Transformational Times
Words of Hope, Character & Resilience from our Virtual Community
Friday, October 1, 2021
In This Student Curated Issue:
Directors' Corner

Perspective/ Opinion

Take 3

Poetry Corner
Your Turn

Announcements & Resources
  • Submit a speaker proposal to the Kern Institute Event Advisory Committee
  • Submit your ideas for a name for the new School of Medicine curriculum
  • Kern Institute Connection Café: "You Are Fine, How Am I?!" Practical Strategies for Recognizing and Responding to Mental Health Issues Within Yourself and Others
  • Kern Institute Collaboration for Scholarship Journal Club
  • Med Moth Fall Event
  • Kern Grand Rounds - Value-Added Medical Education: Reimagining Learner Roles
  • Kern National Network News & Events
Director's Corner

COVID-19 is Challenging Us to Care for Each Other


By Adina Kalet, MD, MPH

This week Dr. Kalet, facing the current COVID-19 related crisis, calls for us all to double down on empathic communication skills and to raise a “Wellbeing Army” as part of our “duty to care”…

 

 Every crisis has both its dangers and its opportunities. Each can spell either salvation or doom. 
-Martin Luther King
 
COVID-19 is everywhere.
 
Over the past month, the pandemic has hit home. Three weeks ago, we had a breakthrough outbreak affecting four of seven adults in our household. This happened despite everyone being vaccinated and adhering to scrupulous physical distancing and mask wearing throughout the pandemic. The ten-day quarantine was challenging, illnesses were mild, several vulnerable folks were exposed, but all is now well. Thanks to the vaccine!
Perspective/Opinion

Unapologetically Black


By British L. Fields, MLS(ASCP)

 
Ms. Fields, a third-year medical student, shares her experience attending the recent Kern Grand Rounds with Dr. Kimberly Manning and how she will take away the reminder to stay true to herself as she advocates for her patients…


When I first read the news that Dr. Manning was “coming” to MCW, I literally freaked out. I’ve been following Dr. Manning on #MedTwitter, so I know just how big of a person she is. She is one of the giants in Black medicine, along with Drs. Camara Jones and Quinn Capers. I hung on every word that Drs. Jones and Capers said when they came to MCW as guest speakers a few years ago.
Perspective/Opinion


Becoming a Medical Student During a Pandemic

By Sarah Farhan, M1


Ms. Farhan shares her experiences and thoughts about starting medical school in the midst of a pandemic and how she is learning to acclimate…


Preparing myself to be a medical student has been a long, tedious journey overall, but I didn’t think it would be such an impactful first experience. Firstly, there were many things we had to do even before the orientation week, which started solidifying the beginning of the process of acquaintance with this entirely new environment. I was personally more anxious than excited because it seemed to me that I was making a decision that would alter my life course for at least the next six years. When orientation finally started, this idea continued to grow bigger because just about everyone made sure to say how big of a deal it is to enter this realm and the sharing the challenges of being a part of it. Orientation was exciting in some ways because I got to meet (mainly virtually) all the students that will spend these next four years with me.
Three questions for Chelsea Weaver, PhD


Getting to Know You With Chelsea Weaver

 
We are pleased to welcome Chelsea to the Kern Institute working on the faculty and curriculum pillars...



Dr. Weaver answers the following questions:

  • What is your role in the Kern Institute?
  • What skills, interests and/or experiences will guide your work here?
  • What do you do for fun?
By Shel Silverstein

There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What's right for you--just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.”
The outfits! I love a good oversize sweater with a scarf, leggings or skinny jeans and boots (all different kinds of boots!) It is comfy and cozy but also fashionable wear.

Angela P., Staff
Apple picking. I have been picking apples each fall since my first year of medical school when I went with a group of friends. Those same friends helped me pick applies that served as the center pieces for my wedding 10 years ago today. Tomorrow I will take my kids apple picking!

—Amy Farkas, MD, MS, Faculty
Pumpkins, mums, crisp air, nice breeze, leaves changing colors, Fall candles!
—Heather Roth, Staff
For this week's reflection prompt, please answer the following:


What would you do if you had an extra hour in the day?




The Kern Institute Event Advisory Committee invites you to
Submit a Speaker Proposal



The Kern Institute is working to transform medical education to better align with the needs of the public on the basis of character, competence, and caring. 

Please complete the form below if you have a speaker you would like to propose.
 
The Event Advisory Committee will review all proposals based on the following criteria: 

  • The speaker's qualifications
  • Timeliness of the topic
  • Relevance to the mission

If chosen, a committee member will extend the invitation to the speaker and open the line of communication. 

