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Message from the Associate Dean - BCH Oakland
June 2020
Congratulations to the graduates!

Our pediatric residents convened near the magnolia tree, beautifully masked and basked in sunshine on June 6. With grace you gave tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement. With grace you socially distanced. It was a beautiful celebration. See medical education section below for the brief video clip.

Two of our excellent graduating fellows, Jenna Holmen, MD from infectious disease and Christina Coleman Abadi, MD from hematology oncology, are staying on, joining UCSF faculty and working here in Oakland.

We are persevering through this June of 2020, at the change of the academic year. In Oakland, in a microcosm of where many influences, many stressful and some beautiful, collide to make our community. I am so proud to stand with our colleagues at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland who have looked inward and spoken out. I thought I might keep it simple and share a brief alphabet soup reflection:

A ll together now
B lack Lives Matter
C oronavirus
D isparity
E conomy
F ragility
G rocery workers, thank you!
H ousing, healthcare, humanity
I ll? Stay home
J ustice
K ids going back to school?
L ive in a social bubble
M ask
N 95, surgical or cloth
O pening up
P rotest peacefully
Q ueer pride
R ethink police
S tructural racism
T olerance
U nder representation
V ote, vote, vote
W orkers, the essential ones
X is for Latin X
Y ield, I yield back my time on
Z oom

Check out Coronavirus.ucsf.edu for helpful resources.

With love and respect,
Kelley


ANNOUNCEMENTS
Congratulations Class of 2020!
From:
Pamela J. Simms-Mackey, MD, FAAP
Director, Graduate Medical Education & Pediatric Residency Program


The Graduate Medical Education Department would like to congratulate all of the residents and fellows who recently celebrated their graduation on Saturday, June 6th. Attached is a summary of the graduates, their plans after graduation and the award winners. Here is also a brief video clip of the graduation highlights  https://vimeo.com/426927802  and a link to the entire ceremony  https://vimeo.com/427445628 .

Good luck and make us all proud!!

Congratulations Award Winners!
Here are a few of the award winners...
Dr. Jenna Holmen
Teaching Fellow of the Year
Dr. Samantha Patil
Stanley Higashino, MD Resident Award
for Outstanding Clinical Excellence
Dr. Dane Gehringer
Byron Aoki, MD Teaching Award for
Hospital Based Attending
Dr. Gaspar Rivera
Outstanding Community Based Attending
New Fellows!
Emergency Department :

Sonia Mehta, MD - Sonia comes from residency at Children’s Hospital Wisconsin.
Mukuka Kangwa, MD . - Muki comes from the Atlantic Health System pediatric residency in Morristown, NJ.

Welcome
Congratulations to Jenna Holmen, MD, MPH

Jenna Holmen, MD, MPH , finished her infectious disease fellowship in Oakland and is joining UCSF faculty.


Congratulations to Christina Coleman Abadi, DO

Christina Coleman Abadi, DO finished her hematology oncology fellowship in Oakland and is joining UCSF faculty.


Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at UCSF BCH

Friday, June 19, 2020
4:00 PM 

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States on June 19 th . This year, the BCH Black Caucus Oakland (BCH-BCO) will have its inaugural meeting on June 19 th . BCH-BCO strives to provide opportunities for staff to engage, build community and make connections at Children’s Oakland and the broader UCSF community.

Online registration for the BCH Black Caucus Oakland:


Questions? Email Abdur Shemsu at  abdur.shemsu@ucsf.edu

UCSF Policy Updates
Dear School of Medicine Community,

I write to update you on new policies from the UCSF Chancellor’s Office and how they will impact the School of Medicine. Our decisions are based on prioritizing the health of our workforce, patients, and community.

Please know that these policies were developed with the intent of providing direction to allow you to plan for the coming months. These guidelines are informed by directives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the San Francisco Department of Public Health . If these guidelines or policies change, UCSF will update our guidance. 

