January 15, 2024

What you will learn in this week's Faculty Development edition of the Bulletin: 

Scroll down to read more!

CASE OF THE MONTH

Monthly Case from the Department of Medicine
Rare Anemia Unmasked: Navigating the Uncommon Terrain 

STORY AND CASE:
A 25-year-old woman presented with fatigue, diffuse body pain, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and feeling unwell for the past two days. She had no significant family or surgical history, reported occasional use of alcohol, and denied use of tobacco or illicit drugs. 

Labs were pertinent for hemoglobin and hematocrit of 4.4/13.6, mean corpuscular volume of 107, elevated reticulocyte count, total bilirubin of 26.7, direct bilirubin of 21.9, leukocyte count of 16.3 with neutrophilic predominance, normal haptoglobin, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (193), d-dimer, fibrinogen, INR (1.6), and procalcitonin. Peripheral smear was significant for teardrop cells, spherocytes and toxic granulation. Coombs auto-antibody test for both warm and cold and direct anti-globulin testing (DAT) were positive. Stool studies, blood cultures, and chest X-ray were negative.

She was transfused six units of packed red blood cells (pRBC), high-dose corticosteroids, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), epoetin alfa, and folic acid, but labs were consistent with persistent hemolysis and poor response.  

Bortezomib was administered on day five of admission with improvement in blood counts and hemolysis. She received three doses of IVIG and four doses of bortezomib. CT abdomen showed no evidence of biliary obstruction, cholecystitis, or hepatomegaly, revealing splenomegaly. US abdomen was negative for biliary obstruction. MRI of the abdomen revealed morphological changes of chronic liver disease without evidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) qualitative PCR was positive; viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgG and EBV nuclear antigen IgG were positive, but anti-VCA IgM was negative, indicating likely past infection. Hepatitis panel was negative; mycoplasma IgG was positive but IgM negative. She had positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA) but no other findings suggesting systemic lupus erythematosus; it was determined ANA was positive due to IVIG infusion.

She improved throughout the hospital course, hemolysis resolved, hematocrit and hemoglobin stabilized, and she was discharged with prednisone taper and hematology follow-up.  

Have an interesting case that you want to share with the DOM faculty? Contact Lenore Meeks for template, sample cases, and how to submit.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sign up for a DOM Peer Mentoring Group!

Would you like to increase your career satisfaction, productivity, and growth through collaboration with peers who share similar interests and goals? If so, the DOM Office of Faculty Development is pleased to invite you to join a Peer Mentoring Group!  Join one of these groups at the following locations: 

• Emory Decatur Hospital (includes Hillandale and Emory Long Term Acute Care Hospital)
• Emory Johns Creek Hospital 
• Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital 
• Emory University Hospital 
• Emory University Hospital, Midtown 
• Grady Memorial Hospital 
• Atlanta VA Medical Center 

DOM Faculty Members: Register for the CV Review Session!
Wednesday, February 28 | 8–10 a.m. | Zoom

DOM's Faculty Development Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Sub-Committee reviews all senior-level promotion packets as a first step in the promotion process. Thanks to their experience, they offer valuable advice to faculty members who wish to learn more about the path to promotion. 

This CV Review Session includes a 20-minute one-on-one virtual coaching session with one of our P&T Committee members to help you enhance your preparation for future promotion to associate professor or professor. We highly encourage assistant and associate professors to take advantage of this session. Registration closes on Friday, February 9. Space is limited — save your spot today!

Questions? Please contact Dorothy Kitchens, Sr. Program Coordinator for the DOM Office of Faculty and Development. 

Mentoring Moment: Celebration of the 2023 Silver Pear Mentoring Award for Research

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Happening this month:

SOM Professional Development Lecture Series: Navigating Promotions
Friday, January 19 | noon–1 p.m. | Virtual
Presenter: Kathy Griendling, PhD

SOM Emory at Grady Faculty Awards Ceremony 
Tuesday, January 23 | 5:30–7 p.m. | FOB 101

Coming up later this year: 

DOM Mentoring Training Workshop
February 9 | 8 a.m.–noon | WMB Room 1109 
*Registration full*

SOM Professional Development Lecture Series: Benefits, Limits, and Risks of Chat GPT as an AI Chatbot for Medicine: Education, Research, Clinical Care, and Administrative Tasks
Friday, February 16 | noon–1 p.m. | Virtual

DOM CV Review Session
Wednesday, February 28 | 8–10 a.m. | Zoom
*DOM Faculty only*

DOM Faculty Enrichment, Education, and Development (FEED) Conference
Friday, April 12 | Virtual
*Registration information is coming soon*

DOM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Alexis Bender, PhD, accepted into 
Hambidge Center Writing Residency

DOM Ease of Research – Proposal Submission Deadlines Policy Informational Sessions

Please join the Department of Medicine’s Research Administration team as we review the new DOM Policy for Proposal Submission Deadlines. Under the leadership of Lindsay Grasser, the DOM Research Administration team will hold several informational sessions to walk DOM investigators and Pre-Award personnel through the ins and outs of the new grant submission deadline policy. Interim Pre-Award Manager Morgan L. Edwards will host these webinars, and a recording will be available following the live sessions. 

