February 23, 2017
Hello,
Congratulations to our first-year students and to all of the faculty and administrators who not only survived but successfully thrived in the first semester of the new medical school curriculum!
Change is never easy. Revising a medical school curriculum is a tremendous and daunting undertaking for all involved. Some years ago I was involved as a department chair in a major curriculum refresh at Emory. In addition to the hard work of planning and implementing a new curriculum, what I remember most is the worry surrounding the rollout. What has impressed me about McGovern Medical School is the disciplined process and the transparency and willingness of faculty, students, and administrators to get involved and be a part of the transformation.
I attended a two-hour curriculum review meeting last week facilitated by Dr. Lee Revere, associate director of the Fleming Center at the School of Public Health. Using results of a student and faculty survey, she helped us identify what is working in our new curriculum as well as opportunities for improvement. Dr. Revere facilitated a healthy dialogue with faculty, course directors, and students. The open discussion and valuable feedback will help faculty leaders refine and strengthen the curriculum. Our ultimate aim is to educate young physicians who are well prepared to move on to their residencies and are well positioned for successful careers and lifelong learning.
I had the opportunity to engage with several great speakers over the past week. Dr. Benjamin Chu, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System, was the guest speaker at the Department of Internal Medicine’s grand rounds last week. He gave a compelling talk on the physician impact on patient experiences and of the importance of excellent end-to-end patient care.
We had a great turnout for our “Friends of the McGovern Medical School” lunch and learn last week. The session focused on bone and joint health and featured a panel of speakers, including Dr. John Reveille, professor of internal medicine and director of the Division of Rheumatology; Dr. Andrew Burgess, professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of ortho-trauma; Dr. Deborah Horn, medical director of the UT Center for Obesity Medicine and Metabolic Performance; and Dr. Nahid Rianon, associate professor of internal medicine/geriatrics and orthopaedic surgery. These community-focused events are a terrific way to highlight our faculty experts and the work they do.
Dr. Keith Klugman, my former colleague from Emory and now the director for pneumonia at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, was a visiting professor and Dean’s Lecturer yesterday. We kept him very busy—starting the day with an informal meet and greet with students and faculty; followed by one-on-one meetings with faculty involved with infectious diseases, vaccinology, and/or global health; and ending with his lecture, “Vaccination to Save Lives from Pneumonia and Neonatal Sepsis.” Keith is a world-renowned expert who is a valuable resource to many international decision-making bodies, including the CDC and WHO, as they consider new and emerging infectious diseases, vaccination issues, antimicrobial resistance, and other important and timely issues of relevance to global health.
Our Office of Diversity and Inclusion recently held a Black History Month event celebrating the achievements of pioneering physicians and scientists who broke through barriers. Dr. Garvin Davis, assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual science, presented the keynote lecture and spoke about extraordinary leaders, including Vivien Thomas, Charles Drew, and Levi Watkins – trailblazers who were left out of our history of medicine textbooks but made remarkable contributions.
I always enjoy spending time with our students. The annual Webber Prize luncheon is a very special event—a time to recognize the late Dean Frank Webber, for whom the prize is named, and a time to celebrate our student prize winners. I was delighted to meet with the awardees and their mentors: First Place – Kendall Masada, mentored by Dr. KuoJen Tsao (Pediatric Surgery), “Part of the Team: Parent Engagement in the Surgical Safety Checklist;” Second Place – Michael Joseph, mentored by Dr. Mary Austin (Pediatric Surgery), “The Impact of Racial/Ethnic Disparities on Survival for Children and Young Adults with Chest Wall Sarcoma: A Population-Based Study;” and Third Place – Peter Yu, mentored by Dr. Tien C. Ko and Dr. Yanna Cao (Surgery), “Opposing Effects of TGF-β and BMP2 on MicroRNA-200b and Pancreatic Fibrosis.” Each of these students spoke briefly about their projects and the implications of their work, a reminder that we are training wonderful young physicians at McGovern Medical School—and that the future of medicine is bright.
Warm regards,
Barbara
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