The Pulse

May/June 2021

In the Continuum

Message from the Vice Dean...

As we transition into summer I want to thank you for all you do to support our learners. With vaccination rates increasing and Covid cases decreasing it feels great to be able to be out and about and to interact with friends and family. Based on University guidelines we are planning for our learners to be back in person this fall and to fully experience our now one-year old Health Sciences Education Center and all it has to offer.

The matriculating class of medical students were selected under unusual Covid conditions but resemble in most ways our previous classes and also reflect our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. It is exciting to onboard a new cohort of residents and fellows (also selected virtually) and to recognize the transitions of our current residents and fellows and they move forward with their training.

A special thanks to our staff and leaders who have developed work plans that will allow them to be as effective as possible in their jobs. We are planning ways to increase personal interactions and connections between staff and with students.

Our work on LCME continues as we address the issues raised during our self study and site visit. We know the work that has to be done, and now know the date of our limited site visit (May 16-18, 2022). The process to prepare has been productive and will make us a better school.

Enjoy the summer season and whatever you do to bring joy and relaxation into your lives. Your hard work and commitment to medical education is always appreciated.

Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, MD

Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs

University of Minnesota Medical School

Human Resources Update

Good News! The Pay Reduction Program (P&A employees) and Furlough Program (Civil Service and Bargaining Unit employees) have ended, effective June 20! Additionally, we will soon hear more about the likelihood of an Across the Board Merit Increase of 1.5% - the Board of Regents will discuss on June 29th. Finally, this is a friendly reminder to use your personal holiday if you haven't done so - they expire on June 30th. Then on July 1st we will have a shiny new one for FY22.

REMINDERS:

Save the Date! We have a very special all-staff meeting coming up on August 9 - you won't want to miss it! More information coming soon!

Access Keys: Contact Marianne Watters if you are planning to work onsite and need a general access key or key to B620

OME Mail: Mail for your program needs to be picked up at least once every two weeks - if not more.

In Our Programs....

Admissions

The admissions team said farewell to Diane Hennan, whose last day was on June 22. Diane worked on the team for 3 1/2 years. During this time, she worked closely with the Pipeline Director, Taisha Mikel, who left admissions recently to work in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion under the direction of Vice Dean Ana Nunez. Diane also helped interview prospective medical students on more days than she could possibly count!

Diane will be starting a new position as the Graduate Program Coordinator for the Dept. of Plant Pathology on the St. Paul Campus. We all wish Diane the very best on this new journey - she will be missed!

Admissions posted a one year temporary position and will begin the selection process soon. If you know of anyone that might be interested in this position, please direct them to https://humanresources.umn.edu/jobs Job ID: 341402.

Graduate Medical Education

MN Black American Doctors-The MN Black American Doctors (MnBAD) group hosted a successful Sunday Brunch event at Hyde Kitchen & Cocktails this spring with trainees from across various programs in attendance. The event was in partnership with Graduate Medical Education, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, UMN Medical School, University Relations, University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians), Minnesota Association of African-American Physicians (MAAAP) and Talent Belonging (Gray Matter).

2021 UMN Graduate Medical Education Orientation

We welcomed incoming residents and fellows at our 2021 UMN Graduate Medical Education Orientation (pictured to the right)! Incoming residents and fellows heard from experts and engaged in discussion on the topics of diversity and inclusion, implicit bias, health and wellness, patient safety and benefits. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported this event!

Team GME!

This was a most wonderful day. The GME Team gathered to share hugs, laughter and food together during a team lunch held on the McNamara Plaza last week. This was the first time some of the team members met each other in person, and the first time many of us had been together in person since March 2020. It was a day to celebrate our incredible resiliency and to acknowledge the unwavering support each of us has shown to the others on our team this past year. I think we could all agree that we wouldn't want to have gone through the last year with any other team. The ups, the downs, the stressors - but most of all the success of what we can accomplish when we work together. As Bob Englander says, "I care if you succeed." We cared about each other and we could feel it.

I also want to give a big shout out to Monica Petrov! Monica joined our team in December 2017, and every day since then she showed up wanting to learn and wanting to contribute. She inspired us, energized us, provided us with wisdom and great stories, and above all else - worked shoulder-to-shoulder to make improvements, and to tackle the tough stuff. Monica has been trying to retire for well over a year...and pretty soon we are going to have to let her do so. Thank you Monica. You are simply the best. (Submitted by Carol Sundberg)

Undergraduate Medical Education

Assessment & Evaluation

The EPA assessment program in the core clerkships launched in May. Thirteen Assessment and Coaches Experts (ACEs) at clinical sites have been working to train faculty and assess students. The ACEs will soon begin leading Clinical Competency Committees to track students' EPA progress over the course of the year. (Submitted by Amanda Koch)

The Year 2 OSCEs were a success. We thank MSim for collaborating with us. Thanks to our new CAE system, feedback to students will be an easier process. Lessons learned from the Year 2 OSCE administration will be applied to the Year 3 Clinical Competency Assessment (CCA). (Submitted by Esther Dale)

*Pictured to the right, MS2 students wait to enter the simulated exam room to begin the OSCE

Curriculum

The Curriculum team is wrapping up the first year for the Class of 2024 and welcoming the bulk of the Class of 2023 to their first clerkships at the end of the month. The Class of 2022 is busy with their preparations and decision-making for residency applications and many are moving on to their acting internships.

