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DOM MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | MAY 13, 2022

In this update:

View previous updates

The SHORT Report

Member Updates

  • Welcome / Farewell

Kudos

  • National Physicians' Day and Administrative Professionals' Week Wrap-up
  • DoM Research Week 2022 Wrap-up
  • Drs. Tennankore, Vinson and Worthen - New Equations for Estimating the GFR without Race
  • Dr. Jasmine Mah - Winner of the Finals!
  • Dr. Kerrie Schoffer - The New House Call
  • Dr. Michael Mindrum - Why it's time to address weight bias in health care

Notices / Reminders

  • Hypertension Awareness
  • New partnership between CBU, Dal Med and NS Government

Events

May 31 - DoM Quality Day

June -TBA- Let's Talk Informatics

June 28 - DoM Awards Ceremony

COVID-19

Nova Scotia Cases

Monthly timeline

Quick Reference / Recurring Content

Did you know?

Siddiqi

First Quality Day

Seth

Project Manager, Strategic Planning & Communications

THE SHORT REPORT

Hi everyone,


As a continuation of the official Resident Wellness Week (May 1-6, 2022), I would like to recognize and celebrate the contribution of our residents. I can’t thank our residents enough for the care they provide our patients every day. For the countless hours in clinics, on the inpatient wards, in the community, and in the Emergency Department. They face some of the toughest challenges the system brings on a daily basis. This week let’s take some time to reflect and remind our residents, and each other, how important it is to take care of ourselves. As rewarding as Medicine is as a career; it is a challenging field to work in especially while navigating a worldwide pandemic and witnessing the rationing of health care. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of the patients we serve. This week please make sure you take a moment to thank our residents for all they do and make a concerted effort to support their wellness. We also wish our Internal Medicine Residents all the best as they take their Royal College oral exams this month!


This week is National Nursing Week. Nurses play a critical role in patient care, education and research while also filling key administrative and leadership roles in our health care system. I feel privileged to work with so many wonderful nurses every day and am thankful for all they do. Here is the video link (https://vimeo.com/707836819/1649468979 - 9min 20sec) to the National Nursing Week 2022 message from our Chief Nursing Officer, Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy.


On May 24th the Faculty of Medicine will celebrate the Convocation of our medical school class of 2022. If you can make room in your calendars, take time to join the event and congratulate our newest class of residents.


May 31st is our first Department of Medicine Quality Day. I encourage everyone to make space in their calendars for this event. In the morning we will have Dr. Dick Zoutman as our guest speaker for Quality Grand Rounds, followed in the afternoon by Dr. Zoutman’s keynote presentation and posters and presentations starting at 1 pm. Make sure you check out our virtual poster expo (see below for registration and more details). Our department members and the teams they work with are doing some amazing quality work. Our quality work is as important as our research work in advancing patient care. Dr. Siddiqi is our Quality Director and is featured in our “Did you know?” section this month along with Isha Seth who works in the central office. This will be the first in a series of upcoming articles highlighting our central administrative support staff.


Don’t forget to mark your calendars for June 28th for our Department Awards Extravaganza when we will celebrate our graduating residents and our departmental award winners.


I hope you enjoy the features in our May newsletter! We’d love to hear your story ideas or contributions for our newsletter.  


Stay well!


Christine

Christine Short, MD, FRCP(C), FACP

Associate Professor & Head/Chief, Department of Medicine

Dalhousie University / Central Zone, Nova Scotia Health

Dr. Christine Short

Short

MEMBER UPDATES

WELCOME

We welcome the following members to their new positions:

  • In April, Isha Seth transitioned to a new role, Project Manager, Strategic Planning and Communications. Isha joined the Department in 2020 as Education Coordinator. Read her profile below in the "did you know?" feature section.
  • On May 2, Mary Toote returned from leave in the Division of Hematology.
  • On May 9, Chelsey Sully joined the DoM Physician Services Office as Billing Clerk.
  • On May 12, Kalisa Ganzeveld is starting in a casual administrative position, beginning in Medical Oncology.
  • On May 17, Ashley Doucette returns from leave to her Education Program Admin in the Division of Neurology.
  • On April 1, Dr. Daniel Belliveau became a new faculty member in the AFP and continues with the Division of Cardiology
  • On April 1, Dr. David Lee became a new faculty member in the AFP and continues with the Division of Cardiology.
  • On April 1, Dr. Samuel Searle became a new faculty member in the AFP and continues with the Division of Geriatric Medicine. 
  • On April 1, Dr. Ashley Sutherland, changes from part-time community-based to a full-time institution-based member in the Division of Clinical Dermatology & Cutaneous Science.
  • On April 1, Dr. Yonatan Serlin began a one year locum in the Division of Neurology.
  • On June 6, Dr. Wan Cheol (Joseph) Kim returns to the Division of Cardiology and will be a new member in the AFP.
  • On July 1, Dr. Nicolas Berbenetz will begin a six month locum in Cardiology.
  • On July 11, Dr. Ashley Davidson will start a one year locum in Medical Oncology.
  • On July 18, Dr. Caitlin Tarlton returns to the Division of Neurology and will be a new member in the AFP.
  • On August 1, Dr. Mariah Hughes will join the Division of Infectious Diseases as a new member in the AFP.

FAREWELL

We say farewell and best wishes to:

  • On May 6, Justine Mayhew, Team Lead, left the Division of Respirology and Nova Scotia Health for another opportunity and we wish her well.


A shout-out goes to the NSCC students who have completed their work terms in the Department. Thank you for all your work.

  • Kelsey Whitehouse, Cardiology
  • Rachel MacAskill, Clinical Dermatology & Cutaneous Science
  • Lia Burden, General Internal Medicine

FEATURE - DID YOU KNOW?

First DoM Quality Day - May 31

The Quality Improvement Steering Committee (QISC) will host its first Quality Day program on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 from 1:00 – 4:15 pm. Due to gathering restrictions, this year’s event will be held on Zoom. This event provides an exciting opportunity for DoM faculty, residents, allied health professionals and teams to showcase their Quality Improvement initiatives and share their project successes.  


The event will kick-off with a welcome from Dr. Ferhan Siddiqi, Quality Director and Chair of the Quality Improvement Steering Committee, followed by a keynote presentation from Dr. Dick Zoutman from Queen’s University, podium presentations, virtual poster expo hall, and closing remarks.  


Registration is required to attend. Quality Day will be hosted on Zoom events. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to sign in with your Zoom email and password. If you do not have a Zoom account, you can create a free Zoom account. Please follow the attached instructions to register.


If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Wendy Levy at wendy@innovativeplanning.ca


If you have any questions regarding Quality Day, please contact Dr. Siddiqi at Ferhan.Siddiqi@nshealth.ca or Isha Seth at Isha.Seth@nshealth.ca

Siddiqi

Ferhan Siddiqi, MD, FRCPC, MScHQ


Dr. Siddiqi is a physician and Associate Professor with the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism and has been working with the Department of Medicine for the past eight years. He is the Quality Director and Chair of the Quality Improvement Steering Committee. Dr. Siddiqi completed his BSc Hons from Dalhousie University, earned his MD from University of Toronto, and achieved a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality from Queen’s University. He completed his core Internal Medicine Residency at Dalhousie and his subspeciality Residency training in Endocrinology from the University of Toronto. Dr. Siddiqi currently resides in Halifax with his wife, a Family Medicine Resident, and their 2-year old daughter Amina. When he’s not hard at work, Dr. Siddiqi enjoys playing soccer and has recently gained an interest in woodworking. Pre-pandemic, Dr. Siddiqi enjoyed traveling and longs to visit Istanbul and the south of Spain one day again soon. When it comes to entertainment, Dr. Siddiqi enjoys movies (The Matrix is one of his favourites) and a good gelato.


What drives his passion for QI-work?

Dr. Siddiqi replied: “I like problem-solving, so quality improvement is an opportunity to apply solutions-oriented, systems-level thinking to the work that I/we do every day. In the “whirlwind” of our daily work, it’s easy to lose track of what really matters most. QI affords a chance to reaffirm what’s important in a way that provides value to patient care, and how we can focus on doing that work better. The first-of-its-kind in the DoM, this year’s Quality Day offers a forum to share work in quality improvement initiatives that are happening in the DoM right now. By sharing successes (and failures) of ways in which to improve clinical care, we can all learn to apply new methods that enhance patient care and reaffirm the DoM’s commitment to provide value to the healthcare system.”


Thank you, Dr. Siddiqi and the QISC, for your work in promoting and highlighting quality initiatives within the department.  

Quality Improvement Steering Committee 2021-2022

Dr. Ferhan Siddiqi, Chair

Dr. Jeff Dempster

Dr. Nicholas Forward

Dr. Ali Kohansal

Dr. Keigan More

Dr. Wael Sumaya

Dr. Sean Taylor

Dr. Trudy Taylor

Dr. Joshua Goodwin, Resident 

Dr. Jenna MacGregor, Resident

Dr. Grace Park, Resident 

Megan Bourque, NSH Quality and Patient Safety 

Denise Hatchette, Administration, Ex-officio

Valerie Orgar, Administration, Ex-officio

Jake Salcedo, Administration, Ex-officio

Isha Seth, Administration, Ex-officio

Seth

Isha Seth, BSBA, MA


Isha joined the Department of Medicine in August 2020 as an Education Coordinator with the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Isha holds a Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (majors in Marketing and Spanish) from Washington University in St. Louis. Isha has recently taken on a new role within the department as Project Manager, Strategic Planning and Communications. Born in Montreal, Isha moved to the States as a child and spent most of her life in the Midwest, and most recently in Chicago. Isha moved back to Canada in 2015 when she married her husband Sachin, a native Haligonian. Prior to joining the DoM, Isha worked five years in commercial banking and wealth management. In the States, Isha held various membership development and project management roles with medical associations, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Clinical Pathology. Isha is passionate about languages and is fluent in English, Spanish and Hindi. In her spare time, Isha enjoys getting outside for long walks and exploring the restaurant scene in Halifax with her husband. Her favourite foods are dim sum, sushi, and anything with chocolate and peanut butter.

KUDOS

Administrative Professionals' Week &

National Physicians’ Day Wrap-Up

Thank you for celebrating Administrative Professionals’ Week (April 25-29, 2022) and National Physicians’ Day (May 1, 2022) with us and your colleagues! We appreciate everything that you do.


In the spirit of the week, we captured a few of our administrative team members’ “mug shots” and this year’s appreciation gift. A big thank you to the team that assembled and delivered the gifts this year.

Mugs
Mugs
Mugs
Mugs
Mugs
Mugs
Mugs
Mugs
Mugs
Thank you cookies

Live Bake Zoom recording (available until May 31, 2022)


In case you missed it, you can catch Dr. Sachin Seth’s live bake from April 29, 2022 that was recorded on Zoom. Sachin demonstrated how to make his delicious overnight cinnamon rolls - recipe attached. Congrats again to Ruth Ampi Kanakam from Geriatric Medicine who won the raffle of the freshly baked rolls, apron, and spatula!


Video link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/yfBrV7ZFC-ra-HuMeNiZWln5YeydzwDLJpp_y7U_wwaD_TBOpPH9nfZJXeY2mu1l.fnUhhLFxegDHoimH?startTime=1651245188000

Passcode: Fs^Pi.44-

DoM Research Week 2022 Wrap-up

Thank you to all presenters, attendees, and judges for DoM Research Week 2022!

 

Congratulations to the recipients of the Research Week Awards, and the DoM Research Excellence Awards!

Research Week 2022 Prizes

Click to view Research Week prizes

Research Week 2022 Awards

Click to view Research Week awards

DoM Research Excellence Awards 2021

Click to view Research Excellence Awards 2021

New Equations for Estimating the GFR without Race

Doctors Tennankore, Vinson, and Worthen are very excited about their letter being published on April 28 in the NEJM on the use of new equations to estimate GFR without the use of race.


https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2119761

Tennankore

Dr. Tennankore

Vinson

Dr. Vinson

Worthen

Dr. Worthen

Dr. Jasmine Mah - Winner of the Finals!

3 Minute Thesis finals spotlights Dalhousie's future thought leaders

Medical Research Graduate Program PhD student Jasmine Mah was the winner of the finals of Dalhousie's 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. 3MT challenges research-based master's and doctoral students to distill their research into three-minute chunks for a non-specialist audience, with a single PowerPoint slide permitted as a visual aid.