Non-essential In-person Events and Large Gatherings
With the health and safety of our UCSF community in mind, our current policy states that all non-essential in-person events and gatherings (whether on-campus or off-campus) shall be cancelled, postponed, or converted into virtual events.   This policy has been extended indefinitely

Impact on Educational Events through December 31, 2020
  • Continuing Medical Education (CME) events will be held remotely through December 2020. We will be monitoring jurisdictional directives throughout the fall and will decide about Spring Courses in the late fall.
  • UME and GME lectures and discussion groups with more than 10 people will be held remotely through December 2020.  
  • In person educational activities for groups of fewer than 10 people require prior approval using this Smartsheet process:  http://tiny.ucsf.edu/LearnOnSite
  • 2021 graduation ceremonies– No decision has been made about next year’s graduation ceremonies. The magnitude of the expected resurgence of COVID-19 this fall and winter and any associated changes in health orders from the San Francisco Department of Public Health will dictate how and when in-person commencement exercises can take place.

Working Remotely 
Some of our colleagues are returning to onsite work, joining others on campus and at UCSF Health who have been working onsite throughout our response to COVID-19.  Those who can continue to perform their duties remotely, however, should plan to do so through the end of the calendar year
  • This will help provide greater opportunity for those working onsite to practice physical distancing and other protocols that have been developed to help ensure safety. 
  • Working remotely can create its own challenges and may not be an option for everyone. Speak to your supervisor if you would like to be considered for an exemption to this policy.

For additional guidance and information on working remotely: Review  remote work resources on UCSF’s COVID-19 website, which include a planning guide for managers, general guidance, the remote work agreement template, as well as IT support information and ergonomic guidelines.

Plans for Opening of New Space on Campus
There are several major moves planned in the months ahead, with the opening of Clinical Sciences, Valley Center (Block 33), and moves from Mt. Zion, Laurel Heights, and elsewhere. These moves will still need to take place. Separate communications will provide guidance to impacted teams and departments on packing, moving, and storing of departmental and personal items.

Restrictions on Non-essential Travel
  • We have received numerous questions about the travel policy. Current travel restrictions do not have an end date. 
  • UCSF is restricting all non-essential university-sponsored travel—both domestic and international. 
  • All staff travel is generally defined as non-essential.

Restrictions on Essential Travel
Approval, in writing, from the Dean’s Office is required for essential university-sponsored travel. 
  • Essential faculty travel is defined as travel that is required—and cannot be postponed—in order to preserve the safety of a patient/research subject or the results of research activity
  • Essential student and trainee (clinical and non-clinical) travel is defined as that which cannot be postponed and is necessary to meet a graduation requirement.
 
Travel to Attend Academic Conferences 
  • Travel to attend academic conferences is considered non-essential.
  • We realize that many of you are evaluating attendance at academic conferences next year. Once the restrictions based on health and safety have been modified, then travel to conferences would likely be permissible by exception, with approval from your Chair or Director. It will be important to balance fiscal considerations while supporting the professional development of our faculty, staff, and learners.

We will continue to update FAQ’s for COVID-19 related expenses on  our website . Please reach out to your Chair, Director, or CAO with any questions about how to implement this guidance in your role. 

And please remember to take care of yourself and each other. 

Sincerely,
Talmadge E. King, Jr., MD
Dean, UCSF School of Medicine
Vice Chancellor – Medical Affairs 
Essential Workers Searching for Child Care

If you are an essential worker, Bananas has valuable resources to help you find child care.









This information was obtained from Bananasbunch.org 



GRAND ROUNDS
Oakland
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

“Precocious Puberty”
Presented by:  Rachel Kadakia, MD                            
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
UCSF School of Medicine

Objectives:
  1. Accurately identify a child's Tanner stage for pubic hair, testicular size, and breast development to determine which children need further evaluation for precocious puberty.
  2. Improve ability to choose and interpret appropriate laboratory and/or imaging orders to evaluate for precocious puberty.
  3. Distinguish causes of central precocious puberty vs peripheral precocious puberty for improved differential diagnoses.

To obtain CME, you must return the completed evaluation to  Cristina.Fernandez@ucsf.edu  by 6pm Wednesday, June 17th.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

"Boys and Sex"
Presented by: Peggy Orenstein, Author
Berkeley, CA

Objectives:
  1. Identify how masculine socialization affects boys’ emotional development, sexual expectations, pressures and behaviors.
  2. Recognize the impact of media culture (mainstream and pornography) on young men’s ideas about sex and consent in hookups and relationships.
  3. Evaluate and provide culturally relevant information and support to adolescent boys’ needs regarding consensual, safe, mutually pleasurable physical and emotional intimacy.