Curriculum and assessment renewal is an active and busy project. We are looking forward to detailed work with our faculty and a new group of instructional designers coming on board this summer to help us build on improvements to make our curriculum as effective as possible.

RPAP/MetroPAP

Don't miss the RPAP/MetroPAP Poster Session this week! The annual Community Health poster session featuring the RPAP/MetroPAP students will be held virtually on June 25th between 10-12:00pm. Students will share video presentations of their posters highlighting the community work they have engaged in over the past 9 months across the state, as well as their creativity in adjusting these community-focused projects in the face of COVID-19.

Posters will be available starting on June 23 for comments and questions, and guests can interact virtually with RPAP and MetroPAP students on Flipgrid on June 25 between 10am-12pm.

Student Affairs

Orientation for the incoming class will take place Friday, August 13, through Thursday, August 19. Orientation will be a hybrid of virtual and in-person days. You can expect a detailed schedule from Rachel in the next few weeks. The White Coat Ceremony is on Friday, August 19, 2:00 - 4:00pm. We anticipate that family, friends, faculty, and staff will be able to attend at Northrop and more details will be sent when we have them.

Mortuary Science

Coming Together to Celebrate Our Graduates -As many of you know, last year all in-person commencement ceremonies had to be cancelled as a result of COVID-19. For our 2020 graduates, last May we held a virtual “gift-giving” ceremony via Zoom. Our plan, of course, was to have an in-person ceremony as soon as it was once again safe to do so. Thankfully, there were options this year for in-person gatherings, as long as they were conducted in compliance with State and University health-safety guidelines.

As part of the planning process for commencement ceremonies this year, our program applied for permission to have an in-person ceremony for our graduates and their families. To make this happen, it would be necessary for us to hold the ceremony outdoors. We reached out to Lakewood President (and Program of Mortuary Science Advisory Board member) Chris Makowske, to discuss our desire to hold our commencement ceremony at Lakewood. Chris was most receptive to our request, and he worked with his Board to ensure that we might access to the lawn space in front of the Memorial Mausoleum, and also the Historic Chapel, for our special event.

As a result of all our planning work, we had an commencement ceremony experience unlike any other in our Program’s history! The Memorial Mausoleum served as an ideal background for our ceremony. The weather was picture-perfect, and the numerous trees that surround the Mausoleum just happened to be sprouting maroon and gold blossoms. Mother Nature could not have been more cooperative! Graduates’ family members and friends brought chairs and set them up in the lawn space that surrounds the reflecting pool. And as fate would have it, the mandatory masking requirement expired just three hours before the start of the ceremony, meaning that graduates could process without a mask if they felt comfortable doing so. Everyone was together, the weather was perfect, and we were able to celebrate graduation at one of the most beautiful memorial spaces in Minnesota.

Local harpist Rachel Brandwein provided half an hour of harp music as our prelude during the time of gathering. At 3:00 PM sharp, our graduates, faculty, and Regent McMillan gathered in front of the chapel, and with Michael Breidenbach playing bagpipes and Hunter Gullickson on drums to lead us, we solemnly processed the length of the greenway, along the reflecting pool, to our seats in front the Memorial Mausoleum.

Our ceremony included a number of personal greetings and messages of congratulations to our graduates, invited guests, and special honorees. To start the ceremony, Chris Makowske warmly welcomed us all on behalf of Lakewood Cemetery and its Board of Directors. Judge Doug Meslow spoke on behalf of the faculty, and graduates Grace Hartley (Co-President, Class of 2020) and Cristina Cherubini (President, Class of 2021) spoke on behalf of their graduating classes. Teaching Specialist Carrie McGhee announced the Preceptor of the Year Awards, as selected by our students, to Jordan Seitz (2020) and Anne Christ (2021). Both Jordan and Anne were presented with plaques by Carrie in honor of their service to the University, and their work mentoring our students. Graduates who were recipients of Program Scholarships were announced and invited to come forward to receive framed certificates noting their awards and accomplishments. MFDA Executive Director Darlyne Erickson presented a special MFDA Award of Merit scholarship to a graduate from each class. The Program honored Bill and Kay McReavy as recipients of 2021 University of Minnesota Regents Award, and also Tom Anderson, for his six-year term of service as member of the Board of Regents. We are grateful that Bill and Kay and their family, and also Tom and his wife Angie, could be present for the ceremony.

