Transformational Times
Words of Hope, Character & Resilience from our Virtual Community
Friday, April 15, 2022
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Director's Corner
Perspective/Opinion
Visual Art
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Lauren Tostrud: A Textbook Case
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Rachel Weber: Lifted Weight
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Brian Conway: How I Feel
Poetry Corner
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Shivani Sharma: My First Patient
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Matthew Aiken: Haikus to Say Goodbye
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Micael Esson: Mama's Words
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Monica Gobrial: Trust in Truss
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Yukino Strong: Case Series
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Your Turn
Upcoming Events/Announcements
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Director's Corner
Calling All Medical Students: How is Medical School Transforming You?
By Adina Kalet, MD, MPH
In this week’s special issue led by the student members of the Kern Institute Philosophies in Medical Education Transformation Lab (PMETaL), Dr. Kalet devotes her Director’s Corner to describing how a small group of MCW medical students, motivated by their curiosity and passion for the humanities, created a rich and meaningful way to understand the transformative nature of medical school.
It is a Saturday late afternoon. Avoiding other work, I open on an unexpected email with a 22 megabyte, attached file from Julia Bosco, a second-year medical student.
“Hello,” she writes, “Here are the materials for Friday’s issue!”
I absent-mindedly unzip the file, unfurling three neat folders entitled Final Artwork, Poetry Submissions Edited and Final Articles. Opening the first, lush images spilled onto my laptop screen. I study the warm and cool colors, line precision, composition, and intriguing perspective of the paintings. There is nothing pedestrian about these works of art, especially because of their emotionally evocative and metaphoric titles: A Textbook Case, How I Feel and Lifted Weights.
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Perspective/Opinion
My First Patient
By Monica Gobrial
In this essay, Monica reflects on her first patient experience on her neurology rotation and what that has taught her...
He spoke with the elegance and eloquence of a refined published journal, detailing every occurrence that had transpired up to his present condition. I listened in awe as I pondered how one man can be so articulate in the midst of agony. Truthfully, how one man can be so articulate at all (ailments aside). When he concluded his story, thanking us for listening to what I presumed was a nearly fifteen-minute chronicle that had played in my head like a miniature cinematic experience, I couldn’t help but voice my astonishment.
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Perspective/Opinion
Encounters with Death and Dying
By Joyce H. Lee, MS
Joyce writes about her unique experiences with death and dying—from school, to work, and finally to a personal loss…
Before I went and got my master’s in bioethics, I thought that death and dying were simple—when a person gets ill or if some mishap occurs to them (accident/homicide), they die. However, studying ethics made me realize just how complicated death and dying are. I learned about the two (or three) kinds of death: cardiopulmonary death, whole brain death, and higher brain death—with the latter two fanning large debates among physicians, bioethicists, and medical ethicists. In fact, I attended the Annual Bioethics Conference back in 2018 where experts in the field of bioethics came together and argued for three days about what constitutes “death.” I remember leaving the conference more confused about the issue than I was before the conference.
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Perspective/Opinion
Dancing Again
By Elizabeth Moore
Ms. Moore shares her experience as an Acting Intern on Child Neurology at Children’s Wisconsin during the aftermath of a mass casualty event and the profound impact of a patient’s journey to recovery…
“Will she ever dance again?”
The mother of my patient was the embodiment of concern, from her furrowed brow to her red puffy eyes to her shaking hands. I looked over at her daughter in the bed beside us. Her head was shaved and wrapped in gauze, her c-collar still in place. I did not know how to respond to this mother’s question. Truthfully, I did not know if this little girl would walk again—let alone return to dancing the way she once did.
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Perspective/Opinion
Vacancy
By Connor Pedersen
The loss of a loved one is not a temporary process. In this piece of prose-poetry, Connor explores his feelings following the death of his grandfather more than ten years ago. He reflects on how his understanding of grief has changed since entering medicine, as well simply growing as an adult…
In the ten years since you’ve passed, I’ve seen the empty space you’ve left grow larger, becoming the shape of your absence.
You were husband, father, grandfather. The last was the most important to me, but it was only a shade of yourself, a deep color that changed with the light. In the torn fabric of that day, I followed frayed edges to those who knew you by other names, other titles, and only then did I grasp the size of the wound.