Read more on Dal.ca

The New House Call

Halifax neurologist Dr. Kerrie Schoffer has built a career around providing care to Nova Scotians who live with neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. "I've found myself in an area of medicine that sees challenging conditions that people live with for a long time, which progress and become more difficult over time," she says.

Read more on YourDoctors.ca

Why it's time to address weight bias in health care

Have you ever avoided seeking medical care because you worried the health-care provider would judge your weight? Has a health-care provider ignored your concerns or denied you treatment because they were only focused on your weight? If so, you've experienced medical weight bias. Dr. Michael Mindrum, Internal Medicine, brings this discussion to the forefront.

Read more on YourDoctors.ca

NOTICES / REMINDERS

Hypertension Awareness

Hypertension Month

Thanks to Dr. David Manning, Division of General Internal Medicine, for pointing us to the Hypertension Canada website that has a wealth of information including a video on how to select a home blood pressure monitor and “A Practical Guide informed by the Hypertension Canada: Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Treatment of Hypertension.”


Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of death and disability around the world, and can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and dementia.

Read more on Hypertension.ca

Over 7.2 million Canadians have hypertension, and 7.5 million more have high blood pressure that will lead to hypertension without preventative action.

New partnership between CBU, Dal Med and NS Government

Dalhousie and Cape Breton University to pilot undergraduate medical education partnership

A new partnership was announced today, May 12, between Dalhousie Medical School and Cape Breton University (CBU), and aims to create solutions to alleviate family physician shortages in rural Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton, Mi'kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities.

Read more on Dal.ca

5 seats added beginning September 2022

EVENTS

Date
Instructions

Instructions

First DoM Quality Day - May 31

The Quality Improvement Steering Committee (QISC) will host its first Quality Day program on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 from 1:00 – 4:15 pm. Due to gathering restrictions, this year’s event will be held on Zoom. This event provides an exciting opportunity for DoM faculty, residents, allied health professionals and teams to showcase their Quality Improvement initiatives and share their project successes.  


The event will kick-off with a welcome from Dr. Ferhan Siddiqi, Quality Director and Chair of the Quality Improvement Steering Committee, followed by a keynote presentation from Dr. Dick Zoutman from Queen’s University, podium presentations, virtual poster expo hall, and closing remarks.  


Registration is required to attend. Quality Day will be hosted on Zoom events. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to sign in with your Zoom email and password. If you do not have a Zoom account, you can create a free Zoom account. Please follow the attached instructions to register.


If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Wendy Levy at wendy@innovativeplanning.ca


If you have any questions regarding Quality Day, please contact Dr. Siddiqi at Ferhan.Siddiqi@nshealth.ca or Isha Seth at Isha.Seth@nshealth.ca


Let's Talk Informatics


When: TBA - June - 2 meetings


For registration and more information:

https://www.cdha.nshealth.ca/education-learning-45

Date

DoM Awards Extravaganza


When: June 28

Where: Zoom; Link will be shared via email.

COVID-19

65.2%

Three or more doses (18+)

87.8%

Two doses

4.7%

One dose

7.5%

Unvaccinated

6,912 Positive PCR tests April 6 - 11

7,508 Positive PCR tests April 12 - 18

5,436 Positive PCR tests April 19 - 25

3,415 Positive PCR tests April 26 - May 2

3,118 Positive PCR tests May 3 - 9

354

Total deaths

(Omicron deaths: 242)

58 people currently admitted due to COVID-19 including 9 people in ICU;

67 new hospital admissions due to COVID May 3 - 9

As of May 12, 2022

Daily reporting ended March 4, 2022; now reported weekly



Source: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/204d6ed723244dfbb763ca3f913c5cad

Protocols at Nova Scotia Health

Nova Scotia Health is taking a phased approach to COVID-19 health and safety measures based on risk level in each zone.

Subject to change; refer to online version for latest updates.


This document outlines the protocols required for each level of risk from now until May 2022.


This map shows a visual representation of the risk levels.

