UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - November 23, 2021/RESEARCH
Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to FMCHtuesdaytalk@umassmed.edu.
Table of Contents
Upcoming Events
Focus of the Week - Research
Announcements
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Clinical Services Spotlight
Upcoming Events


FMCH Grand Rounds
Tuesday, November 23rd, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Thomas Scornavacca, Jr., Do, Presents: The Landscape of Value Based Care.
Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09

TendHealth Faculty COVID Recovery Series Cohort 1
Monday, November 29th, 8:00 - 9:15 am
RSVP as soon as possible to Jennifer Masoud to reserve your spot in your chosen cohort, Jennifer.masoud@umassmemorial.org.

Faculty Development Workshop
Thursday, December 2nd, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, Smartphrases - Epic Workshop.
Please RSVP to Jennifer.Masoud@umassmemorial.org.

TendHealth Faculty COVID Recovery Series Cohort 2
Friday, December 3rd, 4:00 - 5:15 pm
RSVP as soon as possible to Jennifer Masoud to reserve your spot in your chosen cohort, Jennifer.masoud@umassmemorial.org.

FMCH Grand Rounds
Tuesday, December 7th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Patrick Smallwood, MD, Presents: 'Section 12/35 and Capacity Evaluation' for Family Medicine Patients.
Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09

Strategic Planning Listening Sessions for Community Health
Thursday, December 9th, 12:00-1:00 PM
If you are interested in participating, here is the Zoom Link. 
Focus of the Week - Research

HELP THE UMASS FMCH RECRUIT CANDIDATE FOR THE CLUSTER HIRE PILOT
Increasing diversity and equity among UMass Medical School faculty and researchers is a top priority. One effective and evidence-based approach to enhancing diversity in the hiring process is known as a cluster hire process. A cluster hire process involves recruiting and hiring a cohort of URiM candidates who will be supported with mentorship and resources to ensure each candidate's successful transition and professional development at UMass Medical School. The UMass FMCH is participating in the UMass Medical School cluster hire process and we need your help! Specifically, if you know of anyone who might be a qualified candidate conducting research in a field related to health equity, please let us know or please ask the person to reach out to us directly for an informational interview. This is an exceptional opportunity for the right candidate. Currently we are recruiting for a midcareer, PhD trained Community Health researcher. We hope our new community health research candidate can benefit from being part of this cluster hire cohort.  Below is more information that you can share with folks in your professional network. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Questions can be directed to Dr. Suzanne Mitchell at suzanne.mitchell2@umassmed.edu.

Become a Delivery System Science Fellow - Now Accepting Applications
AcademyHealth’s Delivery System Science Fellowship (DSSF) offers a paid, year-long, learning opportunity for post-doctoral researchers to gain more practical experience in a delivery system setting. As part of this fellowship experience, individuals are placed within a unique delivery system to work with mentors who will take a personal interest in their success. Through this program, fellows can engage with AcademyHealth’s widespread network to impact health care in a meaningful way.

Why become a DSSF Fellow?
1. Train with unique delivery systems across the nation using evidence to improve the performance of the health system.
2. Collaborate with talented researchers on multiple complex projects.
3. Apply analytic skills to relevant and timely topics in delivery systems.
Application Deadline: Monday, January 3, 2022
Note: Once applicants submit a brief Intent to Apply form, they will receive a link to the full application.

Trying to Keep Up with the Literature?
The department pulls together the tables of contents (TOCs) for about 15 medical journals and distributes this bundle monthly to a select listserve that people can easily sign up for. The TOCs include 4-5 FM journals, JAMA, NEJM, AJPH, Health Affairs, Medical Care, JGIM, Am J Prev Med; etc. – lots of great articles that can easily be accessed through links within the bundle. We are also open to adding more journals if there’s an interest expressed! Take a look at what's been posted in the past several months by going to the department's web pages under the section on Research. You will see a tab in the left-hand margin for these TOC bundles that we post monthly (www.umassmed.edu/fmch/research)
If you’d like to be on the distribution list, please send an email to Judy Savageau (judith.savageau@umassmed.edu). 

