DOM CONNECT:
Your Department, Your Colleagues, Your Stories
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November Chair's Spotlight | |
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In this month’s Chair’s Spotlight, we highlight the work of Karen Salomon-Escoto, MD, associate professor of medicine and clinician-researcher in the Division of Rheumatology.
Dr. Salomon-Escoto's work primarily focuses on musculoskeletal ultrasonography, with a research interest in inflammatory arthritis disease. Her interest in inflammatory arthritis has led to national and international collaboration with senior investigators that focus on the quantitative assessment of disease.
We are grateful for Dr. Salomon-Escoto’s leadership and innovative approach to clinical investigation, patient care, and medical education, and thank her for her diverse contributions to the Department of Medicine.
Read the full spotlight here.
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Team Spotlight: Palliative Care | |
Left to Right: Nancy McCool, Jennifer Reidy, Shawna Steadman, and Vandana Nagpal | |
During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers, including palliative care caregivers at UMass, experienced a marked increase of stressors due to several factors including restrictions and increased demands, feelings of isolation, and fatigue. To address this, the “Palliative Care Buddy System” intervention was conceptualized, designed, and implemented by the UMass Chan Palliative Care team “with the goal of counteracting personal distress and compassion fatigue as well as improving compassion satisfaction and resilience among team members.”
The study took place between July 2020 and April 2021 in two phases, and included 12 palliative care team members including physicians, nurse practitioners, a physician’s assistant, a social worker, a music therapist, and an administrative assistant. Each team member was paired with a trusted colleague on their team for the study. Efficacy was assessed by a qualitative online survey along with quantitative data collection, and semi-structured interviews. Of the 12 study participants, 10 completed all phases of the study. Ultimately, participants reported the buddy system was a useful, easy-to-implement intervention for mitigating personal distress and compassion fatigue by providing a strong sense of support and connection to team members.
This work was published in the September issue of Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care and was authored by Palliative Care team members, Nancy McCool, LICSW, ACHP-SW, Jennifer Reidy, MD, the Joy McCann Professor for Women in Medicine, chief of the Division of Palliative Care and associate professor of family medicine and community health, Shawna Steadman, MS, RN, ACNP, and Vandana Nagpal, MD, associate program director of the Palliative Medicine Fellowship, associate chief and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Palliative Care.
Read more.
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Kate Fitzgerald inducted into the National Academy of Medicine
Kate Fitzgerald, PhD, the Worcester Foundation Chair in Biomedical Sciences, professor of medicine, chief of the Division of Innate Immunity, director of the Program in Innate Immunity, and vice chair for research in the Department of Medicine, was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) at the Class of 2021 New Member Class Induction Ceremony on October 14th. Dr. Fitzgerald was elected to the NAM in the fall of 2021, “For pioneering work on innate immune receptors, signaling pathways, and regulation of inflammatory gene expression.”
“I feel fortunate to have found a career that I love. I love the freedom of an academic career and in particular the opportunity to work with students, post-docs, and other trainees. Seeing their success is by far the most rewarding part of this job. I never would have imagined being an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences or the National Academy of Medicine. I feel incredibly honored and humbled. This honor is a reflection on the hard work of my lab members, past and present. I am learning more about these two academies and hope to get more involved in the wonderful initiatives in the NAS/NAM in order to advance science, improve health, and provide independent, authoritative, and trusted advice nationally and globally,” remarked Dr. Fitzgerald.
In addition to the NAM and NAS, Dr. Fitzgerald is the recipient of numerous honors which include being an elected member of the Royal Irish Academy, the American Academy of Microbiology, and a recent Past-President of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society. She was also the 2022 recipient of the Thermo Fisher Meritorious Career Award from the American Associate of Immunologists, which recognizes mid-career scientists for outstanding research contributions to the field.
We invite you to learn more about Dr. Fitzgerald’s work.
Related:
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Excellence in Clinical Care | |
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Yoel Carrasquillo-Vega honored as a Hero of the Pandemic by CENTRO
Yoel Carrasquillo-Vega, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine and director of diversity, inclusion, and social justice in the Department of Medicine, was honored as a Hero of the Pandemic at CENTRO’s 3rd Central Mass Hispanic Heritage Breakfast that was held at Polar Park in Worcester on October 14th. Dr. Carrasquillo was honored alongside three other recipients during the breakfast. Of his efforts, Juan Gomez, President and CEO of CENTRO commented, “His bravery and dedication during the middle of this difficult period in our collective history, at the hospital, and while deployed to New York, was inspiring.”
Dr. Carrasquillo-Vega was joined at the ceremony by his family and colleagues from UMass. On receiving this deeply meaningful honor, he remarked, “[It was] truly a humbling and honorable experience to receive the award in front of my family and colleagues. It made me remember how far we have come along as caregivers and as a system through this pandemic; but also it solidified my calling to provide compassionate care to patients at their most vulnerable point in their lives.”
CENTRO is a multiservice, multicultural, multilinguistic, nonprofit organization in Central Massachusetts whose primary purpose is to assist individuals and families striving to reach self-sufficiency while promoting social responsibility, fostering cultural identity, and encouraging families to be significant contributors to the community. CENTRO’s Hispanic Heritage Breakfast aims to celebrate the achievements and contributions made by Hispanics and others, to the health and well-being of our entire community.
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2022-2023 Medical Grand Rounds
The Department of Medicine Grand Rounds series continues to impress this season, with recent presentations from Jerry Gurwitz, MD, chief and professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, titled “We Have Met the Aging and They Are Us-Confessions of an Aging Geriatrician,” Sunita Puri, MD, associate professor of Clinical Medicine and fellowship director of Hospice and Palliative Medicine titled "Finding the Right Words for the Right Conversations," Bruce Sachais, MD, PhD, senior vice president and CMO of New York Blood Center Enterprises titled "Rational Design of PF4 Antagonists for the Prevention and Treatment of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia," and Gerard Aurigemma, MD, professor of medicine and radiology in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine on a Morbidity and Mortality Conference.
View this year's line-up of speakers here. Please join us in person for these presentations if you are able. Light refreshments will be available.
Interested in watching our Grand Rounds presentations? Click on the links below.
October 6 - Grand Rounds: We Have Met the Aging and They Are Us-Confessions of an Aging Geriatrician
October 13 - Grand Rounds: Finding the Right Words for the Right Conversations
October 20 - Grand Rounds: Rational Design of PF4 Antagonists for the Prevention and Treatment of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia
Not Authorized for Recording
October 27 - Grand Rounds: Morbidity and Mortality Conference
Not Authorized for Recording
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Appointments and Recruitment | |
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Appointments
Congratulations to the following faculty on their recent appointments:
Carolyn Murphy, MD
Palliative Care
Assistant Professor
Tadatoshi Sato, PhD
Rheumatology
Assistant Professor
Apurv Soni, MD, PhD
Clinical Informatics
Assistant Professor
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Recruitment
Please join us in welcoming our recent new hires:
General Internal Medicine
Elena Byhoff, MD
Hematology and Oncology
Viola Zhu, MD, PhD
Hospital Medicine
Bishow Aryal, MD
Vanitha Velayutham, MD
Renal
Ravinder Wali, MD
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Remembering Walter H. Ettinger, Jr
It is with great sadness that the Department of Medicine shares the passing of Walter H. Ettinger, Jr, MD, who recently died due to complications from prostate cancer. Dr. Ettinger served as president of UMass Memorial Medical Center from 2004 until 2012, where he also served as professor of medicine. From 2007-2011, he served as associate vice provost for Clinical and Population Research at UMass Chan.
To learn more about Dr. Ettinger, view his full obituary here.
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