QUICK REFERENCE /

RECURRING CONTENT

Mental Health & Well-Being


Doctors Nova Scotia: Professional Support Program


Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)


Canadian Psychological Association


LifeSpeak (Nova Scotia Health)


Nova Scotia Mental Health Crisis Line

  • 1-888-429-8167


Nova Scotia Crisis Text Line

  • Text – NSSTRONG to 741741


Online Wellness Sessions (NSH Library Services)


Nova Scotia Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Program (MHAP) has free e-Mental Health and Addictions tools available to all Nova Scotians including health care workers and physicians. These tools include:



Mindwell U - free online support that takes just five minutes a day, and can be accessed anywhere and on any device. This service is available in English and French. https://app.mindwellu.com/novascotia



Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) – free and private online resource that includes interactive activities and videos for people having challenges with their mental health. This service is available in English and French. https://www.taoconnect.org/



Wellness Together Canada – mental health and substance abuse support that contains free online resources, tools, apps and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals when needed. https://wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA



Togetherall – free and safe online peer-to-peer mental health community that empowers individuals to anonymously seek and provide support 24/7. It is available to all youth and young adults aged 16-29, providing an inclusive and supportive place to connect with others with real lived experience with common mental health concerns. To sign up go to togetherall.com and use your Nova Scotia postal code to register. https://togetherall.com/en-ca/


For more online tools, and how to register, visit MHAhelpNS.ca/tools.

Department of Medicine

Awards & Recognition

The DoM Awards & Recognition Committee would like all department members to be aware of upcoming award deadlines.


If you have received an award or are submitting a nomination on behalf of any member in the Department, please advise the DoM Awards & Recognition Committee by emailing anne.veinotte@nshealth.ca.



DoM SharePoint site @ Nova Scotia Health

https://sharepoint.nshealth.ca/DeptMed

(Restricted to department members with NSH login)

OR

DoM SharePoint site @ Dalhousie University

https://dalu.sharepoint.com/sites/dom

(Restricted to department members with NetID)

DoM Grand Rounds

Summer Grand Rounds 2021 (playlist)

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlLxbpWu5dHGHrLmpOBwzO2cGicepkmn9


DoM Grand Rounds Sept 2021 - June 2022 (playlist)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlLxbpWu5dHGA9ngjTJ7CApcBtkmK1Pt3


Videos are unlisted on the Department of Medicine YouTube channel, so you must have the link to view. All recordings are copyright.

DoM Research

Resident Research

https://sites.google.com/view/domresidentresearch


The page was initially developed for the resident group but it’s also useful to faculty and their research teams. DoM Research wants to ensure that the link is easily accessible to anyone in the department.

Nova Scotia Health

COVID-19

http://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirus


https://covid19hub.nshealth.ca/covid-19

PPE Videos

Donning & doffing: PPE used for droplet and contact precautions


Donning, doffing, and storage of healthcare procedure masks

Library Services

COVID-19 resources for health care providers

https://library.nshealth.ca/?group_id=15444

Occupational Health Safety & Wellness

OHSW Reporting Forms

https://ohswreporting.nshealth.ca/Kics/formlist.php


  • Do you have symptoms of COVID and need help with OHSW?
  • Phone 1-833-750-0632




Spectrum MD App

(Antimicrobial Stewardship)

https://spectrum.app/nsha/


Nova Scotia Health logo needs to be visible in 8the upper left corner of the home screen to ensure you are accessing local content.

Zoom for Healthcare

https://nshealth.zoom.us/

Additional Links

Dalhousie University

Faculty of Medicine

https://medicine.dal.ca/news/covid.html

Doctors Nova Scotia

doctorsns.com

Personal Directive

https://www.legalinfo.org/forms/personal-directive


Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia

Complete online then download or email document. Once signed and witnessed, it is valid.

Nova Scotia

novascotia.ca/coronavirus

Canada

canada.ca/coronavirus


Canada (as of May 12, 2022)

3.8 million cases

40 K deaths

61 million tests performed

82% of total population fully vaccinated

World Health Organization

covid19.who.int


Globally (as of May 12, 2022)

517 million cases

6.2 million deaths

11.6 billion vaccine doses administered

When you take care of yourself, you take care of others.