To obtain CME, you must return the completed evaluation to  Cristina.Fernandez@ucsf.edu  by 6pm Wednesday, June 24th.

Grand Rounds is by Zoom only 8-9 am
Please follow the instructions below

Please go to https://zoom.us , click "Join a Meeting" and enter the meeting ID

Meeting ID: 952 8044 6125
PASSWORD: 246806
 
Telephone:
US: +1 669 900 6833
or +1 646 558 8656
 
https://ucsf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dc2luv6gRwihqfgz40aLzw
Meeting ID: 952 8044 6125 Password: 246806 (dial in numbers will appear after one-time registration.) 
 
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is accredited by the California Medical Association
to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland designates this live activity for a maximum of
1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.™
Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their
participation in the activity.


Previous Grand Rounds (Online)
Did you miss Grand Rounds?
They are available online at  http://vimeo.com/album/2238536
Use password  CHRCO
New recordings are added every few weeks.
Also check out our calendar for educational offerings: 

___________________________________________________________________

Case Conference
Thursday, June 18th at 8am
"What's Wrong With My Brain?"
Presented by:
Lauren Lajos, MD, PL-3

Zoom Information for Case Conference :
Please go to zoom.us, click "Join a Meeting" and enter the meeting ID

Meeting ID: 800 659 234 Password: 123456

Telephone: US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 646 558 865 6
San Francisco

For the full 2019 – 2020 Pediatrics Grand Rounds schedule please visit the Wiki page: http://tiny.ucsf.edu/PedsGRWiki

Pediatric Grand Rounds takes place every Thursday from 12-1 PM,
currently as webinar only. 


For questions contact Cherise.Masunaga@ucsf.edu

Thursday, June 18, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Presented by: Diane Shader Smith, Author

Objectives:
1. Describe the patient experience of living with chronic illness and transplant
2. List insights patients can contribute to medical care 
3. Discuss the importance of resilience and how to "live happy" in the face of overwhelming obstacles
Special Grand Rounds: Co-hosted by Benioff Children's Hospital Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee & UCSF Pediatric Residency Diversity Committee:

Thursday, June 25, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

"Pandemics, Policing and Protest:
On America’s racism and where we go from here"
Presented by: Rhea Boyd MD

Wellness Resources


If you have not had a chance to check it out, UCSF has great emotional health and well-being resources.

As a frontline worker, you are particularly exposed to the strain and trauma of the COVID-19 crisis. We recognize that you are managing many competing demands and experiencing situations that can trigger a host of strong and challenging emotions. 

We are a group of over 400 therapists who recognize the particular hardships frontline workers are facing and who want to help.

Help is at hand.
We are offering free video and phone therapy to frontline workers in the Bay Area during the COVID-19 crisis through the Frontline Workers Counseling Project. In addition to individual therapy, we also offer many free support groups.
We are a diverse group representing a variety of training backgrounds and approaches to therapy. Some of us are psychiatrists. We know your schedules are hectic, so we offer evening/weekend appointments and short sessions (e.g. 30 minutes).

Highlights of the Frontline Workers Counseling Project:
  • As many or as few free sessions as you’d like
  • Directly and immediately schedule a time with a therapist; no calling around
  • No paperwork or insurance
  • No one at your agency or ours will know you made an appointment (only the therapist you talk to will know)
  • Choose from over 400 licensed therapists

Interested in scheduling a session? Check out our website .

Thank you for everything you are doing for our community. We wish you and your families health and safety.

If you have not already done so, please login and update and/or validate your information.


RESEARCH CORNER
Gradual Ramp Up of Research Began May 18!

