The Service Issue

Throughout the year, this newsletter will highlight some of the great work being done in our department. This month's special topic is Service. Special thanks to Emi Grill for writing up all the great work going on in the PA Program.

Emory Farmworker Project

Pictured above and below: scenes from Summer 2022 Emory Farmworker Project

The Emory Farmworker Project began in the PA Program in 1996 as a way to expose students to rural medicine and bring care to an underserved patient population. It has since grown to be not only a service-learning opportunity, but part of the core curriculum of the PA Program.

Students in their clinical year of the PA program work at outdoor clinics on farms around Valdosta and Bainbridge in southern Georgia for 2 weeks in the summer and again for a weekend in the fall. Each year this project provides care to more than 2,000 farmworkers and their families and brings together students, residents, faculty, and volunteers from the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Public Health, Pharmacy Residency Program, partner universities, and the community to provide free healthcare to migrant farmworkers.

We collected feedback from our summer 2022 project and one PA student said: “I feel very lucky to have been a part of that team and to have learned from my fellow students, the pharmacists, the preceptors, the interpreters, and the patients. It was truly one of my highest-yield learning experiences in PA school— about myself and medicine. I’m so grateful.” This project is a time of invaluable learning and service that deeply affects everyone involved and honors the PA mission to provide quality, accessible, cost-effective care that meets patients where they are, in this case, both figuratively and literally.

We are currently preparing for our Fall 2022 project (Oct 21-23) and we are looking for people who can join us as interpreters!

Interpretation is vital to be able to serve this patient population and is needed in Spanish and Haitian Creole or French. Please feel free to share with friends and family outside of Emory! Anyone interested in volunteering as an interpreter can email etgrill@emory.edu.

Portal de Salud

Portal de Salud is a health ministry and Georgia non-profit organization with a mission to help Hispanic/Latino families to live healthier lives by promoting health education and access to primary and preventive care services.

They host a community wellness program at the Catholic Mission at Our Lady of Americas in Lilburn, GA to bring care and education to people in a place that is accessible and trusted. Students in their didactic year staff these community programs once a month and offer services such as blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol checks, health education, and referrals. Through this partnership with Portal de Salud, Emory PA students are able to serve a community of more than 29,000 Hispanic or Latino members.

The community wellness program has not been active for the past couple of years due to the pandemic but was recently revived and the current class of PA students was able to attend their first Portal de Salud event on August 3rd! The students have been eager to return and serve and we look forward to being able to continue this partnership for many more years.

Good Samaritan Clinic

Pictured above and below: volunteers at Good Sam on a Saturday morning

Good Samaritan is a clinic that serves uninsured and underserved communities in Atlanta located in East Atlanta in the Bankhead neighborhood. Good Sam’s clinic offers family medicine and full dental services, as well as a rotating schedule of medical specialists and physical therapists that come to the clinic on a weekly and monthly basis.

We have been lucky enough to have a partnership between Good Sam and the Emory PA Program for several years. We currently hold a Saturday medical clinic once a month from 8 am-1 pm, where our PA students from both didactic and clinical years partner together to see patients, with PA faculty serving as preceptors. We also work with the Medical Interpretation club from Emory who are certified in Spanish and Portuguese interpretation for patient appointments. Students operate independently and utilize their prior clinical experience as Medical Assistants, EMTs, and paramedics to perform phlebotomy, EKGs, and administer medications.

Good Sam gives PA students the opportunity to serve and to work in a clinical setting from early in the program. When asked about their favorite part about Good Sam, students consistently talked about how much they learned from working with each other and the preceptors, as well as the ability to serve their community, especially those with low or no access to other care.

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Dr. Kraft lectures on Men's Health

Family Medicine's Dr. Michael Kraft recently gave a virtual lecture to the All of Us study community on the role of testosterone in men's health.

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Guest Called To Serve City of Atlanta

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Nwosu Saving One Child at a Time

Dr. Oguchi Nwosu's non-profit organization Save A Child International is bringing 3 year old Chinwe for treatment for bilateral club feet and hands at Shriners Children's Hospital in Portland Oregon in October. Their last child Francis underwent 3 surgical procedures for a large cleft palate at Shriner's in Cincinnati.

Mission: To help some of Africa’s poor and sick children to gain access to quality health care in the United States and restore their health one child at a time.

