News & Events

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Newsletters

Fall 2012

 

Spring 2012

Fall 2011

Spring 2011

See News Archive for previous newsletters and news.

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October

October 31, 2012: Dr. Peggs Talks to WebMD About the Risk of Hypothermia in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

With power out and temperatures dropping in Hurricane Sandy's aftermath, keeping warm is more than a comfort issue. It's a matter of life and death.

In its early stages, hypothermia -- too-low body temperature -- is hard to recognize. That makes it especially deadly, as many people don't know it's happening and become unable to take care of themselves.

James F. Peggs, M.D., professor, associate chair, spoke to WebMD about the warning signs of hypothermia, and about those who are at greater risk, including elderly people. Read the rest of the article to learn more.

 

 

 

October 30, 2012: Dr. Gold Serves as Keynote Speaker at Two Conferences

Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S..W., M.S., assistant professor, was the keynote speaker at the 2012 International Conference on Stillbirth, SIDS, and Infant Survival in Baltimore, Md., on October 7, 2012. Her presentation was entitled, "After the baby dies: Maternal bereavement and mental health as a public health issue." At this conference she also presented, "Depression and PTSD among mothers with stillbirth and early infant death compared to mothers with live birth: The Michigan Mothers Study," and a poster along with Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, "Hospital costs associated with the delivery of stillborn infants in the U.S." Dr. Gold also served as the keynote speaker for the Michigan Perinatal Bereavement Coalition Professional Conference in Livonia, Mich., in September. Her talk was entitled, "Perinatal loss and grief: Why it's a public health issue."

 

October 25, 2012: Dr. Richardson Co-Authors Diabetes Clinical Care Guidelines

The U-M Health System recently published updated clinical care guidelines for diabetes. Co-authored by Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, the guidelines are available to UMHS employees now, and will be available on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website in January 2013.

The guidelines assist physicians in providing optimal care for patients in a cost effective manner, and focus on important clinical decisions and actions in the context of overall case management. They are based on empirical evidence, other evidence-based guidelines prepared by nationally recognized groups, and expert consensus about practical considerations in providing care.

Full citation information: Standiford CJ, Vijan S, Mi Choe, H, Harrison RV, Richardson CR, Wyckoff JA. Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (Update). Ann Arbor, Mich.: Office of Clinical Affairs, University of Michigan Health System, 2012.

 

October 24, 2012: Adolescent Immunization Rates

The U-M Hospitals and Health Centers (UMHHC) recently released results of the fifth annual Adolescent Survey that included primary care patients who turned 13 between January and December 2011. Vaccines for Tdap and meningococcal for males and females, and HPV4 rates for females were included. The overall scores exceeded the UMHHC 2015 goal of 90% for Tdap and meningococcal vaccine and have surpassed the current National rate, the State rate and the 2012 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) 90th percentile benchmark. 

Congratulations to Domino’s Farms Family Medicine for achieving the highest overall rate for the category of “up to date with both Tdap and meningococcal vaccines” with an increase of 13.9% from last year, and a perfect score of 100%.

Congratulations to Chelsea Family Medicine for achieving a 22.4% increase in Tdap rates, the largest increase from last year for all the health centers.

“This is a great example of how our team-based patient-centered medical home model can help us deliver outstanding care to our patients,” says Jean M. Malouin, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, associate chair for clinical programs, Regional Medical Director—Ambulatory Services.

The UMHHC and the Department are committed to delivering quality healthcare to all patients, and continually strive to make improvements.

 

October 23, 2012: Dr. Warber Receives Grant Award

Sara L. Warber, M.D., associate professor, received a $150,000 grant from the Health and Human Services, Department of Health Resources and Services Administration for the project, “Well-integrative medicine program in the University of Michigan School of Public Health Preventive Medicine Residency.” Dr. Warber is the co-principal investigator, and the grant runs now through 2014.

 

 

 

 

October 18, 2012: The sports medicine fellowship receives 5-year accreditation

Robert B. Kiningham, M.D., M.A., associate professor, sports medicine fellowship director, is pleased to announce that the sports medicine fellowship program recently received a five-year accreditation from the Residency Review Committee (RRC), which is the maximum cycle allowed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Dr. Kiningham wishes to thank all the faculty, fellows, residents, and staff who commit to making U-M one of the best programs in the country.

 

 

 

October 16, 2012: The residency program receives 5-year accreditation

James M. Cooke, M.D., assistant professor, residency director, is pleased to share the news that the residency program received a five-year accreditation from the Residency Review Committee (RRC), which is the maximum cycle allowed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Dr. Cooke wishes to thank all the faculty, residents, and staff who commit so much of their time, effort, and expertise to making U-M one of the best programs in the country to train future family physicians.

 

 

 

October 15, 2012: Dr. Gold on Michigan Radio

Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, recently shared her research on Michigan Radio about why pregnant women do not disclose that they are smoking during pregnancy to their healthcare provider. Read the transcript from her interview.

 

 

 

 

 

October 2, 2012: Dr. Aikens Receives Enhanced Grant Support

James E. Aikens, Ph.D., associate professor of family medicine, was recently awarded a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for his research entitled, “Telemonitoring enhanced support for depression self-management.” It runs now through June 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

September

September 26, 2012: Dr. Warber Presents at WHO Symposium

Sara L. Warber, M.D., associate professor, Katherine Irvine, Ph.D., visiting professor from DeMontfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom, and Ph.D. student Melissa Marselle recently presented their work on the impact of different environments for an outdoor group walk on mental and emotional well-being at the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Health Enhancing Physical Activity symposium in Cardiff, Wales. The focus of the symposium was "Physical Activity in the Natural Environment." More information can be found on the symposium's website.

 

 

August

Primary Care and the Patient-Centered Medical Home: Transforming the US Health System

Featuring:

Marci Nielsen, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Executive Director, Patient-Centered
Primary Care Collaborative

Wednesday, August 22
8:40 - 9:40 a.m.
Ford Auditorium

 

 

The Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative is a large coalition of provider/clinicians, purchaser/payers, and consumer stakeholders who have joined together to advance an effective and efficient health system built on a strong foundation of primary care and the patient-centered medical home.

Dr. Nielsen previously served as Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Associate Professor within the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, along
with many other various positions. Her research and teaching is focused on health system reform at the federal and state level, the relationship between socioeconomic disparities and health, access to primary care and the patient-centered medical home, and public health.

See more about Dr. Nielsen.

 

June

June 26, 2012: Dr. Greenberg Named Associate Chair for Information Management

Since 2006, Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, has served as the associate chair for information management. He is retiring from the Department in July, and moving on to be the chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

“Creating an associate chair for information management in 2006 is just one of the ways in which the Department has been an innovator and leader in the transformation of primary care, to a systems-based and team-based approach. It has been a very interesting and exciting role, changing constantly as the field has changed,” says Dr. Green.

Taking the helm is Grant M. Greenberg, M.D., M.H.S.A., M.A., assistant professor. Read more on the Faculty & Staff page.

 

June 4, 2012: Family Medicine Advocates Take on Lansing

On May 14-15, Anne L. Kittendorf, M.D., assistant professor, (far right in photo) attended the Family Medicine Congressional Conference in Washington, D.C., and met with Senator Stabenow and her staff, Senator Levin's staff, and staff for Representatives Walberg and Dingell, of the Dexter/Chelsea and Ypsilanti Districts, respectively.

They discussed graduate medical education funding, including indirect medical education funding and Title VII funding for primary care education grants. She also urged them to support HR 3667 which would allow a pilot to allow direct funding for primary care residencies, as well as asked for their backing for the National Health Service Corps that offers loan repayment and scholarships to primary care providers and students. Additionally she discussed the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), a mathematical formula for Medicare spending, and encouraged support of HR 5707 which would allow for an SGR fix with positive updates for primary care Medicare physicians. She also urged them to keep Medicaid and Medicare parity beyond the two years mandated by Affordable Care Act.

"It is important that our elected officials are hearing directly from those of us involved in primary care and family medicine education to help them understand the complexities of the system and the impact of their legislative choices," says Dr. Kittendorf.

 

April

April 3, 2012: 2013 U.S. News & World Report Ranking

The U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School completed their 2013 rankings, and the Department is pleased to announce that it is ranked 7th in the nation in family medicine training. The Department has received consistently high ratings for more than ten years.
  
The U-M’s overall rank as a primary care training school is rising from 20th last year to 8th this year, largely on the strength of the number of graduates going into primary care.

“It is very gratifying to see that our excellence in patient care, education and research continues to be highly recognized despite the fact we currently are undergoing a national search for a permanent chair. We are so lucky to have such a large number of superb faculty, fellows and residents who make us so successful in so many ways,” says Philip Zazove, M.D., professor and interim chair.

To learn more, visit the U.S. News & World Report or the UMHS Newsroom.

 

March

March 22, 2012:

Dexter Family Medicine Helps with Tornado Relief Efforts

The faculty and staff at Dexter Family Medicine have always been very active in their community. With the recent tornadoes that hit the village, they again show their commitment and dedication to the people of Dexter. In addition to regular patient care, they have started a support group open to anyone affected by the storm.

The support group starts this Friday, March 23, 2012, at 6 p.m. in the lobby located at 7300 Dexter-Ann Arbor Road, Dexter, Mich., 48130.

Sue Pellerito, M.S.W., social worker, has volunteered to lead this group, and she will be joined by a representative from the American Red Cross. She is part of the U-M Ambulatory Social Work Group, and has been the on-site social worker at Dexter Family Medicine since 2010. While she is there on Fridays each week, her role is to provide whatever social work services are needed, from individual short-term supportive therapy to connecting people with all manner of resources, including supportive therapy.

Medical director, Kathryn M. Harmes, M.D., lecturer, says, “Local agencies have been working hard on relief efforts, and we wanted to find a unique way to participate and serve the community we love so much.  Many of our employees live in Dexter and have been affected as well as our patients.   We are very fortunate to have been relatively unaffected despite being so close to the most heavily damaged neighborhood.”

Read more about Dexter Family Medicine's efforts in providing support on the Patient Care page.

 

February

February 6, 2012:

Integrative Medicine Conference: Creating Wellness an Integrative Approach

Registration is currently open for this course, which is designed to provide an evidence-based update on integrative approaches to common health concerns for practicing primary care providers. The conference will be held on March 29 and 30 at Kensington Court in Ann Arbor.

Integrative Medicine is the sythesis of conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine therapies. It is a philosophy and a way of providing health care that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practicioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing. Intergrative Medicine focuses on promoting wellness within the patient, as well as the provider.

Visit MAFP for more information and to register.

 

January

January 12, 2012:

In an article entitled, "From Milan to Marquette," Medicine at Michigan highlights the careers of several physicians who studied at U-M and decided to practice medicine right here in Michigan. The article features Carla Zahuranec, M.D. (Residency 2008), who now practices in the Milan office of IHA. "The U-M has a top family medicine residency program. It's a good combination of bread-and-butter family medicine and tertiary care, and academic hospital experience," said Dr. Zahuranec.

The article states, "Though she’s wanted to work in medicine as long as she can remember — first as a nurse and then as a physician — it was, in part, her mother’s death of a pulmonary embolism when Zahuranec was six years old that inspired her career in family medicine. 'I wanted to help create more opportunities for parents and grandparents,' she says — improving health, extending life, allowing families to stay together longer."

Read the complete article in Medicine at Michigan.

 

December

December 15, 2011: Family Medicine in the News

Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., along with with his wife, Kathy Carter, and sons, Noah and Sean, celebrate at the installation ceremony.

Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., the Dr. Max and Buena Lichter Research Professor in Family Medicine, was featured in an article in the Chelsea Standard.

The article states, "Chelsea resident Dr. Mack Ruffin was honored at the Nov. 21 installation ceremony of the Dr. Max and Buena Lichter Research Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine. Established in 2007 through a gift from Dr. Allen and Evie Lichter and Dr. Paul and Carolyn Lichter, the professorship honors the memory of their father, Dr. Max Lichter, a family physician who practiced in Melvindale for five decades and their mother, Buena Lichter." Read more in the Chelsea Standard.

 

December 15, 2011: Event

Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) presented "Can Anyone Fix Health Care?" at Family Medicine's Grand Rounds on December 14.