As was announced by Dr. Lindsey Criswell, Vice Chancellor of Research on May 14, we are pleased to share the much anticipated plans for gradually increasing activities in UCSF research units on campus. PIs and their research teams should review the detailed directives and safety information found in documents at the following links:



National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
From Shannon Kelly, MD
Director, Apheresis Program
Assistant Clinical Investigator, Blood Systems Research Institute


Transfusion Medicine Research at BCH Oakland

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health has launched a seven-year multi-center research program to extend a highly successful program assessing blood banking (blood collection, screening, and processing strategies) and transfusion medicine practices. Research conducted both in the U.S. and Brazil under the Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-IV-Pediatric (REDS-IV-P) will focus on evaluating and improving the safety and availability of the blood supply as well as the safety and effectiveness of transfusion therapies with attention to not only adults, but also neonates and children who need transfusion. The U.S. program includes 4 hubs, each with a blood center linked to transfusion services at specialty and community hospitals. The Bay Area hub includes Vitalant Research Institute linked to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and UCSF Medical Center. Large databases linking data regarding blood donors and recipients will be created to investigate the impact of donor characteristics and component modifications on transfusion outcomes in recipients. The project at BCHO is being led by Drs. Elliott Vichinsky, Shannon Kelly, Lynne Neumayr, Ash Lal and Titi Singer. In addition, Dr. Kelly is helping lead part of the REDS-IV-P Brazil program which will continue to follow a large cohort of participants with sickle cell disease (SCD) established during REDS-III and perform targeted studies focused on transfusion outcomes within the cohort. 

UCSF Cross-Bay Collaborative Research Application
From Mark Walters, MD
Professor of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Call for Applications

Research collaboration applications are now available for basic and translational laboratory scientists at UCSF and UCSF BCH Oakland who are committed to establishing collaborations with existing UCSF faculty in Oakland in the 5700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way (MLK) building.  Details about the opportunity are attached in the RFA description. 

Applications are due July 1, 2020 for awards up to $50,000 with funding that will commence on Sept 1, 2020.

Please forward any questions to:   mark.walters@ucsf.edu

UCSF Office of Research
Town Halls

Here is the link for the Office of Research Town Halls . You can access the Town Hall recordings and other useful info.

Internal COVID-19 Open Proposal Forum
Open Proposal Forum

Gretchen Kiser and the Research Development Office just launched an internal COVID-19 open proposal forum, asking researchers to share ideas, current research, and potential research avenues. The forum can be found online at:

 
This would be a good time to ask researchers to contribute their own ideas, and critically, to offer comments/suggestions to help improve the ideas that have already been proposed.
 
Some of the proposals involve communicating with the public, and it would be helpful if communicators could weigh in. For example, I just saw this citizen science proposal, which would let folks answer online surveys and (optionally) donate smartphone data to help researchers understand how COVID-19 is spreading or presenting to the public:
 

NEW! Transition of IRB Review for Research Conducted at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
As of May 1st, 2020, the UCSF HRPP is receiving transfers of IRB approvals from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (BCH Oakland) into the iRIS system.
NEW! Human Research Protections Program Updates
Since the beginning of the COVID emergency, the Human Research Protections Program has made rapid adjustments to support the research community.

Guidance for Researchers: COVID-19
From Mark C. Walters, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Interim Director of Research, UCSF BCH Oakland
Jordan Family Director, Blood and Marrow Transplant Program

Dear Clinical Research Community at BCH Oakland:
 
This is to provide guidance about UCSF clinical research policies as these are being developed in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to confirm and emphasize that all UCSF policies about research activities during the COVID-19 pandemic apply to the BCH Oakland campus and to faculty and staff who work in Oakland. The best source of up-to-date information is located on the UCSF COVID-19 website: https://coronavirus.ucsf.edu/
 
There is a pull-down menu at the top of the website for Policies & Guidance, and at the bottom of the webpage, boxes with links for Researchers and Clinicians. Please become familiar with the policies restricting clinical trial enrollment and routine face-to-face clinic visits, study monitor visits, and travel related to clinical trial participation. All research activities should be restricted to visits and enrollments that are necessary to ensure patient safety.

In addition, please refer to the IRB website link regarding study protocol deviations and protocol changes with regard to COVID-19. Please feel free to contact the IRB administrator if you still have questions after reviewing the content of this website:
 
We appreciate the flexibility and cooperation in adhering to these new policies. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about how your studies might be impacted. 

