said Philip Zazove, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine... Read more on the Patient Care Page.

 

February 5, 2013: Deafness in the Medical Field

Are deaf and hard of hearing (DHoH) physicians getting the support they need? In a first of its kind study, Philip Zazove, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, along with his co-authors, address the unique professional barriers faced by hearing-impaired physicians. The research team surveyed DHoH physicians and medical students to determine whether available accommodations enhance career satisfaction and DHoH providers’ ability to deliver care. The research has important implications for medical students, educators, employers and DHoH patients.

“This study highlights a little understood but clearly growing group of physicians who are demonstrating that hearing loss doesn't keep them from being a physician,” says senior author Dr. Zazove. “These doctors connect with DHoH patients in a way that hearing physicians can't.” 

The article, titled “Deafness Among Physicians and Trainees: A National Survey,” appears in the February 2013 issue of Academic Medicine(subscription required).

Learn more at uofmheath.org or U.C. Davis Health System.

 

January 25, 2013: Three faculty members accepted into the ADFM fellowship program

In response to a need to develop future department leadership, the Association of the Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM) created a fellowship for family physicians to develop the skills needed to be a department leader or chair. 

Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., associate professor of family medicine and urology, clerkship director, Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, and Eric P. Skye, M.D., associate professor, associate chair of educational programs, have been accepted into the 2013-14 ADFM’s Senior Leaders Fellowship Program... Read more on the Faculty and Staff Page.

January 24, 2013: Family Medicine in the News

Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, spoke with Voice of America regarding her recent research on postpartum depression in Ghana noted above.  “We know that depression in pregnancy and postpartum can affect the pregnancy outcome. It can affect how the baby attaches with mom. It can affect things like the baby’s well-being. But in low-income countries, if mom is depressed it also affects the infant’s health. And it appears to affect diarrheal diseases, respiratory illnesses, their growth. It has significant health effects. So it really can be a life and death situation for babies in these low-income countries,” Dr. Gold said in her interview.  Read or listen to the complete piece at Voice of America.  The story also ran in UMHS’ Health System Headlines and Healio.

January 21, 2013: Dr. Reed receives AMA-WPC Award

For excellence in mentorship, Barbara D. Reed, M.D., M.S.P.H., professor, hasreceived the Physician Mentorship Recognition award from the Women Physicians Congress of the American Medical Association.

Nominated by Carolyn Payne, who was an undergraduate at U-M at the time she worked with Dr. Reed, and who is now a medical student at another institution, says, “Dr. Reed’s mentorship in the field of clinical research provided me the highest quality introduction into the steps and processes behind conducting scientifically sound clinical investigation..." Read more on the Research Page.

 

December 20, 2012: Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship receives 5-year accreditation

The U-M Department of Family Medicine is pleased to announce that the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship has received a five-year accreditation with no citations from the Residency Review Committee (RRC), which is the maximum cycle allowed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D., assistant professor, associate program director for the fellowship, says, “Our program collaborates with the Internal Medicine Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine to provide high-quality training for fellows from diverse backgrounds including family medicine, internal medicine, med-peds, emergency medicine, and others. Our intensive one-year program trains fellows at the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Arbor Hospice, and relies on numerous and dedicated interdisciplinary faculty to provide a broad spectrum of learning experiences. We are all very proud of this achievement.”

To learn more, visit the fellowship homepage, http://www.med.umich.edu/geriatrics/edu/hospice.htm.

 

December 19, 2012: UMMS 58th Annual Student Biomedical Research Fall Forum

Michael Chu (left), U-M Medical School student, and Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., professor, director-Japanese Family Health Program, reflect on the experience of the Biomedical Research Fall Forum.

The student biomedical research forum is a compilation of poster presentations or original scientific research by undergraduate students and medical students who participated in the summer research programs sponsored by the U-M Medical School’s Student Biomedical Research Programs (SBRP). Held at the Michigan League in November, the students who presented at this year’s annual meeting worked with a U-M faculty investigators on projects that ranged from the level of genes and proteins to public health and epidemiology.

Several students were sponsored by U-M Department of Family Medicine faculty members: Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research professor; Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor; Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor; Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor; David C. Serlin, M.D., assistant professor; and Suzanna M. Zick, N.D., M.P.H., research associate professor.

“The breadth and scope of the projects conducted by these students, under the auspices of our faculty, is truly impressive. They involve locations all around the world and tackle important issues that have the potential to improve health care for everyone,” says Philip Zazove, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine.