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New Winship tower at EUHM
coming Spring 2023

Department faculty at Emory University Midtown Hospital are looking forward to the opening of the new Winship at Emory Midtown facility. Comprising 17 stories and more than 450,000 square feet, Winship at EMory Midtown will be built around a patient's needs and comfort, bringing all the necessary doctors, staff and services to the patient so the patient does not need to switch locations during their visit. The care communities will focus on patients with specific types of cancer, providing specialized infusion facilities, clinical examination rooms, clinical research, and spaces for support and rehabilitation services.

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Palliative Teams Celebrating Service Together

Pictured below: Palliative Care Team EUH enjoys dinner out at General Muir.

Pictured below: Dr. Brooke Peeples was in the Outpatient palliative care clinic and on the inpatient EUH team. The Palliative team gathered to wish her a fond farewell and a safe journey back to Arkansas. She came to Emory from UAMS out of fellowship and was offered an opportunity to return home. Her Palliative Medicine colleagues will miss her dearly.

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Opportunities for Service

Call for Nominations:
SOM DEI Committees 

You are invited to express your interest in serving on the following important Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committees with open positions. You may self-nominate or submit the names of others, with their permission. This is an excellent opportunity to become involved in institutional service and the DEI mission.

Please find the call for nomination details below. If you wish to submit a name for consideration please use the online forms linked below by Friday, September 23, 2022. If you have any questions please contact, Kiara Jackson (kjack55@emory.edu)
 

Martin Luther King Jr., Community Service Awards Committee

• Event date: January 19, 2023
• Open positions: 3 (2 faculty, 1 staff)
• Term: 2 years with the option to extend 1 time beginning October 2022.
• Eligibility: School of Medicine regular, full-time faculty and staff are eligible.
• Duties: In partnership with committee members from the Rollins School of Public Health, Goizueta Business School, and the School of Nursing, committee members will regularly and actively participate in committee meetings and provide input on event planning and execution. Serves on one of three subcommittees (Marketing & Promotions, Nominations & Awards, Post-Event Committee). Participates in Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards selection. Ensures visibility and promotion of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards program within your school/division. Committee members should anticipate being available an average of 2‐5 hours per month. Learn more about the MLK Community Service Awards. Nomination form.

Hamilton E Holmes Lecture Speaker Selection Committee 

• Projected Event date: February 22, 2023 - online
• Open positions: 3
• Term: 3 months (October 2022 – December 2022)
• Eligibility: School of Medicine students, residents, post-docs, and regular, full-time faculty and staff are eligible. Preference for the ability to suggest and contact potential speakers. 
• Duties: Since 2005, the Office of the Dean and the Office of Multicultural Affairs for Emory University School of Medicine have hosted an annual lecture in honor of Dr. Hamilton E. Holmes, the first African American to graduate from Emory School of Medicine. The speaker selection committee will meet 3-4 times between October 2022 and December 2022 to identify lecture panelists and moderators.   Nomination form. 

2023 Diversity Week Planning Committee

• Open positions: 15
• Term: 1-2 years – beginning October 2022
• Eligibility: School of Medicine regular, full-time faculty, staff, and learners are eligible. 
• Duties: Diversity Week will be a collaborative celebration and education initiative across the SOM to explore with our community the broad range of identities and experiences that make up our diverse community as well as showcase the incredible work being done inclusive of our learners, faculty, and staff on topics of DEI. The focus of the week will be the domains of awareness and education/research, innovation and discovery/ and programs. Planning committee members will lead program planning, selection of speakers, and determine the overall format. Nomination form.

ESOM Staff Recognitions & Engagement Committee

• Open positions: 7 
• Term: 2 years 
• Eligibility: All School of Medicine staff members (must have worked in the School of Medicine for at least two years
• Duties: The Staff Recognition and Engagement Committee will serve as a community of professionals from across the School of Medicine (SOM) who will provide guidance to leadership regarding the enrichment of a sense of belonging and staff recognition. The work will include program building and delivery along with the development of formal means of recognition and engagement. The committee’s work is expected to enrich both the SOM environment and core values related to the critical role of staff in furthering our tripartite mission and an overarching commitment to employee engagement, wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Committee meetings are held monthly. Learn More. Nomination form.

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Heel to Heal 5K 2022

Join the Fun and Support the Emory Farmworker Project!

Register here

55 Words from the Chair

Wellness Corner

Rewards, Perks, and Programs at Emory

Working at Emory is rewarding in so many ways. As an Emory employee, you have generous leave benefits, wellness and work-life programs, and a variety of other incentives and perks. Here is a brief snapshot of some of them:

Work-Life Programs: To help you manage the many demands of your work and life, Emory offers many resources, programs, and services in areas such as child care, adult care, workplace flexibility, and financial programs.