A distinguished physician, educator, and medical scientist, Dr. Kirch speaks and publishes widely on the need for transformation in the nation's health care system and how academic medicine can lead that change across medical education, biomedical research, and patient care.

In his presentation, Dr. Kirch addressed what we must do as an institution, a community, and a nation to fix the crisis in American health care.

 

November

Novmeber 22, 2011: Dr. Mack Ruffin Appointed as Dr. Max and Buena Lichter Research Professor

Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., was recently honored at the installation ceremony of the Dr. Max and Buena Lichter Research Professor of Family Medicine.

The Dr. Max and Buena Lichter Research Professorship in Family Medicine was established in 2007 through a generous gift from Dr. Allen and Evie Lichter and Dr. Paul and Carolyn Lichter. The installation ceremony was held on November 21, 2011. This professorship honors the memory of their father, Dr. Max Lichter, a family physician who practiced in Melvindale, a Detroit suburb, for five decades and their mother, Buena Lichter, and is intended to encourage and support research in family medicine.

Read more on the Research page.

 

September

September 26, 2011: Research Subjects Needed

The Department, in conjunction with U-M Integrative Medicine, is looking for individuals to particpate in a research study about the effects of tart cherries.

Potential subjects must:

• Be 18 years or older
• Be able to provide their own transportation
• Be overweight or obese
• Have abnormal cholesterol levels
• Have high blood pressure
• Be willing to consume 45 tart cherries twice a day for 28 days

Participants will:

• Participate in two 5-hour stays at the Michigan Clinical Research Unit (MCRU)
• Have blood drawn on the first and last days of the 28-day study
• Be paid up to $250 for their participation

For more information, please contact the research team at (866) 219-9100 or umcherry2011@umich.edu.

 

September 19, 2011: Congratulations to Dexter Family Medicine!
  
As a result of the May 2011 patient satisfaction survey, Dexter Family Medicine has been ranked among the “Top Patient Satisfaction Scores.”

The Health System’s Ambulatory Care Administration honored the health center this achievement in September.

Philip Zazove, M.D., professor and interim chair says, “I am so pleased that Dexter Family Medicine received such high patient satisfaction scores. The honor is well deserved and is a testimony to the wonderful work that our faculty and staff do every day, not only at Dexter but at all our sites.”

Thank you for your outstanding service to UMHS patients!

 

April

April 19, 2011: The Role of Primary Care Following Disaster

When the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, disaster teams rushed to treat those who were gravely injured. But in the days and weeks following the initial crisis, the largest medical challenge was not treating patients with traumatic injuries.

Providing routine care for people with a host of issues from chronic diabetes to imminent childbirth proved more challenging, says Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor and director of the Japanese Family Health Program. Read more about the role of primary care following the crisis in Japan in the UMHS Newsroom. The story was also featured on Newswise, CBS Detroit and on the UMHS homepage.

 

March

March 28, 2011: Philip Zazove, M.D., Named Interim Chair of Family Medicine

The Department is pleased to announce that Philip Zazove, M.D., professor, has accepted the position of interim chair. Dr. Zazove has had an extensive and impressive career, and brings a wealth of clinical, education, research, community service and administrative experience to the position.

"I view this as both an honor and a responsibility. It is an honor to be associated with so many capable and caring people. It is a huge responsibility to ensure that the excellence of the Department continues and grows in all its missions and activities: clinical, education, research, and community service. To this I am totally committed," says Dr. Zazove.

Over the coming months, he will be working with Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine and professor, to ensure a smooth transition. Dr. Schwenk is stepping down at the end of June to assume the role of Dean of the University of Nevada School of Medicine and Vice President for Health Sciences at the University of Nevada Reno.

Pleae visit the Faculty and Staff page to learn more about Dr. Zazove.

 

March 16, 2011: Family Medicine Receives High Rankings

The U.S. News & World Report released its 2012 Best Graduate Schools rankings on March 15. Once again, the Department had an excellent showing, ranking 4th (tied) out of more than 120 departments of family medicine. The University of Michigan Medical School ranked 10th among all research-intensive medical schools.

Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, noted that "the Department has ranked in the top 5 in seven of the last eight years, reflecting the quality of its faculty, staff and residents, and their enduring commitment to excellence in all of its missions."

View the complete rankings at U.S. News & World Report.

 

March 15, 2011: Dr. Thomas Schwenk Departs to Accept Deanship

The Department of Family Medicine announces that Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, is stepping down from his position. Dr. Schwenk, who has served as chair since 1988, has accepted a position as Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Health Sciences at the University of Nevada. He will remain chair until July 1st of this year. 

“After serving for 25 years as Chair, and having the pleasure of working with you in building the best department in the country, I have decided I have one last phase of my career to take all that I have learned to a new set of challenges,” said Dr. Schwenk. “I have aspired for some time to explore opportunities to serve as a medical school dean. What I believe is the right opportunity has finally appeared. The position is based at the University of Nevada, Reno, but has a statewide presence with considerable clinical practice and teaching in Las Vegas.”

In his new position he will focus on expanding the School’s clinical practice plan, increasing its class size, building its research enterprise, and working to position the School as a state-wide enterprise dedicated to improving the health of all Nevadans.

Dr. Schwenk is a true Michigan man -- attending U-M for both undergraduate studies and medical school. He left U-M briefly to work at the University of Utah, but he returned to Ann Arbor in 1984 as an Assistant Professor in our Department and was named Interim Chair in 1986. The Department has benefited from Dr. Schwenk’s wise leadership for 25 years.  

Under Dr. Schwenk’s leadership, the Department of Family Medicine has built a national reputation in clinical care, research and education. The Department now boasts a strong clinical and translational research enterprise and is ranked in the top 10 departments of family medicine in the country in terms of NIH research funding. Dr. Schwenk and his team have developed a large and thriving primary care clinical network that supports the Department’s highly rated third-year clerkship. In addition, the Department’s residency program attracts excellent candidates from across the nation. For the past several years, the Department has routinely been ranked in the top five family medicine departments across the country by U.S. News & World Report.

“Dr. Schwenk has also played an important leadership role in the Medical School through his role on the Faculty Group Practice Board and Executive Committee. His leadership has helped create a service-oriented culture throughout the Department and an encouraging environment that supports faculty and staff in their efforts to achieve their professional goals. We will sorely miss Dr. Schwenk’s leadership and professionalism, his sense of humor and wise counsel.” said James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., Dean. “I am grateful for Dr. Schwenk’s many contributions to building the Department and creating what is sure to be viewed as a premiere opportunity for the next Chair.”

The Department would like to thank Dr. Schwenk for his years of leadership, guidance and support and wish him well in his new position as dean. 

View the press release from the University of Nevada.

 

March 3, 2011: Legislative Advocacy Day: A Great Experience
 

(L-R) Christine W. Krause, M.D., instructor; Senator Rebekah Warren; James M. Cooke, M.D., assistant professor and residency director; Nell Burger Kirst, M.D., house officer; Anne L. Kittendorf, M.D., assistant professor; and Elisa J. Kolk, U-M medical student.

The Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) hosted its annual Legislative Advocacy Day on February 16, 2011. There were about 50 physicians from around the state of Michigan, including James M. Cooke, M.D., assistant professor and residency director; Anne L. Kittendorf, M.D., assistant professor; Christine W. Krause, M.D., instructor; and Nell Burger Kirst, M.D., house officer, from the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine. Elisa J. Kolk, a 4th year University of Michigan medical student also joined the delegation. Read more on the Education page.

 

 

 

 

The University of Michigan Health System offered free Pap screenings from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at Briarwood Building 2, Suite B, 400 E. Eisenhower Parkway in Ann Arbor in order to increase the number of women screened for cervical cancer.

The screenings were open to women 21 and older who have not had a Pap test in the last two years and who do not have medical coverage for a Pap test.

Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, explains the importance of cervical cancer screening at annarbor.com.

February

February 28, 2011: Cancer Survivors May Find Relief From Persistent Fatigue

Suzanna M. Zick, M.D., M. P.H., assistant professor is partnering with a team from U-M and MSU to determine if acupressure can relieve fatigue in cancer survivors. The study, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute, will also investigate the effects on sleep quality. To read more, please visit MSU News. The news is also featured on Medical News Today.

 

February 28, 2011: New Findings in Hypertension

The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure released its seventh report in the Journal of the American Medical Associate. The committee, which includes Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, developed new guidelines for hypertension prevention and management. Read the article in JAMA.

 

February 28, 2011: Benefits of Evidence-Based Management

Georges Potworowski, Ph.D., and Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, recently published "Assessing the uptake of evidence-based management: a systems approach" in the Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Read the complete article at the Wiley Online Library.

 

February 22, 2011: Paperless Prescriptions Come to Family Medicine

Electronic prescribing, or ePrescribe, is a way for physicians and other healthcare providers to order medications online. It allows for instant reviews of drug interactions, dose levels, and patient-specific factors including prior adverse reactions. It is secure: patient information is kept private. And the prescriptions are sent directly to the pharmacy, meaning that it is often ready for the patient when they get there, thus eliminating those sometimes long waits for the pharmacist.

Under the leadership of Philip Zazove, M.D., professor, the paperless ePrescribe system has already been launched at Briarwood, Chelsea and Dexter Family Medicine health centers, with remarkable success, thanks in considerable part to the training and support of medical assistants. 
  
Dr. Zazove talks about the transition to electronic prescribing: “Overall, the pilot testing and first of seven waves has gone well. I am enthusiastic about the benefits of ePrescribe, and look forward to its use throughout the health system.”
  
Other clinical sites in Family Medicine, as well as throughout the University, will begin using the system within the coming year.

 

February 15, 2011: Family Medicine in the News

Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor was featured in an article on Auburnpub.com. The author backs up Dr. Richardson’s findings that a pedometer will inspire you to move more and lead to improved health. See the full article or read Dr. Richardson’s original study in the Annals of Family Medicine. 

 

February 15, 2011: Family Medicine in the News

The study focusing on medical students and depression by Thomas L. Schwenk. M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, Leslie C. Wimsatt, Ph.D., and Lindsay Davis, B.S. was featured in an article entitled "Doctors in Distress" in The Lancet. The author states,"US researchers have known for several decades that physicians have worryingly high rates of suicide and depression when compared with the general population but now an increasing number of doctors and academics are calling for further investigation to try to stem doctors' distress."

 

February 15, 2011: Best Doctors Got Their Start at U-M
Department faculty physicians were well represented on the recent list, Best Doctors in America. We are pleased to announce that the prestigious list also features several of our former medical students and residents.

The Best of Family Medicine:
Robert Breakey
Mike I. Bruderly
Roger H. Chen
Gary G. Otauji
Marla Rowe Gorosh
Steven Thiry
Rodrigo Tobar, Jr.
Cherolea Trembath
Mark Zawisa
Susan C. Zeltzer

The new national list, which will appear in the upcoming issue of StyleLine Magazine, places these physicians among the top 5 percent of doctors in their specialties. To see the list of faculty physicians or for more information regarding Best Doctors in America, please visit the Patient Care page.

 

February 15, 2011: Improving Family Medicine Education

In January, James F. Peggs, M.D., professor, Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., associate professor, Pamela G. Rockwell, D.O., assistant professor, and Kent J. Sheets, Ph.D., professor and clerkship co-director attended the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Conference on Medical Student Education. Dr. Peggs participated as co-presenter of a lecture/discussion session entitled "When a colleague is ill; privacy versus the public's need to know." Drs. Heidelbaugh, Rockwell and Sheets were active participants in several committees and meetings. General themes of the conference included domestic and internals service learning opportunities for students, predictions of trends in light of healthcare reform, and the importance of innovation and willingness to take risks in improving medical school education. 

 

February 15, 2011: New Assistant Residency Coordinator

The Department is pleased to announce that Debbie L. Klein has accepted the position of assistant residency coordinator at Ypsilanti Family Medicine. She has been with the University since 1993, and prior to joining the Department, she was with the U-M English Language Institute.

 

James M. Cooke, M.D., assistant professor and residency director, comments, "We are excited to welcome Debbie as the new Ypsilanti Assistant Residency Coordinator. She brings a wealth of UMHS and U-M administrative experience, and we look forward to her contributions as we continue to grow and improve the educational program for the residents."