Research Forums
In September, we started the first of this academic year’s research forums and invite all of you to attend (held through zoom). These run from September through June on the 3rd Friday of each month from noon-1pm. We would be happy to add you to our list of upcoming presentations (it’s very informal) if you’re working on a new project idea or an on-going project and would love some feedback from attendees. Please contact Judy Savageau (judith.savageau@umassmed.edu) if you would like to be on our schedule of an upcoming presentation.
                                                                                                                                       
Research Web Pages
Our department’s web pages have a specific section for ‘research’ (www.umassmed.edu/fmch/research) where we list publications, presentations, student/resident projects, information on getting support from the department for your particular project, etc. Please be sure to let us know (or make sure you send a notice to the Tuesday Talk about, for example, a new publication) so that we can highlight your great work!

Need Help? eIRB OFFICE HOURS are here!
The IRB staff is offering Office Hours at various time throughout the coming weeks! This time is used to answer specific questions regarding the eIRB and/or overall RMS that might come up while you are completing various tasks in the system.
Announcements

Today is the final day to donate to the annual employee giving campaign – UMass Chan Cares. Visit UMassChanCares.org by November 23rd to donate by payroll deduction, check, or credit card. Your donation may be directed to a variety of organizations and causes, including:
  • UMass Chan’s North Quadrant Support Services initiative, which is our partnership with the Worcester Public Schools.
  • Several funds administered by the Medical School’s foundation: Research Fund, Student financial aid, Diversity and Inclusion Fund and Veterans Fund for Health Research.
  • More than 1,000 nonprofit organizations through our partnership with the United Way of Central Massachusetts.

TendHealth Faculty COVID Recovery Series
You matter! The Department wants to support you through your COVID recovery efforts. We have hired TendHealth to provide recovery courses for our faculty.  A series of four sessions over two months will guide you through recovery and build resilience. 
Objectives:
Learn new concepts, build resiliency, and find community through live courses.
The team of expert and diverse instructors bring together a community of like-minded health professionals to learn new skills and expand our insights.
Faculty will need to choose one cohort and stick with it for all the sessions. 
TEND is able to move the start date of the faculty cohorts back to hopefully avoid cancelling patient sessions. Here are the new dates:
Cohort 1: Mondays 8-9:15am, 11/29, 12/13
Cohort 2: Fridays 4-5:15pm, 12/3, 12/17
RSVP as soon as possible to Jennifer Masoud to reserve your spot in your chosen cohort, Jennifer.masoud@umassmemorial.org.

The Worcester Family Medicine Residency SOAR (Structural Oppression & Anti-Racism) Committee founded the POC Affinity Group to create a safe space where those who have experienced structural oppression, marginalization and/or other micro-aggressions can share their experiences with others who have a shared sense of identity. This group is intended for medical residents, fellows, and faculty of UMass Chan residency programs, as well as UMass Chan students (SOM, GSBS and GSN) and faculty. The group will engage in conversations, workshops, social networking events, celebratory events, community involvement, and much more. The Worcester Family Medicine SOAR committee has joined with the Diversity and Inclusion office and will be holding our first meeting and social gathering, which will be held on Friday, December 3rd at 6:00 pm at the home of Dr. Mattie Castiel. Please register here to attend and to receive address and directions.

FMCH Vision 2030 Strategic Planning Fall Listening Sessions 
With 2021 drawing to a close, the department would like to continue work on a strategic planning process.  Vision 2030 is a project to look at the department’s long-term goals. What do you want our department to achieve by 2030? What will we be known for? We want your voice to be heard, please consider attending one (or more) listening sessions which will occur over the next two months. Site specific sessions will occur during standard meeting times to allow for easy access and minimize scheduling issues.
Upcoming:
  • Community Health: Thursday, December 9th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm.
  • Undergraduate Medical Education - TBD.
Please RSVP to jennifer.masoud@umassmemorial.org for any of the theme based sessions and specifically to be included in the scheduling of the community health session.

