May 2019
Ted Johnson, MD, MPH
Just 55 Words
from the Chair:
Most first think of the clinic or the hospital when they imagine what our Department faculty, residents, and students do. What happens outside those boundaries? Read this month’s newsletter for more on the rich advocacy, scholarship, education, and action that our team members bring to their own lives and to lives of those they serve.
Emory FIRST faculty profiles
You may have noticed that the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine website home page now links to your Emory FIRST profile. You can view your profile here. Phase 1 of Emory FIRST requires only your academic appointments, your education, and your publications to be up to date, but you can easily add other information. Simply log in to Emory FIRST and click on "Edit your profile."
A Capital Physicians' Day at the Capitol
Emory Family medicine residents and faculty, including Susy Alfonso, MD, Neena Ghose, MD, MHS, and Lianne Beck, MD, attended Physicians' Day at the Capitol on Feb. 20th as part of the Patient Centered Coalition of Georgia. This is a combined effort with attendance from local chapters of the AAFP, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and OB-GYN.
Physicians were greeted by Gov. Brian Kemp and other legislators. Legislative priorities of concern to family physicians included the Preceptor Tax Credit (legislation which would help increase incentives for community preceptors to work with medical students), appropriate use of diagnostic imaging, and Medicaid waiver expansion. A number of other issues were presented. The group then headed to the Capitol to meet legislators “at the ropes” in the frenzied break between legislative sessions. Afterwards, a group headed back for a lunch with their legislators to discuss a number of public health priorities. Dr. Ghose summed up the day as "a great introduction to the role of physician as advocate and use of our voice and our training to reach a broader audience. I loved it!" FM resident Leila Myrick, MD said: " The reason I love advocacy work is because if I’m not the one talking to my representatives, then someone else is. And I can’t expect them to make decisions in my favor if they never hear from me.” Thanks so much for your representation and advocacy!
Transformative Research
Emory Quality Day, May 2.
Emory Family Medicine was well-represented at Emory Quality Day. Pictured below: Brock Vanderbush, MD presenting on "Patient Beliefs and Attitudes Associated with Influenza Vaccination in a Primary Care Clinic" and in the second picture below, left to right: Oluyinka Ajirotutu, MHA, MBA, Ebonee Harris, BB, Miranda Moore, PhD from Dunwoody Family Medicine presenting the results of their Primary Care Consortium-funded grant project, “Diabetic patient’s preferences for communications and barriers/facilitators to complying with clinical recommendations.”
Emory Medical Student Research Day
Eileen Dilks, MS, presented her research study: "Evaluating the utilization of shared medical appointments across Georgia: A mixed methods study" at Medical Student Research Day. Her Discovery advisor was Megha Shah, MD, MSc. Pictured below: Dr. Shah and Ms. Dilks.
Educational investments for our future
Incoming Preventive Medicine resident Chioma Erondu, MD has been accepted into the inaugural class for the Emory School of Medicine Health Equity, Advocacy, and Policy (HEAP) track. This 24-month track provides residents & fellows the knowledge, skills, and methods necessary to effectively address the social determinants of health and advocate for health policies that address them systemically to further health equity at the local, state, and/or national levels.
Emily Herndon, MD and Javier Valle, MD, MPH were featured in a recent Emory News story about food's impact on health. You can read about their "From Clinic to Kitchen" elective for M2 students, as well as the "Textbook to Table" class for Emory College undergraduates, here.
Being of Service
South Georgia Is Calling . . .
Preceptors Needed for
South Georgia Farmworker Health Project
June 8-20
Calling all Physicians! Please consider joining us as a preceptor for a week or a few days as we provide Emory’s signature level of care to migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families in the rural farming communities of Bainbridge and Lake Park, Georgia. Now in its 24th year, the Emory PA Program’s South Georgia Farmworker Health Project (SGFHP) serves as an example of interprofessional training and practice for the School of Medicine community and allows us to combine teaching about the social determinants of health with the provision of compassionate, primary care medicine to a vulnerable patient population – migrant farmworkers.
All that is required is your expertise, stethoscope, and the desire to help train PA, MD, DPT and other health professions students who volunteer with us. This transformational experience will help you recharge while you mentor learners in an energetic and collaborative team-based learning environment.
Please click here to see the description of the preceptor responsibilities. For more information, contact Erin Lepp, PA-C elepp@emory.edu.
Pictured above: Evening SGFHP clinic outside of Bainbridge GA, June 2018.
PA Students Celebrate National Farmworker Awareness Week and Prepare for June Outreach
In honor of National Farmworker Awareness Week (March 25-31), first year Emory PA students rolled up their sleeves and began to assemble the 2,000 personal care kits that will be distributed to migrant and seasonal farmworkers during the Emory Program’s upcoming South Georgia Farmworker Health Project (SGFHP) which will take place June 8-21. At the end of their medical visit with the PA or MD student and preceptor, each farmworker patient will receive assorted toiletry items, work gloves, and protective eyewear. Through a generous “Be the CHANGE” grant awarded to the Emory PA Program by the nccPA Health Foundation, we are able to provide patients with a new pair of cotton socks to prevent foot infections that farmworkers are at risk of developing because they often stand in wet fields for many hours.
Want to help? We need additional new personal-sized toiletry items including shampoo, soap, disposable razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, washcloths, combs, mouthwash, and sunscreen. Consider collecting these items now through June 1 and we will arrange for pick-up of your donations and assemble them for our farmworker patients!
