January Faculty and Staff Newsletter

The DOM Dispatch - January, 2021

Monthly newsletter for the CU Department of Medicine. In this issue:

-BRIM Virtual Training Dates Resume

-DOM Support for Early Career Investigators

-CU Interdisciplinary Joint Biology Pilot Program

-UCHealth Vaccine Distribution Information

-Women's Health Research Day

Website

Publications

Newsroom

Message from the Chair

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, I’ve championed the critical role of science in leading us out of this crisis. While SARS-CoV-2 will continue to challenge our patients, providers, and healthcare system during this next year (and possibly into the future should Covid-19 cause long-term detriments to the health of our patients), it’s truly remarkable how far we’ve come in understanding the virus and the distribution of disease, changing our behaviors, discovering new treatments, and developing effective vaccines.

Basic modeling and infectious disease epidemiology has provided the insight to make critical decisions, masks and social distancing have controlled the spread of infection, clinical trials have identified therapies that are beneficial (and which ones aren’t), and novel serologic assays and monoclonal antibodies have identified the extent of disease in our communities and have helped to control outbreaks.

While there have been many lessons learned during this crisis, perhaps the most essential is the impact of integrating basic, translational, and clinical research. The novel vaccines now being deployed around the world demonstrate the critical significance of interdisciplinary science – bringing transformative, life-changing discoveries from bench to bedside, affecting humanity for generations.

To many, the novel vaccines appear as a miracle. However, let us remember that decades of investment in basic, translational, and clinical science has led us to this point. As an institution and as a nation, we must continue to support our pipeline of investigators and our scientific infrastructure as a core component of academic medicine. The rapid response funding systems that have been activated during the pandemic demonstrates the great possibility of a reimagined scientific infrastructure, one that is focused on unmet needs in human health that requires interdisciplinary collaboration, and blurs the boundaries between government, academia, and industry.

So, while we celebrate this significant milestone and look forward with optimism of a new year, let us not forget what brought us this light at the end of the tunnel. Now is the time to double down on this achievement, and invest with confidence in our scientists. Anything less would be a missed opportunity for science and humanity.

I wish you all a happy and healthy start to 2021. Please continue to reach out, let me know your concerns, stay well, and stay connected.

David A. Schwartz, MD

Professor of Medicine and Immunology

Robert W. Schrier Chair of Medicine

COVID-19 Campus Resources

UCH Command Center and Vaccine Distribution

School Of Medicine (password protected – use your CU credentials)

Department of Medicine COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19 Grand Rounds Recordings
COVID-19 Town Hall
Next Town Hall: Jan 7 at 7pm: "COVID-19: What Happened post-Thanksgiving and What’s Next?” with special guest panelist, Jonathan M. Samet, M.D., M.S., Dean and Professor, Colorado School of Public Health. Contact Holli Keyser for the Zoom link.

Recent recordings:

Dec 2: UCH COVID Command Center – What it is and How it Works
Dec 10: Vaccine Distribution
Dec 17: Your Charge is Low: How to Manage Pandemic Depletion

Division of Infectious Diseases

Department of Psychiatry COVID-19 Support

Faculty Advancement

Program Updates

Junior Faculty Mentoring Program

New faculty – a mentor identification form is due to the Faculty Advancement Office within 90 days of your start date.
Requirement reminder – 2 mentor progress reports are due by Dec 31, 2021.
Questions:DomFacAdvancement@ucdenver.edu.

Career Cornerstones

Career Cornerstones will be open to all eligible junior faculty this year.
Workshops will be hosted in January, March and April 2021.
Detailed communication will be sent to all eligible junior faculty in early January
Questions: CareerCornerstones@ucdenver.edu.

DOM JUMP Mentors

Designed for junior faculty who are about to start or would like to become a first-time mentor. Nominations for the 2021 cohort are now closed and session details are forthcoming.

2021 Virtual JUMP Workshops:

Wednesday, Jan 20 from 1-5pm
Wednesday, March 3 from 2:30-4:30pm
Wednesday, April 21 from 2:30-4:30pm
Individual Coaching Sessions in Spring 2021

Questions? Contact gregory.austin@cuanschutz.edu

Mid-Career Faculty Women's Leadership Development Program

Congratulations to the 2020 inaugural cohort, who completed the program in December.
Applications for the 2021 cohort are now closed and are being reviewed by the executive committee; participants will be notified in January.

Questions: DomFacAdvancement@ucdenver.edu.

