APRIL 2022

Dr. Olivia Park named Medical Director of the Froedtert Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital

As medical director, Dr. Park will oversee all medical practice functions of the Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital. She will collaborate with our executive director, Shelly Sabourin, physician teams, clinical teams, and support staff to help ensure this patient population receives optimal care as they transition from hospital to home.

The Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital is a free-standing 50-bed specialty hospital scheduled to open in July 2022. The current inpatient rehabilitation unit at Froedtert Hospital, and previous beds at Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital, will transition to the Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital upon opening.

Dr. Park joined the MCW PM&R Department in January 2020 as Medical Director of Froedtert Menomonee Falls inpatient rehabilitation unit. She transitioned to FMLH in October 2020. Dr. Park graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin, completed her internal medicine internship at Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, and completed PM&R residency at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now Shirley Ryan Ability Lab). She subsequently completed a spinal cord injury (SCI) fellowship at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) / Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey. She served as SCI medical director and assistant clinical professor at Indiana University prior to joining our department. Dr. Park is board certified in PM&R with additional ABPMR board certification in Spinal Cord Injury medicine.

She will begin her transition to her new role over the upcoming months.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Park on her new role!

Dr. David Del Toro named Froedtert Hospital PM&R Inpatient Consult Medical Director

With the upcoming inpatient rehabilitation practice changes effective July 2022, Dr. David Del Toro will assume the role of PM&R inpatient consult director. Dr. Del Toro is a Professor of PM&R, and currently serves as Medical Director, for Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation. He has held this role since 2001.

He has been invaluable in mentoring Dr. Park in administrative leadership for the Froedtert Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital. He will continue his excellent programmatic leadership to facilitate acute care PM&R consult services, growing a partnership with referral liaisons and work closely with Dr. Park to ensure appropriate transitions of patient care to Froedtert Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital.

Dr. Oksana Sayko to become Associate PM&R Inpatient consult Director

Dr. Sayko will be responsible for overseeing the PM&R resident consult rotation, and furthering existing consultations and collaborations with Cancer, Transplant and other service lines to optimize patient functional outcomes.

We are delighted to witness the expanded roles of our PM&R physician leaders and grateful for their insights to improve operational efficiencies!

Recruitment 2022-2023 was very successful for our department. We are excited to announce the following student will be joining us as PGY2 residents on July 1, 2023. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Welcome the Class of 2026!

Kristen Vaccaro
Midwestern University
Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine

Ryan Shields
University of Toledo College of Medicine

Paras Patel
Chicago Medical School at
Rosalind Franklin University
of Medicine and Science

Andrew Hua
University of IL College of Medicine
Urbana-Champaign

Sarah Meeuwsen
Medical College of Wisconsin

Brian Mikolajczyk
University of Minnesota Medical School

Save the Date! Research Day Wednesday May 4th, 2022

PM&R Research Day 2022 will be held on Wednesday, May 4th, 12:30-3:30pm. Beginning May 1st, MCW will offer full room capacity with required masking for all participants, and continue to offer a virtual meeting option. The event will be held in HUB 1015/1035, and a Zoom link will be provided at a future date. Stay tuned for additional meeting details, including information on the residents/fellows who will be presenting their research projects.

As of this time, PM&R hopes to provide boxed lunches to participants who attend in person. This will depend on institutional COVID guidelines at the time of the event. If you plan to attend in person and would like a box lunch ordered for you, please RSVP to Meghann at mesytsma@mcw.edu.

April 1st to May 1st marks the month-long Islamic observance of Ramadan!

Ramadan is a Holy month of prayer, reflection, and fasting, and is considered one of the five Pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad first received Revelation of the Quran (holy scripture) by the Archangel Gabriel during this month. Ramadan concludes with the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, marked by celebration with family, new clothes and food. In addition to Ramadan, the other Pillars of Islam include the belief in the Oneness of God, five daily prayers, charity to the poor, and pilgrimage to Mecca.

Other important days this month include Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day that takes place April 27-28th, and the Christian celebration of Easter on April 17th.

April Month-long observances:

Arab-American Heritage Month
Autism Awareness Month
Celebrate Diversity Month
Earth Month
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
National Volunteer Month

Invasion of Ukraine – compassionate support and global health

Ukrainian-American Oksana Sayko, MD, MPH, MCW associate professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), is the training leader for a rehabilitation residency training program in Ukraine. Since, 2015, she has provided continuing medical education to Ukrainian physicians in cooperation with the NATO Trust Fund (PDF). Other MCW PM&R trainers involved in this effort include Drs. David Del Toro, Christopher White and Stacy Stibb.

As many of you are aware, MCW has a rich history of global engagement that dates back to 1981, when our institution co-established the Indochinese Refugee Relief Fund. MCW’s Office of Global Health was established in 2010 to promote health equity across neighborhoods and nations, advance MCW’s four missions through multi-institutional collaborations and develop a sustainable framework for multidisciplinary collaboration that integrates and advances the global health sciences. Our global health efforts include about 150 faculty from virtually all departments participating in (or have participated in) global health activities across 80 countries, including Ukraine.

We hope for a just peace and encourage each of us to look out for one another during these troubling times. Our collective hope is for a resolution that mitigates any further loss of life. If you wish to support humanitarian efforts for the people of Ukraine, the Office of Global Health has endorsed an on-the-ground organization, razomforukraine.org. Also, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has published a list of ways to help Ukrainians in need.

Thank you Dr. Christopher White for bringing the department together and creating a photo collage supporting Dr. Sayko

Monthly Wellness Feature: How 16 Fruits Boost Your Health

Eating fruit is a healthier way to satisfy sweet cravings rather than consuming candy, cookies, cakes, or similar items with added sugar, which can contribute to obesity and diabetes. Also, many fruits are high in fiber, which can help you avoid blood sugar spikes that can cause you to eat more.

Check out the different types of 16 fruits that boost your health here.

COVID-19 Update: Face Coverings, Visitors & Contractors

1. Face Coverings
Face covering requirements state that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status or meeting size, are required to wear a mask indoors at all times and in all settings in MCW owned or leased property. The only exceptions are if an individual is socially distanced and eating or drinking, or is alone in their own office with a closed door. Face coverings continue to not be required outdoors on MCW owned or leased property unless people are congregating and unable to maintain a safe distance from each other.

2. Visitors and Contractors
Effective March 1, 2022, group gatherings or meetings guidance allows for a group size of 50 percent maximum room capacity. Face coverings will continue to be required. We currently allow guests who have a business or education purpose and are escorted by an MCW employee or learner. We will welcome all community visitors back to campus, including for events, on July 1.

Additional details and information regarding these items may be included in the InfoScope posting for this communication.

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