Building Community enters implementation phase

The past few months have been highly productive for the Building Community initiative. Building Community is a school-wide commitment to improving our working and learning environment by creating a community where all learners, staff and faculty feel valued, included, and empowered.

Since 2018, more than 100 committee and work team members have dedicated over 1,209 person-hours to this effort during the strategic planning phase. Distillation and organization of the final recommendations presented by the Professionalism and Accountability and the Equity, Inclusion and Engagement work teams has resulted in the initiation of four new work teams with the following distinct charges:

• The Wellbeing Strategy Team will identify strategies to encourage personal and professional fulfillment while fostering a working and learning environment that inspires healthy lifestyle choices and supports the wellbeing of the whole person.
• The Shared Understanding Team will align cross-organizational definitions, set expectations of professional behavior, and define actionable plans for living our values.
• The Policy Assessment Team will perform a cross-organizational assessment of current policies that have an impact on the SMPH community, analyzing them through the lens of equity, inclusion and engagement to identify policy and adherence gaps.
• The Promoting Integrity Team will develop a structure and process for addressing accountability and rewarding professionalism.

The Wellbeing Strategy Team launched on Wednesday, Nov. 20. A winter launch is planned for the Shared Understanding Team, followed by a Q1 2020 launch for the Policy Assessment and Promoting Integrity teams. A recent call for volunteers to these newly forming teams yielded a robust reply, with more than 50 respondents.

Lynn Schnapp named chair of Department of Medicine

Pulmonologist Lynn M. Schnapp, MD, will lead the Department of Medicine beginning March 1, 2020. Schnapp is a leading researcher on lung injury and repair. She is currently a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she has led the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine since 2013.

Her research investigates how scar tissue forms during lung injury and diseases that damage lung function, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. “As a physician-scientist, the prospect of further expanding the department’s exceptionally strong research program is exciting,” she said.

Jay Botsford honored by UW System for outstanding achievement on behalf of LGBTQ+ people

On Nov. 7, the 2019 Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People was presented to 13 honorees including Jay C. Botsford (pictured above in front row, second from left), program coordinator for Transgender Youth Resource Network and Wisconsin Transgender Health Coalition in SMPH.

Botsford (pronouns: ze/zir/zirs/zirself) has been advocating with LGBTQ+ communities in Wisconsin since 2002, providing equity and justice-focused training and consulting to service providers and institutions, supporting the leadership of students and youth to make change in their communities, and organizing for racial, gender, health, and disability justice.

In 2018, ze co-authored with Department of Pediatrics faculty members Brittany Allen, MD and Jennifer Rehm, MD a first-of-its-kind statewide survey of transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive/nonconforming (TNG) youth. The study showed a lack of access to TNG-centered health care and insurance in Wisconsin and made recommendations for improvements.

Nearly $15 million awarded for tobacco cessation studies

On Nov. 21, the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention announced two major grants to support tobacco cessation efforts. The Breaking Addiction to Tobacco for Health 2 (BREATHE 2) study will be led by Tim Baker, PhD (pictured at right), UW-CTRI director of research and emeritus professor, and Michael Fiore, MD, UW-CTRI director and professor of medicine. This NIH P01 renewal provides $13.8 million over 5 years to compare the most effective treatments to help people quit smoking in real-world clinics, with a goal of tailoring and optimizing these treatments to individual smokers. The center will partner with UW Health and Aurora Health Care to treat more than 4,000 clinic patients. BREATHE 2 will reach out to patients listed as smokers in electronic health records at participating clinics to help those who are ready to quit and motivate those who aren’t.

A second grant, entitled Identifying Effective Treatment for Veterans Unwilling to Quit Smoking, is a VA Merit Award for $1 million to principal investigator Jessica Cook, PhD, associate professor of medicine and UW-CTRI researcher. The study will evaluate a chronic care system designed to help veterans who are both ready and not ready to quit smoking.

Funding awarded to Native American Center for Health Professions

The Native American Center for Health Professions (NACHP) will once again be the recipient of a competitive national grant to recruit American Indian and Alaska Native students into the field of medicine. NACHP was recently awarded a nearly $1 million, five-year grant from the Indian Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Indians into Medicine (INMED) grant provides support to help bring American Indian and Alaska Native students into health professions.

“Although we have made strides in recruiting and supporting students into the health professions, there is still much work to do. Having the INMED program at UW will allow us to continue on this mission to improve the health and well-being of our people and communities,” said Danielle Yancey, NACHP director.

Video: Participating in the All of Us Research Program

In a recently released video testimonial, siblings Annie and Robert discuss why they chose to participate in the historic All of Us Research Program.

Family health issues through several generations, a desire to know “why?”, and the potential for a better, healthier future for their children and grandchildren led them to All of Us.

Report led by Angela Byars-Winston indicates that mentoring could improve diversity and inclusion in STEMM

U.S. colleges and universities should take a more intentional, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to mentoring students in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) – a shift that could engage and help retain a broader group of students in these fields, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

“There is a gap between what we know about effective mentoring and how it is practiced in our nation’s colleges and universities,” said Angela Byars-Winston, PhD (pictured above), professor of medicine and chair of the committee that wrote the report. “A growing body of evidence exists about how to create and sustain successful, inclusive mentoring relationships. We hope that our report can catalyze institutions’ use of that evidence to create affirming environments and more effectively foster the talents of all of their students.”

The report was released along with an online interactive guide to support institutions, departments, and faculty members in implementing the report’s recommendations. The writing committee also included Christine Pfund, PhD, director of mentorship initiatives at the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and researcher with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.

Photos: Fall faculty/staff town hall

The annual town hall event took place Oct. 28 at the Health Sciences Learning Center.

Shining a light on SMPH staff members

More than 2,700 staff members in the School of Medicine and Public Health play key roles in carrying out our academic, research, patient care, outreach, and service activities. To raise awareness of these contributions, the SMPH Committee on Academic Staff Issues (CASI) has launched a Staff Spotlight series that highlights both academic staff and university staff.

In this issue, read about Jake Rome, JD, staff reviewer for the Health Sciences Institutional Review Board.

To nominate someone to be profiled for this series, contact Spotlight series editor Laurie Silverberg-Elwert.

Sheri Johnson named to governor’s task force

Sheri Johnson, PhD, of population health sciences and director of the Population Health Institute, has been named to the newly-created Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change. The advisory group includes community and business stakeholders from around the state, as well as experts and lawmakers.The task force will report policy recommendations to Gov. Tony Evers by August 2020.

Johnson was invited to provide perspective on equity and environmental justice. The appointment was announced by the governor’s office at an Oct. 17 press conference.

Textbook on LGBTQ health co-edited by Elizabeth Petty and James Lehman

A collaboration between a faculty member and learner has yielded a first-of-its-kind textbook on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) health education, serving as a foundational text across multiple disciplines. The book was co-edited by Elizabeth Petty, MD, senior associate dean for academic affairs and professor of pediatrics, and James Lehman, MD, psychiatry resident. The duo began working on "The Equal Curriculum: The Student and Educator Guide to LGBTQ Health" when Lehman was a medical student at SMPH.

Sprint to the finish: Partners in Giving

The annual Partners in Giving campaign is nearing final days, and SMPH 2019 participation stands at 10 percent – well short of our 17 percent goal.

This important effort encourages university, UW Health, and state of Wisconsin employees to join forces for good by donating to their choice of more than 500 charities. Take action now by making a donation online through payroll deduction or credit card at the Partners in Giving website using your NetID login.

Alternatively, a paper pledge form can be returned to your unit coordinator. Additionally, all are welcome to attend and bid on items at the SMPH Partners in Giving silent auction on Wednesday, Dec. 11 in the HSLC atrium from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mark your calendar for these faculty development events and opportunities

SMPH events:

• Career Conversation series, Dec. 10, Feb. 26 and April 22
• Pathways to Promotion – Tenure, Biological Sciences, Feb. 11
• Pathways to Promotion 101, March 12

Learn more about these events at the Office for Faculty Affairs and Development event website

Ying Ge named to list of top 100 analytical scientists in the world

The Analytical Scientist magazine has included Ying Ge, PhD, professor of cell and regenerative biology, among this year's Top 100 Analytical Scientists. The list is intended to showcase the talent, ingenuity and leadership present across all corners of analytical science on a global scale. Ge's research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular diseases via systems biology approaches featuring high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS)-based comparative proteomics and metabolomics in conjunction with biochemical, biological, and physiological functional studies.

Global Health Institute grants

The Global Health Institute (GHI) announces the opening of the application period for its 2020 grants and awards. This competitive grant program is designed to support global health efforts of faculty, staff and graduate students across campus. Grant applications are due January 27. Seed Grant applications must submit a letter of intent by December 20.

HR highlights

Title and Total Compensation (TTC) Project updates: the campus-wide TTC Project is being implemented in SMPH. This project will shift all UW–Madison staff members to a new, modernized job title framework in spring 2020. All staff should review information and resources available on the TTC website, and send any questions to the SMPH HR TTC e-mail account, smph.ttc@med.wisc.edu. Managers and supervisors should anticipate working with SMPH HR in December or January to discuss job title mapping of their reports, and participate in the online manager training. For managers unable to complete the training online, an in-person training will be offered on Jan. 9 from 8:00-9:30 am in HSLC room 1325. 

New website launched for international students, faculty, staff, and visitors: to support the international community at UW–Madison, the university has developed a website that serves as a central access point to the many resources available on campus. 

Annual reminder: Familiarize yourself with SMPH bylaws

The School of Medicine and Public Health Bylaws provide information about the school’s governing structure, as well as general information including the school’s mission, vision, values and diversity commitment. The bylaws were last updated in December 2017, and can be found on the SMPH Intranet in the upper right-hand menu. To satisfy Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation standards, we will soon be sending an annual email to faculty and staff with a refresher on the content of the bylaws, where to find them, and any significant changes.   

Headlines and announcements

School news:

• Cynthia Carlsson, MD, professor of medicine, selected for US Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research Care and Services
• Stephen Y. Nakada, MD, professor and chair of urology, receives Ralph Clayman Mentor Award from the Endourological Society
• Narrative medicine writing classes enhance Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program
• Injectable, flexible electrode could replace nerve-stimulating implants
• Can "smart toilets" become the next data wellspring?
• Adult binge drinking costs Wisconsin $4 billion annually

School and Continuing Medical Education events:

• Feb. 26 — Immunization Summit: Supporting Access Expansion and Vaccination Efficiency in Clinics and Communities (Wisconsin Dells)
• Feb. 29-March 1 — Randomized Trials and their Independent Data Monitoring Committees: Impacts on Clinical Practice (Boca Raton, Florida)
• April 17-18 — Navigating the Transition Zone: Adolescence through Young Adulthood (Madison)
• See additional upcoming events