See below for specific project information. To learn more about the SBRP, visit their website, http://www.med.umich.edu/medstudents/student_services/research/.

Specific project information:

Assessing Patient Beliefs and Practices Regarding the Relationship Between Hypertension and Lifestyle in a Low-Income Urban Section of Quito, Ecuador

• Participants: Stephen Colón, Michele Heisler, M.D., David Serlin, M.D., Jessica Bloom, Roopa Pandit, Colin Parker.

Estimating the Prevalence of Pre-Diabetes in a Cohort of Overweight/Obese Veterans

• Participants/Title: Xinran Xiang, Laura Damschroder, Leah Gillon, Tanaz Moin, Julie Lowry, Caroline Richardson, M.D.

How Healthcare Providers Cope with High Rates of Perinatal Death in a Resource-Poor Setting

• Participants/Title: Alissa Petrites, Kathryn Spangenberg, Katherine Gold;

Maternal Intimate Partner Violence and Infant Growth

• Participants/Title: Vivian Lam, Kathryn Spangenberg, Priscilla Wobil, Katherine Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S.

Motivators for Tobacco Cessation During Pregnancy

• Participants: Aisha Bobb-Semple, Martha Boggs, Jorge Delva, Katherine Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S.

Patterns of Medication Adherence Among Patients with Hypertension (HTN) in Area 19, Quito, Ecuador

• Participants: Jessica Bloom, Michele Heisler, M.D., David Serlin, M.D., Stephen Colón, Roopa Pandit, Colin Parker.

The Prevalence and Phenotype of Pain Experienced by Fatigued Breast Cancer Survivors

• Participants: Eunice Lee, Suzanna Zick, N.D., M.P.H., Richard Harris.

Prevention of Colorectal Cancer with Omega-3 Fatty Acids

• Participants: Steven Sun, Jianwei Ren, Yan Jiang, Dean Brenner, Zora Djuric, Ph.D.

Provider Perspectives on Barriers to Hypertension Care in Low-Resource Community Health Centers in Quito, Ecuador

• Participants: Colin Parker, Michele Heisler, M.D., David Serlin, M.D., Jessica Bloom, Roopa Pandit, Stephen Colón.

Self-Blame Following Infant Death for Bereaved Mothers in Ghana

• Participants/Title: Anna Meyer, Katherine Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S.

Standardized Patient Instructors (SPIs) for Breast, Male/Female Genital, Rectal and Male Prostate Examinations: Utility for Japanese Family Physician Trainees

• Participants: Michael Chu, Michael Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., Satoko Motohara, Michelle Thurston.

Views of Post-Partum Depression and Mental Health Training Among Obstetrician-Gynecologists in Kumasi, Ghana

• Participants: Aditi Ramakrishnan, Katherine Gold, Ghana Global REACH Students.

 

December 18, 2012: Dr. Reed to present at ISSWSH

The International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH) fosters collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and academics to promote the good health of women.

Barbara D. Reed, M.D., M.S.P.H., professor, will be speaking at the 2013 ISSWSH annual meeting in February, in New Orleans, La. The talk, "Vulvodynia—does previous oral contraceptive use increase risk?", is based on a study that was coauthored with Laurie J. Legocki, Ph.D., lecturer, and Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, from the Department of Family Medicine, and Sioban Harlow, M.D., professor of epidemiology; Margaret Helmuth, Ph.D., statistician from the Department of Epidemiology; Hope Haefner, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology; and Brenda Gillespie, M.D., research associate professor of biostatistics.

"There has been ongoing controversy regarding the possible role of oral contraceptive use in vulvodynia risk. Our study indicates that oral contraceptives taken before the onset of vulvodynia do not increase risk—an important piece of information for physicians caring for these women. Further study on possible risk in specific subgroups will be ongoing," says Dr. Reed.

Learn more about the ISSWSH annual meeting, http://www.isswsh.org/meetings/2013/default.aspx.

 

December 11, 2012: Dr. Ruffin published in the American Journal of Health Behavior

Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., the Max and Buena Lichter Research Professor of Family Medicine, associate chair for research programs, was recently published in the American Journal of Health Behavior for a paper he co-authored, “Perceived risk of cervical cancer in Appalachian women.”

The authors interviewed nearly 600 women and found that those who have good or very good knowledge of cervical cancer, greater worry, and history of sexually transmitted infection had higher odds of rating their perceived risk as somewhat or much higher than did other women. Additionally, the authors found that former smokers had perceptions of lower risk.