 

February 14, 2011: 2011-2012 Chief Residents Announced

The Department is pleased to announce that Nell Burger Kirst, M.D., and Michael T. Kopec, M.D., have accepted the positions of co-chief resident for the Family Medicine Residency Program. Drs. Kirst and Kopec have been very active in residency activities, including recruitment, and are vocal advocates for their fellow residents.

They will be very busy over the coming months assisting with the 2011-12 academic schedule and planning for the resident retreat in April along with many other activities. As in past years, they plan to take over the co-chief resident responsibilities on May 1.

The Department wishes to thank Maria Syl de la Cruz, M.D., and Thomas A. O’Neil, M.D., for their extraordinary leadership over the past year.

 

February 14, 2011: Family Medicine Wrestles with Champs

For the eleventh straight year, Robert B. Kiningham, M.D., M.A., associate professor and director of the U-M Department of Family Medicine Sports Medicine Fellowship program, has provided medical coverage for the Michigan High School Athletic Associate (MHSAA) individual wrestling championships, held this year March 3-5 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Dr. Kiningham has had a special interest in wrestling, having conducted studies and written two articles about wrestlers and weight loss. To learn more about the competition, please visit MHSAA Wrestling.

Dr. Kiningham comments, "The wresting championships are my favorite sporting event of the year. Wrestlers are unique athletes, and I have developed wonderful friendships within the Michigan wresting community through the years."

Also of note, one of the Department's current sports medicine fellows, A.J. Monseau, M.D., recently returned from Siberia having provided medical coverage at a championship event for USA Wrestling, the national wrestling team for the United States. This is the first time a U-M Sports Medicine Fellow has participated in such an event.

"It was cold, but fantastic! It was an honor for me to participate," Dr. Monseau says.

 

February 14, 2011: HPV and Cancer Screening

Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, and his colleagues published "Lack of HPV 16 and 18 detection in serum of colposcopy clinic patients" in the Journal of Clinical Virology. The study, which evaluated the serum of coloposcpy clinic patients, found that serum HPV DNA detection is not an effective cervical cancer screening tool. Read more in the UMHS Newsroom and see the complete article at ScienceDirect.

 

February 14, 2011: Women's Health

Barbara D. Reed, M.D., M.S.P.H., professor, attended the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.

 

February 7, 2011: Healing Foods Pyramid™

The USDA recently updated dietary recommendations for Americans. In response, the U-M Department of Family Medicine Integrative Medicine program offers an alternative: the Healing Foods Pyramid™.

The foods we eat are essential to how we care for ourselves. In choosing the healing foods on this pyramid, each one of us contributes to our own health.

The Healing Foods Pyramid™ emphasizes:
Healing foods
Consume foods known to contribute to your health.

Plant-based choices
Choose minimally processed plant foods that are known for their health benefits.

Variety and balance
Fill your plate with whole grains, healthy fats, and a colorful array of fruits and vegetables every day.

Support of a healthful environment
Select foods that have been produced without harming our planet.

Mindful eating
Truly savor, enjoy, and focus on what you eat.

 

February 2, 2011: Family Medicine in the News

Frederick Kron, M.D. (Residency 2003), and Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor, were featured on the American Academy of Family Physicians website for their work with medical students and video game technology. The article, "Video Games, New Media Have Place in Training, Say Medical Students" references a study by Drs. Kron, Fetters, and Sen that was published online in BMC Medical Education last year. The study found that medical students are enthusiastic about the use of video games in medical education as long as the games provide both fun and the opportunity to build patient interaction skills. Read the original press release in the UMHS Newsroom.

 

January

January 25, 2011: U-M Family Medicine Physicians Named to “Best Doctors in America” List

Fourteen faculty physicians from the U-M Department of Family Medicine have been honored as the Best Doctors in America.

The best of family medicine:
Barbara S. Apgar, M.D.,Chelsea Family Medicine
William E. Chavey II, M.D., M.S., Ypsilanti Family Medicine
Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., Domino’s Farms Family Medicine
Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., Ypsilanti Family Medicine
Masahito Jimbo, M.D., Ph.D., Domino’s Farms Family Medicine
Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S., Briarwood Family Medicine
Christine W. Krause, M.D., Domino’s Farms Family Medicine
Karen L. Musolf, M.D., Chelsea Family Medicine
Donald Eugene Nease Jr., M.D., Ypsilanti Family Medicine
James F. Peggs, M.D., Chelsea Family Medicine
Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D., Briarwood Family Medicine
Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., Briarwood Family Medicine
Eric P. Skye, M.D., Chelsea Family Medicine
Lourdes Velez, M.D., Ypsilanti Family Medicine

The new national list, which will appear in the upcoming issue of StyleLine Magazine, places these faculty physicians among the top 5 percent of doctors in their specialties.

Compiled every two years by Boston-based Best Doctors, Inc., and based on an in-depth survey of more than 46,000 physicians in 43 specialties and more than 400 subspecialties of medicine, each nominated physician was screened and asked to provide information about his or her practice.

Best Doctors was founded in 1989 by two physicians affiliated with Harvard Medical School, whose goal was to provide greater access to dependable, high quality medical information and care for individuals with serious illness and injuries. Best Doctors in America and Best Doctors are registered trademarks of Best Doctors, Inc.

 

January 25, 2011: Greenberg and Serlin Chosen to Lead the Department Through EMR Transition

In July 2010 the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) chose a new way to maintain patient the electronic medical records (EMR) by signing a contract with Epic Systems Corporation, or Epic. The company is now the primary vendor for clinical software and systems at UMHS. The software puts UMHS on a multi-year journey to completely transform the way its physicians, nurses, other care providers, researchers and administrators use information technology in every U-M hospital, clinic and office. U-M patients and the doctors who refer patients to U-M will also gain access to the powerful new system.

The transition process has already begun in outpatient clinics and treatment centers. Grant M. Greenberg, M.D., M.H.S.A., M.A., assistant professor and medical director at Chelsea Family Medicine, and David C. Serlin, M.D., assistant professor and medical director at Briarwood Family Medicine, have been chosen as physician leads representing the Department during implementation of the new Epic EMR.

Over the next two years, Drs. Greenberg and Serlin will provide education and guidance to all department clinical sites, as well as participate in the UMHS Epic Committee that will review and develop consensus about various behind-the-scenes components of the new EMR.

Dr. Greenberg comments on his involvement: “This transition provides a unique and challenging opportunity to modify everything we do from the time patients schedule an appointment to the time they check out from a visit, and everything between. Epic will change the way we function.”

He goes on to say that the current system, while very sophisticated in many ways, is really a patchwork of multiple systems that have been modified over time or to which “workarounds” have been built to account for gaps and inefficiencies. Epic should provide improved clinical efficiency and quality of care.

Find out more about Epic in the UMHS Newsroom.

 

January 25, 2011: The Importance of Family History

In a recent publication that appeared in The Annals of Family Medicine several family medicine researchers, Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, Donald  E. Nease Jr., M.D., associate professor, and Ananda Sen, Ph.D., associate professor, studied the impact of automated family history assessment and tailored messages. The study found that patients responded to messages if they were related to their individual familial risk in certain cases. The most positive results were found in patients who were advised increase their physical activity or fruit and vegetable intake.  Interestingly, the researchers noted that patients participating in the study were actually less likely to be receive cholesterol screening.  Read the complete publication, “Effect of Preventive Messages Tailored to Family History on Health Behaviors: The Family Healthware Impact Trial” on The Annals of Family Medicine. The publication was also featured on  Doctor’s Lounge.

 

January 7, 2011: Medical Students and Depression

In a Letter to the Editor featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Esther Helmich, M.D., and colleagues commented on the study of depression in medical students by Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., Leslie C. Wimsatt, Ph.D., and Lindsay Davis, B.S., that was published last year. The letter suggested that medical students should be introduced to clinical experiences earlier in their career and that these experiences would better prepare students to deal with negative emotions. 

In his response, Dr. Schwenk maintains that timing is not the key factor in relieving depression in medical students nor in eradicating the perceived stigma that surrounds it. Dr. Schwenk says, “The key issue is a change in the culture an values of medical education, with a focus on support, role modeling, and mentorship by both faculty members and fellow students that will lead to healthy emotional growth, including the possibility of appropriate diagnosis and treatment of depression if needed. Read both the letter and reply at JAMA (subscription required).

 

January 7, 2011: Two New Resident Education Tracks

To assist residents and their advisors in education and career planning, the Department is pleased to announce two new curricular and leadership tracks: education leadership and research. They join the current list of tracks: sports medicine, global health, advocacy and public policy, and healthcare administration.

The Education Leadership Track is intended for those residents interested in incorporating a teacher or educator role into their future career as a family physician with possible interest in pursuing an academic fellowship after residency. This track is primarily intended for those residents considering career paths in academic family medicine with a medical student or resident teaching role, continuing medical education speaker or course director, medical student clerkship director, residency director, or education lead for a group or initiative. The track also emphasizes and promotes leadership through participation in or organization of educational initiatives such as journal club, clinical simulation teaching and web-based learning module development among others.

The Research Track provides research training, support, mentoring and exposure for residents with an interest in clinical and health-services research with relevance to family medicine and primary care. The track exposes residents to a range of research topics and methodologies including both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Some residents may complete the research track in order to strengthen basic research skills and incorporate research and evaluation into a career as a family medicine clinician or educator. Other residents who desire a career focused on family medicine research will find this residency track positions them as competitive candidates for dedicated research training fellowships after graduation.

Additionally, tracks are being developed for behavioral medicine, clinical care, integrative medicine, care of the underserved, obstetrics, geriatrics and palliative care.

"The residency program alumni have assumed many leadership positions in their communities as well as in clinical and academic programs, including board members for community organizations, clinical team leaders, journal editors, medical directors, residency directors and department chairs. We plan to offer residents with a number of curricular tracks to prepare them for many different models of practice and provide them with additional skills for future leadership roles," says James M. Cooke, M.D., assistant professor and residency director.

 

January 7, 2011: Assistant Residency Coordinator Retires

After 22 years at the University, 15 of those with the Department, Linda D. Lands, assistant residency coordinator at Ypsilanti Family Medicine, is retiring. She has plans to move back to Tennessee, where she was born, and hopes to tour that beautiful area. Mrs. Lands also has plans to join her minister husband in community service, as well as look having more time with her grandchildren, a four-year old granddaughter and a soon-to-arrive grandson.

Reflecting on her time with the Department, Mrs. Lands noted: "I have enjoyed the job as assistant residency coordinator at Ypsilanti Family Medicine. It has been a joy to watch the new interns come in, many times nervous about what is ahead, but then growing into wonderful physicians specializing in family medicine. I have seen residency program graduates go on to Africa, Indian Reservations or large cities to work with those who are much in need. I will truly miss the daily interaction with all the residents!"

The Department is actively searching for a new assistant residency coordinator, and wishes Mrs. Lands all the best in this new part of her journey.

 

December

December 22, 2010: Program of the Year

The Ypsilanti Health Center (YHC) has earned the prestigious title of UMHS Clinical Program of the Year!

"Being named the recipient of the UMHS Program of the Year award represents an amazing achievement for the Ypsilanti Health Center. I feel truly blessed to work with such a dedicated group of individuals" said Stefani A. Hudson, M.D., medical director.

Trica Campbell, health center manager, and Stefani A. Hudson, M.D., medical director accept the award from U-M Hospitals and Health Centers Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Tony Denton.

The Ypsilanti Health Center serves thousands of patients each year -- including a high percentage of underrepresented, low-income and non-English-speaking individuals. In addition to excellent primary care from Family Medicine and Pediatrics teams, the YHC offers a full range of social support programs to enhance health and well-being. Its innovative programs such as group visits for expecting mothers and children with asthma and their parents have helped hundreds of patients.

"The Program of the Year award to the YHC is an acknowledgement of their extraordinary commitment to excellence in clinical care, student and resident education, community outreach, and culturally competent care. The Department of Family Medicine is so proud of the staff and faculty members at the YHC whose work is recognized by this award," said Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine. 

The program was chosen by senior UMHHC leadership from among many nominated because of their overall excellence in such areas as innovation, serving patient needs, improving quality and value, social responsibility and teamwork.  Leadership also honored the Cancer AnswerLine as Support Program of the year. 

 

December 21, 2010: Department faculty members are involved in a wide variety of high-profile journals.

Recently, the Archives of Internal Medicine thanked their 2010 reviewers on their website. Family Medicine's Masahito Jimbo, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor, and Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., associate professor, were among those listed who had completed a review.

 

December 20, 2010: Research in Statistics

Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, recently presented "Bayesian Modeling of Recurrent Events with Dependent Censoring," at the 25th International Biometric Conference at Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. Dr. Sen's work on this topic has been previously published in Communications in Statistics - Simulation and Computation (subscription may be required).

 

December 14, 2010: Departing Staff

Helen Costis is leaving Chelsea Health Center as Manager after five years to work for the "Lean Coordinating Center" through the University of Michigan as a Staff Specialist. In her role at Chelsea, Helen was instrumental in overseeing many significant changes including transition to paperless records, team based care, many practice improvement efforts in quality and efficiency which have been recognized throughout the institution. Her dedication and leadership will serve her well as she works with primary care practices througout the State of Michigan to develop into efficient Patient Centered Medical Homes. We thank her for her dedication to our patients and wish her well in her new role!

 

December 14, 2010: HPV Vaccine and Primary Care

In a publication entitled "Worsening disparities in HPV vaccine utilization among 19–26 year old women" Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, and his colleagues evaluated the characteristics associated with uptake of HPV vaccine of patients in university-based primary care clinics. Their findings state "utilization disparities by race and insurance worsened over time suggesting that the highest risk populations of women were not getting vaccinated."  Read the full publication on ScienceDirect.  

December 14, 2010: Ginger Root in Medical Research

Seeing that studies of the use of ginger root were lacking, family medicine researchers developed a method to improve them by determining the main pungent ginger constituents in human plasma. Their work will help future researchers better analyze the effectiveness of the common medicinal herb. Read the full article by Suzanna M. Zick, N.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, and Zora Djuric, Ph.D., professor, in the International Journal of Biomedical Sciences.

 

December 14, 2010: Family Medicine in the News

Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, was quoted on MedPage Today discussing the FDA's removal of Darvon and other propoxyphene products from the market. Dr. Schwenk, along with other physicians from around the country, are in agreement that this is a move in the right direction. For more information, please see the article on MedPage Today.

 

December 9, 2010: Social Media and Medicine

In an era when social networking sites and blogs are visited by three quarters of online users, it’s only natural that the medical profession would also tap into the power of social media tools.  Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, and her colleagues found that adding an interactive online community to an Internet-based walking program significantly decreased the number of participants who dropped out. Read more in the UMHS Newsroom. News about Dr. Richardson's study has been featured on Science News Daily, MyEducation.com and Becker's Hospital Review.

 

December 9, 2010: Dr. Malouin speaks at PCMH Symposium

Jean M. Malouin, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor and associate chair for clinical programs, was a featured speaker at the symposium "Patient Centered Medical Home: Obstacles and Opportunities" on Thursday, December 2, 2010, at the U-M Palmer Commons.

Patient Centered Medical Home, or PCMH, is an approach to health care that focuses on the doctor-patient relationship and ways to coordinate that care. The panel of experts will discuss national and state efforts to adopt the PCMH model, the role of PCMH in health reform, the experience of the nation’s largest PCMH implementation (led by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan), and new research into PCMH barriers and accelerators that can be applied by practitioners and policy makers alike.

Download a copy of Dr. Malouin's presentation.

For more information, including other speakers, see the symposium website:
http://www.chrt.org/events/pcmh-symposium-2010/

 

December 2, 2010: Family Medicine in Japan

There is a saying in Japan: "Sanjikan machi, sanpun shinsatsu." Or, "Three hour wait, three minutes [with the doctor]." A study by Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor, and Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, looked at a rural town in Japan and showed that is not quite true -- it isreally six minutes...but that is still not very long, the study noted. Read the study in Asia Pacific Family Medicine.

 

December 2, 2010: Dr. Sen Elected to ISI

Ananda Sen, Ph.D., research associate professor, was recently elected as a member to the International Statistical Institute (ISI). Established in 1885, the ISI is one of the oldest scientific associations operating in the modern world, with a dedicated objective of promoting excellence in statistical research, training, and in the practice of statistics worldwide.

 

December 2, 2010: Research Presentations

Several faculty from Family Medicine recently presented on the following topics at the 38th annual North American Primary Care Research Group meeting which was held November 13 - 17 in Seattle, Wash.:

Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor - Public Opinions On Participating In Medical Research And About Medical Researchers: Findings From The Medical Marvels Interactive Translational Research Experience (MITRE) Project Baseline Survey In The Detroit Science Center.

Masahito Jimbo, M.D., Ph.D. M.P.H., associate professor, and Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor - How do Community Practices View Technological Implementation to Improve CRC Screening.

Donald E. Nease Jr., M.D., associate professor, Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S., professor, and Ananda Sen, Ph.D., associate professor - Are coronary heart disease and depression independently associated? A primary care population-based analysis.

 

November

November 22, 2010: Medical Home Pilot Project

Efforts by the University of Michigan and its partners were key to the state of Michigan being selected for one of eight federal demonstration projects that are intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care, strengthen the patient and primary care physician relationship, and reduce health care costs. Jean M. Malouin, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor and associate chair for clinical programs, is co-leading the project with Carol Callaghan, M.P.H., chronic disease and injury control director for the Michigan Department of Community Health. Read more in the UMHS Newsroom. 

News coverage on this project can be found on Healthcare Weekly Review, MLive - Kalamazoo, MLive – Grand Rapids, the Michigan State Medical Society, and Crain’s Detroit Business (subscription required).

 

 

November 22, 2010: Support Staff Member of the Year

The Department is pleased to announce that Blythe A. Bieber, executive assistant, earned the honor of Support Staff Member of the Year at the 2010 Staff Awards Banquet held last week. The Medical School Dean's Award Program for Staff is designed to give special recognition for distinctive service to the Medical School. A staff selection committee reviews nominations and advises the Dean. 

The Department is very happy that Blythe’s extraordinary efforts on a daily basis were recognized. Congratulations Blythe; we are very lucky to have you! Read more on the Dean’s Award Program website. Pictures from the banquet are available on the Department’s Facebook page.

 

November 22, 2010: Delegation to improve family medicine in Japan

Last week the Department hosted a delegation of mayors and hospital administrators from Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The visit was part of a grant the Japanese Family Health Program recently received from the Shizuoka Prefectural Government to establish a family medicine residency training program and help Japanese doctors revamp the way family medicine is practiced in Japan. 

The delegation had a full schedule during their five-day stay in Ann Arbor - visiting the mayors of Ann Arbor, Chelsea and Dexter, touring the University Health System and Chelsea Community Hospital, while speaking with administrators at each; visiting the Japanese Family Health Program, and meeting Joseph C. Kolars, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Education and Global Initiatives, and Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine at a Dean's Reception. The group was also fortunate enough to be able to visit a few local attractions including downtown Ann Arbor, the Dexter Cider Mill, the Chelsea Public Library, the Purple Rose Theater and Cabela's. 

Overall the trip was a huge success. To see pictures of the delegation's tour of the Japanese Family Health Program, please visit the UMHS Flickr site. Additional pictures of hospital tours, mayor visits and more are available on the Department's Facebook page.  The delegation's visit was featured in the Ann Arbor Journal and on annarbor.com.

To learn more about the Department's history with Japan that led to this important visit, along with the delegation's goals, please visit the UMHS Newsroom.

 

 

Novmeber 22, 2010: Pregnancy Loss

A study by Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, and Ananda Sen, Ph.D., associate professor, entitled "Marriage and Cohabitation Outcomes After Pregnancy Loss" was featured on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s website. 

The full article is available at the American Academy of Pediatrics (subscription required).

 

Novmeber 16, 2010: Resident earns AAFP Grant

Michael E. Johansen, M.D., house officer, was awarded a $2000 American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation resident research grant entitled, "Specialty Differences in the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention." Dr. Johansen will conduct a survey of family medicine physicians, internal medicine primary care physicians and cardiologists to assess the differences in the use of statins in primary prevention, or people without known coronary artery disease. The survey will also question practitioners about the intended benefits of the drug for this specific patient group.

Dr. Johansen is honored to receive this grant and is looking forward to beginning his research. "It is important for me to participate in this type of research because it will help further expand our knowledge about the use of statins in primary prevention. As one of the most prescribed medications, surprisingly, very little is known about physicians beliefs regarding how and when the medications are used in primary prevention," he said.

Following the completion of his research, Dr. Johansen will present his findings at the National Conference for Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students in July.

Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, and Dr. Johansen's mentor, noted "I'm delighted to also report that Mike not only received he grant, but also earned outstanding ratings from the reviewers on his proposal, which is particularly impressive for these applications."

 

November 16, 2010: Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship

The U-M Department of Family Medicine is pleased to announce that Thomas A. O’Neil, M.D., house officer, has accepted the position of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow that will begin on July 1, 2011.

Dr. O'Neil rose to the top of an extremely competitive pool of fellowship applicants, and will be an outstanding addition to the program. He will join Adam D. Marks, M.D., currently a senior resident with the U-M Department of Combined Medicine Pediatrics, and Kathleen E. Bickel, M.D., currently a fellow with the U-M Department of Hematology and Oncology, for a one year, comprehensive training program in the care of adults and children with advanced illness, and their families.

"I am particularly excited as Dr. O'Neil is the first U-M Family Medicine resident to join the fellowship. I know that he will represent the Department extraordinarily well," says Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D., assistant professor, Palliative Care Consultation Service director, and associate director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program.

Dr. O'Neil earned his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine (2008) and currently serves as co-chief resident.

 

November 16, 2010: Cancer Screening and HPV Vaccination

A publication entitled, "Feasibility of Using Maternal Cancer Screening Visits to Identify Adolescent Girls Eligible for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination" co-authored by Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, was featured on PubMed. The study found that speaking with women during their cancer screening visits about the HPV vaccine for their daughters would educate and inform a potentially under-vaccinated group. See the original publication in the Journal of Women’s Health.

 

November 16, 2010: Family Medicine in the News

A study by Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S., professor, was featured in an article entitled, "Patient Centered Care May Aid Chronic Depression" on Health Leaders Media. In the article Dr. Klinkman notes, "When we began, it was difficult to get outside support for interventions that were not disease-based. As the concept of the PCMH has taken hold, it's a natural extension of the program since the majority of the patients referred to the DPC program have more than one condition."

 

November 14, 2010: Primary Care Research Presentation

Vijay Singh, M.D., clinical lecturer, presented "First-time Fathers' Prenatal Behaviors, Motivation to Parent and Partner, and Their Pregnant Partner's Perceived Support" at the 38th North American Primary Care Research Group Annual Conference on November 14 in Seattle, Wash.

 

November 11, 2010: IT Program Awarded Grant

Cielo MedSolutions was awarded a grant from the National Cancer Institute. The company, in a teaming arrangement with the Department, will utilize the funding to develop the next generation of ambulatory clinical quality improvement system, based on Cielo Clinic, which was developed within the Department.

Donald E. Nease Jr., M.D., associate professor, Cielo's chief medical officer, noted, "This STTR grant is particularly exciting because it bolsters our ongoing exploration of the best way to support ambulatory care quality improvement initiatives in a manner that fits into a practice workflow." To read more, visit Cielo MedSolutions, Ann Arbor Business Review, Healthstip or Reuters.

 

November 11, 2010: Bereavement Care and Infant or Pregnancy Loss

Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, gave the keynote address at the International Conference for Perinatal Bereavement and Infant Death in Washington D.C. The topic of Dr. Gold's address was "New Research: Bereavement Care after Pregnancy and Infant Loss." Additionally, she gave a presentation entitled, "The Impact of Pregnancy Loss on the Bereaved Couple: Estimating the Risk" at the same conference and spoke on a similar topic, "Bereaved Mothers Using Internet Peer-Support Message Boards for Pregnancy Loss: an Internet Survey of User Characteristics and Depressive Symptoms" at the Joint Conference of the International Stillbirth Alliance/International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death in Sydney, Australia.