Faculty Staff Assistance Program: The Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) offers free counseling, coaching, stress management programs, mediation, leader consultations, workshops, and more.

Learning and Organizational Development: With a strong focus on the learning, development, and professional growth of our faculty and staff, Emory has numerous opportunities for your continued learning.

Employee Discounts: From events and gyms to public transportation, you have access to a variety of unique employee discount programs.

Emory Mental Health Resources (scroll down to Quick Links)

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Wellness at Work and Away

Dr. Lynn O’Neill, Program Director of the Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship and Vice Chair for Faculty Development, on a “Wellness Walk” with new fellows, Zikran Choudhury and Alexandra Lozano San Miguel.

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Dr. Tina-Ann Thompson and her family traveled to Negril, Jamaica to relax on the 7 Mile Beach. They rested, played cards, ate fresh seafood, and caught up with old family friends. The Thompsons couldn't leave without sharing a suitcase of school supplies with a teacher they connected with on their last trip as their family is happy to live by the words, "To whom much is given, much will be required." 

Words of wisdom from Dr. Thompson: If you didn't get to hit the reset button this summer, I hope you find some time soon. 

Transformative Research

News
 

Congratulations to 
2022-2023 WHEA Fellows!

Congratulations to Jeremy Amayo, MMSc, PA-C, Jimi Malik, MD, and Veketa Smith, MPH, MMSc., PA-C,  three faculty from our department who have been selected as 2022- 2023 WHEA Fellows in Educational Scholarship! These fellows will spend 18 months developing their educational research and scholarship skills and pursuing a mentored scholarly project. Upon completion, fellows will receive a Medical Education Research Certificate from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

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Recent and Upcoming Presentations

Dr. Miranda Moore and colleagues from Georgia Gear presented Why and how to engage with African American faith communities in brain health research? (2022). The paper was presented virtually at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2022.

Dr. Leslie Johnson will present Women’s Perception of COVID-19's Impacts on Psychosocial Health and Social Support During and After Pregnancy in Georgia at the American Public Health Association Meeting in November.

Dr. Leslie Johnson will also present Efficacy of Project UPLIFT among Blacks with Epilepsy at the American Epilepsy Society Meeting in December.

Dr. Mo Ali discussed Health System Fragmentation and Diabetes Outcomes on this Health Affairs podcast. 

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Highlighted Opportunities:
 

Call for Abstracts - Med Ed Day, October 27!

Registration is now open for the 2022 DOM Research Day
The program includes both oral and poster presentations, as well as a keynote address from E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, Chair and Executive Medical Director, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Health. Awards are given at the conclusion of the day to recognize the most outstanding presentations. 
Agenda ǀ Questions

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Support for Early Career Faculty

HHMI is seeking creative and innovative early career faculty for our new Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program. We are looking for outstanding basic researchers, including physician-scientists, who have strong potential to become leaders in their fields and to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through their mentorship and understanding of the experiences of trainees from races and ethnicities underrepresented in US science. Applications are due by September 28, 2022 at 3 pm. More details on eligibility and application are available here. 

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SOM Promoted Funding Opportunities

This calendar contains the deadlines for funding opportunities that offer cross-unit, multidisciplinary, or unique collaborative opportunities. It also highlights all limited-institution submissions or opportunities that are high risk / high reward.

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CME Opportunities

Brain Death Virtual CME Symposium

Dr. Paul DeSandre has provided a code that may be entered which lowers the price for $25 for CMEs and free for all other attendees.  This code is limited to attendees within Georgia, so please do not share the code on social media or other public sites. 

$50 for CMEs-- $25 with code LLBrain22

$25 for all others including nursing hours-- Free with code LLBrain22

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Recent Publications

Collaborative department publications
 

Palliative Medicine faculty Dr. Dio Kavalieratos and Dr. Jane Lowers published Prevalence of unmet pain and symptom management needs in adults with cystic fibrosis.  J Cyst Fibros. 2022 Aug 13:S1569-1993(22)00643-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2022.08.006.   

In a collaboration that emerged from the Excellence to Eminence lecture, Dr. Sarah Dupont published Science, Competing Values, and Trade-offs in Public Health — The Example of Covid-19 and Masking with the inaugural lecturer, Dr. Sandro Galea. 

