KNN Connection | August 2020
School Spotlight

When the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the University of Texas at Austin campus in March 2020, Dell Medical School’s KNN team looked for new ways to foster a sense of community and promote human flourishing amidst the transition to online learning and working. In May, Dell launched the Arts and Humanities: Creating Well Being seminar series. The weekly discussions, held over Zoom, serve as an online “salon” for the discussion and celebration of creativity. The series is hosted by Carrie Barron, MD, director of the medical school’s Creativity for Resilience program. 
KNN News
Character Essay Contest for Students!
Please help spread the word
Describe someone you have encountered in the field of medicine who is a character exemplar - what about them and their actions inspires you and your future work?

For definitions of the 24 character strengths, click on the image at the left.

The Kern Institute is excited to launch a character essay contest for medical students across the Kern National Network of medical schools.

The essay is an opportunity to reflect on what character means to you and what character strengths you’ve seen exhibited in role models. All essays will be used for us to better understand how students view attributes that make someone a character exemplar in medicine.

A $25 gift card will be awarded to the contest winner.
Enter before August 28th. Essays should be 700 words or less.
Assessment for Learning - UCSF Center for Faculty Educator's Learning and Caring Environment

UCSF has embraced assessment for learning to help learners grow into competent and caring physicians. This commitment requires shifting from feedback after the fact as a judgment of past performance to real-time feedback as a way to coach learners towards success. 

As part of the Center for Faculty Educator's “Learning and Caring Environment” initiative we developed two brief modules with an overview of assessment for learning and a quick guide to feedback in clinical settings. Access the modules by clicking on the links below.
Assessment for Learning Overview
3 Minutes
Feedback in the Clinical Setting
7 Minutes
Take 5 Videos- Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Academy of Educational Excellence
How to Reduce Implicit Bias in the Admissions Process

Dr. Quinn Capers IV, an interventional cardiologist, medical educator, and Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs at The Ohio State University College of Medicine shares strategies his school's admissions office incorporated to recognize implicit bias and increase the diversity of healthcare teams.
Microaggressions in the Learning Environment

Dr. Jyothi Marbin, Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Residency Program Director of the Pediatric Residency Program at UCSF, shares a set of 5 tips for recognizing and responding to microaggressions in the learning environment.
Daughters of the Dust
Dell Medical School Arts & Humanities for Well Being Series
On June 15th, Dell Medical School hosted an on online discussion with Dr. Rick Peters of the 1991 film Daughters of the Dust, directed by Julie Dash, with cinematography by Arthur Jafa. This beautiful and celebrated movie is a quiet reflection on social injustice, family and culture that may have deep resonance for us in this wrenching and troubling time. During the discussion, we will also show Arthur Jafa’s short video, Love is the Message, The Message is Death.

The film is currently streaming for free on the Criterion Channel, even if you don’t have a subscription. It is also available to rent from Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and YouTube. If you can, please watch it beforehand and listen to a guided conversation.
KNN Updates
Board Bulletin
Click below to learn about the KNN Board discussions and highlights from July.
doctors-nurses.jpg
KNN Initiatives
Click below to learn more about what is happening with the Caring, Character, Clinical Learning Environment, Diversity & Inclusion, Faculty Development, Holistic Admissions, Medical Professionalism, Primary Palliative Care Education, Student Well-being, and Women's Leadership groups.
KNN Meetings this Month
Please check your outlook calendar for meeting details.
Week of August 3rd

Clinical Learning Environment Collaborative Project Meeting
Monday, August 3rd | 10-11 AM CST

Faculty Development Collaborative Project Meeting
Friday, August 7th | 1:30 -2:30 PM CST

Week of August 10th

Staff Leadership Team Meeting
Monday, August 10th | 1-2 PM CST

Board Conversation with Marvin Berkowitz
Wednesday, August 12th | 5 - 6 PM CST

Board Retreat
Thursday, August 13th | 10 AM - 2:15 PM CST

Week of August 17th

Medical Professionalism Steering Committee Meeting
Monday, August 17th | 12-1 PM CST

Primary Palliative Care Education Meeting
Wednesday, August 19th | 1-2 PM CST

Faculty Development Collaborative Project Meeting
Friday, August 21st | 1:30 -2:30 PM CST

Week of August 24th

Caring Meeting
Wednesday, August 26th | 9 - 10 AM CST

Board Meeting
Thursday, August 27th | 11 AM- 12 PM CST

Character Meeting
Thursday, August 27th | 12 - 1 PM CST


Week of August 31st

Clinical Learning Environment Collaborative Project Meeting
Thursday, September 3rd | 10 - 11 AM CST


For more information on KNN meetings and initiatives, please contact Tara Fikejs at tfikejs@mcw.edu.
COVID Corner
The COVID-19 Pandemic: Time to Catalyze a Collaborative Revolution in Health Professions Education
By: Holly J. Humphrey

Holly J. Humphrey shares more about the Macy Foundation's new strategic plan and how to make collaboration a permanent feature of clinical learning environments.
Navigating Ethical Issues in Resource Allocation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
MCW Kern Institute Grand Rounds panel presentation and Q&A with members of the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities including Arthur R. Derse, MD, JD; Mary E. Homan, DrPH, MA, MSHCE; Fabrice Jotterand, PhD, and Ryan Spellecy, PhD

CME credits will be offered for this event.

September 24, 2020 | 9 -10 AM CST
Noteworthy Events
Social Upheaval and the Search for Meaning & Purpose
Join Suzanne Shanahan, Nannerl O. Keohane Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics and Associate Research Professor in Sociology and Emily Esfahani Smith, journalist and author of The Power of Meaning. The hour’s conversation will include opportunity for audience Q&A.

Presented by Virtues & Vocations Reimagining Education- conversations on character, community, and crisis.

August 4, 2020 | Live Virtual Presentation | 11AM-12PM CST
A Physician's Story of Recovery
MCW Kern Institute Grand Rounds Presentation-by Adam B. Hill, MD

Dr. Hill is a pediatric palliative care physician at Indiana University’s Riley Hospital for Children and the author of “Long Walk Out of the Woods ~ A Physician’s Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope, and Recovery.”

August 6, 2020 | Live Virtual Presentation | 9 - 10 AM CST
Lessons from HBCUs on Cultivating Purpose & Community
Join Suzanne Shanahan, Nannerl O. Keohane Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics and Elwood L. Robinson, Chancellor of Winston Salem State University for a discussion on “Lessons from HBCUs on Cultivating Purpose & Community.” The hour’s conversation will include opportunity for audience Q&A.

Presented by Virtues & Vocations Reimagining Education- conversations on character, community, and crisis.

August 18, 2020 | Live Virtual Presentation | 11AM-12PM CST
GRIT for Women in Medicine: Growth, Resilience, Inspiration & Tenacity 2021
September 16-18, 2021
Colorado Springs, CO
Kern National Network | snewman@mcw.edu | website