LEADERSHIP 101: Leading with Personal Resilience

Harvard Business Review provides focus areas to combat fatigue created by the second wave of the pandemic. By understanding the distinction between urgency and importance, balancing compassion with containment, and implementing methods to sustain energy, leaders can face this daunting challenge head on to foster resilience in their teams, even through a difficult winter. How to Lead When Your Team Is Exhausted – and You Are, Too; Harvard Business Review; Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg, December 2020.

Currently Harvard Business Review offers special coronavirus coverage for leading and working through a pandemic. These resources are available here. Also, did you know the Harvard Business Review is available to all faculty and staff through our Strauss Health Sciences Library’s organization subscription to the journal? (Journal search “Harvard Business Review”).

For additional leadership resources, please review the Leading through Crisis resource document on the DOM COVID-19 webpage.

DOM Faculty Senate Update

Dean's Updates to Faculty Senate

COVID Vaccine

NOTE: these were prior to Moderna vaccine approval

Priority levels are set by the State of Colorado
UCHealth estimates: all 1A and 60% 1B will be covered first round
Residents/fellows: considered same as faculty
The Faculty Senate is drafting a resolution encouraging all faculty to get vaccinated

SOM Admissions

CUSOM has seen the “Fauci Effect” with an overall increase in applicants this year.
All interviews are virtual.

CPHP

The Faculty Senate drafted a letter to the Colorado Medical Board in support of CPHP encouraging both transparency in the process and support for doctoral level clinicians and preserving anonymity for providers voluntarily seeking assistance.

Curriculum Reform Update

Senior Associate Dean for Education Shanta Zimmer (ID) provided an update on curriculum reform for the SOM MD program. Read more.

Our role as Faculty Senators is to serve as a bridge between you and SOM leadership. We plan to send out regular updates from the Faculty Senate meetings through the DOM newsletter and provide updates at the Division Head meetings. Contact us directly at DOM Faculty Senators with any needs (Carey Candrian, PhD; Maurice “Scotty” Scott, MD; Timothy Amass, MD, ScM; Tyler Anstett, DO)

DOM Initiatives - Diversity & Justice

BRIM Virtual Training Dates Resume

The Department of Medicine is continuing the Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRIM) training virtually. The BRIM initiative is a NIH-funded study to evaluate an evidence-based pro-diversity intervention throughout academic medicine.

Division Training Dates:

Infectious Diseases - Jan 6 from 1-4pm
General Internal Medicine - Jan 8 from 7-10am
Allergy and Immunology - Jan 8 from 1-4pm
Hospital Medicine - Jan 12 from 9am-12pm
Rheumatology - Jan 19 from 8-11am
BIPM - Feb 3 from 9am-12pm

Zoom links and information will be distributed to participants. Questions? Contact Sonia Flores, PhD , vice chair for Diversity and Justice.

Research and Innovation

DOM Support for Early

Career Investigators

The Department of Medicine recently announced a new program for Early Career Investigators whose research careers have been affected by Covid-19.

Through this program:

The DOM will provide $50,000 for salary support to extend active and eligible Mentored Career Development Awards for six months (six months will be added on to the end of an active Career Development Award).
The faculty member’s division head agrees to protect 75% time for research career development after the Mentored Career Development Award ends.

Eligibility:

Mentored Career Development Awards must be active or in no cost extension

K01, K08, K22, K23, K76, and BIRCWH Awardees
K99/R00 Awardees
Other mentored Career Development Awards that provide >50% protected research time
Early Career Investigators with second tier funding (e.g. DP1, DP2, DP5, R01, R15, R21, R35, RF1,U01, DOM OECSP, and RPG equivalents) are not eligible for this RFP
Eligible faculty must have an active mentorship committee

To qualify for this support, eligible faculty must apply via a simple form by January 15, 2021. Questions? Contact Jennifer Kemp, PhD, director, Department of Medicine Research Office.

Call for Applications: CU Interdisciplinary Joint

Biology Pilot Program

The goal of the University of Colorado Interdisciplinary Joint Biology Program (CUIJBP) is to foster innovative collaborative research amongst multiple disciplines to advance our understanding of the etiology of inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases. We are pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2021-2022 grant cycle:

Four one-year CUIJBP grants are available ($50,000 each) aimed to support joint biology related research.
Grants will fund new initiatives for investigators who are pursuing joint-biology related research that should lead to NIH K/R type funding or other extramural support.

Eligibility:

Faculty members at all ranks from the University of Colorado (all campuses) are eligible to apply as PI.
Applications from early-career investigators are encouraged.
Co-investigators from other institutions are also encouraged to apply, as long as a CUIJBP co-investigator is engaged in the research.

