News & Events

2009

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Newsletter

Download the Department Newsletter for Fall 2008

See News Archive for previous newsletters.

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February 2009

NEWS

February 16: Research - Indicators of psychological stress found - Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research professor, and Mack T. Ruffin, IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, review the role of psychological stress in the cause of health disparities for an article entitled “Biomarkers of Psychological Stress in Health Disparities Research” (appearing in The Open Biomarkers Journal). ...More

February 13, 2009: Veterans' health - Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., assistant professor, presented on weight loss for veterans. The presentation was titled “Outcomes from the Veterans Walk for Health Trial: A randomized controlled trial comparing three walking strategies for weight loss” at the 2009 HSR&D National Meeting (VA) in Baltimore, MD.

February 6: Clinical Simulation Center Expansion - A major renovation of the U-M Clinical Simulation Center was completed in October 2008, which, in addition to tripling its size, significantly increased teaching capabilities. Skills training in rapid sequence intubation, advanced cardiac life support team leadership, cardiac arrhythmia management, colonoscopy, neonatal resuscitation and obstetrical skills have been incorporated into the family medicine residency curriculum and more skills training are being developed. Additionally, the first family medicine simulation-based curriculum was developed and electronically published to rapidly share experiences with other residency programs around the nation (http://www.fmdrl.org/794 ).

February 2-6, 2009: 33rd Annual Boyne Highlands Midwinter Family Update presentations at Harbor Springs, Michigan.
Eric P. Skye, M.D., assistant professor,  “Evidence-Based Review for the HME” and “Colon Cancer Screening & Surveillance”, “Which Moles to Biopsy & How”
John S. Stracks, M.D., lecturer, “Pain Management Alternatives,” and “Managing TBI”, “Other Approaches to Managing Depression”
Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, “Hypertension Updates” ,  “After the DVT or Embolic Event” and “Hyperlipidemia Update”
Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, “Update on Adolescent Vaccine” ,  “Shingles Update: Vaccine, Diagnosis, & Treatment”
Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D, assistant professor,  “Erectile Dysfunction Update” and “Testosterone Replacement in Men” , “Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Update”

PUBLICATIONS

February 15: Clinical research - elevated mean corpuscule volume work up.
Joyce E. Kaferle, M.D., assistant professor and Cheryl E. Strzoda, M.D, lecturer share information for the health practitioner to evaluate the possible myriad of causes of macrocytosis, and whether or not further evaluation or treatment may be indicated for the patient in article entitled, Evaluation of Macrocytosis in Am Fam Physician 2009:79(3).

February 13: Mixed methods intervention designs - Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor, co-authors book chapter on “Mixed Methods Intervention Trials” in textbook entitled Mixed Methods Research for Nursing and the Health Sciences. The aim of the chapter is to explore the use of qualitative research in intervention trials, wherein the trials become mixed methods research designs, referred to as “’mixed methods intervention designs.’” According to Dr. Fetters, the book is the first of its kind among the health sciences.

February 1, 2009: Sexual Assault/Abuse research - Barbara D. Reed, M.D., M.S.P.H., professor, examines associations reported between sexual abuse and dyspareunia-related disorders in book chapter entitled “Sexual Assault/Abuse and its link to Female Sexual Pain,” to be published in Female Sexual Pain Disorders: Evaluation and Management, 1st edition by Wiley-Blackwell.

February 1, 2009: Women's Health research - Barbara D. Reed, M.D., M.S.P.H., professor, finds consensus among respondents to survey sent to members of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease and other authors on the treatment of Vulvodynia in Journal of Reproductive Medicine.

February 1, 2009: Clinical research - Reasons patients with a positive fecal occult blood test result do not undergo complete diagnostic evaluation. Ann Fam Med 7(1):11-6. Masahito Jimbo, M.D., assistant professor, shares study analysis of reasons reported by physicians for nonperformance of complete diagnostic evaluation (CDE) in a nested sample of patients with positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT) results, concluding that decision making by primary care physicians had a major effect on nonperformance of CDE.

 

January 2009

NEWS

January 23, 2009: Annual Predoctoral Education Conference of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Presentations
Kent J. Sheets, Ph.D., associate professor, co-presents “Would You Want this Medical Student to be Your Doctor?” in a Workshop Presentation at the 2009 Annual Predoctoral Education Conference of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) in Savannah, Georgia.
Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., assistant professor and Kent J. Sheets, Ph.D., associate professor
present Educating Medical Students on the Appropriateness of Specialty Referral From Family Medicine, A Peer Paper Presentation.
Joel J. Heidelbaugh, M.D., assistant professor and Kent J. Sheets, Ph.D., associate professor,
present Case Discussion as a Venue to Teach Principles of Chronic Disease Management, A Peer Paper Presentation.

January 16, 2009: Healthy gift-giving - Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., assistant professor, shares healthy gift-giving ideas in WDIV Detroit Channel 4 interview entitled "Check out these healthy, inexpensive gifts." See Clickondetroit

January 15, 2009: The  Dale L. Williams, M.D. Family Medicine Scholarship - Beginning in 2009, the newly established Dale L. Williams, M.D. Family Medicine Scholarship shall be awarded to senior medical students who match into the family medicine program at the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine. ...more

January 15, 2009: Colon cancer screening - Masahito Jimbo, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, suggests that a significant number of primary-care physicians fail to advise their patients who receive a positive FOBT result to undergo more rigorous follow-up screenings, such as a colonoscopy. Press release notes that the 5% of primary care physicians who are trained in performing colonoscopies can assist in meeting the ideal screening needs of the country's third most common cancer, colon cancer, especially in rural areas. See Healthday News http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=623019

January 14, 2009: Culturally competent care in Japanese populations - Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., associate professor shares “Challenges in championing culturally competent care: Lessons learned from serving a Japanese population” at RWJ Clinical Scholars Program event at the U-M in Ann Arbor.

January 13, 2009: Clinical guidelines on depression and recurrent heart attack risk. Recommendations of the American Academy of Family Physicians led by Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor and co-authored by Donald E. Nease, Jr., M.D., associate professor, call for regular screening and monitored treatment of depression in patients who have suffered a heart attack, also known as myochardial infarction, according to an AAFP press release. The guidelines are published in the January/February 2009 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine and are available online at www.annfammed.org. The guidelines are titled “AAFP Guideline for the Detection and Management of Post–Myocardial Infarction Depression,” led by the Post-Myocardial Infarction Depression Clinical Practice Guideline Panel and the bibliographic citation is 7(1):71-9.

January 6, 2009: The Jill and Thomas R. Berglund, M.D., Scholarship Fund - Dr. Berglund (M.D. 1959) and his wife, Jill, have established The Jill and Thomas R. Berglund, M.D., Scholarship Fund in the Department of Family Medicine that is presented to a graduating medical student who matches to a family practice residency...more

January 2, 2009: Department Chair visits Ghana - "Cost and Quality in the Ghanaian Health Care System:  Is There a Role for Family Medicine?" The Department has launched a major collaborative initiative with the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) and academic family physicians in Ghana.  The purpose of the initiative is to enhance the quality of family medicine resident training, provide faculty development opportunities for family medicine fellows and faculty members, develop collaborative research programs with Ghanaian family physicians, and develop a bilateral exchange program for residents and fellows. This initiative will hopefully become part of a major collaboration between many schools and units of the University of Michigan and their counterparts in Ghana, as part of a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant to support the sustainable development of enhanced resources for health care professionals in Ghana.  The initiative was launched with an initial visit by Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., professor, and the George A. Dean, M.D., Chair of Family Medicine in December.  Dr. Schwenk was the keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Scientific Assembly of the GCPS held on December 3, 2008 in Accra, speaking on "Cost and Quality in the Ghanaian Health Care System:  Is There a Role for Family Medicine?"

PUBLICATIONS

January 9, 2009: Cancer prevention research - Philip Zazove, M.D., professor, concludes that persons with profound hearing loss have poor knowledge of recommended cancer prevention interventions and whether English is used in multiple settings is a strong factor. His study examines the effect of low reading levels and difficulty communicating with physicians among deaf persons upon knowledge of cancer prevention recommendations.  Article entitled “Cancer Prevention Knowledge of People with Profound Hearing Loss” appears in J Gen Intern Med 2009 Jan 9 [Epub ahead of print].

January 5, 2009: Physical activity and menopause research - Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., assistant professor, among authors who find in study of physical activity levels among postmenopausal women that a lifestyle physical activity intervention not only increases pedometer step counts but appears to reduce some of variation in physical activity levels over the course of a year. (This study included Caucasian and African American women). Monthly Variation in Physical Activity Levels in Postmenopausal Women. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Jan 5. [Epub ahead of print]

January 5, 2009: Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer - Mack T. Ruffin, IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, among authors who find data suggesting that differential glycosylation patterns detected on high-throughput lectin glyco-antibody microarrays are a promising biomarker approach for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. Li C, Simeone DM, Brenner DE, Anderson MA, Shedden KA, Ruffin MT, Lubman DM. Pancreatic Cancer Serum Detection Using a Lectin/Glyco-Antibody Array Method. J Proteome Res [Epub ahead of print].

January 2, 2009: New Cardiovascular Guidelines - Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H., professor, among those from The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) to develop clinical performance measures and clinical registries that permit the evaluation of quality of care and stimulate quality improvement within cardiovascular care. ACC/AHA classification of care metrics: performance measures and quality metrics: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Performance Measures. Bonow RO, Masoudi FA, Rumsfeld JS, Delong E, Estes NA 3rd, Goff DC Jr, Grady K, Green LA, Loth AR, Peterson ED, Piña IL, Radford MJ, Shahian DM; American College of Cardiology; American Heart Association Task Force on Performance Measures. J Am Coll Cardiol 52(24):2113-7.

January 2, 2009: Disease and Cancer Beliefs - Ananda Sen, Ph.D., biostatistician, Donald E. Nease, Jr., M.D., associate professor and Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor, are among authors of article entitled “Comparison of risk perceptions and beliefs across common chronic diseases.” In it authors address working with prior disease perceptions, including types of cancer, when communicating multiple disease risks. Other authors include: Wang C, O'Neill SM, Rothrock N, Gramling R, Acheson LS, and Rubinstein WS for the Family Healthware™ Impact Trial (FHITr) group.
Prev Med [Epub ahead of print].

NEW RESEARCH GRANTS

January 1, 2009: Depression grant - Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S., associate professor, plans to design a more efficient self-management component for Michigan Depression Outreach and Collaborative Care (M-DOCC) at UMHS in study entitled “Enhancing the Sustainability of Depression Disease Management Support for Primary Care.”

January 1, 2009: Exercise for chronic back pain - Caroline R. Richardson, M.D., assistant professor and Co-PI, awarded research grant for study entitled “Veterans Walk to Beat Back Pain. ” Her plan is to assess the efficacy of an Internet-mediated, pedometer-based intervention that is designed to increase walking among individuals with chronic back pain.

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