From this information, Dr. Ruffin and his colleagues conclude that self-regulation model factors, or the way a patient understands the risk of illness and what she does to get better, are important to understanding cervical cancer risk in underserved women. They also note that smoking and worry to perceived risk may be a target for intervention.

“This study was led by Dr. Kimberly Kelly, a new investigator. Her work represents one of the first focusing on Appalachian women who still have higher rates of cervical cancer than other women in the United States even though they get checked regularly. The results will help us understand how we might eliminate the burden of cervical cancer for them,” says Dr. Ruffin.

Full citation information: Kelly KM, Ferketich AK, Ruffin MT IV, Tatum C, Paskett ED. Perceived risk of cervical cancer in Appalachian women. Am J Health Behav 36(6):849-59, Nov 2012.

 

December 10, 2012: Dr. Heidelbaugh named chair, GOMSE steering committee

Joel H. Heidelbaugh, M.D., associate professor of family medicine and urology, clerkship director, has been named chair of the Group on Medical Student Education (GOMSE) steering committee. Also of note, 2009 residency program alumnae Miranda M. Huffman, M.D., an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas, recently became a member of the group.

The steering committee meets monthly to discuss and create projects, as well as report to the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine (STFM) on medical student issues. At the upcoming 39th Annual Conference on Medical Student Education the group is hosting a preconference workshop, "Hot topics in family medicine education." Additionally, Dr. Heidelbaugh will be presenting and leading a breakout session on developing teaching portfolios and preparing for academic promotion. Moreover, he will be co-presenting, "So a medical student has claimed mistreatment, now what?"

"This is a great honor to represent the department on a national level and continue to promote innovations in medical student education, as well as to foster faculty development," says Dr. Heidelbaugh.

To learn more about the Group on Medical Student Education, http://www.stfm.org/group/predoc-edu.cfm.

 

December 6, 2012: Dr. Sen presents at U.S. Army Conference on Applied Statistics

Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, was invited to give an oral presentation at the Army Conference on Applied Statistics (ACAS) held in Monterey, Calif., October 24-26, 2012.

ACAS is a conference of the Interface Foundation of North America and leading forum for the presentation and discussion of theoretical and applied papers relating to the use of probability and statistics for solving defense- and security-related problems.

Dr. Sen’s presentation, “Statistical inference for a parametric model for repairable systems under multiple failure modes,” focused on methodological advances in the field of recurrent events experienced by individuals or prototypes of a machine that are subject to multiple sources of recurrence.

“It has direct applications in industrial engineering and biomedical sciences,” says Dr. Sen.

To learn more, visit their website, http://www.armyconference.org.

 

December 5, 2012: Ectopic Pregnancy

Sahoko H. Little, M.D., Ph.D., lecturer, and Pamela G. Rockwell, D.O., assistant professor, medical director-Domino’s Farms Family Medicine, have written a paper that was recently published in the Journal of Family Practice, “Ectopic pregnancy: Zero in on these lab and imaging clues.”

The authors discuss ways to make reliable clinical decisions including hormone tests and transvaginal ultrasounds, as well as treatments of ectopic pregnancy.

“Quantitative ß-hCG measurements and transvaginal ultrasound findings interpreted in light of a ß-hCG ‘cutoff’ can reliably guide clinical decisions,” says Dr. Little.

Read more online: http://www.jfponline.com/Pages.asp?AID=10884&issue=November_2012&UID=.

Full citation information: Little SH, Rockwell PG. Ectopic pregnancy: Zero in on these lab and imaging clues. J of Fam Prac, vol 61, no 11, Nov 2012.

 

December 4, 2012: Dr. Cashman attends NAMS

Casandra Cashman, M.D., women's health fellow, won a scholarship award to attend the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) annual meeting held in Orlando, Fla., in October. As part of the scholarship, she was asked to present to the Department upon her return. She gave a talk entitled, “Abnormal uterine bleeding in perimenopause and beyond” to the Department’s resident physicians on November 14.

“It is critical that we provide women’s healthcare to all age groups, and not just during their reproductive years. Family physicians are in a unique position to catch more serious issues early on or reassure patients that what they are experiencing is normal,” says Dr. Cashman.

To see photos from the event, including all of the scholarship recipients, go to http://www.menopause.org/annual-meetings/2012-meeting/as-it-happened.

