Transformational Times
Words of Hope, Character & Resilience from our Virtual Community
Friday, December 18, 2020
In this Special Diversity & Inclusion Issue:

Director's Corner
  • Adina Kalet, MD, MPH: A Great Miracle is Happening Here. Rededication is Needed.

Perspectives/Opinions
  • Andy Petroll, MD: Can You Recommend a Good Primary Care Physician?
  • Victor Redmon, MD: The Patient Told Me, “You cannot take care of me. You’re Black and I don’t like Black people.” How Do You Respond?
  • Balaraman Kalyanaraman, PhD: The Tuskegee Study: Overcoming Racial Disparities in Vaccinations and Rebuilding the Trust of Black Americans
  • Katinka Hooyer, PhD, MS, and Zeno Franco, PhD: Responding to COVID-19 Through Art and Activism

Take 3
  • Katie Kassulke, MCW Administrative Director of Faculty Relations and Title IX Coordinator

Poetry Corner
  • Tamera Amadei-Bourne: Winter Equinox

Your Turn
  • See how readers answered last week's prompt: How do you show your patients, your students, your colleagues, or your loved ones that you care?
  • Respond to this week's prompt: What gives you a sense of peace at this time of year? Please share a photo, if possible.

Announcements & Resources
  • Congratulations Bipin Thapa, MD, and Kurt Pfeifer, MD
  • Register for Kern's Upcoming Virtual Events
  • Apply to the Kern Institute's Faculty Scholars Program
  • Respond to Kern's RFP to build Transformation Collaboratories
  • Learn How You Can Be Involved in the MCW Common Read
  • Kern National Network Connections Newsletter - December 2020
Director's Corner
A Great Miracle is Happening Here. Rededication is Needed.

by Adina Kalet, MD, MPH

This week, Dr. Kalet reflects on this season of miracles in our medical, societal, and spiritual lives, as we celebrate some remarkable achievements and ready ourselves for the future... 


The photographs are spellbinding: first responders, nurses, environmental service workers, transporters, laboratory technologists, physicians in full PPE, sleeves rolled up at the ready to receive the vaccine. The science – messenger RNA presenting small bits of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to recruit our immune systems – is a miracle. The rapidity and coordination with which the basic and clinical scientists and government approval processes advanced to save lives is astonishing. The administration and engineering know-how enabling mass production, distribution, and inoculation is wondrous.
Perspective/Opinion
Can You Recommend a Good Primary Care Physician?

by Andy Petroll, MD - Medical Director of the Inclusion Health Clinic

Dr. Petroll, who conceived and founded the Froedtert & MCW Inclusion Health Clinic, describes the role that the clinic plays to enhance services to the LGBTQ+ community in Milwaukee and beyond...

Since I began my career in medicine nearly twenty years ago, and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I would hear this question frequently. Usually, the next sentence was the questioner expressing a preference for a provider who was, themself, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but stating that they would be willing to settle for someone who wasn’t. At minimum, they wanted a provider who would make them feel comfortable and would easily understand them when they talked about their sex life, their gender identity, or their relationships with their partner and families, while also providing them with the care they needed. I’d always do my best to make a recommendation, but I knew that what they were looking for was hard to find, especially if their insurance required them to stay within one health system or if they wanted a provider in a certain part of town. A handful of large and mid-sized cities had LGBTQ-focused clinics, many of which had been well-established for decades, but here in Wisconsin, there were none.
Perspective/Opinion
The Patient Told Me, “You cannot take care of me. You’re Black and I don’t like Black people.” How Do You Respond?

by Victor Redmon, MD

Dr. Redmon, a resident in the Med/Peds Program, shares what he has learned about speaking up when experiencing or witnessing moments of injustice …


My name is Victor Redmon. I am a fourth-year internal medicine and pediatrics resident here at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliate Hospitals (MCWAH). I have served on the MCWAH Diversity and Inclusion (D/I) Committee since my intern year. Given the current political landscape and the ever-present pandemic, we felt it necessary to put out a narrative centered around “accountability,” both for yourself and your colleagues around you.

