Family MattersYour updates from the University of Alberta Department of Family MedicineMay / June 2018
Message From the ChairThere are a number of announcements to celebrate in this edition. The one I’d like to highlight is our graduating residents. They’ve learned an incredible amount in just two years, and more importantly have learned to learn the even greater amount they will over their first five years in practice. They’re graduating into a health care system that is changing more rapidly than health care has changed since the early 20th century. Somewhat frightening as that may be for this group, it’s reassuring for us – these new doctors are the future of the changing system, and it
appears to me to be in good hands. They’re going out not only knowing more medicine than we did, but knowing more about quality improvement and health care systems too. I hope we’ve taught them well, and I expect to be learning a thing or three from them over the next few years. - Dr. Lee Green, Chair, Department of Family Medicine
Congratulations Class of 2018
On June 9, 2018 the Department of Family Medicine residency program graduates and their family, friends and teachers celebrated the completion of their residency program. The graduation event is the culmination of years of learning and hard work made possible by the support of many people. The 2017 – 2018 Resident Co-chiefs Kiran Dhillon and Bryan Frobb eloquently spoke about their journey they have completed with their fellow resident and we’d like to share their words.
Congratulations to all of you! We look forward to seeing you in communities across Alberta, Canada and maybe even the world!
Family physicians Bryan Frobb (l), Chris Koo (centre) and Kiran Dhillon (r)
BETTER Program Receives CPAC Grant
On July 4th, the Canadian Partnership against Cancer (CPAC) announced it will provide $2.98M in funding for the Building on Existing Tools To Improve Chronic Disease Prevention and Screening in Primary Care (BETTER) program. This funding will used to scale up the program, by establishing the Training Institute with branches in Eastern and Western Canada. The Institute will train “Prevention Practitioners”: primary care providers specially trained in cancer and chronic disease prevention. This phase of the Better Program will be led by the University of Alberta, with Dr. Donna Manca, Medical Director, and
Carolina Fernandes, Executive Director. How does BETTER work? Watch the video below to find out more! You can also visit the BETTER program website, Read the news release, or learn more about the BETTER Program in
Folio.
Welcome to New Department Staff
Sara Alvarado MARD welcomes Sara Alvarado who will be working full-time as Research Assistant. Sara completed her BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, and followed that up with a Masters in Public Health at Lakehead University; her interest was sparked after doing some overseas volunteer work. Her interest is health promotion, especially community health and chronic disease prevention. Sara previously did clerical work and was involved in small business ventures; most recently, she was a research assistant with Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) in the Faculty of Nursing. On a personal level, Sara enjoys gardening (fruits and veggies), experimenting in the kitchen and being active outdoors during the warm summer months. Oh, and she’s fluent in Spanish, in case anyone would like to practice.
Family Medicine Welcomes Synergy Medical Clinic
On March 5, 2018 Dr. Lillian Au and Dr. John Chmelicek met by invitation with the team at Synergy Medical Clinic to discuss the potential for the clinic to have increased involvement in teaching. The clinic is located in Sherwood Park within the Synergy Wellness Centre and has two family medicine clinics, a women's wellness centre and many other multidisciplinary clinics. Synergy provides an extremely diverse patient profile for the student and residents, providing learners with exposure to many different aspects of family medicine in a single location. The physicians in the clinic have a number of sub-interests including women's health, diabetes, dermatology, palliative care, mental health, orthopedics among others. Synergy’s practice philosophy is one of a medical home,
which the clinic believes fosters better health outcomes. We look forward to working with Synergy Medical Clinic.
Patient Immersion Experience:
When Patients are the Teachersrs
Patient Immersion Experience: When Patients are the Teachers The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta is offering family physicians a mentoring opportunity to share with their patients. The Patient Immersion Experience is a longitudinal program that pairs first year medical students with individuals in the community who live with chronic illness. Patients have an opportunity to become mentors and help medical students understand what it is like to live with a chronic condition by sharing their experiences and perspectives. The goal of the program is to help medical students appreciate the impact of living with a chronic condition, its potential to impact all aspects of a
person's life and the challenges of navigating the healthcare system. Who is eligible? People living with a chronic medical condition who have regular contact with the healthcare system and live within a 40 km radius of the University of Alberta. Children may participate with their parents or guardians. What do patient mentors do? Patient mentors visit with students five to six times over a two year period. Approximately every two months, patient mentors meet with students at a convenient location. Once per year, students accompany their mentor to a medical appointment. Mentors are welcome to invite friends and family to take part in the visits. What are the benefits? Patients
with a chronic illness have a unique opportunity to participate in and influence medical education. Their contribution will help future physicians improve patient care by having a better understanding of the experience of living with illness. For a more in-depth look at the program, check out these articles: ● Innovative program puts medical students in the patient's shoes
● Patient Immersion Experience: the other side of chronic illness
● Patient Immersion Experience making UAlberta med students better doctors
● Every patient is a person with a story If you have a patient who you would recommend to this program, please have your patient contact: Martin Marshall: patient.immersion.experience@ualberta.ca, 780.492.6234 Help us spread the word. We hope that you will consider sharing this opportunity with members of your community or patients in
your practice.