During the Conferring of the Degrees, faculty member Michael Mathews presented graduates with maroon and gold roses in honor of their achievements. The ceremony concluded with a message of gratitude to all those who helped to make this very special day possible for us all.

Here’s to being together again in the coming months! Ski-U-Mah! - Michael LuBrant

(WCCO also attended graduation and did a story on us! Check it out!)

New Staff in 2021

Welcome!

Remember to grab a cup of coffee/tea/hot cocoa (and maybe a donut) and join us on the first Thursday of the month in welcoming new staff at the "Virtual Coffee Break-Welcome New Faces!" zoom event. This is a recurring meeting with Zoom information in staff calendars.

Madeline Christensen started in June as the Office and Faculty Coordinator in RPAP/MetroPAP.

Preferred Name: Madeline or Maddie

Role/Responsibilities –"... I will be coordinating site visits with faculty and staff, planning events, and working on our newsletter and social media."

Likes: "All kinds of food. My spice tolerance increased significantly while living abroad in Southwest China."

Dislikes: "I am trying to cut down on single-use plastics and plastic in general."

Hobbies/interests: "I try to get outside as much as I can, which usually means a walk, jog, or bike ride around nearby lakes. Reading a book in a hammock is my happy place. I have always had a passion for music, and try to make some time to practice piano these days."

Welcome New Student Interns

Welcome to our new intern, Blake Barber, who started in April and will be working in various programs in OME

Major: Finance

Minor: Data Analytics, Strategic Management

Grad Date: Spring 2023

Experience/Skills: Graphic Design, Microsoft Excel, working with teams, customer service

Career Interests/goals: [To] "learn more about finance reporting/practices or anything finance related; business research and internship opportunities; expand my creativity, organization, and collaboration skills; [earn] master’s degree."

Likes: "Going to Concerts; Biking; Photography; Trying new things "

Dislikes: "Anything too slow; needles"

Hobbies/Interests: "Making music and art; watching movies and TV; playing board games"

A couple changes since last newsletter - we currently have six interns working remotely - Josie Meloy, Niloo Sohi, Aiyana Basa, Ashton Posey, Blake Barber and Zixin Chen. Attiyah Bethel and Abbie Schwartz will be returning at the end of the summer. Starting in mid July, Marianne will begin working on the fall intern schedules and program designations. She will also be meeting with program managers to assess their intern needs for the fall.

There will be some students working on campus as well as working virtually. More information to come in the next newsletter.

If and when you are interested in requesting assistance for short-term or long-term projects or for onsite events/projects over the summer, please complete the “Request for Remote Work” form or contact Marianne (mwatters@umn.edu)

DEI in OME

The Office of Assessment & Evaluation is collaborating with ODEI to develop a diversity engagement survey that can be distributed to faculty and staff - similar to the Diversity Engagement Survey (DES) that was distributed to UME students.

Upcoming SADI (Staff Advancing Diversity & Inclusion) Events

SADI Lunch & Learn: Sexuality/Sexual Orientation
- 6.30.21
- 11:30-12:30pm
- Flyer
- Discussion RSVP
SADI Dialogue: Ableism Workshop with UMN Disability Resource Center
- 7.14.21 / 11.9.21
- 12:00-2:00pm (Note new shorter time!)
- Flyer
- Dialogue RSVP

As always, if you or your team members would like to receive direct emails from SADI, please complete this Sign Up Form. You can unsubscribe at any time!

If you have any questions, please contact SADI at sadi@umn.edu.

Coffee Bar/Water Cooler Chats

AirBNB in Brainerd!

Last August, Rick and I [Christy Illig - GME] started an AirBNB in Brainerd, MN. It is a private apartment in a home in Gregory Park. The AirBNB is walking distance to Essentia Health- St. Joseph's Brainerd Hospital, and it is a short driving distance to the Paul Bunyan Trail, BIR, lake restaurants, water rentals, beaches, Nisswa, and more! We have hosted a ton of health professionals just given our vicinity to the hospital, such as, physicians, EMT's, training physician assistants on rotation, traveling nurses, and radiologist.

Check it out here! https://airbnb.com/h/private-brainerd-apartment

Side note: Beautiful area in the fall! Marianne has already booked her stay for a long weekend!