Faculty publications

Dr. Mo Ali:

Preferences of Young Black Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Regarding Integration of HIV and Mental Health Care Services. Camp DM, Moore SJ, Wood-Palmer D, Doraivelu K, Holbrook NM, Byrd RN, Kalokhe AS, Ali MK, Farber EW, Hussen SA. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2022 Aug 26. doi: 10.1089/apc.2022.0065. Online ahead of print. PMID: 36037013

Dr. Sarah Cross:

Palliative Care for Patients With Heart Failure: Results From a Heart Failure Society of America Survey. Journal of Cardiac Failure. 2022 Jul 13;S1071-9164(22)00578-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.06.010. Online ahead of print.

Racial Differences in Firearms Used and Autopsies Following Gun Deaths Exist. Journal of Surgical Research. 2022 Aug 3;279:666-681. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2022.06.052. Epub ahead of print.

Dr. Jodie Guest:

Validation of actinic keratosis diagnosis and treatment codes among veterans living with HIV. Supapannachart KJ, Kwon CW, Tushe S, Guest JL, Chen SC, Yeung H. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2022 Sep;31(9):998-1002. doi: 10.1002/pds.5430. Epub 2022 Mar 28. 

Dr. Dio Kavalieratos:

Prevalence of unmet pain and symptom management needs in adults with cystic fibrosis. Dubin E, Lowers J, Dellon EP, Hempstead S, Faro A, Tallarico E, Fitzpatrick A, Hunt WR, Kavalieratos D. J Cyst Fibros. 2022 Aug 13:S1569-1993(22)00643-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2022.08.006. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35973901

Dr. Jennifer Mascaro: 

Examination of Provider and Patient Knowledge, Beliefs, and Preferences in Integrative Oncology at a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Integr Med Rep. 2022 Jun 24;1(1):66-75. doi: 10.1089/imr.2021.0004. eCollection 2022. 

Dr. Miranda Moore:

Hair cortisol, perceived stress, and resilience as predictors of coronary arterial disease.  Stress Health. 2022 Aug;38(3):453-462. doi: 10.1002/smi.3106. Epub 2021 Oct 22. 

Hormetic association between perceived stress and human epigenetic aging based on resilience capacity.  Biogerontology. 2022 Aug 12. doi: 10.1007/s10522-022-09985-8. Online ahead of print. 

Dr. Megha Shah

Protocol and baseline characteristics for a community health worker-led hypertension and diabetes management program for South Asians in Atlanta: The DREAM Atlanta study.  Contemp Clin Trials. 2022 Aug 5:106864. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106864. Online ahead of print. 

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Educational Investments for our future

Welcome to the new
Palliative Medicine Fellows!

Pictured below, left to right: 

Olga Epstein, MD, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Hospital Medicine

Zikran Chaudhury, MD, New York Presbyterian-Queens Internal Medicine Residency

Cristina Averhoff Meena, MD, Emory Internal Medicine Residency

Bhamini Patel, MD, Emory Internal Medicine Residency

Nitya Shah, MD, Emory Neonatology Fellowship

Denise Gococo-Benore, MD, Mayo Jacksonville Internal Medicine Residency

Alexandra Lozano San Miguel, MD, University of Puerto Rico Family Medicine Residency

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Med Ed Day 

Accepting Proposals until Sept. 23

Register and submit a proposal

Med Ed Day Bonus:
Join PA APD Dr. Jodie Guest
for a Design-Thinking Workshop

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William T. Branch Jr.
Innovations in Primary Care Lecture

Register

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PA Students Awarded Fellowships!

Congratulations to PA students Taylor Ellsworth and Bryan Fleischman who were awarded Future Educator Fellowships by the Physician Assistant Education Association. Read more here.  

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PA Student Awarded
NCCPA Scholarship

Yazmin Tenorio Chavarria was awarded an NCCPA Endowed Scholarship. NCCPA’s annual endowed scholarship supports PA students who are underrepresented minorities, economically disadvantaged and/or educationally disadvantaged.  Read more about Ms. Chavarria and how her role as a student representative for the Emory Farmworker Program is all part of her mission to provide care to Latino and underserved migrant communities. 

News from the DEI Council

DEI Quarterly Grand Rounds
December 5, 2022

Dr. Sherita Hill Golden is the Hugh P. McCormick Family Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Johns Hopkins Medicine.  She holds joint appointments in the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and in the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality.