 

November 11, 2010: Program of the Year Nomination

The Ypsilanti Health Center was recently nominated for the prestigious UMHS Clinical Program of the Year! Congratulations!

This recognition process was established by the Executive Director, UMHHC, to honor noteworthy programs beginning in 1983. Meritorious programsare nominated and selected by the Hospitals' Senior Management Team on an annual basis each fall. Stay tuned, programs receiving "Program of the Year" status will be formally recognized at the Administrative Forum meeting in December and at the Hospitals and Health Centers Executive Board meeting early in 2011. See a list of previous winners on the CEO’s web page.

 

Novmeber 11, 2010: Many Faculty Members Serve as Contributors to AFM

The Annals of Family Medicine recently noted contributors to TRACK, their online discussion of articles, over the past year. Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, and Justine Wu, M.D. (Residency 2003) were among those listed. To view the complete list, visit the Annals of Family Medicine. To participate in the online discussions, visit TRACK.

 

Novmeber 11, 2010: Family Medicine in the News

Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, and Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, who both see patients at Briarwood Family Medicine, were quoted on ABC News on teens avoiding regular checkups, even when they have health insurance. View the article on ABCnews.com.

 

November 8, 2010: New Appointments

John M. O'Brien, M.D., associate professor, will take over leadership of the newborn service (FMN) as David C. Serlin, M.D., assistant professor, assumes Briarwood Family Medicine medical director responsibilities. Both Drs. O'Brien and Serlin are graduates of the Department’s residency program, 1982 and 2003, respectively.

 

November 8, 2010: Family Medicine in the News

Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, was quoted on MedPage Today discussing a study led by Peter Bach, M.D. which found that spiral CT diagnosed three times as many lung cancers as predicted and resulted in 10 times as many operations. Dr. Green raises concerns regarding the methodology of the study and maintains that it's findings may not be accurate. Read more on MedPage Today. Dr. Green can also be seen on ABCNews.com discussing the risks of false positives in lung cancer screening. View the video at ABCNews.com.

 

November 8, 2010: Partnership with Qatar

Michael Fetters,M.D., M.P.H., M.A., recently hosted guests Maha Elnashar and Huda Abdelrahim of Doha, Qatar. Their visit focused on consultation with experts at UM regarding the teaching of skills in cultural diversity for medical students. Some of the group's work was recently featured in a New York Times piece entitled "Respecting Muslim Patients' Needs."

 

November 8, 2010: Dr. Schwenk Presents at U-Pitt

Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, presented at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Medical Education Journal Club on November 5, on the recently-published study on depression in medical students, co-authored with Lindsay  Davis, student, and Leslie Wimsatt, Ph.D.

 

November 8, 2010: American Public Health Association Presentations

Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, presented "An online community reduces attrition in an Internet-mediated walking program" at the 138th American Public Health Association annual meeting Nov. 8 in Denver, Colo. Vijay Singh, M.D., clinical lecturer, also presented “Male intimate partner violence aggressors: Risk and protective factors among Latinos and Asian-Americans” at the same meeting on Nov. 7.

 

November 8, 2010: Medical Student Debt

The paper "Medical student debt and primary care specialty intentions" authored by Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, and Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine was published in Family Medicine. Among other conclusions, the study found that medical students from middle income families are sensitive to debt when making career and specialty choices. See more at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

 

November 3, 2010: Service Chief Appointments

The Department is pleased to announce that William E. Chavey II, M.D., M.S., associate professor, has been appointed to the role of Chief of Service, effective November 1. He takes over the complex position from Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine and professor.

Dr. Chavey is responsible for all aspects of the three inpatient services at the U-M Health System and Chelsea Community Hospital, and will work closely with the service directors on clinical program development, inpatient educational issues, staffing, patient safety and resource utilization, risk management, and liaison to the Office of Clinical Affairs. He will work closely with Jean M. Malouin, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, in her departmental role as Associate Chair for Clinical Programs. Dr. Chavey is a graduate of the Department’s residency program (1995), has been a faculty member since 1997, and has served as the inpatient service chief since the program's inception in 1999.

"Dr. Chavey brings a wealth of inpatient experience and expertise to this role and I am very excited about his willingness to take on this important task," says Dr. Schwenk.

Dr. Chavey will be replaced as director of the inpatient service by Masahito Jimbo, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of family medicine and urology. Dr. Jimbo has been a major contributor to the inpatient teaching and clinical programs, has a substantial background in inpatient adult medicine, and has shown significant aptitude for the challenges of inpatient leadership. Dr. Jimbo has been a faculty member since 2004, and, since his arrival, has been an active part of the Department's Japanese Family Health Program at Domino's Farms.

 

November 3, 2010: Cancer Screening Costs

A study by Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, titled “Ohio Appalachian women’s perceptions of the cost of cervical cancer screening” was published in Cancer.  The study found that women often find cost to be a barrier to testing, although they often have an inaccurate understanding of true Pap test costs.  Read the full publication in Cancer. 

 

November 3, 2010: Family Medicine in the News

The study “National survey of obstetrician attitudes about timing the subsequent pregnancy after perinatal death” by Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, was featured in the print edition of Women’s Health Weekly.  Dr. Gold says, “After stillbirth or early infant death, parents often query when they can try for another pregnancy. We conducted a national survey of US obstetricians to assess attitudes about optimal timing of next pregnancy and advice given to parents."  View a summary at NewsRx.com.  View the original publication at American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 

 

November 3, 2010: Family Medicine in the News - Women’s Health Weekly featured the work of Zora Djuric, Ph.D., professor, in their recent print edition.  Dr. Djuric’s study “Obesity is associated with atypia in breast ductal lavage of women with proliferative breast disease” supported the development of further research in prevention of obesity as a strategy for reducing breast cancer risk.  View a summary at NewsRX.com.  View the original publication at Cancer Epidemiology. 

 

October

October 28, 2010: Reseach Exhibit Opens at UMHS

“Medical Breakthroughs,” an interactive exhibit designed to encourage participation in and teach about medical research, is now open at U-M’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital near the Big Bird statue. The exhibit, designed by Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor, simulates the informed consent discussion process. Visitors are plunged into a hospital setting where they choose a research study, decide whether to be in it, and then find out what happens in the research. The two studies featured in the exhibit, which address discovering the role of cherries in heart health and whether heavy backpacks can harm kids, are both are real studies previously conducted by Family Medicine researchers. We encourage you to give the exhibit a try. Dr. Fetters welcomes feedback and questions and can be reached at mfetters@med.umich.edu.  

 

October 26, 2010: Residency Expansion Approved

Following the notification of federal funding, the Graduate Medical Education Executive Committee met and approved the expansion of the family medicine residency program to 11 positions per year. Department leaders will now seek approval to increase the accredited program size to 33 from the Resident Review Committee. They do not anticipate any difficulties.

 

October 21, 2010: Department Outreach Event

Over 20 guests joined Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean Chair of Family Medicine, for an intimate dinner and special program at the Inn at St. John's in Plymouth, Mich. to launch the Terence C. Davies, M.D. Collegiate Professorship in Medical Student Education.

Present at the celebration were longtime friends of both Terry and the Department of Family Medicine who were instrumental in the formation of the Department over 30 years ago. These individuals included resident graduates, leaders at Chelsea Community Hospital, past presidents of the MAFP and area family physicians. 

The program included reflections on the Department's last 32 years and a review of the challenges and opportunities presented by health care reform. The highlight of the evening, however, was a spectacular presentation by George A. Dean, M.D., family physician and avid chess set collector, on his world renowned chess set collection and details from his new book, Chess Masterpieces One Thousand Years of Extraordinary Chess Sets.

Thank you to George A. Dean, M.D., and his wife Vivian, and Gary R. Gazella, M.D., and his wife Bonnie, for co-hosting the event.

George A. Dean, M.D. signs a book for James P. Meza, M.D., 1983 graduate of the Department of Family Medicine’s residency program.

To view additional pictures from this event, please visit our Facebook page.

 

October 21, 2010: Family Medicine Alumni Reception

The Department of Family Medicine hosted a reception for returning Medical School Alumni family physicians during Reunion Weekend on October 15th. With over 30 guests in attendance from as far as Alaska and California, it was a nice opportunity to reconnect with classmates and fellow family physicians, as well as receive updates on the department's recent accomplishments.

Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine speaks with 1970 classmate, Victoria Nessel, M.D. about her work at the Winslow Indian Healthcare Center in Arizona.

To view additional pictures from this event, please visit our facebook page.

 

October 21, 2010: Development Advisory Committee

Back Row – Dale L. Williams, M.D., David A. Wild, M.D., and R. Dale Lefever, Ph.D., emeritus faculty
Front Row – Jon M. Lake, M.D., Christine M. Jerpbak, M.D., and Arlene B. Howe
Missing From Photo – Carl M. Frye, M.D., Marguerite (Peg) R. Shearer, M.D., Gary R. Gazella, M.D., and Jeffrey A. Stearns, M.D.

On October 15th, the Department of Family Medicine hosted the fifth annual meeting of the Development Advisory Committee (DAC) comprised of eight friends of the department and leaders in their field who provide support, guidance, and feedback.

The afternoon was led by R. Dale Lefever, Ph.D., emeritus faculty, and Amy C. St. Amour, Development Officer.

DAC discussed many issues including the launch of the Terence C. Davies, M.D. Collegiate Professorship in Medical Student Education, development efforts in research, feedback strategies with donors, and how to incorporate estate planning into the department's development goals.

Thank you to the DAC members who were able to attend the meeting and for their ongoing commitment to the Department: Arlene B. Howe, Christine M. Jerpbak, M.D., Jon M. Lake, M.D., Marguerite R. Shearer, M.D., Jeffrey A. Stearns, M.D., David A. Wild, M.D., and Dale L. Williams, M.D.

 

October 21, 2010: Faculty Members Contribute to Pfenninger and Fowler's Textbook

"Pfenninger and Fowler's Procedures for Primary Care 2nd Edition" was released this month and features four department faculty, Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor; John M. O'Brien, M.D., associate professor; Eric P. Skye, M.D., assistant professor; and Gary Yen, M.D., lecturer, as contributors. Please visit Elsevier Publishing to view more information regarding the book.

 

October 21, 2010: Family Medicine and Wellness in Chelsea

Randall T. Forsch, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, is on the Chelsea-area Wellness Foundation Board. He and the group are actively developing a new Comprehensive Wellness Plan that will be rolled out in 2011. Look for more details soon. To find out more, please visit www.5healthytowns.org.

 

October 21, 2010: Depression Care in the News

Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S., professor, was featured in American Medical News. The article, "Chronically depressed patients do best with individualized treatment," looked at Dr. Klinkman’s study on treatment of depressed patients in primary care. Read the article. View Dr. Klinkman’s original study published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

 

October 19, 2010: Integrative Medicine in the News

The Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies cited the work David J. Alvarez, D.O., assistant professor, and Pamela G. Rockwell, D.O., assistant professor, in their article, “Bodywork and Myofascial Pain Syndrome.”  View the original study, “Trigger Points: Diagnosis and Management.”

 

October 18, 2010: Internet Mediation to Relieve Chronic Pain

In a recent article published by Biomed Central Musculoskeletal Disorders and co-authored by Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, the benefits of a pedometer-based Internet mediated intervention for patients with chronic low back pain was featured in the September issue. The study, focusing specifically on patients receiving care in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system, aims to determine whether a pedometer-based Internet-mediated intervention reduces pain-related functional interference among patients with chronic back pain in the short term and over a 12-month time-frame. It will also assess the effect of the intervention on walking (measured by step counts), quality of life, pain intensity, pain related fear, and self-efficacy for exercise. Richardson and her colleagues hypothesize that this intervention will increase activity levels, improve adherence to walking as needed to maintain the positive effects over time, and make exercise programs more accessible to a broad range of patients with chronic back pain. Read the full article.

 

October 14, 2010: Residency Program Expansion

In response to the anticipated increase in demand for primary care physicians, the Department of Family Medicine is expanding their residency program for the first time in more than a decade.  The Department will receive a $960,000 federal grant to add one additional resident to the program each year starting in July 2011. "Over the total funding period, there will be five more University of Michigan-trained primary care physicians produced because of this grant," says James M. Cooke, M.D., assistant professor, and U-M’s Family Medicine residency director. Find out more. 

 

October 12, 2010: Improving Depression Care in Primary Care

In a continuation of a previous study, Donald E. Nease Jr., M.D., associate professor found that the long-term sustainment of improvements in depression care continues to challenge primary care practices. Two years after his initial Improving Depression Care collaborative, his group examined how well practices were sustaining their depression care improvements. "The idea then, as now, is that there is a lot of interest in how practices can best implement activities that will help them deliver better quality care," said Dr. Nease. "There has been a lot of work in depression in clinical trials, and it's been shown that physicians can change the way they screen for depression, deliver better quality care and improve outcomes, but once the studies end, things go back to the way they were before."

The work, “Sustainability of Depression Care Improvements: Success of a Practice Change Improvement Collaborative,”  was recently published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. View the study. The American Academy of Family Physicians also featured the study View the article. 

 

October 12, 2010: Family Medicine in Ghana

Two Department faculty members, Pamela G. Rockwell, D.O., assistant professor, and Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, recently traveled to Ghana in order to support the family medicine specialty.  The trip was a continuation of a building relationship between the Department and Ghana to increase the number of Ghanaian-trained family physicians and building the family physician training capacity in Ghana. While Dr. Gold and Dr. Rockwell each had very different tasks during their time in Ghana, they both represented the Department and the specialty well.

Dr. Rockwell traveled to the University of Ghana in Accra. There she had the opportunity to participate in teaching rounds with the family medicine residency program, as well as precept a group of residents in an outpatient clinic and run the residents’ journal club meetings. Lecturing also took up part of Dr. Rockwell’s time in Ghana. She gave six lectures to groups of residents and faculty both within and outside of the family medicine specialty. Her lecture topics included U-M’s third year required clerkship, U-M’s residency program, and giving feedback as an educator among others. Most interestingly, Dr. Rockwell was asked to evaluate the university’s membership exam, which is the equivalent of the medical board exams in the U.S. Dr. Rockwell said the five residents she evaluated were bright and accomplished. She worked with the evaluators and discussed opportunities to improve their evaluation process. Dr. Rockwell said, “All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I feel I can contribute so much more to help the people I met become more integrated into the medical school. Right now, family medicine does not have a required clerkship for the medical students, much like our Department did not 15 years ago. Additionally, I am hoping to assist in curriculum development in the future.”

Dr. Gold began work on a project titled “Perinatal metal health prevalence and needs assessment in Ghana, West Africa.”  She spent one week in Kumasi at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital before she joined Dr. Rockwell in Accra. In Kumasi, she shadowed residents in inpatient and outpatient settings and spent time both in the mother-baby NICU and on labor and delivery, where she helped deliver a stillborn infant, which is unfortunately very common in Ghana.  Dr. Gold attended multiple collaborative research meetings with faculty from family medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, psychiatry and pediatrics. Dr. Gold also met with research faculty in psychology and shadowed labor and delivery in Accra, where she delivered a baby and treated a difficult postpartum hemorrhage. Residents and faculty were pleased to attend multiple lectures presented by Dr. Gold including: What is Family Medicine?; Journal Club Skills; Perinatal Mental Health in the U.S. and Africa; Asking and Answering Research Questions; and Special Family Medicine Curricula.

Dr. Gold’s trip leads into a three-year project that is funded through Global Reach. Starting next summer she will travel to Ghana once a year with medical students to complete research. The students will collect primary data to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression among mothers presenting with a sick infant for care at an urban teaching hospital. Follow up research will be dedicated to a needs assessment of key community stakeholders to determine maternal perinatal mental health and opportunities for care. Dr. Gold is also collaborating on an additional research project with faculty from U-M’s Obstetrics & Gynecology. During her next trip, she will collect epidemiologic data on intrapartum sillbirths at the hospital in order to identify risk factors for babies who come to the hospital alive but die sometime during labor.   

Dr. Gold and Dr. Rockwell rounded out their trip with two days at the first-ever Ghana Family Medicine Faculty Development Workshop. Both Dr. Gold and Dr. Rockwell spoke and worked with faculty, fellows and residents to help strengthen family medicine in Ghana. The Department values their commitment to family medicine and looks forward to our growing partnership with Ghana.

 

October 1, 2010: Summer Preceptorship Program Sucess

Five Students Complete Summer Preceptorship Program - what a great inaugural year for the Summer Preceptorship Program!

The Department is pleased to report that with the distributions from the Betz Preceptorship Program Fund in Family Medicine, as well as gifts from department faculty and friends, five medical students were able to complete a preceptorship rotation with a community-based family physician this summer.

The family physicians – all U-M alumni – were located in Holland and Jackson, Mich., and Cincinnati, Ohio.  The students went at various times throughout summer for either a two or four-week rotation. Although the preceptorship program is primarily an observational experience for the student, they learned about the variety and scope of the clinical challenges a family physician encounters and many also gained a good feel for the professional and personal lives of a family physician.

Kurt Linderg, M.D., who graduated from U-M Medical School in 1996, was excited to participate in the program at his practice in Holland, Mich.  "I took part in the Family Medicine preceptorship program after my first year of medical school in 1993. What I found is that I returned to my second year with a better understanding of clinical medicine, a deeper compassion for the patient's experience, and an appreciation for the uniqueness of the long-term relationships that family physicians have in their practices. The program not only motivated the rest of my education but also helped lead me into my current career. It was a special privilege to return the favor by hosting Tom this past summer and to "pay it forward to the next generation of family physicians."

"Working with Dr. Lindberg was an absolute pleasure. His level of patience with regards to my many questions throughout the day was extraordinary. Additionally, he was a fantastic teacher and I truly appreciate that he took time out of his very busy day to explain procedures, disease processes and examination techniques to me. He was also able to explain to me the 'lifestyle' of a family medicine physician. I truly believe I garnered a much better understanding of what being a family medicine doctor entails," noted one grateful student. "I could not have asked for a more thought-provoking, didactic and enjoyable month. It is my hope that future medical students also get the opportunity to participate in the Family Medicine Summer Preceptorship. If their experiences are anything like mine, they will undoubtedly learn much about a life in medicine."

All five students thoroughly enjoyed their preceptorship and all experienced a few things that were new and/or unexpected. Not only did it reinforce what they learned in their first year of medical school, but it inspired and motivated them for what they will learn in their second year. 

"The two-week preceptorship at South Washington Family Medicine, in Holland, was invaluable and perhaps the best experience I have yet had at the University of Michigan Medical School. My goals in participating in the preceptorship were to find out if the reality of family medicine was consistent with my expectations and to see if I could connect with family physicians on a personal level. Indeed, I learned that family medicine is more than I had ever imagined, and I felt right at home with the doctors at SWFM," noted a second student.

For many of the students, the preceptorship experience also highlighted the breadth and depth of what a family physicians does. "During these two weeks I saw everything from sore throats to annual physical exams to acupuncture treatments to treatments for anxiety to a hyperbaric chamber used to treat slow healing wounds. After shadowing so many different doctors who interact so differently with their patients and who see varying proportions of different patient populations, I realized that in some ways, a family medicine doctor can choose what type of practice that they would like," shared one student.

Finally, a fifth student's sentiments nicely summed up one of the goals of the program: To expose medical students to family medicine early in their career. "Family medicine is a great specialty because you get to see a little of everything, from newborns to people in their nineties with all different types of problems. It is also nice because you get to build very strong relationships with your patients and their families…because you see them over and over again for years."

A special thank you to Jon M. Lake, M.D.  (Residency 1999), Peter J. Vance, M.D. (M.D. 1994), Mark A. Stid, M.D. (M.D. 1994), Kurt A. Lindberg (M.D. 1996) and Stephen J. Warnick, M.D. (M.D. 2007) for hosting a student and sharing a glimpse of what it means to be a family physician.

If you would like further information on how to become involved in the Summer Preceptorship Program or wish to host a student, please contact Amy St. Amour at 734.998.7122 or astamour@umich.edu.

 

September

September 30, 2010: Depression in Primary Care

In a long-term study on depression in primary care, Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S., professor, evaluated the sustained clinical effectiveness of low-intensity depression disease management in chronically depressed patients. See the full publication, "Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Care Management for Chronically Depressed Primary Care Patients: A Report From the Depression in Primary Care Project," in the Annals of Family Medicine. The study was featured in American Medical News.

 

September 30, 2010: Family Medicine in the News

Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor and associate chair for information management was quoted on ABC News in the article "Mammogram Study Reignites Controversy on Breast Cancer Screening." Read the full story.

 

September 22, 2010: New Child Passenger Safety Technician in Dexter

Jennifer Holton, a Medical Assistant at Dexter Family Medicine has completed extensive training and has been certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician. She is the first person in the Department to receive this specialized certification. Holton is now able to conduct child safety seat checks and provide education and hands-on assistance with the proper use of child car seats, booster chairs and safety belts. She can also advise parents on the correct type of seat for a child according to their age and weight.

 

September 16, 2010: Men's Health

Joel Heidelbaugh, M.D. from Collins Center on Vimeo.

At the upcoming 7th Men's Health World Congress, sponsored by the International Society of Men's Health (ISMH), Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., associate professor of family medicine and urology, will be meeting with experts from around the world to discuss the importance of prevention, education and developing health care guidelines for primary care physicians, men's health allied professionals and urologists to "attract men to come to the physician, get the education they need, and live a healthier lifestyle."

Conference information: The 7th Men's Health World Congress, organized by the ISMH, October 28-30, 2010, Nice, France.

 

September 16, 2010: Dr. Jimbo Receives Teaching Award...Again.

Masahito Jimbo, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor, received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the resident graduating class of 2010. This marks Dr. Jimbo's second straight year receiving this honor. Congratulations Dr. Jimbo!

 

September 15, 2010: Depression Among Medical Students

Medical students experience depression at a higher rate than the general population. Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of the U-M Department of Family Medicine recently studied depression, stigma, and suicidal ideation in medical students. The findings were published Sept. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study showed that 53.3 percent of medical students who reported high levels of depressive symptoms were worried that revealing their illness would be risky. Almost 62 percent of the same students said asking for help would mean the student’s coping skills were inadequate. Read the full press release. Dr. Schwenk's study was featured in the New York Times, BusinessWeek, Time, Michigan Radio, Yahoo! News, and the Student Free Press Association among others. Read the full paper.

 

September 10, 2010: Dr. Gold Receives Grant Funding for Work in Ghana

Katherine Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, was recently awarded grant funding from the Faculty-Led International Experiences for Students: Small-Group Research and Educational Travel Grants. Dr. Gold's proposal, titled "Perinatal mental health prevalence and needs assessment in Ghana, West Africa" will allow medical students to collect primary data to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression among mothers presenting with a sick infant for care at an urban teaching hospital with follow-up research dedicated to a needs assessment of key community stakeholders to determine maternal perinatal mental health and opportunities for care.

 

September 10, 2010: Drs. Fetters, Green, and Nease Head to NAAPCRG

Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor, director of the Japanese Family Health Program, Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor and associate chair for information management, and Donald E. Nease Jr., M.D., associate professor, will present at the 38th NAPCRG Annual Meeting, Nov. 13-17 in Seattle, Washington.

 

August

August 16, 2010: New Department Administrator

The Department is pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Bazzani, M.H.S.A., as the new Chief Department Administrator (CDA) for the Department of Family Medicine, and Ambulatory Care Administrator for Ambulatory Care Services Administration. Previously Mr. Bazzani served as CDA for the U-M Department of Dermatology, and prior to that as the CDA for the U-M Department of Biological Chemistry. He has served as Director of Administrative Operations for the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and was a healthcare and higher education consultant for Arthur Andersen LLP. The Department is pleased to have Mr. Bazzani on board.

 

August 6, 2010: Dr. Fetters Receives a Grant from NIH

The Department of Family Medicine is leading an effort to increase participation in medical and behavioral research studies. The National Institutes of Health has awarded Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor and Japanese Family Health Program director, and the Detroit Science Center a $100,000 grant that will be used to increase the public’s participation in clinical research through a youth-oriented exhibit that allows kids to imagine participating in medical research. Read the full press release.

 

August 4, 2010: Dr. Chang Names RWJ Fellow

The Department is pleased to announce that Tammy Chang, M.D., a 2010 graduate of the family medicine residency program, is the next Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar for 2011-2013.  The program has a very long history of training future leaders in academic medicine, public health and other healthcare leadership roles and involves two years of graduate-level study and research projects. The Department is happy to know that Dr. Chang will be completing her fellowship at the University of Michigan.

 

July

July 7-11, 2010: Sixth Annual International Mixed Methods Conference

Hosted by the School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, UK, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md., will be held at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, July 7-11. 

Keynote Speakers

• Professor Tony Onwuegbuzie, Sam Houston State University
• Dr. Michael D. Fetters, University of Michigan
• Dr. Pat Bazeley, Bowral, Australia

Conference Themes

• Philosophical and methodological issues
• Real world applications
• Mixing art and science
• Mixing science and social science
• Quality in mixed methods research

Mixed Methods Community

Over the life of the conference, a number of resources have been accumulated, and with the development of the new website some of these resources can be shared. It is hoped that in time this community can become a central resource for mixed methods resources, and look forward to input on how this can develop. For further information, please contact the conference support desk at mixedmethods@leeds.ac.uk. Please see the conference website for a list of workshops and other information.

 

July 9, 2010: Preventive Medicine

Combining telephone counseling calls with a daily written diet plan and phone calls increase a person’s success in improving fruit and vegetables consumption, according to research published in Preventive Medicine. Nutrition often gets neglected in preventive health care for many reasons, including lack of time, lack of training and economic restraints says Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research professor. Read the full press release.

 

July 7, 2010: Drs. Kron and Fetters Study Teaching Methods and Video Games

Frederick Kron, M.D. (Residency 2003), and Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor and Japanese Family Health Program director, sought to make clear medical student experiences and attitudes, to see whether they warrant the development of new media teaching methods in medicine. They found that overall, medical student respondents, including many who do not play video games, held highly favorable views about the use of video games and related new media technology in medical education. Significant gender differences in game play experience and attitudes may represent male video game design bias that stresses male cognitive aptitudes. Dr. Fetters was quoted in American Medical News, MSN, Science Daily and e! Science News. Read the full press release.

 

July 6, 2010: Dr. Heidelbaugh Publishes Article on PPI Prescriptions

Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., associate professor of family medicine and urology, co-authored a 2006 study reporting that his university’s health system annually spends about $110,000 on unnecessary PPI prescriptions. A more recent 2009 study published in the American Journal of Medicine concluded that up to 60 percent of PPI prescriptions for hospitalized patients are unnecessary. See more in Scientific American.

 

July 5, 2010: Dr. Velez Receives Award from the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives

Lourdes Velez, M.D., assistant professor and director of the Latino Health Clinic at Ypsilanti Family Medicine, is the recipient of the 11th annual La Celebración Latina’s Circle Award. The award, sponsored by the U-M Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, honors her significant contributions to the Latino and University communities through their work, leadership and service. To learn more see the University of Michigan Office of Multicultural Initiatives.

 

July 5, 2010: Dr. Green Discusses Statins

Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor and associate chair for information management, was quoted in the Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times and annarbor.com about physicians’ dilemma in prescribing statins, cholesterol-lowering medication, to still-healthy patients.

 

July 5, 2010: Dr. Richardson Receives Award from Medical Students

Predoctoral education - Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., assistant professor, received the Token of Appreciation from Medical Students (TAMS) Award. Graduating seniors from the U-M Medical School nominate faculty who have made a difference in their lives either through love, encouragement, financial support, counseling, listening or in other ways the students felt were significant. The student who nominated Dr. Richardson cited gratitude for support and advice, as well as research project mentoring.

 

June

June 30, 2010: Leadership

An experienced health care administrator at the University of Michigan Health System has been chosen as the institution’s first chief administrative officer. Quinta Vreede, MHSA, will oversee key Health System functions including regulatory compliance, government relations, public relations and marketing. Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, professor, notes, “This is a great tribute to Ms. Vreede that she was selected for this important role and I look forward to following her career with great interest.” Read the full press release.

 

June 23, 2010: Dr. Malouin Works to Identify Next CIO

A search committee, chaired by Jean M. Malouin, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, associate chair for clinical programs, and associate medical director of the Ambulatory Care Faculty Group Practice, is working to identify candidates for the U-M Health System’s next Chief Information Officer (UMHS-CIO). The UMHS-CIO will be responsible for all information systems and will lead the strategic planning, operations, integration and implementation of all such services across the clinical, research and education missions as well as represent the Health System in the University’s broader strategic assessment of information technology requirements.

 

June 1, 2010: 2010 STFM Annual Spring Conference presentations review

Social Networking in education — Caroline R. Richardson, M.D. presented Social and Academic Networking Using FMDRL (Family Medicine Digital Resources Library). Family Medicine Digital Resources Library (FMDRL) is a powerful site for family medicine educators. Social networking software such as Facebook and Twitter supports communication in ways that were not possible ten years ago. FMDRL serves as a type of academic and social networking tool for the members of STFM. FMDRL is valuable for medical education through its ability to connect people in cyber space. STFM Groups, including the Group on Teaching Research in Residency, have used the wiki functionality to develop collaborative documents and web pages. Participants learned how to use FMDRL’s collaborative areas, including its wikis and listserves. STFM members learned how to most effectively use FMDRL to be productive and advance their careers.

Teaching evaluation — Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., Eric P. Skye, M.D., Tammy Chang, M.D., and Elizabeth Jones, M.D. presented A unique method of faculty and curriculum evaluation by residents. As part of its emphasis on the rigorous evaluation of all teaching, the University of Michigan Family Medicine Residency Program has developed a unique program over the past 20 years for the evaluation of both faculty teaching and curriculum by residents. Residents submit anonymous online evaluations after each rotation using both scaled scores and free text. Annually, all residents are excused from clinical duties for two days to discuss the curriculum and individual faculty teaching, using the compiled evaluations from the prior year to formulate a single evaluation with constructive criticism and positive feedback. These evaluations are then provided to each faculty member in a confidential fashion to guide personal career development and to residency leaders for program development.

Predoctoral education — Kent J. Sheets, Ph.D. presented History of predoctoral education in family medicine: Lessons learned along the way. There are many lessons to be learned from the history of predoctoral education in family medicine. As with any review of history, a major goal is to inform junior educators of significant past accomplishments and failures as well as to remind more senior educators of past problems and contributions. As with all history, there is the overriding reminder to avoid repeating past historical errors in the present and future. This session initially spent time reviewing key events in the history of family medicine predoctoral education. The majority of the session was spent discussing how to learn from our history and continue to build upon our successes and cope with issues in the present and future.

Resident education — Amy B. Locke, M.D. presented, Breakthrough or hype: Teaching learners to help patients evaluate health fads. Patients commonly use complementary and alternative therapies, however, they get information from a variety of sources, some unreliable. A Patient Centered Medical Home seeks to support patients in all aspects of care, including providing information about complementary and alternative practices that patients are using or considering. Using two common supplements as examples, we explored how learners decide to provide information regarding integrative medicine topics. We reviewed the evidence for the use of these supplements, how it can be found, and how it may be appropriately communicated to patients. This presentation aims to help educators to train students and residents to optimally support patients by stressing reliable information sources and appropriate patient education.

Resident education — Hobart H. Lee, M.D., Brian H. Bluhm, M.D., and Thomas A. O’Neil, M.D. presented, Development of resident led outpatient morning report as an educational model to improve resident lectures. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee for Family Medicine references didactics as a key component for residency education. Traditionally, Family Medicine residencies have used attending- led lectures to teach residents about outpatient topics. We adapted the Internal Medicine inpatient morning report model and developed resident led outpatient case-based presentations. A survey at a single academic Family Medicine residency suggested that residents strongly preferred case-based presentations to attending-led lectures and favored the inclusion of outpatient morning report as regular addition to the resident didactic curriculum. The outpatient morning report could provide an alternative model for conveying outpatient specific medical knowledge.

Patient-centered Medical Home — Donald E. Nease Jr., M.D.
presented Making a house a home: Learning reflective and empathy skills for patient-centered care. The Patient-centered Medical Home concept fits naturally with the philosophy of family medicine. A practice will only function as a medical home if patients sense the understanding and advocacy facilitated by empathy and accurate listening. Balint training has focused on the development of these skills. In this seminar, a reflective empathetic practice experience was presented that was designed to further these skills, based on the principles of Balint group process. Partial Objectives List-Participants will be able to (1) Describe from their own experience how reflective group process can help us be more skillful at becoming patient centered and effective in promoting the medical home and (2) Strategize as teachers how to create learning experiences to improve competencies important to the Patient-centered Medical Home model.

Clinical Blling and Coding — Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D. and Maggie A. Riley, M.D. presented A department-wide billing and coding program for faculty and residents. Inaccurate billing by resident and faculty physicians can result in substantially decreased revenue in academic family medicine departments. Clinical programs aimed at improving billing and coding accuracy are crucial to sustain viability in academic health centers. Our program to improve billing accuracy among residents and faculty centers on didactic educational sessions highlighting the most commonly made coding mistakes and individualized chart reviews with detailed feedback. Special attention will be given to outliers within the faculty-resident precepting model to allow for determination of undercoding trends. The goal of this intervention is to create a paradigm whereby faculty preceptors will discuss accurate billing and coding practices for every resident office visit, leading to an alignment of resident billing patterns to reflect that of our faculty.

Genetics Consult Service - Philip Zazove, M.D. presented Implementation of Genetics Program Into a Family Medicine Residency. Genomics is touted as a future paradigm change in medicine. For family physicians, this would involve using genetic information for diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment purposes, as well as potentially for pharmacogenomics. Currently, our major intervention is to take and analyze family histories. We do this poorly. Residency programs don’t typically train our residents well in this. Thus, patients who would benefit from preventive interventions are not being identified and counseled. A primary care genetics consult service was developed at the University of Michigan, with the goal of improving the identification of high-risk patients as well as overall genetics knowledge. The presentation summarized the initial results of the service to generate discussion about ways to improve family history taking and genetic knowledge in family physicians.

Leadership through subspecialization — Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D., Kent J. Sheets, Ph.D., and Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D. presented Leadership through subspecialization: Opportunities, risks, and the future of family medicine. Family physicians have a growing array of opportunities for subspecialization. The ABFM now offers formal added qualification in adolescent medicine, geriatric medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, sleep medicine, and sports medicine, and family physicians have long made significant contributions to addiction medicine, behavioral medicine, community and public health, women’s health, procedural medicine, and others. Unstructured observation shows a tradition of both individual faculty and programs leveraging subspecialization to facilitate leadership in clinical, educational, research, but little is known about what motivates these decisions, their tangible products, or their consequences. This session will feature an interactive panel discussion with family medicine leaders about the potential implications of subspecialization for all aspects of family medicine, including professional development, scholarship, educational programs, workforce, and recruitment, among others.

Residency education — Vijay Singh, M.D. presented Current trends in family medicine residency education: Domestic violence competencies, teaching methods, and curricular settings. Problem: Since the last national assessment of family medicine residency domestic violence (DV) curricula in 1999, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and Residency Review Committee (RRC) updated their violence training requirements. This study addresses family medicine residency programs’ fulfillment of current ACGME and RRC requirements. Methods: A modified Delphi technique created a cross sectional online survey with the following DV domains: (1) residency program characteristics, (2) curricular content, (3) teaching methods, (4) educational settings, and (5) instructor training. Outcomes: 455 residency programs will be surveyed. Anticipated outcomes are above. Implications: This study will identify not only systematic educational gaps in family medicine residency violence training, but also innovative models that can be disseminated nationally.

Professional development — Vijay Singh, M.D. presented, How to begin & build a career in academic family medicine and get promoted, at the annual spring STFM conference. This case-based, interactive session gave participants the opportunity to address the challenges of incorporating scholarship and research into developing a career as a family medicine faculty member. It focused on strategies for beginning and building a scholarly portfolio that can prepare faculty for promotion and career growth.