The year of 2020 has been one for the ages. I have been more cognizant of reading articles addressing intolerance, injustice, and micro-aggressions this year, more so than in years past. A student of mine recently asked me particularly good questions about accountability and when to speak up for yourself and others, when either your colleagues or patients make insensitive remarks. I do not know if I gave him the best answer at the time, partly because I do not know if there is one right answer give. 
Perspective/Opinion
The Tuskegee Study: Overcoming Racial Disparities in Vaccinations and Rebuilding the Trust of Black Americans

by Balaraman Kalyanaraman, PhD – Chair, MCW Department of Biophysics

Dr. Kalyanaraman, attended graduate school in Alabama, discusses the terrible legacy of the Tuskegee Study and why we must work as allies with the Black community to gain its trust and participation in COVID-19 vaccine trials …


"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Racial disparity in vaccination is a sensitive topic. I am not an expert in this area; however, I want to address this issue because it is timely, and a matter of life and death with COVID-19.
Perspective/Opinion
Responding to COVID-19 Through Art and Activism


by Katinka Hooyer, PhD, MS, and Zeno Franco, PhD 

Drs. Hooyer and Franco share how they partnered with artists to create culturally responsive public health messaging ...

Artists and activists can rally communities in ways that we, as health professionals, do not have access to. Artists engage the public in ways that deliberately evoke emotion, cultural pride and collective action. This is particularly critical during a pandemic, when public health directives may not align with the cultural practices, norms, and everyday realities of vulnerable communities - Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color hit hardest by COVID-19 because of long-standing inequities.  
 
To rapidly respond to these COVID-19 messaging concerns, we developed a unique city-county-academic partnership, led by the City of Milwaukee Health Department and the County Office on African American Affairs, and MCW Family Medicine and Trauma Surgery. The project was funded by a Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin COVID Rapid Response grant. 
Three Questions for

Katie Kassulke
MCW Administrative Director of Faculty Relations and Title IX Coordinator

Dr. Bruce Campbell, Editor of the Kern Institute's Transformational Times, posed three questions to Ms. Kassulke on understanding sexual harassment reporting at MCW …


  1. How will recent Title IX legislative changes affect institutions like MCW?
  2. How does the office support victims when they come forward?
  3. How has the #MeToo movement affected how you see your work?
This week’s poem is by Tamera Amadei-Bourne, a Research Program Assistant, whose passion is writing. She began writing when she was seven, and that love led to a degree in Mass Communications/English with an emphasis in Public Relations and Creative Writing. Poetry helped her heal through a personal tragedy, and she had the pleasure of seeing three of her poems published. This poem is inspired by the approaching Equinox and the turbulent times we are currently experiencing.


Winter Equinox
by Tamera Amadei-Bourne


The darkest day of the year
announces itself in a fortnight
heralding for us to 
pause – 
reflect – 
heal.

Winter slowly knocks
on the door,
grasping its icy, bone fingers
to the frame,
inching it open,
expanding the dark, crisp night.
failing to eliminate the pin prick of 
light.

Tress adorn with candles,
illuminating the familiar faces – 
Parents, child, spouse
as gifts are passed around.
Laughter defrosts the chill
enveloping us into an embrace,
eroding the darkness into a fine dust – 
freeing the light.

I show I care about others by making time to listen.
– Dr. Teresa Patitucci, Faculty

I show I care about others by reaching out to them!
– Joyce Lee, Medical Student

I show I care about others, especially at this time of year, by baking. If you've ever received a baked good from me, then you are loved!
– Julia Schmitt, Staff

I show I care by being present.
– Dr. Marty Muntz, Faculty

Respond to next week's reflection prompt:


What gives you a sense of peace at this time of year? Please share a photo, if possible.
MCW Division of General Internal Medicine
2020 Award Winners
 
Bipin Thapa, MD: Educator of the Year Award

Kurt Pfeifer, MD: Triple Threat Award
(Research, Education, Clinical)
Kern Grand Rounds Presentation
Women and COVID-19: 
Challenges, Opportunities, 
Thoughts for the Future

Please be sure to join us for Grand Rounds with Elizabeth Ellinas, MD,
Director of the MCW Center for the Advancement of Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM), Associate Dean for Women's Leadership, and Professor of Anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The COVID-19 crisis has found women in the forefront of the battle against the pandemic both at work and at home. Please be sure to join as we consider the effects of COVID on women and their careers and share challenges by gender.
January 21, 2021
Live Virtual Presentation
9:00 - 10:00 am CT

KNN Virtual Panel Series
Human Flourishing, Caring and Character in the Medical Profession: To What End?