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Lifted Weight
Rachel Weber, MD candidate 2024
Lifted Weight is an illustration of a female with bruised shoulders meant to be a visual representation of part of my personal medical school transformation. Like all new to medicine I want to save the world and I held that burden on my shoulders. Medical school, and even more so covid, has taught me there are problems greater than you're capable to fix; there are issues you cannot solve and people you cannot save. Understanding this hard truth, lifts the burden we try to carry that is the weight of the world. This should feel like a relief and to an extent it does, but there is a soreness in its place, knowing your own limitations.
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A textbook case
Lauren Tostrud, MS3
While I, like many, have spent hours poured over my FIRST AID: USMLE Step 1, Fundamentals of Pathology: Pathoma, Netter Atlas of Human Anatomy, and countless other textbooks and resources throughout medical school, nothing has taught me more about medicine and what it means to be a physician than the patients I have encountered during clerkships. The moments, lessons, and stories these patients have shared with me have shaped and continue to shape the trajectory of myself, both as a person and as a future provider. This piece figuratively demonstrates the patients I have encountered and the patients the authors of these textbooks have encountered that allow us all to learn and grow in our knowledge and understanding of medicine, both scientifically and humanly. Not every patient is a “textbook case,” in fact, I would argue that most patients are not a “textbook case.” There is a complexity to each patient that unfolds when they share their story, and I am immensely thankful to the patients that are shaping me into the future provider I will become.
*Disclaimer: Names within the piece do not correlate to actual patients.
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How I Feel
Brian Conway
I first started this digital media drawing depicting a transgender man in August after I shadowed a plastic surgeon and scrubbed in during a top surgery. Being in the OR is always a novel and exciting experience, but I remember feeling something distinctly different about this occasion. I felt a sort of welling up inside of me, a sense of immense joy and pride to be a queer person caring for another queer person.
Prior to shadowing, I shared my excitement about the upcoming case with a mentor of mine who said, “enjoy and pay attention to how you feel.” These words rang through my ears during the surgery as I observed each careful incision and suture aimed to affirm the patient’s identity. My role in the case was almost completely observatory, but the opportunities when I could touch the patient’s flesh or cut the surgeons’ suture filled me and kept me present. Time flew by, and I floated through the remainder of the case… and the day… and the week, really.
When I came home that evening, I decided to draw and regurgitate these feelings as a method of storing them somewhere. Journaling did not feel like the proper media for these sentiments at the time as it has taken reflection and introspection for me to iterate them. These feelings of enthusiasm and intrigue do not just stem from the opportunity to scrub in as a M2, although this is always a privilege. Rather, these feelings come from the fact that this patient and I share a community. While I would say I identify as queer and non-binary/gender diverse, I realize that I cannot begin to understand the experiences of the trans community. But I am willing and eager to learn, and I hope our shared connection in the LGBTQ+ community can foster this relationship.
I worked on this drawing a little at a time over the next few months, bringing it out every time I needed a break from medical school. I would put on some music, brew some tea, and try to recall how I felt in the OR. My experiences shadowing in plastic and reconstructive surgery had been minimal prior to this, and I landed in that OR on a whim. However, I hope to carry this experience with me as the time spent reflecting and drawing made me realize I hope my career to always involve gender affirming care. And luckily, those few hours in the OR of unadulterated bliss led to further exploration of plastic and reconstructive surgery, and now I have found so many things to love about the field.
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My First Patient
By Shivani Sharma
The room is warm, yet my hair stands on end as I walk in,
Soon I stand at table 34, scalpel in hand, shaky yet determined.
I see your curled hand first, then your shape, no more than an outline under the sheet,
You must have stood strong, tall and proud, blood coursing with each heartbeat.
I remember that invading thought, as I faced the daunting task before me
How quickly the pull of knowledge pushed my humanity to the backseat
We start with just your arm, then body, peeling back each layer of skin.
Through the days we make our way to see what lies within.
How easily we see each organ, how disease has taken its course
And how we quickly retrace the disease path back to its source.
How easily now each cut comes, the scalpel no longer shaking
Yet nothing can prepare us for what is awaiting
Removing the shroud from his face, we see the man behind the disease
A man who must have felt each cough, labored breath, and wheeze
A man we sectioned, and spoke about in parts
Was a man who had thoughts, dreams, feelings, and a soul, a heart
Somewhere lost between the dissection, I let myself forget
To deal with the discomfort, I had adopted a detached mindset.