Please consider for in-person learning Pri-Med East 
Thursday−Saturday, December 9−11, 2021 at the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center. Many of our colleagues will be presenting for 19 AAFP CME hours. This year’s keynote speaker is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD on: “Themes From the Future of Medicine”. I hope to see you there.

The MassAHEC Urban Health Scholars are collecting socks for a student run foot clinic at AIDS Project Worcester in December. New socks can be left in the box in the Mail Room on the 3rd floor of Benedict or email Linda.Cragin@umassmed.edu and she will pick them up. Thank you in advance.

UMass Chan Medical School is implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to information systems. MFA is a digital authentication method that requires two or more forms of verification factors before access is granted. Prior to MFA, only a valid username and password have been required. Adding a second form of authentication is a best practice. MFA registration is required for all who use UMass Chan information systems, including email. Students, faculty, and staff must register by Friday, December 17th. You will need to choose at least one secondary authentication method: a text to a mobile device; a phone call to a mobile device or landline; or an alert on the Microsoft Authenticator mobile app. Similar to our current use of the Duo app to access HR Direct, Microsoft Authenticator provides a secure method for multi-factor authentication. To learn more about multi-factor authentication and how to register, visit the MFA information page. The Help Desk will also host training sessions on Thursdays from noon to 12:30 to assist users in learning how to register. Register here for a session. By December 31st, all users will need to use MFA. If you have any questions, please contact the IT Help Desk via chat, email or phone (508-856-8653).

White Belt Training Opportunity - Upcoming LEAN Training
UMassMemorial Health is committed to disseminate LEAN management tools to all physicians and clinicians and offer leadership development to our providers. Practicing LEAN principles enables team building and promotes respect to our fellow caregivers. It’s a platform that fosters innovation and improves the care we provide to our patients — as well as to advance our own work environment. LEAN is practiced by many caregivers in our health care system. Physicians and clinicians should be educated and have the tools needed to implement successful huddles, idea board systems and process improvement efforts. Our department will offer LEAN white belt training through two upcoming grand rounds. The first session will be a great refresher for those trained many years ago and the second session will include important updates including how to use Innovation Station. For individuals who have not done LEAN training in the past, this is an opportunity to meet the institution's requirement for white belt certification.  
  • January 25th, 12-1pm: LEAN White Belt: Part 2 - Innovation Station
If you are unable to make these trainings and are in need of certification, additional Lean White Belt training registration is available through E-learning 4U.  

UMass Chan Medical School is leading a statewide collaborative to improve training for all medical students in serious illness communication, which was featured at the annual summit of the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care (http://maseriouscare.org/news/summit-2021). The summit focused on an equity-first approach to improve communication and care of people and families facing serious illness. Jennifer Reidy, MD, chief, Division of Palliative Care, is chair of the collaborative which includes faculty, administrators and students from Boston University, Harvard and Tufts Medical Schools. The group has created shared competencies, mapped current curricula and conducted student focus groups at each school. This data is timely with UMass Chan's curriculum revolution. For more information, check out the collaborative's website here: http://maseriouscare.org/medical-schools-collaborative

Teaching of Tomorrow (TOT)
January 7-8 and March 25-26, 2022
Registration is Open! 
For over 25 years, UMass faculty from the departments of Family Medicine and Community Health, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics have trained over 1,500 clinical faculty and preceptors from across the Northeast and beyond. TOT focuses on building and refining foundational skills for effective clinical teaching in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings. Preceptors from any specialty and discipline will enhance their clinical teaching skills through discourse and practice. TOT also provides valuable opportunities to network with other clinician educators. Our award-winning faculty utilize the principles of adult learning, drawing on participants’ experience and building knowledge through dialogue. The conference provides frequent opportunities to practice and assess new skills in a safe and fun environment.
Audience:
  • Clinical educators – MDs, DOs, NPs, PAs, RNs, Behavioral Health, Pharmacists
  • Primary Care and Specialty providers
  • Teachers of students, residents, and advanced learners
  • Teachers in both In-patient and Ambulatory settings
Frankly Speaking Podcast

A weekly Podcast series covering newsworthy topics in primary care medicine.