Applications are due April 1, 2021 by 5pm MST.

More Information:

Website

Application Form

Detailed RFA

For questions, please contact Dr. Larry Moreland, director of the Interdisciplinary Joint Biology Program, at larry.moreland@cuanschutz.edu.

Call for Applications:

Rymer Small Grants Program

The Academy of Medical Educators (AME) has announced a call for proposals for the Rymer Small Grants Program. This year, program organizers are specifically seeking projects focused on Integrated Science Courses. General proposals that do not address the Integrated Science Courses will not be considered. All applications must be submitted by Tues, Jan 5, 2021.

Apply Now: 2021 Boettcher Investigator Status

The Boettcher Foundation established the Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards program, which provides up to five grants of $235,000 each covering up to three years of research activity with the intent to provide independent research opportunities to promising and talented early career investigators. Learn more details by clicking here.

Help us Learn More about Immune Responses to COVID-19: Health Care Worker Study

CU Anschutz is conducting a study of health-care workers (HCWs) and COVID-19. All HCWs are welcome, but we are particularly interested in evaluating those who have had known COVID-19 infection (positive PCR and/or antibody test).

The study has 3 short in-person visits (baseline, 2 and 6 months) with questionnaires and a blood collection; antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 will be tested from each blood draw, and results reported back to participants in real-time. There are also brief weekly online questionnaires. Data and samples will be used to evaluate the type and duration of immune responses, as well as establish a biobank for CU Anschutz community.

To find out more:

Email us at hcwcovidresearch@cuanschutz.edu
Visit our website

Inaugural State of

Research Address

Vice Chancellor Thomas Flaig, MD delivered his State of Research Address, discussing the broad and diverse research community on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, and plans for future support and growth.

Watch the event recording here
View the slides for this presentation here
Look at the State of Research COVID-19 research examples

Selected Faculty Research Highlights

A collective of university faculty and fellow colleagues recently published the article, “Baricitinib plus Remdesivir for Hospitalized Adults with Covid-19”, in The New England Journal of Medicine. University authors include from the following hospital affiliates: Denver Health and Hospital Authority: Maria G. Frank, MD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine; David Wyles, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases; Heather Young, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Healthcare System: Mary Bessesen, MD, professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases.

Audrey Bergouignan, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, was awarded an RO1 by NIH/NIDDK for her project titled, "Breaking up sedentary behaviors to improve glucose control in a population at risk for developing type 2 diabetes".

Jennifer Trujillo, PharmD, professor at the University of Colorado Center for Adult Diabetes Care and Research, is the senior author on a review of medications for type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Annals of Internal Medicine, "Pharmacologic Approaches to Glycemic Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: Synopsis of the 2020 American Diabetes Association's Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes Clinical Guideline".

Ethan Cumbler, MD, professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine, and Department of Surgery faculty published an article, “Resident opiate prescribing habits do not reflect best practices in post-operative pain management: An assessment of the knowledge and education gap” in the Journal of Surgical Education, December 2020.

Christine Jones, MD, associate professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine, and colleagues published an article, “Caring for Noncritically Ill Coronavirus Patients” in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Lilia Cervantes, MD, associate professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine, and colleagues published an article, “Disproportionate Incidence of COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Among Persons Identifying as Hispanic or Latino - Denver, Colorado March-October 2020” in the Centers for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

An article co-written by Matthew K. Wynia, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, is the No. 1 most-read National Academy of Medicine (NAM) paper of 2020. The paper, “Duty to Plan: Health Care, Crisis Standards of Care, and Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 ,” dated March 5, 2020, discussed the crisis standards of care principles for scarce resource allocation during an epidemic. The article received the most mainstream media attention of any article released by the NAM, with more than 100 news outlets referring to it.

Faculty Publications

DOM Initiatives - Wellness

The WellDOM Team (Wellness in the Department of Medicine) is here to support you. Visit our website and the DOM COVID 19 page for resources and information.

Resources for DOM Employees

New Faculty and Staff Mental Health Clinic: CU Anschutz faculty and staff have an easily accessible, comprehensive and confidential new resource for mental health services. Read more.

CU Johnson Depression Center Community Programs on Wellness and Mental Health: Offering mental health services, and a variety of free education, programs and trainings focus on mental wellness. Read more.

State of Colorado C-SEAP: Eligible employees can access six free, confidential sessions with a counselor. Go to their website for more info or call 303-866-4314 or 800-821-8154.

Affiliate Hospital Resources: view the wellbeing and mental health resources on the DOM COVID-19 Resource web page.