For more information, please e-mail Javar White javar.white@emory.edu or Erin Lepp, PA-C elepp@emory.edu
Pictured below: Emory PA students holding new pairs of cotton socks, purchased through a "Be the CHANGE" grant from the nccPA Health Foundation and "Got Food? Thank a Farmworker" t-shirt and toiletries pack.
Research Resources
Department of Medicine publishes a weekly newsletter called What's UP in DOM Research. Subscribe HERE:
Evidence of our Awesomeness!
Michael Huey, MD, FACHA, Associate Professor, Family and Preventive Medicine, has been selected as a recipient of the American College Health Association Lifetime Achievement Award for 2018-2019. This award recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding service to ACHA and whose professional lives have been dedicated to improving the health of college students. Dr. Huey will be honored at ACHA Celebrates, held Wednesday, May 29, during ACHA's 2019 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.
Past and present Emory Family Medicine residents and faculty were present to celebrate the wedding of Kim Le, MD and Brad Goetz on April 13, 2019 at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
Left to right: Vi Mel, Lin Mel, Audrey Lyland, Michael Ly, Brad Goetz, Kim Le, Jose Villalon-Gomez, Laura Slivko-Villalon, Ankith Mark, Aparna Mark, Priya Shah, Sameer Shah.
Preventive Medicine Residency Director Rick Goodman, MD, JD, MPH and his family took part in the deceptively-named Great Saunter 2019 in New York City on May 4th. The Great Saunter is the Shorewalker's epic 32-mile urban hike, which begins and ends in Battery Park. Along the way, more than 1500 hikers enjoy skyline views, beautiful waterfront, and more than 20 parks. The Great Saunter raises awareness to protect those parks, maintain the Westside promenades, restore the Eastside Greenway, redevelop the Harlem River, and connect the Greenway into a continuous path around Manhattan. Back at work 2 days after his Saunter, Dr. Goodman reported blistered, tired feet as the only side effect. Dr. Goodman is pictured below at the completion of The Great Saunter with his daughter and son.
Don't miss events!
The Department of Family Medicine is proud to present the 3rd Annual Southeast Review and Update on Medical Care of Older Adults
July 12-14, 2019
Callaway Gardens
Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance 6th Annual Health Services Research Day, May 15, 8 am - 3 pm. Emory University School of Medicine. This symposium and networking opportunity gives researchers a chance to learn about ongoing quality, effectiveness, and value-based research activities across the state of Georgia. Register here. Agenda and more information available here.
National LGBTQ Health Conference: Bridging Research and Practice. May 31-June 1. Emory University. Additional information and registration here .
Every year, Emory School of Medicine faculty member Karen Newell, MMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, and her private lesson percussion students put together a fun, entertaining, advocacy fundraising concert for the South Georgia Farm Worker Health Project. The theme this year will be “T-Rex” and will include percussion ensemble selections played on common household items, such as plastic buckets and wooden dowels, as well as drum sets and other percussion instruments. The event will take place on Sunday, June 2 at 4:00 pm at The Central DeKalb Senior Center at 1346 McConnell Drive, Decatur, 30033. The event is FREE but Physician Assistant (PA) students will be selling “Got Food? Thank a Farmworker" T-shirts (pictured above) and collecting monetary donations. For pictures and video of last years’ performance please click HERE for video and HERE for photos.
Emory Primary Care Consortium provides grants up to $2,500 to support any project that involves research, quality improvement, advocacy, development of clinical decision support tools, or educational activities in support of advancements in primary care (as it relates to patient safety, innovations in healthcare delivery, addressing disparities in healthcare, etc.). The next deadline for application submission is August 15. Awardees will be announced by September 15. More information available here.
The Emory Physician Assistant Program has provided quality board review courses for twenty eight years. The review is a great refresher course, providing 38 hours of high quality CME. The course will take place on September 17-20, Tuesday through Friday 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. Lunch and snacks are provided. The course is limited to 250 participants.
Location: The Completely Renovated Atlanta Marriott Century Center, near the intersection of I-85 and Clairmont Road - 2000 Century Boulevard NE, Atlanta GA 30345, Phone 404-325-0000 Room rate $119 per night
Tuition is $650 prior to 8/1/2019, $675 after 8/1/2019, and $700 on-site (Pre-registration closes on 9/10/19; on-site registration is limited and payment on-site is by cash or certified check only).
Emory employees and active military attending the conference will receive a $75 discount for the full conference. Please indicate your status on the registration form.
Tuition includes:
- 38 hours of live lectures with power outlets. 38 Cat 1 AAPA CME hours credit, 10 hours pharmacology credit
- Free Parking
- Continental breakfasts, snacks, and lunches daily
- Free WiFi access in the conference area, online speaker videos, and power point files. You can take e-notes with your laptop or tablet
- The Home study version of the Fall 2018 Board Review conference with MP3 audio files, and speaker video.
- Digital and printed syllabus with notes, slides and study pearls
- Four weeks of PANCE/PANRE practice tests using Exam Master Online
- Online access to the daily speaker videos, power point slides, and PDF handouts
For more details , online brochure and online registration visit
Got news? Please send your announcements and photos to leigh.partington@emory.edu. The DFPM newsletter is published on the first Friday of each month.
