No Images? Click here Family MattersYour updates from the Department of Family Medicine, University of AlbertaSeptember 2019 Message From the ChairGrand Rounds was one of our events this month. I learned a lot, as I always do, and it occurred to me that I should comment on what Grand Rounds are and mean to a department. We have only been doing them for a few years, and only quarterly so far; I hope that will ramp up in the future. Grand Rounds is a particular kind of session. It’s meant to convey important learning, but the crucial point is that it’s case-based. It is perhaps the oldest tradition of quality improvement in medicine: learning from our experience with a patient, and formally sharing that learning with colleagues. Every other Grand Rounds we do is specifically a Quality & Safety session, where we have two to four significant events we share and discuss. Significant events can be near-misses, system problems, unexpected bad outcomes, or anything of that nature from which we can learn. It’s very much the opposite of the “blame and shame” approach; it’s intentionally supportive and non-judgmental, and all about looking forward. The Grand Rounds that aren’t Q&S are topic-focused, and often involve either an outside speaker or one of our own faculty with a specific expertise. The topics are chosen for current importance, so for example we had Dr. Trevor Theman speak on medical assistance in dying when Alberta was implementing that process. The topic-focused discussions too are case-based, grounded in our clinical experience, not merely a traditional lecture on a topic. Grand Rounds serve two other important purposes. One is closely related to their main purpose: reflecting on practice. Holding regular Grand Rounds is part of making a department a viable academic and scientific entity, more than just a collection of people practicing a profession. That's also why, by tradition, open to all. (We have to modify that for our Quality & Safety sessions, as those are pretty sensitive.) We do encourage those from other departments to join for important current topics. The other reason is community. Particularly in a distributed department like ours, it’s important to come together (at least virtually) to share learning and hear one another’s perspective on what we’re learning. We have some exciting Grand Rounds topics coming up over the next year, and of course we have two sessions of Quality & Safety. Think about what you might want to share from your own practice for a Q&S sometime, and join us for the topical talks. - Dr. Lee Green, Chair, Department of Family Medicine Congratulations 2018-2019 Teaching Excellence Awards Announced The recipients of the 2018-2019 Teaching Excellence Awards were announced at the September 19, 2019 Grand Rounds. Congratulations to: Dr. Doug Klein (MacEwan University Health Centre) Lee Green and Doug Klein Lee Green and Kimberly Anderson-Hill Lee Green and Matt Unger Faculty Featured in Momentum Magazine Members of the Department of Family Medicine have received well-earned recognition, being one of the teams featured in the Fall 2019 issue of Momentum, the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry’s semi-annual showcase publication. Team Approach to Healthy Aging puts a spotlight on the good work being done by Jean Triscott, Bonnie Dobbs, Jasneet Parmar, Lesley Charles, Marjan Abbasi, Sheny Khera and Adrian Wagg, who is a member of the Division of Care of the Elderly and a geriatric physician in the Department of Medicine. (L to R): Team members Sambhu Nath, Marjan Abbasi, Wendy Jerome, Cheryl Pengelly, Bonnie Dobbs, Sheny Khera, Jean Triscott, Brian Dompe, Jasneet Parmar Kristen Timm Receives PBSG Award Congratulations to recent family medicine graduate Kristen Timm, the recipient of the inaugural Residency Practice Based Small Group Learning Program (PBSG) Family Medicine Residents Scholarship Award. This award is presented by The Foundation for Medical Practice Education, and is provided to residents who have completed a project that aligns with the PBSG goals. You can find out more about the award at this link. Staff Welcomes Jessica Horvath and Bane Welcome Jessica Horvath Welcome to Jessica Horvath, who has joined the department as Site Administrator in Red Deer. Jessica was born and raised in Georgina, Ontario. She attended Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, obtaining a degree in English Studies. She also studied in Queretaro, Mexico. She moved to Alberta in 2007, and since 2016 worked with Alberta Health Services in a number of capacities before joining the family medicine team in Red Deer. Jessica loves volunteering with her dog Bane, a certified therapy dog. Together they visit the hospital at least every other week and also do other events in the community where people can benefit from some animal love. To unwind and relax Jessica goes for a ride on her horse Autumn at a friend’s acreage or in the mountains. Notable News Urgently seeking patient mentors who can help shape the Have you ever been touched by the resilience of your patients in the face of insurmountable odds? Ever have a patient you met that inspired you in some way? I’m willing to bet we all have stories we could share of how these patients shaped our physician identity. Do you have 1 - 2 patients in your practice with a chronic illness who could share their experience of life with a chronic illness? At the University of Alberta MD Program, the Patient Immersion Program (PIE) pairs 2 medical students with a patient so that medical students can learn first hand about the impacts of a chronic illness as well as the importance of the doctor-patient relationship. Please contact Melissa Coumont at patient.immersion.experience@ualberta.ca if you are interested. Thank you very kindly for your support of this extremely important program. CaRMS CaRMS dates have been announced! November 15, 2019: Faculty/resident emails can be entered in system Faculty & Staff Development Faculty Development Resources Thank you to all of our valued Family Medicine teachers! Your teaching efforts are always greatly appreciated. To support your teaching, the CFPC has a faculty development resource repository: This is always under construction as new resources are being added regularly. Please explore this repository and if you know of any teaching resources that are not included thus far, please point them in our direction: email Dr. Sudha Koppula. Family Medicine in the News The Decision-making Capacity Toolkit was featured in The Vital Beat, Covenant Health’s national digital news platform. Folio covered the research completed by Mike Kolber and his colleague Paul Fritsch finding risks in taking aspirin to prevent heart attacks Recent Publications Please visit the Recent Research Publications page on the Department of Family Medicine website for a comprehensive list of research publications. Professional Development Opportunities Last Chance to Pipe into PEIP! Registration closes Friday, October 18th Don’t miss your chance to join us at PEIP! There are fantastic sessions on OATs, Depression Management, Urine Drug Testing, Electrolytes, Tips in Radiology and Endocrinology and so much more. Make sure to check out our program guide for a full list of all the sessions. In-person registration may be SOLD-OUT, but there are still spots for individual and clinic webcasting. Click here to register! For the latest information on event details visit our PEIP event page. Save the Date Date: April 25, 2020 Gastroenterology for General Practitioners – offers a robust, impactful single day of learning for Alberta’s family practitioners so they are able to better serve their patient populations and to bridge the relationship between medical specialties. You’ll hear updates on cutting edge developments in Gastroenterology, and receive practical tools and advice on topics relevant to today’s Family Practitioner In the small group workshops on four key topics, you’ll discuss cases with your peers and a Gastroenterologist. New this year, we will be asking our participants to submit cases to be included in the program. For more information and to watch for registration to open, please visit the GI for GPs website. Plus.... The Alberta Society of Gastroenterology invites you to join us once again at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for ADDS 2020, taking place from June 5 - 7, 2020. More information coming soon at https://www.addsummit.ca/ University UpdatesIt's Cybersecurity month! Phishing has evolved… have you? Some phishing emails appear to come from a person you know, and it’s only the smallest details that give it away. Top up your cybersecurity survival kit at Statutory Holidays and Winter Closure Remembrance Day - Monday, November 11, 2019 |