Department of Family and Preventive Medicine News
2024: Volume 7, issue 1
55 Words from the Chair
Hey, check out the spiffy new outfit for our newsletter! Read on, my colleagues, for great department updates and fresh, bite-sized nuggets from the department's Vice Chairs. Unchanged in this makeover is our unwavering commitment to excellence in research, education, and service. Scroll down for the latest news and catch up on back issues here.
Registration Quick Links
School of Medicine Black History Month Events
- Celebrating Black History: The Power of Their Story (webinar)
- 20th Annual Hamilton E. Holmes Memorial Lecture (hybrid)
Welcome to the DFPM!
Megan Hesketh has joined the Palliative Research Team as Assistant Director of Research Programs. Megan will be working closely with Dr. Dio Kavalieratos assisting with operations and strategy, including proposal development, team/project management, and budgets. Megan currently lives in Miami and will be joining the team in Atlanta sometime over the summer.
She has worked in healthcare for the past 15 years, 11 years of which were spent working at a hospital trade association in New York City
overseeing a CMS demonstration project to reduce avoidable hospitalizations among nursing facility residents. In that role, she spent a lot of time teaching quality improvement methods and implementing palliative care policies and procedures at participating nursing facilities, with a large focus on increasing advance directives. Megan grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York and received her undergraduate degree from University at Albany and her Master's in Healthcare Administration from Columbia University. Welcome to the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Megan!
Updates from the VCs
Faculty Development: Curious about the promotion process? Check out this video: Emory SOM Professional Development Lecture: Navigating Promotions in the School of Medicine.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council: Welcome to our newest Council members, Erin Weinisch (PA Program) and Dr. Aparna Mark (Family Medicine). Also, save the date for: Health Equity Day, May 21:
Research: Save the date for 10th Annual Health Services Research Day
Transformative Research
Collaborative Faculty Publications
Dr. Rosette Chakkalakal, Dr. Sathish Thirunavukkarasu, and Dr. Megha Shah published Test and Treat for Prediabetes: A Review of the Health Effects of Prediabetes and the Role of Screening and Prevention.
Dr. Jennifer Mascaro and Dr. Deanna Kaplan published The Language of Compassion: Hospital Chaplains' Compassion Capacity Reduces Patient Depression via Other-Oriented, Inclusive Language.
Dr. Jennifer Mascaro and Dr. Ali John Zarrabi published Spiritual health practitioners' contributions to psychedelic assisted therapy: A qualitative analysis.
Featured article
Dr. Sara Turbow and Dr. Mo Ali published an editorial at MedPage Today: The Truth ABout What Health Information Exchanges Can and Cannot Do
Individual Faculty Publications
Dr. Mo Ali
Clinician Adherence to Hypertension Screening and Care Guidelines.
Enhancing global access to diabetes medicines: policy lessons from the HIV response.
Dr. Jodie Guest
Dr. Leslie Johnson
Dr. Dio Kavalieratos
Criteria for Enrollment of Patients with COPD in Palliative Care Trials: A Systematic Review.
Factors Affecting Treatment Selection Among Patients With Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
The Scope of Practice of an Embedded Pediatric Palliative Oncology Clinic.
Dr. Ambar Kulshreshtha
Dr. Miranda Moore
Dietary, Cooking, and Eating Pattern Outcomes from the Emory Healthy Kitchen Collaborative.
Dr. Tammie Quest
Examining Moderation of Dignity Therapy Effects by Symptom Burden or Religious/Spiritual Struggles.
Dr. Sathish Thirunavukkarasu
“One-size-doesn’t-fit-all” approach to diabetes prevention through lifestyle interventions.
Learner Publications
Kain Kim, BA, EUSOM M3. Ms. Kim developed and co-taught an elective titled "Outside the Frame" supported by an Emory I3 grant and the Emory art museum-based health professions community created and sustained by Dr. Paul DeSandre and Dr. Ali John Zarrabi. Ms. Kain recently published two reflection pieces, Outside the Frame: Thinking Beyond the Visible in Medical Education and Our Achilles' Heel: Vulnerability and Medical Uncertainty and presented the poster pictured below.
Educational Investments for our future
Pictured above: The Family Medicine Residency Program held its first Open House on January 20 at Grana for incoming applicants to meet residents, faculty, and staff.
Family Medicine Residency Announces 2 New Tracks
The Family Medicine Residency program has added two new tracks for specialized training. Emory Family Medicine Residency Program Hospital Medicine Track aims to provide focused education, training, and exposure to the field of inpatient medicine. Residents who are interested in a career in hospital medicine, academics, or full-spectrum family medicine are encouraged to apply. Emory Family Medicine Residency Program Sports Medicine Track aims to provide increased education, training, and exposure to sports medicine. Residents who are interested in a career in sports medicine, academics, or full-spectrum family medicine are encouraged to apply.
Preventive Medicine Residency/Fellowship
Matches Top 2 Candidates
Dr. Nikhila Gandrakota (pictured left), current Emory family medicine PGY-3, and Dr. Nathan Holterman, who has done an intern year in pediatrics and has been serving in the Navy as a flight surgeon for the past three years.
Family Medicine Resident Matches
in Sports Medicine
Emory Family Medicine resident, Dr. Kaitlin Ervin, recently matched at the JPS Sports Medicine Fellowship in Fort Worth, TX. She will start on July 1st, 2024.
Art of Hospice and Palliative Care
2024 Georgia Hospice & Palliative Care Organization
Annual Conference
Join Dr. Paul DeSandre at the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia for the Art of Hospice and Palliative Care workshop.
- Use art as a common experience with differing perspectives to enhance listening and observation skills.
- Acquire new insights into what sustains our passion for caring for people with serious illnesses and facing the end of life.
- Identify a source of joy in our shared humanity as Hospice and Palliative Care professionals in the unique setting of the art museum.
Location: Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia
Date: Friday, February 23, 2024
Time: 10 am-12:30 pm
Service for our future
The PA Program's Emory Farmworker Project was featured in Atlanta Magazine and Dr. Jodie Guest was interviewed. Read the article here.