Please join us to review the recent changes to cervical cancer screening guidelines as recommended by the American Cancer Society. Overview: Primary care providers should be up to date on the changes to the guidelines for cervical cancer screening to be able to guide patients in shared decision-making about health maintenance. Guest: Jillian Joseph, MPAS, PA-C, presents: "Primary HPV Testing Alone for Cervical Cancer Screening: a Review of Recent Guideline Updates". - Frankly Speaking Ep 251.
Clinical Services Spotlight:
COVID-19 UPDATES

US
  • COVID cases in the US are up 16% in one week. COVID deaths for 2021 have surpassed 2020. This weekend, the total exceeded 770,800. According to Johns Hopkins, it is twice the cases of 2020.
  • The 7-day average cases is 93,196, and the 7-day hospitalizations increased 5.4%.
  • The current 7-day average of deaths for the US is 1,032. (Nov 10-Nov16). 

COVID MA Updates
  • As of 11/19/21, there were a total of 829,577 confirmed COVID cases in MA, and 18,856 confirmed deaths.
  • The 7-day average of percent positivity is 3.09%.
  • There were 663 hospitalized patients with 129 in the ICU and 68 intubated.
  • Total breakthrough cases in MA as of 11/16/21 was 64,120. (1.3% of fully vaccinated people).
  • Of the breakthrough cases, there are 509 confirmed deaths.

COVID and UMMMC
  • Total cases of COVID as of 11/21/21 in UMMMC is 39.
  • The 7-day average positivity is 9.8% for symptomatic patients.
  • Of the 25 patients in acute care, 14 (56%) are fully vaccinated; 7 patients with COVID in the ICU are unvaccinated.

COVID and MA Booster
  • As of November 17, 2021, all MA individuals older than 18 are eligible for the COVID booster. The CDC recommends that patients be allowed to self-determine their risk of exposure.
  • The recommendation is to proactively reach the following:
  • People who are age 65 and older.
  • People who are age 18 years or older who have completed the first two doses of Pfizer or Moderna at least 6 months ago.
  • People with underlying medical conditions or who have received one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Flu
Although it is flu season, the rate of flu diagnosis in the US remains low. In week 45, only 2.1% of visits are due to influenza-like illnesses.
 
At UMMHC, the Flu vaccine is mandatory.
  • The deadline to receive the Flu vaccination is December 15, 2021.
  • The deadline to submit medical and religious exemption documentation is December 1, 2021.
  • Additional information and forms can be found on the Hub. https://www.umassmemorialhub.org/node/29771
Wellness Resources

The Caring for the Caregiver Program provides resources such as the Caregiver Support Line (508-334-HELP) and The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which offers a variety of services and supports (including virtual peer support and wellness tips. EAP can be accessed at 866-263-3525, or www.LiveandWorkWell.com, [company code UmassMemorial]. More information is available on the Caring for the Caregiver page.
Working on Wellness
Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban
Please join department members for early morning gentle yoga, Wednesday mornings 6:30am via Zoom.

Much appreciation to Dr. Erban for hosting these outstanding classes. Join Zoom Meeting
Zumba with Dr. Anna Zheng

Zumba Monday 6am is on hold.
On hold until the new year in 2022. 

Thursdays 6:15pm: Live/in-person or ZOOM
Please join department members Thursday evenings at 6:15pm**(30 Anna Street: tall ceilings, spacious indoor location) and get moving with Zumba. Please note details and any changes via webpage: http://annazheng.zumba.com/. ZOOM still possible for all classes.
 
Much appreciation to Dr. Anna Zheng for hosting these outstanding classes. New to the class? If it's your first class or you are interested in joining, please email Dr. Zheng at ZumbawithAnnaZheng@gmail.com to register, complete brief health screen and receive the ZOOM link.