In order to more directly address the root causes of health inequities identified through her research, Dr. Golden has used her executive leadership roles to develop systems, community, and policy interventions. As inaugural Executive Vice-Chair of the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2015-2019), she launched a department-wide civic engagement initiative, resulting in programs that addressed community-related concerns and enhanced employee engagement following Baltimore’s civil unrest surrounding the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. In her current role as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Johns Hopkins Medicine, she oversees diversity, inclusion, and health equity strategy and operations for the School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Health System. She has executed the implementation of Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Standards, staff training for accurate collection of self-identified patient demographic data, a system-wide policy prohibiting patient discrimination toward employees and trainees, and a system-wide unconscious bias and anti-racism train-the-trainer program. During COVID-19 she facilitated mobile community testing for the underserved in Baltimore City and equitable vaccine distribution to non-clinical, minoritized frontline staff across JHM. Dr. Golden is a leader in the national discussion advancing health equity, including supporting Maryland legislators in drafting health equity policy.

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Dr. Johnson joins the DEI Council

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Introducing the FPM
DEI Speaker Selection Committee

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Virtual Listening Session: Staff Only

The next FPM DEI council listening session will be for staff only. Watch your inbox for more details.

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Listening Session Topics Survey

What's on your mind? How can the DEI Council best serve you through a listening session? Use the link or QR code below to let your DEI Council know what topics you'd like to talk about in the months ahead.

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DEI Recommended Reading

McKinley, C. E., Spencer, M. S., Walters, K., & Figley, C. R. (2021). Mental, physical and social dimensions of health equity and wellness among US Indigenous peoples: What is known and next steps. Journal of ethnic & cultural diversity in social work, 30(1-2), 1-12.

Andrasik, M. P., Broder, G. B., Wallace, S. E., Chaturvedi, R., Michael, N. L., Bock, S., ... & Mensah, G. A. (2021). Increasing Black, Indigenous and People of Color participation in clinical trials through community engagement and recruitment goal establishment. PloS one, 16(10), e0258858.

Taparra, K., & Pellegrin, K. (2022). Data aggregation hides Pacific Islander health disparities. The Lancet, 400(10345), 2-3.

Reid, A., Brandes, R., Butler-MacKay, D., Ortiz, A., Kramer, S., Sivashanker, K., & Mate, K. (2022). Getting Grounded: Building a Foundation for Health Equity and Racial Justice Work in Health Care Teams. NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery, 3(1).

Ung, L., Stanford, F. C., & Chodosh, J. (2021). “All Labor Has Dignity”—The Case for Wage Equity for Essential Health Care Workers. New England Journal of Medicine, 385(17), 1539-1542.

Check out the DEI Virtual Library on the FPM website for more recommended reading

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DEI Snippet: Passive Aggression

Passive aggression is a way of expressing negative feelings, such as anger or annoyance, indirectly instead of directly. Passive-aggressive behaviors are often difficult to identify and can sabotage relationships at home and at work.

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September is
National Hispanic Heritage Month

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SOM DEI Ongoing Programs

Don't miss out on all that's going on. View the DEI Calendar.

• Affinity Month celebrations
• Anti-Racism Resources
• Racism & Social Justice Webinar Series
• Unconscious Bias Education Program
• URiM and Women Faculty Speakers Bureau

News from the Office of Faculty Development 

Vanderbilt Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy
Promoting Professionalism Course

October 28 & 29, 2022 at the W Hotel in Atlanta, GA

When individual or group behaviors undermine the best attempts to create a reliably respectful environment, you need a plan. CPPA has developed an evidence-based program for medical leaders who wish to promote an organization that's kinder, safer, and more reliable.

More details and registration information.

Contact Dr. Ted Johnson for a discount code for Emory faculty.

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New Faculty Orientation

The SOM New Faculty Orientation will be held virtually on Friday, September 23, 2022.

At orientation...

• learn about the opportunities available to you in the School of Medicine as a faculty member,
• network with colleagues and meet members of leadership, and
• meet the experts from Research Administration Services, Medical Education Office, IRB, and more during the breakout sessions!

This event is mandatory for all SOM faculty members hired on or after April 1, 2021 with the exception of temporary faculty members, non-ACGME fellows, post-docs, and those faculty with acting titles. Faculty hired prior to this date who have not attended an SOM orientation session are strongly encouraged to attend. More details and registration.

SOM Faculty Development Opportunities

SOM Faculty Development Opportunities are available on the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine Intranet under Faculty Development. Scroll all the way to the bottom for a downloadable PDF.

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Got news? Please send your announcements and photos to leigh.partington@emory.edu.
The DFPM newsletter is published monthly.