Resources for Parents and Caregivers: New campus family care program, including membership to Care.com, daycare tuition discounts and subsidized backup care for children and adults.

Send an E-card of Gratitude: Created and compiled by WellDOM and sent to the recipient on your behalf. Submit a Message of Gratitude.

Wellbeing Wednesdays – a weekly email to highlight resources that exist within our system, to illuminate the national conversation on burnout and to discuss systemic changes and solutions that the Department of Medicine is working on to improve professional fulfilment. Recent Wellbeing Wednesdays:

12/30/20: Responder Stress Continuum

12/23/20: It's a Telehealth World

12/16/20: Usual Balance Upended?

12/9/20: First Pulse to Take is Your Own

12/2/20: Lunch and Learns to Communicate Effectively

Upcoming Wellness Events and Workshops

Free Pilates Class for Healthcare Workers: Pilates Collective Thanks Healthcare Workers

Join Shannon Briese, certified Pilates Instructor and LMT, for a FREE 45-min virtual Restorative Pilates session on Wed, Jan 13 at 7pm. To sign up for this class, email molly@pilatescollectivedenver.com by Jan 12.

2021 Virtual Lecture Series: Enhancing Healthcare Professionals through Engagement with the Arts

The issue of healthcare professional wellbeing has become an even more important issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us for an interactive lecture with arts and healthcare experts from around the globe to discuss how to enhance wellness for healthcare professionals.

Hosted by the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab (CORAL) through the School of Medicine, this lecture series will be held on the third Friday of every month from 12-1pm on Jan 22, Feb 19, March 19, April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug 20, Sept 17. Register for the Jan 22 lecture here. Read more.

CU Anschutz COVID-19 Narratives

Open to all CU Anschutz employees at no cost
5 weeks, 1 writing response each week
20-30 minutes per response
Feedback from a mental health professional
All communications are confidential
Sign up now

Quality & Safety Program

DOM Quality & Patient Safety Upcoming Events

DOM Morbidity, Mortality & Systems Improvement Conference: Tue, Jan 12, 12-1pm via Zoom: "A Case of Withdrawal Seizure", presented by Eric Rudofker, MD (chief resident in Quality & Patient Safety) and Dilip Raghuveer, MD (General Internal Medicine).

DOM Leaders in Informatics, Quality & Systems (LInQS) Fellowship – Call for Applications

The Leaders in Informatics, Quality & Systems (LInQS) Fellowship Program is seeking applicants for AY2021-2023. The objective of the program is to develop future academic leaders in the Department of Medicine in the areas of quality improvement (QI), clinical system design, clinical informatics, and/or patient safety.

The LInQS Fellowship Program is a two-year program that provides didactics, longitudinal mentorship and hands-on training from faculty mentors with diverse expertise to support trainees and junior faculty. Program enrollment begins July 1, 2021 and is open to junior clinical faculty (physicians and APP’s) and fellows. To apply, visit our website or complete the application form by Jan 15, 2021.

DOM Morbidity, Mortality & Systems Improvement Conference into Action

In November, Dr. Laura Macke (GIM) and chief residents Drs. McGee and Gergen presented the case of a patient who decompensated shortly after admission to the hospital and was found to have rapidly rising lactate levels. One of the issues identified in the conference was that lactate labs are often confused with sepsis work-up, which can result in premature closure, confirmation bias and ultimately patient harm. In a recent Epic Updates announcement, the following update was included which directly speaks to the issue identified in this M&M:

Lactate Order Panel - Due to a great deal of issues with inaccurate lactate orders, individual lactate lab orders will be replaced with a "Lactate orders" panel. The panel will ask whether the lactate is for sepsis work up or not. Based on your response, the system will suggest the correct lactate to order.

We are pleased to see this change has been implemented and it will provide clarification for sepsis work-up in the future.

Noteworthy

PROMOTIONS, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Congratulations for the outstanding contributions of our recently promoted Advance Practice Provider (APP) faculty:
Kristy Gama, NP, senior instructor, Division of Cardiology
Patrice Spurck, NP, MS, senior instructor, Division of Cardiology
Meredith Beaton, NP, MSN, assistant professor, Division of Hematology
Lindsey Lyle, PA-C, MS, assistant professor, Division of Hematology
Carla Black, PA-C, MHS, senior instructor, Division of Hematology
Jessica Casselberry, ACNP-BC, AOCNP, MSN, senior instructor, Division of Hematology

Congratulations to the Division of Hospital Medicine's March 2021 Advanced Practice Fellowship Cohort: Joesie Bowdish, PA; Alice Curchin, PA; Nhi “Tiffany” Dam, PA; Joseph Gulick, PA; Beth Smilkstein, PA; Chelsea Smith, PA.