"Only with my own heart frozen, was I able to see yours"
My naive self thought this was the only way only way for diagnoses, treatment, and cures.
I am thankful you came and showed me that it was appropriate to be vulnerable and feel.
~In thanks and gratitude for Mr. X, my first patient, who taught me to see the entire person rather than a condition or disease, and taught me it was okay to be vulnerable (Written in First-year after Anatomy lab)
Shivani Sharma is a third-year medical student at MCW-Milwaukee.
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Haikus To Say Goodbye
By Matthew Aiken
Poked, prodded, confused
Trapped by tubes, restraints. “Help me”
A heart in failure
Our hearts not failing
One more tube, one more pill: Hope
Hope is dangerous
A heart not beating
Is not a heart in failure
It finished its job
No longer restrained
Mental status: unaltered
A life discharged home
Matthew Aiken is a third-year medical student at MCW-Milwaukee. He cares deeply about the human element of medicine. Mr. Aiken reflects this through his consistent involvement with the Bioethics and Medical Humanities Pathway during his time at MCW. Together, with Renee Foutz, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Mr. Aiken has written about ‘Compassion Fatigue’ and ‘Compassion Satisfaction’ in healthcare providers.
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Mama’s Words
By Michael Esson
Mama said come to the river,
the little black river will make you quiver,
for this is where your tears will flow.
Mama prayed as tears from my brown eyes blackened the streams,
sat me down to hear the black screams,
showed me the black dreams,
And told me the price to be free,
Free.
Mama said come to the river,
At the river, the waves rises and hums,
her heartbeat drums,
as she sings the sweetest songs.
Mama said live life my little black boy,
Live it through your own eyes,
to yourself, you owe a life of awe.
Mama said come to the river,
At the river, she looked at me with the joy of a mother,
Mama baptized me in the sea of her black love,
covered me with her black wings,
And protected my black identity,
from the evils of society.
Mama said come to the river,
For here breathes the stories of your people.
Look into the river and you will see your reflection,
From the muddy soil you were made,
Your crown, molded from clay,
And crafted by your mothers’ hands,
from the riches of your mother’s land.
Michael Esson is a first-year medical student at MCW - Milwaukee. He is a first-generation medical student who was born and raised in Ghana. Moved by his own experiences, and passionate about his opportunity to explore the field of medicine, Michael hopes to help ameliorate disparities that place heavy burdens on minority communities.
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Trust by Truss
By Monica Gobrial
Torn between two places mentally
To strive, persevere or to succumb ineptly
My mind races at five hundred paces
The heroes suffered without a mutter
While I lament over the words I stutter
How do they live like they are running out of time?
How do they reach the world with elegance and sublime?
Why do I fall behind?
Why do I entrap myself to my mind?
They fought, they wrote, they served
I relinquished myself to the undeserved
As if I’m lacking in Grace
When my inadequacy is in faith
That I, too, can do all things
under the shadowed embrace of His wings
The disparity among us is not of talent or skill
But foolishly, I held onto these lies with my will
There is something to the comfort of victimhood
Easier to make excuses than to do good
Admittedly, often, I resist amelioration
Fearing that such will be met with retaliation
I assume that the only semblance of my humanity is weakness
Perhaps they will interpret it as meekness or uniqueness
But lately I’m just tired
Of myself, I am uninspired
I feel drained
By delusion, I’m chained
I no longer want to carry the burden
Of the outcast, of which there is no guerdon
I want to find the freedom of beauty that emits from within
No impulse, no regret, just endured silence with a grin
Like the heroes, the unfeigned among us
Rooted eternally in the Almighty as if by truss
Monica Gobrial is a medical student in the MCW-Milwaukee Class of 2023.
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Case Series
By Ykino Strong
Case 1
Looked like a skeleton but said he wasn’t ready to die,
That it was Thanksgiving tomorrow and he was supposed to have dinner with his daughter.
His wife came, listened, nodded,
And then broke like a piñata,
Emotions spilling everywhere in the form of tender forehead kisses, hair strokes, and tears
Falling onto his body like puzzle pieces
Forming a picture of years of loving marriage.
He said he wasn’t ready to die
But he did anyway.
I wasn’t ready
And I bawled in a stranger’s room
Case 2
Came in unconscious,
An exercise in the ABC’s of trauma, good practice in stopping the bleed!
It poured out of his brain from the bullet holes
Stained his dark curly eyelashes.
He might have been bullied by his classmates for those beautiful, girly eyelashes.
14-year-olds can be mean like that.
He was dead before the trauma bay filled with the wails of his sisters,
His mother,
His father.
His heart kept beating meaninglessly.
I wonder if it echoed louder in his chest
Trying to fill a space left behind.
My sister is 16
Case 3
PEA, treated with a machine furiously pumping blood through his unwilling vessels.
A little voice on the phone tells us he is DNR.
We stopped and so did his heart.
His wife said goodbye on speakerphone.
At the sound of her voice, his heart started beating
And stayed strong until she was done.
One final act of love,
Before he died.
Case 4
M3
Wellness slapped on my head like a shower cap,
Meant to keep me from getting wet as I struggle to float in the ocean.
Long hours and no sleep,
Microabrasions in my skin.
Barraged by waves of grief
Filled with salty tears getting into every cut,
Raw, aching pain.
I’m not ready.
Yukino Strong is a third-year medical student at MCW-Milwaukee. She is passionate about suicide prevention and mental health advocacy. Ms. Strong’s record and pervasive interest speaks for itself; she previously worked at a residential treatment center for teenage girls and has been an active leader and participant in the Psychiatry and Mental Health Student Association, here, at MCW.
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For this week's reflection prompt, please answer the following question:
What book is at the top of your "must-read" list right now?
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Register Now
Using Biofeedback to Manage Stress
The Kern Institute is sponsoring four virtual, lunchtime REACH Workshops facilitated by well-being experts from across the country on topics including home organization, physical fitness, minimalism, and biofeedback. These workshops are bonus REACH content meant to extend the conversation around what it means to be well.
Our first REACH workshop was given by Ashley Hines of Thee Tailored Life who spoke with us about her organizing journey, the benefits of living organized, and practical ways to start and stick with it.
The second REACH Workshop will be facilitated by Julie Till, an occupational therapist (OT) at the VA. Julie works in the Biofeedback clinic, as a team member in the Substance Abuse Residential Treatment Program, and she provides virtual groups on a mindful drawing method called Zentangle. One common theme she addresses in each setting is helping veterans learn healthy ways of managing stress, and she will talk with us about using Biofeedback to manage stress.
April 21, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CT
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Register Now
2022 Understanding Medical Professional Identity and Character Development Symposium
Join us for the second annual Understanding Medical Professional Identity and Character Development symposium. This year's half-day event will be held virtually on April 22, 2022. We will welcome keynote speaker Dr. Tasha Wyatt of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and also host workshops and discussion groups on major topics on PIF and character development.
April 22, 2022
9:00 am - 2:00 pm CT
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School of Medicine Curriculum Virtual Open House
The Curriculum Innovation team would like to invite all who are interested in becoming involved with the new School of Medicine curriculum to attend one of the virtual open houses listed below. During each open house, participants will learn more about opportunities for faculty facilitators of our patient-based small group discussions in Phase 1 of the new curriculum.
The agenda for each open house will include a brief discussion about patient-based discussions, the role of facilitators and leave plenty of time for your questions. Please click below to add your preferred open house date to your calendar. Within each calendar invitation, you will find the Zoom link to join the open house.
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KNN Discussion Series
Human Flourishing 2030: Creating Organizational Cultures of Flourishing
Imagine it’s 2030 and we live in a healthier world where healthcare learners, practitioners and patients are flourishing. What does that future look like, and what will it take to get there? We need your voice and participation to chart that future. This series will examine influences, micro to macro, that shape and drive the vitality of healthcare students, professionals and broader society.
During April’s session, leaders will discuss the unique organizational cultures at Mayo Clinic, Ascension Health and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Robert Brown Jr., MD, MPH; Sister Teresa George; Sister Tierney Trueman; and moderator Melinda Buntin, PhD, will explore how establishing clear, relevant values can help align each team member’s personal mission with the organizational mission. In doing so, organizations can foster a stronger culture that “cares for the caregiver,” appreciates diverse perspectives, and contributes to learner, practitioner and patient thriving.
April 26, 2022
Live Virtual Event
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CT
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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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Register Now
2022 Summit on Advancing Equity in the Learning Environment
Please join us to explore, discuss and align our efforts in equity-focused initiatives in the learning environment! The summit will highlight how MCW incorporates equity into the learning environment while examining four areas: (1) Curriculum (2) Equitable Assessment and Mitigating Bias (3) Learning Environment Culture and (4) Equity in Research Education.
April 28, 2022
Virtual via Zoom
9:00 am - 1:00 pm CT
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Register Now
Curriculum Planning Virtual Retreat
The Curriculum Innovation team invites you to register for a virtual half-day retreat on Monday, May 2, from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm. We invite all faculty, staff and students to attend and share feedback on some of the curricular models. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. We hope you'll join us!
May 2, 2022
Virtual via Zoom
8:00 am - 12:00 pm CT
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Register Now for the 8th Annual Carrie Falk Memorial Lecture
All That Glitters
by Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH
Associate Clinical Professor, School of Medicine,
University of CA – San Francisco
Education Outreach Director, Division of Palliative Care, Highland Hospital
Author of Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life
Featured in the Netflix documentary, Extremis
Dr. Zitter challenges and invites us, as physicians and healthcare professionals, to take a step back, take a deep breath, and enquire: what do we really want for ourselves, our loved ones, and those entrusted in our care when death comes?
May 5, 2022
Presented in the Kerrigan Auditorium and via Zoom
10:30 am - 12:00 pm CT
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Register Now
Faculty Development Day: Thriving at All Stages of Your Career
The Office of Faculty Affairs is thrilled to host an all virtual Faculty Development Day: Thriving At All Stages of Your Career. This annual one-day event provides resources to enhance overall faculty professional development in a variety of areas, with a special keynote address at noon.
Many Kern Institute faculty are contributing to sessions at this event, with Dr. Adina Kalet facilitating a Mentoring Intensive Workshop. Registration for this Workshop is limited and only open through the end of March.
May 12, 2022
Virtual via Zoom
8:00 am - 5:00 pm CT
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Wisconsin Medical Journal Seeks Applicants for Editor-in-Chief
The Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ) is seeking candidates to serve as its next Editor-in-Chief. The WMJ is an indexed, peer-reviewed journal published through a collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
The EIC will serve a three-year term, with the potential for renewal. Previous experience as an editor or deputy/associate editor is preferred, as is prior editorial board experience. This is a volunteer position that averages 4 to 6 hours per week and will commence in June 2022.
The deadline for applications is May 13, 2022.
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Register Now
The Doctor as a Humanist DASH 6th Symposium: Humanism in Surgery
Fabrice Jotterand, PhD and Clara Bosco will be leading a plenary session entitled The Wise Surgeon in the Age of Artificial Intelligence at The Doctor as a Humanist DASH 6th Symposium: Humanism in Surgery, a hybrid event.
May 20, 2022
Hybrid Event
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Academic Medicine Call For Papers
Academic Medicine is seeking original submissions for their Letters to the Editor feature from medical students, residents, fellows, and trainees in other health professions on the topic of a transformative moment in your professional journey.
The editors will be looking for letters that go beyond describing an event to reflect meaningfully on how the experience affected your professional identity formation. In other words, a successful letter will not simply tell us what happened, but will also illuminate the role of that experience in shaping your identity as a health care professional. We expect you to use your personal experience to illustrate the point, but the purpose of the letter should be to communicate a broader issue or idea that has relevance for others throughout academic medicine. Submissions that are strictly narrative will not be considered for publication. Authors wishing to submit a strictly narrative piece should explore the journal’s Teaching and Learning Moments feature as an option.
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The Transformational Times publishes weekly, delivering stories of hope, character and resilience to our virtual community. |
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Editorial Board: Kathlyn Fletcher, MD, Adina Kalet, MD, Wendy Peltier, MD, Erin Weileder, Nabil Attlassy, Julia Bosco, Ana Istrate, Scott Lamm, Sophia Neman, Wolf Pulsiano, Eileen Peterson, Neehal Shukla, Sarah Torres, Anna Visser, James Wu, Serena Zacharias & Emelyn Zaworski
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