News Around the Residency

"Must Know Info of the WFMR"
     
           Block 8 (2017-18 academic year)          
 
In This Edition
C hiefs' CornerChiefs
 Sandra Augusto, MD (Barre); Carolyn Murphy, MD (FHCW); Liz Gagnier, MD (HFHC)


 
Hello WFMR!
 
Thank you all for making this year's residency retreat such a great success! From the cascades survival - to the in flight emergencies - to our splinting workshop it was a lot of fun and super educational J
 
We would also like to CONGRATULATE our chiefs-elect for the 2018-2019 academic year! In alphabetical order (as our fierce leader likes to say), congratulations to: Nick Hajj (BFHC), Ben Slocum (FHCW) and Efstathia Choros (HFHC). We wish you the very best and are ever so confident that you will be amazing leaders! (Read more about our new chiefs below!)  
  
Here are some updates and reminders for the upcoming month.  Happy Block 9!!  Wishing you all happiness, laughter, peace and of course smart thoughts.

 Please feel free to contact us about any of the above or with any new ideas or updates.

Yours, 
SCL  

- Call for a PGY3 volunteer for our CLER VISIT T uesday, Feb. 13 from 10:11:30 in Room S2-351, please let your chief and Tamara know if you are available to participate in this very important visit.
 
- Looking forward to seeing you all at our next Resident Meeting at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, Feb 20.
   
- Reminder to all residents to complete their mandatory ACGME survey by February 18.
 
- PGY3's. please ensure that you have scheduled your Board exam and send your test date as well as receipt to Tamara Cullen.
 
- Scheduling for routine Labor and Delivery c-sections, inductions, and other procedures go to Central Scheduling's Women's Services Pod (508-334-8108, hours 7am- 8pm M- F). In addition, a referral order has to be placed in Epic.
 
- If you need retraining for PALS, please click on this link. ( cost center 100.0.20.6610.8439.00).
- STFM Annual Spring Conference May 5-9, 2018 in Washington, DC. For more info check this link.
 
- Call for submissions for the 2018 FMEC Annual Meeting on Nov 9-11, 2018 in Rye Brook, NY.
Faculty/Fellow/Resident/Professional Submission Deadline: March 9. We encourage all who are interested to submit and attend; this is an absolutely wonderful conference.

And our new Chief Residents for 2018-19 are....


Efstathia Choros, MD (HFHC) is a 2016 graduate of St. Georges University and a graduate of UMASS-Amherst in 2008 with a BA in Accounting. Prior to medical school, Efstathia worked as an auditor for Pricewatershouse Cooper in Boston. She grew up in Westborough, MA and is interested in urgent care and global health. Efstathia also enjoys SCUBA diving and travel.






Nicholas Hajj, MD (BFHC) is a 2016 graduate of UMass Medical School and graduated in 2012 from UMass-Lowell with a BS in Biology. At UMMS, Nick was a co-leader of the FMIG group. His academic interests include osteopathic medicine. Nick's personal interests are gardening, karate and hiking. 







Benjamin Slocum, DO (FHCW) is a 2016 graduate of University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and a 2012 graduate of University of Maine-Orono where he received his BS in Biology. Benjamin's academic interests include community health and addiction medicine. He also enjoys soccer, sailing and hiking. 




 

Lastly, on behalf of all of us who worked with them over the past year, Dr. Potts would like to extend a HUGE WFMR "thank you" to our wonderful (and very fun) retiring chief residents....Sandra, Liz and Carolyn. We will miss working with you! 
And more pics from our 1/23 retreat at Ski Ward below: 

 
 
 






 

 


 WFMR Announcements Annou
Updated info from GME:  GME Licensing Exam Step 3 Requirements  
Elective rotation option:  Pediatric Integrative Medicine, one month online/facilitated distance elective, open to FM, Peds, and Psychiatry residents.

Physician Opportunities at UMass Memorial. Check out the link to see what physician job  opportunities are currently being advertised throughout UMass Memorial. 

New IHI Passcode: Please note that the updated IHI passcode is FB8C1A8E. We are also including
the updated IHI  Guide for Participants. 


Upcoming Events
The Curriculum Retreat is coming up on March 13 from 5-8 at Knowles Hall.

The GME Poster Symposium will take place on Wednesday, June 13 from 12-2 in the Med School lobby area. The symposium is interdisciplinary with residents from other programs. 

Outpatient Curriculum Committee
Faculty and residents in this workgroup have been making great progress on pulling resources together to improve the outpatient didactic curriculum.  Additionally from this work, a new shared drive for faculty and residents has been developed which will have multiple resources for didactics, rotations, and board review.  Coming soon to an inbox near you will be news of access to this drive.  Thank you to the committee for all of their work on this important action item.  


Dr. Allison Hargreaves Named New Barre Education Director
Dr. Stephen Earls has announced that as of this week, he is passing on the role of  Education Director  for the   Barre Family Health Center/Worcester Family Medicine Residency  to 
Dr. Allison Hargreaves. 
 