Family Caregivers of Seniors Cracks the Top Threeat the Great Canadian Healthcare Debate
The National Healthcare Leadership Conference (NHLC) took place on June 4 & 5, 2018 in St. John’s Newfoundland. On the first day of the conference, delegates shortlisted three motions to be debated on the final day of the conference during the Great Canadian Healthcare Debate. One of those three motions was from a team that included Family Medicine’s Jasneet Parmar, whose topic was Family Caregivers of Seniors.
The National Healthcare Leadership Conference (NHLC) took place on June 4 & 5, 2018 in St. John’s Newfoundland. On the first day of the conference, delegates shortlisted three motions to be debated on the final day of the conference during the Great Canadian Healthcare Debate. One of those three motions was from a team that included Family Medicine’s Jasneet Parmar, whose topic was Family Caregivers of Seniors. Here is the resolution put forward: * Family Caregivers of Seniors
Resolved, that Canadian healthcare leaders recognize and embrace family caregivers of seniors as valued members of the healthcare team by committing within the next two years to changing the culture in the healthcare system to actively involve family caregivers in care settings and by educating healthcare providers on the value of respecting and acknowledging the crucial role family caregivers play.
Debater: Dr. Anwar Haq – Covenant Network of Excellence in Seniors’ Health and Wellness *From: https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/06/05/1516700/0/en/Let-the-Debate-Begin-Health-Leaders-to-Debate-Top-3-motions-8-30am-St-John-s-Conference-Centre.html
Dr. Jasneet Parmar Shares Knowledge in
Dementia Connections
Dementia Connections is an online resource with the goal of connecting people with dementia as well as their families, loved ones and caregivers. The Spring 2018 issue features the article 10 things about Capacity and
Consent for which Jasneet Parmar provided information to inform people about what they need to know in regard to capacity and consent issues related to dementia.
Sather Clinic Co-hosts CASEM Exam
On April 29, 2018 the Kaye Edmonton Clinic and the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic co-hosted the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM) national diploma exam. The Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic has been training MDs in sport medicine for almost 30 years, and
was proud to co-host the exam in Edmonton for the first time in nine years. The CASEM exam, which has been administered annually since 1970, is a substantial undertaking. This year, 42 people taking the exam required 18 different scenarios, 44 exam rooms and a host of physicians from a variety of disciplines acting as examiners. This event marked the first time the Kaye Clinic has hosted such an event, and it was an excellent venue to meet the need for numerous exams rooms in one outpatient facility. Congratulations to all who helped to plan and execute a very successful exam day!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIESPediatric Update 2018 Date: September 13 -15, 2018
Location: Lister Centre, U of A Campus This year’s Pediatric Update conference is scheduled for September 13 -15, 2018 and registration is now open. This year’s conference includes a Neonatal Resuscitation Provider (NPR) workshop on September 13 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. This conference is open to community pediatricians, family physicians and
residents. Emergency physicians and residents and nurses and nurse practitioners. Clinical Reasoning Workshop Series Facilitators: Dr. Karen Forbes and members of the Clinical Decision Making Working Group Target audience
1) Faculty who teach undergraduate and/or postgraduate learners in a clinical environment
2) Faculty educators who facilitate Discovery Learning or other small group teaching sessions in the MD program Timing and participation: Series of three 90-minute workshops, · 12:00 to 13:30 and 8:00 to 9:30 Participants may attend any session individually, but attendance of prior workshop(s) is recommended. Those attending all three workshops will receive a FoMD faculty development certificate. Workshop 1: The Fundamentals of Clinical Reasoning Workshop 2: What’s in a Question? Effective Questioning Techniques to Foster Clinical Reasoning Workshop 3:
Expanding your Toolkit for Teaching and Assessing Clinical Reasoning The workshop dates are as follows: Fall 2018
Workshop 1: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 @ 08:00 – 09:30 and 12:00 – 13:30
Workshop 2: Monday, October 1, 2018 @ 08:00 – 09:30 and 12:00 – 13:30
Workshop 3: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 @ 08:00 – 09:30 and 12:00 – 13:30
Spring 2019
Workshop 1: Tuesday, February 5, 2019 @ 08:00 – 09:30 and 12:00 – 13:30
Workshop 2: Tuesday, March 12, 2019 @ 08:00 – 09:30 and 12:00 – 13:30
Workshop 3:Tuesday, April 16, 2019 @ 08:00 – 09:30 and 12:00 – 13:30 For more information or to register, visit this link.
RESEARCH GRANTS AWARDEDPrincipal investigator: Shelley Ross
Co-Investigators: Cheryl Poth, Deena Hamza, Todd Milford.
Collaborators: Shirley Schipper, Theresa van der Goes
Funding amount: $91,000
Title: Examining changes to self-regulated learning during competency-based professional training.
Funder: SSHRC Insight Grant
Aga Khan Garden Opens at The University of Alberta Botanical GardensThe University of Alberta Botanical Garden (formerly the Devonian Botanical Garden) unveiled the new Aga Khan Garden on June 29. The garden continues to offer year-round education for all ages, and is opening the new Aga Khan Garden.
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