OME Admin Team Building Outing

Earlier this month the OME Admin Team went to Minnehaha Falls for the afternoon to welcome new faces in person (Hailey Kassulker and Maddie Christensen), to celebrate May birthdays (Hailey, Cynthia and Tami) and new journeys, and to celebrate being together for the first time in over a year without masks or social distancing (all vaccinated)!! It was beyond wonderful to be together again! We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Sea Salt (highly recommend) and great conversation. It was a hot and humid day, but a few of the braver souls actually did a little hiking around the falls after lunch - such a beautiful place!

Summer Recipes...

Four delicious summer dessert recipes were submitted - a Pina Colada Tres Leches Cake, a refreshing (and easy) Ice Cream Cake, and two Blueberry recipes -blueberry season soon upon us!

Check out the recipes in the OME staff Remotely Good Recipes. Try some of the (proven) recipes in the book and let us know how you like them!

Remember - you can add your favorite recipe by copying one of the slide templates and adding your recipe to the copied slide - with a picture of the finished project if possible (or send it to Marianne).

Kudos Korner

"Kudos to Janell [Lopez] and Corey [Schultz] for managing all of the craziness with the surgery changes. I'm sure the students appreciate it more than you would know!" [Abbe Holmgren]
"Kudos to the RPAP team. It's always a pleasure to work with you to problem solve scheduling issues with students. You always have the students best interests in mind and are always willing to think creatively to find a solution that works well for everyone involved." [Abbe Holmgren]
"A big thank you to Jennifer Burks for her work in preparing for the MnBAD Brunch, which as held on May 16, 2021 at HYDE. The event was a GME Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group initiative with support from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Thank you also to administrative partners Le Que Heidkamp and Christy Illig; faculty leaders Cuong Pham, MD and Mike Aylward, MD and resident leaders Simon Ndely, MD and Mahjub Hammond, MD. The goals and objectives of the event were to: 1) Meet and network with Black Residents & Fellows from other programs in person; 2) Improve morale in Minnesota Black Residents & Fellows in the wake of COVID and ongoing racial injustices happening in our city; 3) Establish relationships with Black-owned businesses and organizations; and 4) Provide an opportunity to capture the event with photos to share with our stakeholders and others more broadly. Your energy, ideas and community building make a difference. Thank you." [Carol Sundberg]
"Commencement this past May was ever changing and unique, and through it all Rachel Rudeen kept it organized, on track and well communicated. The result, an amazing event that went flawlessly. Fantastic job Rachel!" [Scott Davenport]
"Kudos to Andrea Medina for getting alllllllll the Canvas sites up and running for the new academic year! Not an insignificant feat since we have hundreds of clerkships in the 3rd and 4th year :)" [Jess Blum]
"Kudos to Janell for building a spectacular new website of resources for our clinical coordinators! Having so much information in one place will make everyone's lives a lot easier." [Jess Blum]
"Kudos to Katie K. on her new position as FLIIC Coordinator! The Fairview Longitudinal Interprofessional Integrated Clerkship (FLIIC) is our newest LIC and having Katie work with them (and as the VALUE coordinator) will ensure a smooth start to a complex program!" [Jess Blum]
"Kudos to Ali [Niesen] for all of your hard work and support bringing FLIIC development this far! I really appreciate you loaning us your detail-oriented mind to get this new program started." [Jess Blum]
"Kudos to Amanda [Koch] and Adam [Maier] on a super successful role out of the EPA framework and process! A Herculean effort, to be sure." [Jess Blum]
"A long overdue kudos and thank you to Mary Belisle for helping many of us in OME with the various HR challenges this past year, and for the guidance she has provided us. We are so glad that you are our HR rep!!" [Marianne W.]
Kudos to the OME Interns for the work they have done this summer in the various programs and on some meaningful/important projects. They've helped fill gaps in programs that were short staffed. They are an incredible team and I don't know what we would have done without them! I can't wait to meet them in person this fall!" [Marianne W.]
"Kudos and thank you to Monica Rogers for helping me with hosting some of the sessions on Best Practices Day! You really rescued me that first day - I literally could not have done it without you! [Marianne W.]
"Kudos to Cynthia Johnson for all the hard work she put into organizing the OSCE's and navigating around all of the other responsibilities on her very busy plate! We are lucky to have you Cynthia!" [Marianne W.]
"Kudos Nou Ka Yang for keeping Student Affairs on track and supporting them during this busy time of year - on top of working on your second bachelors degree! You are amazing!" [Marianne W]
"Kudos Jennifer Burks for all your work in DEI and for your involvement in the activities/events for our BIPOC students. This is important work!" [Marianne W]
"Kudos to Hailey Kassulker for stepping up to help your team when needed and for your courage to willingly jump into unfamiliar territory. We are so happy to have you on our team and are thrilled that you will be with us longer!" [Marianne W}
"Kudos to all the UME staff for having kept the ship running for the last year despite the enormous hurdles, and even made great strides in our strategic priorities!" [Bob Englander]

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