Congratulations to the Department of Medicine recipients and nominee for the School of Medicine's 14th Annual Faculty Professionalism Award, which will be presented a future Faculty Senate meeting. Recipients: Carlos Franco-Paredes, MD, associate professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Jeremy Long, MD, associate professor, Denver Health. Nominee: Wells Messersmith, MD, professor, and head of the Division of Medical Oncology.

Congratulations to the Division of General Internal Medicine faculty who received awards from the American College of Physicians (ACP) Colorado Chapter:
Christina Reimer, MD, assistant dean, CU School of Medicine Fort Collins Branch: Mastership Award
Erik Wallace, MD, FACP, associate dean, CU School of Medicine Colorado Springs Branch: Laureate Award
Ronald Colson, MD, assistant professor: Volunteerism/Community Service Award

The Palliative Care team in the Division of General Internal Medicine, in partnership with the UCHealth Social Work team and Hospital Medicine, were awarded the International Hospital Foundation Beyond the Call of Duty for COVID-19 recognition for their rapid response to healthcare decision maker discussions and documentation. The team was one of 103 recognized across 28 countries for "demonstrating initiative, agility, and an incredible capacity to innovate under extraordinary circumstances." Read more.

The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) announced that Cecilia Low Wang, MD, professor, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and GMT colleagues were awarded SHM's Top Performer Award for both critical and non-critical areas in the Glucometrics Benchmarking program.

Breely Wilky, MD, associate professor in the Division of Medical Oncology, received the Life Raft Group's 2020 Innovative Sarcoma Leadership Award. The Life Raft Group created the Women in Sarcoma series to highlight women in the sarcoma medical profession that make a difference in patients’ lives, and to share their stories of strength and perseverance dealing with rare patients and diseases.

The Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) announced their 2020 Investigator Awards. Congratulations to:
Graduate Student Award: Jared Dahle, MS, RD, PhD candidate, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes. Jared is a researcher in Edward Melanson, PhD's lab, who is mentored by Victoria Catenacci, MD, and Dr. Melanson.
Mentor Award: Victoria Catenacci, MD, associate professor, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes.

IN MEMORIAM

William R. Hiatt, MD, a pioneer in the field of clinical vascular medicine and cardiovascular research, died December 8, 2020. He was 70 years old. His academic accomplishments were extraordinary - he received the Clinical Research Prize from the AHA in 2018, which is the highest research honor that this organization can bestow, and he founded and developed the Colorado Prevention Center (CPC), which created many opportunities for our faculty and transformed our campus.

Dr. Hiatt was highly regarded as a professor of medicine and an accomplished clinician investigator focused on improving our understanding of epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment of peripheral artery disease. As president and chief science officer of CPC Clinical Research, Dr. Hiatt also made profound and long-lasting contributions to the science behind the practice of vascular medicine and the methodology of clinical trial-based research, including the use of functional outcomes in patients with vascular disease. Read more.

HIGHLIGHTED MEDIA CLIPS

Coming Full Circle: Doctor who cares for COVID patients participates in monoclonal

antibody clinical trial

“It has been incredible the speed at which studies have started and have been conducted,” says Amiran Baduashvili, MD, visiting associate professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine.

He should know because not only does he treat COVID-19 patients but he also volunteered as a participant in a clinical trial to treat the disease. Read more.

What to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine:

Mark Earnest, MD, Answers Questions

about Immunization

“I think it is absolutely extraordinary that almost exactly 12 months from when a totally new virus was first identified, we are immunizing people against it,” says Mark Earnest, MD, professor of internal medicine and division head of the Division of General Internal Medicine. “To me, that’s just astounding. It really is something to celebrate.” The School of Medicine asked Dr. Earnest some of the most pressing questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more.

Understanding Treatment Options for

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

It is one of the most common types of leukemias in adults; however, the disease comprises only about 1% of all cancers. There are a variety of treatment options available for patients with AML, with more clinical trials evaluating new therapies in the pipeline. In this episode of the “CURE talks Cancer” podcast, Dan Pollyea, MD, associate professor in the Division of Hematology, discusses treatment options.

DOM NEWSROOM

Beyond the Headlines: Jan Feature

DIY Hot Chocolate Bombs

Let's take a break from the usual headlines...

These tasty treats are trending this season. You don't have to be an expert chef to make them, though. Follow this recipe on how to make your own hot chocolate bombs at home. Read more.