 

December 3, 2012: A long-term study of vulvodynia symptoms

Lead author Barbara D. Reed, M.D., M.S.P.H., professor, and co-authors Laurie J. Legocki, Ph.D., lecturer, and Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, were recently published in the Journal of Women's Health. Their article entitled, "Urogenital symptoms and pain history as precursors of vulvodynia: A longitudinal study" demonstrated that the incidence of vulvodynia was substantially increased among those with intermediate urogenital symptoms compared to those without any pain with intercourse or history of short-term vulvar pain.

"Our findings suggest that urogenital sensitivity may be very common long before patients present or are diagnosed with vulvodynia," says Dr. Reed.

Read the abstract online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23134279.

Full citation information: Reed BD, Payne CM, Harlow SD, Legocki LJ, Haefner HK, Sen A. Urogenital symptoms and pain history as precursors of vulvodynia: A longitudinal study. J Womens Health (Larchmt). Nov;21(11):1139-43, 2012.

 

November 29, 2012: Relief for cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors often experience persistent fatigue after their treatment has ended.

Lead author Suzanna M. Zick, N.D., M.P.H., research associate professor, and co-author Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, were recently published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicinel. Their article entitled, “Acupressure for persistent cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors (AcuCrft): A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial” compares two types of acupressure and their effectiveness to common or standard forms of treatment.

“Acupressure has been shown to decrease fatigue levels by as much as 70% while being inexpensive, non-toxic and easy to use. This study has the potential to develop a low-cost, self-care intervention for the most troubling of late-term effects in breast cancer populations, fatigue,” says Dr. Zick.

Read more about this study (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/12/132).

Full citation information: Zick SM, Wyatt GK, Murphy SL, Arnedt JT, Sen A. Acupressure for persistent cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors (AcuCrft): A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12:132, 2012.

 

November 28, 2012: CACHIM annual meeting

Rita K. Benn, Ph.D., adjunct research investigator, Amy B. Locke, M.D., assistant professor, director of Integrative Family Medicine (IFM), and Suzanna M. Zick, N.D., M.P.H., research associate professor, attended the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine (CACHIM) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in October 21-23, 2012.

“The annual meeting is an excellent opportunity to network with educators and researchers of Integrative Medicine from around the country. I look forward to increased participation from faculty, residents, and students from across the medical center in the Consortium’s meetings and programs. At this year’s meeting we heard from Darrell G. Kirsch, M.D., president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), as well as Jeffrey Levi, Ph.D., executive director of Trusts for America’s Health, both of whom spoke about the future of health care and the role for Integrative Medicine. I found both presentations inspiring for how we best train students and physicians to treat and care for patients and communities,” says Dr. Locke.

In addition to the annual meeting, CACHIM has several groups and committees that focus on collaboration and act as a resource for programs across the country, including the Research Working Group (RWG) whose mission is to support, facilitate, and encourage high-quality integrative medicine research. Dr. Zick has served as the chair of the RWG for the past several years, and is reaching the end of her term. She helped organize the research talks at the annual meeting, which included inviting Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, to speak about using electronic media to support physical activity.

The University of Michigan will be hosting the spring CACHIM Steering Committee meeting.

Learn more about CACHIM, www.imconsortium.org.

 

November 27, 2012: Dr. Michael Papo, 1958 U-M Medical School graduate and co-founder of the Chelsea Medical Clinic, now home to the U-M Chelsea Family Medicine Center, passed away on November 18th

Dr. Michael Papo, aged 87, passed away on November 18, 2012 at his home in Singer Island, Florida. Born July 26, 1925 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, he was a survivor of the Holocaust who, in 1951, immigrated to the United States with his father Albert Papo, DDS. While living in Ann Arbor Michigan, pursued a career in medicine at the University of Michigan. In 1958, after completing his medical training, Dr. Michael Papo co-founded the Chelsea Medical Clinic, in a rural community of southeastern Michigan.

Dr. Papo believed that people in rural areas also deserved access to quality health care. This "new" approach to health care characterized by personal, prompt and compassionate care emphasizing quality care at a reasonable cost was a resounding success.

Along with his colleagues, he envisioned and built a new state of the art medical clinic for family medicine, which ultimately expanded its services to include the building of the Chelsea Community Hospital in 1970, which also included one of the first outpatient surgical facilities in the nation. Dr. Michael Papo pioneered the practice of family medicine, mentoring many young residents and medical students at the Chelsea Medical Clinic. He was widely recognized for a distinguished career of 20 plus years in medicine which included numerous awards for his humanitarian accomplishments as well as being a contributing force in the establishment of the original Medicare legislation. He continued to practice until his retirement in 1978, when he donated the medical practice to the University of Michigan which became the original home of the University of Michigan's Family Practice Center.