Please plan to join us for this first session in a virtual panel series presented by the Kern National Network for Caring and Character in Medicine (KNN). Through this interactive discussion, you'll learn more about the interrelated concepts of caring and character within medicine and engage in a conversation with other healthcare professionals on the topic of promoting human flourishing. 
 
Learning Objectives
  • Appraise one’s own professional experience with the intersection of caring and character with human flourishing
  • Assess the state of human flourishing in the health ecosystem 
  • Commit to next steps to advance human flourishing in one’s professional practice
January 26, 2021
Live Virtual Presentation
4:00 - 5:00 pm CT
Kern Grand Connection Cafe
Medical School Admissions: 
Past, Present, and Future

Please plan to join us for a Connection Cafe discussion with Jane Machi, MD, Assistant Dean of Recruitment and Admissions, and Alexis Meyer, MA, Director of Recruitment and Admissions at the Medical College of Wisconsin

Medical school admissions committees are charged with selecting students whose personal qualities and experiences align with the mission(s) of their schools and who will meet the needs of the diverse communities they will serve as physicians. 

Join us as we discuss our holistic admissions journey at MCW, emerging trends in medical school applicants and matriculants, and enhanced/additional challenges the admissions community has encountered as a result of the pandemic.
January 28, 2021
Live Virtual Presentation
4:00 - 5:00 pm CT
Kern Grand Grand Rounds
Healing in the Aftermath of Hate

Please Please plan to join us for a unique Grand Rounds discussion with Pardeep Singh Kaleka, Executive Director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Founder of Serve2Unite, and published author of "The Gift of Our Wounds" and Arno Michaelis, author of "My Life After Hate" and co-author of "The Gift of Our Wounds."

When white supremacist Wade Michael Page murdered seven people and wounded four in a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin in 2012, Pardeep Kaleka was devastated. This tragedy followed by suicide would be one of the deadliest mass-murder hate crimes committed in US History. One of the victims that day was Pardeep’s father, Satwant Singh Kaleka. Meanwhile, Arno Michaelis, a former skinhead and founder of one of the largest racist skinhead organizations in the world, had spent years of his life committing terrible acts in the name of white power. When he heard about the attack, waves of guilt washed over him and he knew he had to take action to fight against the very crimes he used to commit.

In the aftermath of the Oak Creek shooting, Pardeep reached out to Arno for answers. What would follow this meeting was a journey of two men who breached a great divide to find brotherhood and love. In a world that seems to be tearing itself apart at the the seams, divided by identity, becoming more intolerant, xenophobic, and spiritually ill, it is essential that we remain committed to compassion. This talk will explore the role of both communal and individual trauma and healing.
February 18, 2021
Live Virtual Presentation
9:00 - 10:00 am CT
Apply to the Kern Institute Faculty Scholars Program


The Kern Institute announces two opportunities for faculty development through our Kern Scholars Program: 

Master of Health Professions Education
We are looking for faculty interested in pursuing a Master of Health Professions Education through the New York University Langone’s Department of Medicine. 

Master of Arts in Character Education
The Kern Family Foundation is graciously inviting any interested faculty member to apply for the Master of Arts in Character Education at the Jubilee Center for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. 
Kern Institute Announces Request for Proposals
LOI Due December 23, 2020

The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education at the Medical College of Wisconsin is pleased to release this request for proposals to build Medical Education Transformation Collaboratories, cross-institutional, multi- and inter-disciplinary, multiple stakeholder communities of practice that work together in a sustained effort around a shared project to transform medical education by engaging in both innovation and scholarship.
 
We seek submission from teams of 3 to 5 individuals who will devote compensated time to build a community of practice around medical education transformation. These collaboratories will serve as incubators for the creation of generalizable knowledge as we move rapidly into a new era of medical education. Eligible groups must include at least one member employed at an LCME-accredited medical school, with other members currently affiliated with institutions or organizations with a stake in health and healthcare. Please click the link to view the RFP.
Participate in the MCW Common Read!

We are extremely moved by the overwhelming interest shown in this year’s Common Read program, featuring How to Be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. It is a true testament to your devotion to racial equity and determination to make the MCW community a safer and more inclusive place for all.

We understand that many of you are eager to get involved, so we have outlined some ways that you can participate via the link below.
The Kern National Network
Click anywhere on the image for the KNN's current newsletter
MCW COVID-19 Resource Center
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