*Please Note: While we greatly appreciate your enthusiasm, please do not initiate correspondence with the speaker directly. This will ensure that expectations are clear and confusion or misunderstandings are averted.
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Share Your Thoughts
Naming Contest for the new MCW School of Medicine curriculum



The Curriculum Innovation Team invites you to submit your vote for the official naming of the new MCW School of Medicine curriculum. 


Physician and Provider Wellness Webinar with Kern Visiting Scholar John Yoon, MD, and others
Connecting and reconnecting to your "why": Reigniting and keeping the flame alive



 

Objectives
At the end of this webinar, the participant will be able to:
 
•   Describe their purpose, their “why” for entering the medical profession.
•   Define the difference between “flourishing” and “surviving” in practice
•   List the services available to support ones’ connection to their strengths and purpose
October 1, 2021
Live via Teams Webinar
12:00 - 1:00 pm CT


Please Join Us
Kern Institute Connection Café:
"You Are Fine, How Am I?!" Practical Strategies for Recognizing and Responding to Mental Health Issues Within Yourself and Others
 

Presented by Himanshu Agrawal, MD, Sara Brady, MD, Cassie Ferguson, MD, and AODA Counselor Ms. Hilary Pick.
 
“How do two shrinks greet each other? You are fine, how am I?”

There is significant research that recognizes the low prevalence of self-care, and the high prevalence of ill health amongst health care professionals. Studies point to the potential contributory and protective factors related to resiliency and vulnerability, burnout and ‘thrivingness’, and anxiety as well as depression.

This Connection Café event will provide a safe, intimate setting for participants to engage with the panelists. Drawing from their individual experience and journeys, Dr. Agrawal will engage the panelists and audience members alike, to traverse biological, psychological, social, and existential realms with the overarching goal to identify practical strategies for recognizing and responding to mental health issues within oneself and others, as if one’s life depends on it. Because it does.
October 13, 2021
Live via Zoom
4:00 - 5:00 pm CT
Kern Institute Collaboration for Scholarship Journal Club


The KICS Journal Club for Medical Education meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month via Zoom, 12:15–1:00 PM Central. The next meeting will feature Carla Spagnoletti, MD, MS, from the University of Pittsburg.


Interested individuals can join the meeting via Zoom using the link below, or email Michael Braun to be added to the meeting invite.

  
Meeting ID: 921 1154 0031 
Passcode: KICSJoClub 
October 13, 2021
Zoom Presentation
12:15 - 1:00 pm CT


Register for the Next MedMoth Event
October 14, 2021 at 6:00pm


MedMoth is designed to create a space for people to share their stories about their experiences in medicine and reflect on their purpose and meaning in pursuing this profession.
Everyone has personal stories worth sharing! Ex Fabula and the MCW MedMoth committee invite you to discover, shape and share personal stories about your experiences in the world of medicine. 
In these workshops, you will be guided by Ex Fabula coaches through a series of interactive activities - all in a low-pressure setting. Working in small groups, you’ll grow your storytelling skills and confidence. For this workshop, participants should have a story in mind that they’d like to work on – and then possibly share onstage at the October 14 MedMoth event. 
The Next Workshop is October 7, 2021, 5pm - 7pm with Ex Fabula
Location: HUB A1030 - Main Conference Room across from the HUB Cafe.
Attend the MedMoth Event
October 14, 2021
6:00 pm


2021 Professionalism Week
Kern Institute Grand Rounds
Value-Added Medical Education: Reimagining Learner Roles
 


While traditional clinical teaching activities such as taking a history, performing a physical exam, writing notes, and giving oral case presentations are clearly effective educational tools, they often lead to inefficiency and duplication of work. Meanwhile, gaps persist between current state and optimal state for patient care and learning outcomes.

This session will include a panel discussion of opportunities to creatively reimagine student roles on patient care teams and participant reflection on how key concepts might be implemented in their sphere of influence.

Panelists include:

Marty Muntz, MD (Lead)
Erica Chou, MD
Christopher Davis, MD
Catherine Ferguson, MD
John Hayes, DO
Lana Minshew, PhD
October 20, 2021
Live Virtual Panel Presentation
12:00 - 1:00 pm CT


Save the Date: KNN Discussion Series
Civic Responsibility: Medicine and Democracy
 

Although it is clear factors outside practice walls significantly affect health outcomes, it is less straightforward for healthcare learners and professionals to know what role, if any, to play in civic life and policy issues. To what extent should those in healthcare get involved—and how can they balance personal, professional and organizational values when they do?

In this discussion—moderated by Gregg Margolis, PhD, of the National Academy of Medicine—Drs. Abdul El-Sayed and Jasmine Zapata will share experiences, reflections and their responses to audience questions on navigating civic responsibility.
October 26, 2021
Live Virtual Event
4:00 - 5:00 pm CT
This series is presented by the Kern National Network for Caring & Character in Medicine through an investment from
the Kern Family Trust and Kern Family Foundation.
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