Dr. Papo spent his later years committed to philanthropic pursuits and satisfying his passion for sailing and traveling the world. He is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Judith Papo, daughter, Michele Papo, MD, and grandson, Ian Tanguy, of Dallas, Texas, his son, Rene Papo and daughter-in-law, Hina Papo MD, and grandchildren Alex Papo and Gisele Papo, of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Papo will always be remembered for his excellence as a family man and physician, his love for sailing and his uncanny ability to capture an audience with his vivid description of his experiences.

In Dr. Papo's memory, the family requests that contributions be made to:
University of Michigan, Department of Family Medicine
Attention: Amy St. Amour
1000 Oakbrook Dr. Suite 100
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-6815
Memo note "Michael Papo, M.D. Scholarship Fund"

A commemoration of his life will be held in the Spring/Summer of 2013.

 

November 19, 2012: A deaf pioneer, now a department chair: Accomplished physician named head of U-M Family Medicine

Philip Zazove's experience and expertise to contribute to advancements in primary care, an increasingly critical area of health care for the nation

After more than 30 years in the medical field that includes making history in his profession as one of the first deaf doctors in the country, University of Michigan physician Philip Zazove, M.D. has been named chair of the U-M Medical School's Department of Family Medicine.

Zazove, a faculty member in the department for 23 years, begins his new position as the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine December 1, following approval by the U-M Board of Regents Thursday.

"Dr. Zazove has an exceptional record of accomplishment in patient care, teaching, research and service throughout his academic career at the University of Michigan," says James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., dean of the Medical School and Lyle C. Roll professor of medicine.

"His expertise and experience are invaluable assets that will contribute to our family medicine department's distinguished history of serving as a model for primary care education and research and improving the health of our patients, their families, and our communities."

Read the rest of the press release.

 

November 15, 2012: Residency applications at an all-time high

In the 2012 Residency Match that happened earlier this year, 1335 U.S. medical school graduates entered family medicine residency programs across the country.

This year 195 U.S. medical school graduates, or an estimated 14.6% of all U.S. graduates seeking postgraduate year one (PGY-1) family medicine positions, applied to the U-M Department of Family Medicine Residency Program for eleven available positions.

“With 1335 U.S. graduates entering family medicine and over 450 residency programs nation-wide, each program would expect to match three U.S. grads on average. The fact that nearly 200 U.S. graduates applied to our program this year, which is more than at any time in the program’s history, is a testament to the quality and reputation of the program throughout the nation,” says James M. Cooke, M.D., assistant professor, residency program director.

 

November 12: Job stress and mental health problems contribute to higher rates of physician suicide, U-M study shows

Despite high access to health care, doctors are less likely to seek mental health treatment; trouble at work is associated with higher suicide risk for physicians

Doctors who commit suicide appear to be under-treated for mental health problems, despite their seemingly good access to health care, a new University of Michigan study shows. Read the rest of the press release featuring the study by Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor.

This was also featured on CBS Detroit, "Study: Physicians Have Higher Than Average Suicide Rates."

Read the article that appeared on PsychCentral, "Job Stress Linked to Higher Suicide Risks for Physicians."

Read the article that was featured on Science 2.0, "Health Care Access Doesn't Help Prevent Doctor Suicide."

MedPageToday featured the study as well, "Physician Suicide Linked to Work Stress."

This was also featured in UPI, "Doctors often don't get mental help."

From Life Matters Media: "Occupational stress: Doctors may suffer when unable to save lives."

From American Medical News, "Doctors shun the help that could cut suicide risk."

 

November 8, 2012: Drs. Meunier and Apgar Co-Author a Paper in JABFM

Matthew R. Meunier, M.D., recent women’s health fellowship graduate, and Barbara S. Apgar, M.D., professor, recently published a paper in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (JABFM) entitled, “Plans to accommodate proposed maternity care training requirements: A national survey of family medicine directors of obstetrics curricula.” Dr. Meunier is currently a faculty member at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Apgar is the Department’s obstetrical service chief and sees patients at Chelsea Family Medicine. Read the paper on the JABFM website

 

November 6, 2012: Dr. Richardson Has Been Invited to Speak at ACC.13

Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, has been invited to speak at the ACC.13, the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session and Expo in March 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Her presentation is entitled, "Technology and informatics for lifestyle modification." For more information, visit their website.

 

 

 

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