National Science Foundation on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)


Funding Opportunities 

FY20 DoD Funding Opportunities 

This is to notify the research community of recently released Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) pre-announcements and funding opportunities for the Department of Defense (DoD) programs managed by the office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). CDMRP understands that applicants are impacted by COVID-19. Submission deadlines for pre-applications and full applications will incorporate the maximum time that is feasible for each FY20 program. Thank you for your efforts during this challenging time.

More info can be found by going to: https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/default
 
From: MLK Sponsored Programs Office

Gateway for Cancer Research

Dear Colleagues,
 
We would like to pass along an RFP (attached) for Decentralized Clinical Studies from Gateway from Cancer Research for you to share with researchers at your institution. This grant opportunity is being handled entirely by Gateway, so please feel free to reach out directly to Research@GatewayCR.org if you have questions.  
Gateway for Cancer Research℠ is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to funding innovative cancer research. Thanks to generous underwriting, 99 cents of every dollar Gateway receives directly funds Phase I and Phase II treatment-based investigator initiated clinical trials treating cancer. Since 1991, Gateway has supported more than 180 clinical trials and funded over $90 million in breakthrough cancer research.
 
PURPOSE
The oncology community must continue to urgently respond to the significant disruption of clinical trials caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, Gateway for Cancer Research is committing funding resources to advance solutions that better ensure continuity of patient access to investigational studies during this public health crisis or any future exogenous events that threaten the execution of clinical trials.
 
The impact of this pandemic on clinical studies and the patients who depend on them have dramatically underscored the vulnerabilities of a clinical trial model that centralizes the delivery of investigational protocols and requires patients to “go to the trial.” The pandemic’s deleterious effect on the field’s ability to conduct trials makes it clear that the status quo is no longer an option. Instead, Gateway is actively seeking innovative ideas that put those facing cancer at the center of clinical trial design and will fund studies that leverage technology-informed virtual or decentralized strategies that “bring the trial to the patient.”
 
The following criteria will inform the development of proposals for submission. Note that these guidelines are not intended to be overly prescriptive; we seek to inspire a broad range of innovative ideas that push the bounds of clinical studies that make investigational therapies available to patients in decentralized settings.
 
Successful proposals will:
  • Advance a treatment-based clinical trial in oncology
  • Emphasize the delivery of the investigational treatment in a decentralized setting, ideally home-based
  • Define compelling primary and secondary endpoints
  • Creatively leverage one or more innovative technologies (telemedicine, wearables, remote monitoring, medical record review, e-consent, etc.)
  • Have been reviewed with your CTO Administrative Director for regulatory, data management, and safety considerations related to implementation
  • Integrate mobile clinician management
  • Incorporate rigorous and methodical collection, management, and analysis of trial-related data
  • Utilize clinical resources in proximity and convenient to patients for any trial-related procedures that cannot practicably be carried out in a decentralized setting (e.g. imaging, interventional radiology, complex infusion, etc.)
  • Leverage strategic inter- and/or intra-institutional collaboration, including commercial (e.g. biopharmaceutical, CRO, home health companies, etc.)
 
FUNDING AVAILABLE
Gateway will provide grants in the range of $400,000 to $600,000 in funding for direct costs of the research. The grant application may be submitted at any time, please contact Research@GatewayCR.org to receive instructions on how to access our grant management system.
 
Applications may be submitted by entities that engage in cancer research including:
  • Higher Education Institutions
  • University Medical Centers
  • Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
  • Government Organizations (may include medical centers and hospitals that have access to resources and infrastructure to support a research project)
  • Foreign Institutions are eligible to apply
 
Full Applications Due: Monday, June 22

This grant opportunity is being handled entirely by Gateway, so please feel free to reach out directly to Research@GatewayCR.org if you have questions.

Grants & Awards
Conquer Cancer
Clinical Trials
Office of Clinical Trial Activation

OnCore at BCHO 2020 - For Research Study Teams


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please let us know . Thank you

Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Dean’s Office
UCSF School of Medicine

510-428-3726

Mailing Address:
747 52nd Street, Oakland, CA 94609