Per Dr. Earls: 

"Dr. Hargreaves will be responsible for all matters relating to the training of residents at the Barre Family Health Center.  This includes, for example, the teaching of the residents including overseeing the supervision of their clinical work,  educational conferences, schedules, recruitment, assuring that the health center meets the requirements of the ACGME and collaboration with the Program Director on all matters related to the residency." 

Dr. Hargreaves has been a faculty member at the Barre Family Health Center for over 10 years.  A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, she completed her family medicine residency  In the Worcester Family Medicine Residency Program/ Barre where she was chosen as chief resident. She has been an Associate Residency Program Director and Director of the inpatient Family Medicine teaching service at the Memorial campus.  She is also the Medical Director of Holden Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center.  Her practice in Barre includes full spectrum family medicine including maternal child health and medical assisted treatment of opioid addiction.  Her experience makes her eminently qualified to become our new Education Director."   

Dr. Earls, who has served as Barre's Education Director and Medical Director since 1989, will remain as Medical Director at the health center. Congratulations, Dr. Hargreaves!


Recruitment Update
We wrapped up our interviews on January 26 and now it's on to our Rank Days Feb. 7-9. Finally, we will await Match Day on March 16. With very large application numbers again this year, we are excited for the 2018 Match!



Welcome to WFMR's Newest Faculty Members!

Elizabeth Dykhouse, PhD
Dr. Dykhouse received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Seattle Pacific University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship with I Ola Lahui Rural Behavioral Health with placements in Honolulu and Hilo, Hawaii and her postdoctoral fellowship with Salud Family Health Centers in Denver, Colorado. Her background is in primary care psychology and health psychology. She is particularly interested in the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate care and has experience working with interpreters as well as practicing directly in Spanish.



Henry Del Rosario, MD
 Dr. Del Rosario has joined our Hahnemann faculty. He received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University and trained at the West Suburban Family Medicine Program in Chicago with experiences in underserved urban medicine, rigorous inpatient medicine, and high-risk obstetrics. D r. Del Rosario's interests include global health. He has made several trips to northern and southern China helping to teach family medicine to residents as well as establish a culture of primary care in Asia. He has a passion for medical education and the theory of teaching so he is excited to be part of the culture of learning at Hahnemann.
Worcester Family Medicine
 Resident of Block 6 Vu

   
                                           Julia Vu, DO, PGY-1
                                                Barre Family Health Center

J ulia Vu, DO is a 2017 graduate of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine who earned her BA in Studio Art and Asian Studies from Union College in 2010. Julia is a native of Vietnam who grew up in Massachusetts. Her academic interests include global health and community health. Julia also enjoys hiking, whitewater rafting and playing badminton.
 
From our residents: " I want to nominate Julia Vu.  She was an exceptionally strong intern on her first FMIS rotation.  She was committed to working hard, open to new challenges, kept setting higher goals every day, and highlighted her strong foundation of medical knowledge.  She performed at the level of a 2nd or 3rd block intern on FMIS.  Her proficiency in Epic made her a leader in areas where her seniors were deficient.  Strong work Julia, you deserve a pat on the back." 
 
Dr. Earls:  " Julia is a great choice for ROB. She has demonstrated a serious approach to her work combined with a warm and welcoming demeanor that puts patients at ease.  Her clinical curiosity is always apparent, making it a pleasure to work with her. We are fortunate to have her in our health center."
 
Dr. Gracey:  " Julia Vu demonstrates a high level of dedication to patient care. If she is uncertain about a patient's diagnosis, she asks excellent questions of her resident and attending colleagues and dedicates significant time to reading in order to find answers. She is a joy to work with in the hospital and at the Barre Family Health Center and we are proud to have her in our residency."  
 
 
 
   
   
Worcester Family Medicine
 Resident of Block 7 Shannon
   
                                      Shannon Roche, DO, PGY-2
                                            Family Health Center of Worcester

Shannon Roche, DO is a 2016 graduate of Western Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine and a 2011 graduate of University of New England where she studied Medical Biology and Philosophy. Shannon spent a year as an AmericaCorps VISTA volunteer prior to medical school. She enjoys working with underserved populations and also enjoys reading, hiking and travel.

From our residents: "Shannon was really amazing on MCH block. She was always offering to come in early if I was tired or wanted to go home early. She was so dedicated to our patients. She would stay late to deliver a patient that she had bonded with throughout the shift. We started doing warm hand-off to all our patients, which was really nice. I had an opportunity to see Shannon interact with her patients and it was really nice. You can tell how much she loves this work. She was so patient and thoughtful and even helped teach one aunt-to-be to massage her sister's back as she was having intense back labor. She's a great resident and am glad to call her my friend!"

Dr. Van Duyne: "Shannon is passionate about caring for the underserved and is devoted to her patients. Her love of caring for families together as a unit shines through in the way she cares for patients during their pregnancy and postpartum course. Congratulations, Shannon, for being recognized for your care!"

Dr. Gracey: "Shannon is an exceptionally bright and positive resident physician. Her knowledge of issues in maternal and child health are ever-expanding as she dedicates herself to reading, actively participating in workshops and giving presentations. She also knows how to bring smiles and laughter to her colleagues, especially when they need it most. She cares about the well-being of her co-residents and attendings and is known to ask of her colleagues questions like, "Have you eaten?" I am proud to call Shannon one of our own."
                      Workshop Schedule    work                  
                   

PGY-1
2/20  PAL-1 Presentations
        PGY-1 residents  




PGY-2
2/6  Developmental Screening
        Roula Choueiri, Stephanie Blenner, Joanne Carson, Jean Waitneight/Wiliam Garrison

2/13 Lifelong Learning Skills(OMM/MSK)
        Drs. Lehnardt, Baldor and Domino

2/20 Abortions and Options Counseling
        Dr. Golding, Dr. Minski

2/27 HC-Based 
        HC Faculty



PGY-3
2/6  Medical Managing: Finding Unnecessary Healthcare Cost
       Matt Collins, MD

2/13 Lifelong Learning Skills (OMM/MSK)
       Drs. Lehnardt, Baldor and Domino

2/20 Independent Project Time 

2/27 HC Based
       HC Faculty
 Wellness Corner: Re-visiting Restorative Yoga
By Tina Runyan, Ph.D run


I'm not sure how many of you saw Grand Rounds last week on the science of yoga but I thought it might be useful to recap some of the evidence and specifically what surprised (if not delighted) me about the beneficial impact of restorative yoga. 

For those unfamiliar with yoga terminology, typically when people think of yoga they envision the extreme stretching, and sometimes even contorted postures, popularized in the media. However, there are many types of yoga, which means 'union' or connection, often translated as connecting mind and body or body and breath.

Restorative Yoga is a variety of passive poses that are usually held for 5-20 minutes, supported by props. The goal is to relieve the grip of inner tension and stimulate the relaxation response, which is reliably connected to improved immune functioning, reduced stress, improved blood sugar control, and reduced blood pressure. In restorative yoga, you are simply exploring what happens when you slowly release your habitual way of holding tension in your body. 

It would thus, not be surprising that restorative yoga  helped with stress reduction or even sleep, but weight loss and improved fasting glucose? Really? I tracked down the study mentioned in Grand Rounds that compared restorative yoga to stretching (reference below). In this randomized trial, for 24 weeks they taught either restorative yoga or stretching and then had them continue a home practice for 24 weeks. Both groups improved from baseline, with greater reductions in waist circumference and weight at 6- and 12-months for the yoga group. 

Favorable metabolic changes observed in the yoga group included reductions in fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and HbA1c and an increase in HDL-cholesterol. Favorable changes in the stretching group were a reduction in triglyceride levels at 6-months and improved mental health scores at both time points.

The mechanism of action is unknown but the frequent activation of the relaxation response, which decreases cortisol, improves sleep, and reg ulates hormones, makes physiological sense. So the next time you need a break and Netflix is calling, consider res torative yoga instead (Warning: I don't think it actually works if you are watching Netfilx in a restorative yoga pose).  There are a lot of go od  resources for restorative yoga online and most studios offer classes.  B ut if you do not have time for a class, here are a couple other suggestions: 


  
* Use an Eye Pillow! Light pressure on the eyeballs lowers heart rate b y eliciting the oculocardiac reflex. It also stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve has an extensive resume: It regulates heart rate and digestion, and it's th e pri mary medium through which our belly brain regulates mood. It's the main com municator to our rest-and-digest system, which helps us to relax more deeply.
 
* 6 Breaths a Minute! Six breaths per minute amounts to 10-second breaths. Ideally, through the nose, inhalation should be 4 or 5 seconds and exhalation about 5 or 6 seconds. A slow and smooth exhalation is key. 

You can find illustrated restorative yoga poses here.

Reference: Kanaya AM, Araneta MRG, Pawlowsky SB, et al. Restorative Yoga and Metabolic Risk Factors: The Practicing Restorative Yoga vs. Stretching for the Metabolic Syndrome (PRYSMS) randomized trial. Journal of diabetes and its complications. 2014;28(3):406-412. doi:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2013.12.001.
       Celebrations and Congratulations!   cc


1/12 Liz Kardas Gagnier, PGY-3
1/13 O mar Abduljabar, PGY-3 and Ali Roberts, PGY-3  
 2/3 Julia Vu, PGY-1 
2/11 Scott G oldberg, PGY-3 
2/15 Aimee Kobjak, PGY-1

useful Useful On-line Resources Useful

This list will be updated on an ongoing basis and will appear in each future edition of this newsletter: Please contact Dr. Potts if you would like to add a resource to this list. 

E-value
Residency Curriculum Resource  -  username is  WFMR2015!  and the password is  FAMMED15!

WFMR Residency Policies - located on our Department LibGuide under the WFMR tab and the password is  ummsfm.

Got news (or a fun fact) for our next newsletter? Contact Stacy Potts, MD at Stacy.Potts @umassmemorial.org or Michael Smith, MS, Associate Director of Admissions at [email protected]