Evaluation questionnaires — Vijay Singh, M.D. presented How to build better educational and research questionnaires: Tips from the STFM Research Committee. Creating questionnaires
In Family Medicine we frequently use survey questionnaires to answer research questions. Additionally questionnaires can be used to assess the performances of our learners, the effectiveness of our teaching, as well as the satisfaction of our patients. A questionnaire can produce reliable and valid information if the questionnaire is properly constructed, pretested, and administered. These requirements are not trivial and missteps are easy. During this session we will provide guidelines for writing and piloting a questionnaire, enhancing response rates, and assessing the reliability and validity of the information collected. This session is intended for people interested in writing or using questionnaires in research and educational settings. During this session we will be designing a questionnaire to be used by the Medical Education Research Consortium.

Faculty development — Eric P. Skye, M.D. and Leslie A. Wimsatt, Ph.D. presented Faculty outcomes following involvement in an online module development project. Past research suggests that faculty engagement with instructional technology is largely driven by the opportunity to improve teaching practice and student learning. It has been hypothesized that faculty who experiment with online learning environments undergo a conversion experience that makes them better teachers by encouraging reflection on teaching approaches and initiating dialogue with colleagues on the merits of different teaching approaches. However, most studies of online instruction focus on medical student and resident learning outcomes. Little is known about how such experiences influence faculty involved in the creation of online curriculum. This study was designed to examine the impact of faculty and resident involvement in online module development on their self-assessed teaching and evaluation practices. Implications for research and practice will be explored.

Information technology — Eric P. Skye, M.D. and Leslie Wimsatt, Phd. Medical educators are investing heavily in information and communication technology (ICT), yet little is known about the attitudes and perceptions of medical faculty and residents regarding the need for ICT or the relationship between identified needs and actual patterns of technology use. Nor is it clear what social and organizational support is needed for efficient and effective use of ICT in residency education. This presentation summarizes findings from a study of faculty and residents within a single department of family medicine to better understand the context in which ICT functions in resident education. Our results reveal underlying patterns of ICT use, institutional and departmental support and potential barriers to effective implementation. Implications for future research and practice are explored.

 

May

May 20, 2010: The 33rd Annual Family Medicine Research Day Conference

This event will be held at The Johnson Center at Cleary University, 3725 Cleary Drive, Howell, MI 48843. The program will run from 8a.m. to 3:30p.m.

This annual event is designed to encourage and assist new researchers and scholars in family medicine, nursing and the behavioral sciences. Abstracts of original research or scholarly projects will be accepted until April 30, 2010. Abstract categories include Student (Medical, Nursing, Graduate), Resident Physician, Practitioner, and Faculty or Teacher.

Sponsored by:
Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State

In collaboration with:
Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan
Department of Family medicine, Michigan State University
The Michigan Academy of Family Physicians Foundation

For more information please refer to the Michigan State University website.

 

May 9, 2010: Advocacy and leadership training

Anne L. Kittendorf, M.D., assistant professor, discussed opportunities for advocacy and leadership in family medicine at STFM. Advocacy and leadership in medicine are activities that occur on a variety of levels: advocating for the provider or the discipline, for a patient or community, or for larger societal changes to improve health. Since many of the rules that affect both determinants of health and the practice of medicine are legislated, it is important to train family physicians in political advocacy skills. This session described and discussed an innovative curriculum that was developed to teach these skills. Through longitudinal exposure to advocacy and leadership concepts and completion of an advocacy project, residents experience a culture of advocacy and practice the skills necessary to remain up to date and involved while further educating themselves and their peers.

 

May 8, 2010: Aging and Exercise

Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., assistant professor, comments on JAMA’s recommendation for women and exercise. Read the article in the Dallas Morning News.

 

May 7, 2010: International Medical Mission

Eric E. McLaughlin, M.D., (Residency 2009), has joined a two-year post-residency program with the World Medical Mission in a Kenyan community. Read the article in the AnnArbor.com.

 

May 6, 2010: Dr. Gold Discusses the Impact of a Miscarriage on Marriage

Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., assistant professor, talks about the impact having a miscarriage can have on a marriage. Her research finds that divorce is more likely for couples who have had a miscarriage. Read more at any of the following websites: CNN, HealthDay, USA Today. Dr. Gold also talks about how caring for a young one can put a strain on a marital relationship. Read the full article in the Detroit Free Press.

 

April

April 24-28, 2010: 43rd STFM Annual Spring Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia

Presentations include:
Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, to lead an informal round table discussion titled “Social and academic networking using FMDRL (Family Medicine Digital Resources Library).”

 

April 25, 2010: "Michigan" Reception

Please join us Sunday, April 25th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. during the STFM Annual Spring Conference. The reception will be held in the Junior Ballroom C, Sheraton Vancouver Wall Center.

William C. Wadland, M.D.
Department of Family Medicine, Michigan State University 

Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D.
Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan 

Maryjean Schenk, M.D. 
Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University 

 

April 7-10, 2010: 31st Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Seattle, Wash.

Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, and co-authors presented “Integrating an Internet-Mediated Walking Program into Family Medicine Clinical Practice.”

 

March

March 23, 2010: Healthy Lifestyle

The Detroit Free Press publishes an interview with Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., associate professor, about healthy tips for dealing with the weather’s increasing temperature. Richardson told the paper that those who are beginning their outdoor exercise routine for the season should start low and warm up slowly to avoid injury.

March 22, 2010: Nutrition

Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research professor, and Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor and associate chair for research programs, found that a written plan combined with telephone counseling appears to be promising for improving fruit and vegetable intake, and warrants more definitive study. Findings appear in a Preventive Medicine article; Djuric Z, Ellsworth JS, Ren J, Sen A, Ruffin MT IV. A randomized feasibility trial of brief telephone counseling to increase fruit and vegetable intakes. Prev Med. 2010 Mar 11. [Epub ahead of print].

March 21, 2010: Research on chronic disease — Donald E. Nease Jr., M.D., associate professor, and Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor and associate chair for research programs, studied whether family medical history is related to patients’ perceptions of risk, worry, and control over getting these diseases. They found that having a family history of a disease increases its salience and does not change one’s perceived ability to prevent the disease. Full citation information: Acheson LS, Wang C, Zyzanski SJ, Lynn A, Ruffin MT IV, Gramling R, Rubinstein WS, O’Neill SM, Nease DE Jr; for the Family Healthware™ Impact Trial (FHITr) Group. Family history and perceptions about risk and prevention for chronic diseases in primary care: A report from the Family Healthware™ Impact Trial. Genet Med. 2010 Mar 3 [Epub ahead of print].

 

March 20, 2010: Improving health care

According to the Qatar National Research Fund newsletter, Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor and director of the Japanese Family Health Program, is the lead principal investigator of a team that has been working in Qatar to improve their quality of health care. With a three-year grant received from the Qatar National Research Fund, the investigators are collaborating to translate and culturally adapt a survey developed in the U.S. in which patients are asked to assess the quality of their health care over the past 12 months. This study will communicate using the languages of English, Arabic, Hindi and Urdu; investigators hope their findings will be used to improve many other health programs internationally.

 

March 19, 2010: Match Day!

The following medical students matched into the U-M Family Medicine Residency Program.

Ypsilanti
Ketti Augusztiny, University of Michigan Medical School
Aaron Heindl, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Lindsey Kotagal, University of Michigan Medical School
Audrey Richardson, University of Michigan Medical School

Chelsea
Heather Bidgoli, Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health
Margaret Greenough, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Christopher Love, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Christina Nisonger, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Keturah Schacht, University of Michigan Medical School

They will be joined by Joanna Lee (Ypsi) from Michigan State College of Osteopathic Medicine who is completing her first year transitional-year residency at Henry Ford. She will be transferring into the program to join the HO1 class.

Please give them a warm welcome when they join us in June and a special thanks to everyone who helped us recruit this wonderful group of future family physicians.

- Jim Cooke, MD, Residency Director

 

February

February 18, 2010: Modern Marvels Interactive Translational Research Experience (MITRE) at the Detroit Science Center

The University of Michigan and Detroit Science Center (DSC) are working together to create an interactive exhibit that will simulate the clinical research process. Upon entering the “hospital,” visitors immediately become participants in a medical study. They will receive a briefing on informed consent, rules regarding patient confidentiality and involvement in the study, and then be offered the option of participating. If they choose to participate, visitors will receive a diagnosis that will guide them through a series of simulated procedures associated with a specific illness. This entire project is funded by the National Institute of Health. Read more in the first edition of the MITRE newsletter.

 

February 9, 2010: High Fructose Corn Syrup and Type II Diabetes / Obesity

Medical director disputes industry’s advertising campaign claims that high fructose corn syrup is natural. Valentine’s Day celebrations often involve consumption of many candies, but be cautious about the sweet stuff containing high fructose corn syrup. “Sugar does not come from corn naturally,” Pamela G. Rockwell, D.O., assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan, says. Read the full press release.

 

February 9, 2010: Research in Perinatal Death

After stillbirth or early infant death, parents often query when they can try for another pregnancy. Katherine J. Gold, M.D., M.S.W., M.S., lecturer, led a team that conducted a national survey of US obstetricians to assess attitudes about optimal timing of next pregnancy and advice given to parents. The study was an anonymous mail survey of 1500 randomly selected US obstetricians asking about physician experiences with perinatal death. Two-thirds of respondents endorsed a waiting time of less than 6 months for parents bereaved by stillbirth who desired another pregnancy.

 

February 9, 2010: Dr. Schwenk Speaks on Depression in Physicians and Medical Students

The U-M Depression Center held a Colloquium Series presentation on Friday, February 5, 2010. Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine, professor, and associate director of the Depression Center, spoke about depression in physicians and medical students.

 

February 2-5, 2010: 33rd Annual Midwinter Family Practice Update

The event was held Boyne Highlands in Boyne, Michigan. Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor provided the opening welcome.

 

January 2010

January 25, 2010: New Chief Residents

It is my distinct pleasure to announce that Dr. Marisyl de la Cruz and Dr. Tom O'Neil have accepted the position of chief resident for the Family Medicine Residency Program for the 2010-11 academic year. As many of you know, Drs. O'Neil and de la Cruz have been very active in residency activities, recruitment, curriculum and evaluation redesign and are very vocal advocates for their fellow residents.

We moved the chief selection up this year to involve the chief-elects in curriculum planning and the development of the 2010-11 rotation schedule and anticipate that they will be very busy leading up to resident retreat in April.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Brian Bluhm and Dr. Tammy Chang for their extraordinary leadership over the last year. Their contributions have improved the residency program in numerous ways which I will expand on through comments at upcoming meetings and residency graduation.

The residency leadership and I are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Marisyl and Tom in their new roles and please join me in welcoming the new chiefs.

 

January 14, 2010: Preceptorship Program Donation

Last month, Kenneth and Judy Betz made another generous donation to the Department of Family Medicine to establish an endowment to support the M1/M2 Preceptorship Program. The M1/M2 Preceptorship Program supports a clinical experience, for University of Michigan medical students between the first and second years of medical school, with community-based family physicians. The program is designed to provide an early experience in the “real world” of family medicine through a caring and competent role model and provides motivation for medical students to elect the specialty of family medicine as a career. Currently, planning is underway for up to three preceptorship slots in community family medicine settings to enable current M1 students to participate during the summer of 2010.

Since 2005, the Betz family has also supported a medical student scholarship, the Kenneth and Judy Betz Family Medicine Scholarship, that is awarded annually to a fourth-year medical student who matches into family medicine.

 

January 7, 2010: Announcing Match results for the Sports Medicine Fellowship. Read more...

 

January 6, 2010: Dr. Kirst Published in the NY Times

Our very own Dr. Nell Kirst, first year resident, wrote a very poignant article about non-verbal communication and physician's role which was published in today's New York Times.

 

January 10, 2010: Grant Award for Project Healthy Kids

Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research professor, has been awarded a grant entitled “Project Healthy Kids (#2)." This Integrated, Standard Grant proposal aims to recruit 140 children, ages 2-5, and their parents from seven primary care practices in Michigan as a healthy lifestyle intervention targeting self-monitoring to improve diet quality and decrease screen time. Her goal is to assist practices in helping young patients prevent inappropriate weight gain.

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