• Tuesday, January 23 | 9–10 a.m. | Register
• Thursday, February 1 | noon–1 p.m. | Register
• Wednesday, February 7 | 3–4 p.m. | Register

EMORY CELEBRATES MLK DAY

Emory University King Week will take place now through January, 24, 2024. This week is a series of programs offered by various Emory units to honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. Programs include educational lectures, spiritual events, community service projects, celebrations, and exhibits. View full event schedule

SOM Community Engagement Champion Awards
Thursday, January 18 | 5:30–7 p.m | Zoom 

In celebration of MLK Jr. Day, Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center proudly presents the SOM Community Engagement Champion Awards. This year, we honor exceptional community partners engaged longitudinally with our medical students through the Community Learning and Social Medicine course. Join us in recognizing their invaluable contributions. Click here to register.

Celebrate MLK Day with the Churchwell
Diversity and Inclusion Collective (CDIC)

The CDIC is a resident-run organization born out of the desire to cultivate a safe and welcoming environment for Emory Internal Medicine Residency Program's house staff from diverse backgrounds. They aim to foster a culture of camaraderie, championing efforts within advocacy, recruitment/retention, and professional development, with the goal of building an inclusive resident body to better serve the greater Atlanta community.

All DOM faculty, staff, and trainees are invited to participate. Join us for a day of serving the community at the Hunger Action Center. For more information, contact Kathryn Thompson. 

MEDICINE GRAND ROUNDS

Join us tomorrow for a special MLK Week
Medicine Grand Rounds

All upcoming sessions will be hosted on Zoom, and recordings will be available on the DOM YouTube channel for CME credits. 

STAFF NEWS

Our next DOM Staff Spotlight is Emily Twa, MPH! Emily recently joined the Department of Medicine last fall as our Senior Business Manager, supporting clinic and academic activities at the division and department levels. Emily shares about her diverse professional background, projects she's been working on, and her favorite hobbies. Click the button below to read more!

Check out the latest list of open staff jobs within the DOM. See a job you are interested in or know someone who would be a good fit? Click the job title below to read the full description and apply. Be sure to follow the DOM LinkedIn page to stay up-to-date on the latest job openings!

• Clinical Research Coordinator II - School of Medicine Pulmonary

• Program Coordinator - School of Medicine, Infectious Diseases

DOM EVENTS

Emory University King Week
Saturday, January 13–24 

Emory SCORE Women's Health Research Lecture Series *New*
Wednesday, January 17 | noon–1 p.m. | Zoom

SCDP Echo Session: An Update on Long COVID  
Thursday, January 18 | 11 a.m.–noon | Zoom

SOM Community Engagement Champion Awards 
Thursday, January 18 | 5:30–7 p.m | Zoom 

SOM Professional Development Lecture Series: Navigating Promotions
Friday, January 19 | noon–1 p.m. | Zoom

DOM Ease of Research – Proposal Submission Deadlines Policy  *New*
Tuesday, January 23 | 9–10 a.m. | Zoom

13^th Annual Georgia Association of Sleep Professionals Conference  
Saturday, January 27 | Executive Park – Brain Health Center

CDIC Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Service Project
Saturday, January 27 | 8:30–11:30 a.m. | Atlanta Community Food Bank 

2024 GME DEI Virtual Open House 
Wednesday, January 31 | 6–7:30 p.m. | Zoom

DOM Ease of Research – Proposal Submission Deadlines Policy  *New*
Thursday, February 1 | noon–1 p.m. | Zoom

DOM Ease of Research – Proposal Submission Deadlines Policy  *New*
Thursday, February 7 | noon–1 p.m. | Zoom

DOM Faculty Development's Mentoring Workshop  *Registration full*
Friday, February 9 | 8 a.m.–noon | WMB Room 1109

DOM CV Review Session 
Wednesday, February 28 | 8–10 a.m. | Zoom

ATLANTIS Symposium *New*
Thursday, March 14 |  9–4 p.m. | HSRB I 

IN THE NEWS

Recent Department of Medicine News

• GPB-FM: Flu and COVID cases are rising. Here's what you can do to protect yourself. (Carlos del Rio interviewed)

• Vox: Yes, everyone is sick right now. So what can you do about it? (Dhaval Desai quoted)

GIVE TO US

STAY CONNECTED

Please send photos and news from your division to deptofmed@emory.edu and visit the Department of Medicine's blog, EmoryDailyPulse.com.

The Emory University Department of Medicine is a component of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University, which includes the Emory Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare.