journal for minority medical students career issue 2010

Charter Members 2010

These special friends of the Journal for Minority Medical Students have demonstrated their commitment to reach out to minority medical students by placing their recruitment messages in each quarterly issue.

We salute them and encourage our readers to consider these programs as they continue their medical education.

F O R M I N O R I T Y M E D I C A L S T U D E N T S®

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Pediatrics

Boston Medical Center

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Cedars-Sinai Medical Genetics Institute

Aurora Health Care

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

UAB School of Medicine

U.S. Navy

U.S. Army

U.S. Commissioned Corps

University of Michigan Medical Center

UPMC Mercy

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Vanderbilt School of Medicine Office of Diversity

Office of Minority Health U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services

Summa Health System

MSU / Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies

Mount Sinai School of Medicine/ Elmhurst Hospital Center

Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Jefferson Medical College

Kaiser Permanente California

Harvard Medical School Minority Faculty Development Program

Medical College of Wisconsin

Association of American Medical Colleges

47 Journal for Minority Medical Students

The nation’s third largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, the North Shore-LongIsland Jewish Health System provides care for people at all stages of illness throughoutLong Island, Queens and Staten Island – a service area encompassing more than fivemillion people. The health system includes 15 hospitals, four long-term care facilities, amedical research institute, three trauma centers, five home health agencies and dozens ofout-patient centers. North Shore-LIJ facilities house more than 5,576 beds, and are staffedby over 7,000 physicians, 7,000 nurses and a total workforce of more than 35,000 – thelargest employer on Long Island and the ninth largest in New York City.

Office of Academic AffairsTelephone: 516-465-3192

Fax: 516-465-3190www.northshorelij.com

North Shore Long Island Jewish Health SystemNorth Shore Long Island Jewish Health SystemA Major Academic Health System

Dedicated to Patient Care, Teaching and Research

For further information:

Allergy & Immunology

Colon & Rectal Surgery

Diagnostic Radiology

Emergency Medicine

Family Practice

General Practice Dentistry

General Surgery

Internal Medicine

Neurology

Nuclear Medicine

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Ophthalmology

Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Orthopaedic Surgery

Osteopathic Family Practice

Osteopathic Neurological Surgery

Neuromusculoskeletal

Pathology

Pediatric Dental Medicine

Pediatrics

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Podiatric Medicine

Psychiatry

Thoracic Surgery

Urology

Vascular Surgery

9773-11-05

on the cover

“Yellow Hat”by Laurie Cooper

Philadelphia artist Laurie Cooper is known for her strik-ing images of Face Realities. Cooper went to the University of Arts for her bachelors and received her master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. After that, she has been pub-lishing prints with Collectible Art and Frames, a publisher and distributor of popular African American art located in Center City, Philadelphia.

the MAtch issue vol. 22, no. 3

Features35 The Careers issue intro

38 Doctor Rules: six important Things to Know about Your

Future Medical Practice by Rob Lamberts, MD38

Match 2010 Profile: Michelle L. Aguillar, university

of Arizona

37 Primcare Care: A Day in the Life

38 Primary Care by the Numbers

40 What Does the New DHHs Primary Care Funding

Cover?

42 How Do Community Health Centers Fit into the New

Health Care Law?

45 Primary Care Profiles: Jessica A. Wilson, MD

48 Primary Care Profiles: uyi Osaseri, MD

49 Primary Care Profiles: Mark Beaumont, MD

Perspectives6 Publisher’s Page

9 AAMC Perspective by Laura Castillo-Page , PhD and

sarah schoolcraft

13 AMA Perspective

21 sNMA Perspective

23 AMsA Perspective by Drew Lee

27 The surgeon General’s Report by Regina M. Benjamin,

MD, MBA

31 Health Disparities Report

Special reportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood institute

fmignet.aafp.org

you always wanted to be.BE THE DOCTOR

My family medicine training gave me the skills I need to create sustainable solutions where they are needed most.

medicine

MYPASSION:global health

MYCALLING:family

JoUrnAl For MInorItY MeDIcAl StUDentS

PUBLISHERBill Bowers

EDITOR-In-cHIEf Laura L. Scholes

[email protected]

cOnTRIBUTIng WRITER John Dunn, MD

SEnIOR AccOUnT EXEcUTIVES Amy c. Harrison , Anna Xiong

cAMPUS REP LIAISOn Leea Royal

ART DIREcTOR Kate Hunt

cOPy EDITOR Robert Blue

MARKETIng DIREcTOR Erica Perkins

PUBLISHER’S ADVISOR Michelle Perkins, MD

EXEcUTIVE ASSISTAnT to the PUBLISHER

Leea Royal

SPectrUM heAlthcAre DIverSItY & InForMAtIcS

PRIncIPAL InVESTIgATOR Bill Bowers

VIcE PRESIDEnT Of OPERATIOnS Tamika goins

SEnIOR DEVELOPER/DBA Robin Shriver

TEcHnIcAL ADVISOR naresh Kumar

cOnTRAcT MAnAgER Lorry Rome

PROJEcT cOORDInATOR Amita gavalas

FACT: With care and attention, you can be a great parent and a great surgeon.

MYTH: You can forget about raising a familywhen you pursue a career in orthopaedics.

The truth is, being an orthopaedic surgeon is hard work. So is being a parent. But there’s no reason you can’t manage both with careful attention to organization and time management. So, if you’re driven to help restore patients to a higher quality of life, you have the beginning of what it takes to succeed.

Our unique mentoring programs connect you with experienced orthopaedic surgeons who can person-ally guide you forward. We invite you to go online for all the information and resources to get started. You’ll discover it’s easier than you realized.

MYTH: You can forget about raising a familywhen you pursue a career in orthopaedics.

Choose a career in Orthopaedics—our special mentoring programs offer personalized guidance and support to help you realize your dreams.

For more information, visit aaos.org/diversity or email [email protected]

J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic SocietyA MultiCultural Organization

The AAOS extends sincere appreciation to Zimmer for its charitable contribution.


PUBLISHER’S PAgE

By Bill Bowers, Publisher, Journal for Minority Medical Students

Working Together to End Disparitiesspectrum joins forces with NiMHD to launch informatics center

his issue of the Journal is always a celebration of people just like you who decided to follow their

dreams. Along our 20-year journey, Spectrum Publishers has helped to guide minority medical students toward successful medical career paths and has become a leader in healthcare informatics disseminating health dis-parity information. The National In-stitute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) recognized our strength in this area by awarding Spec-trum a grant to develop the National Health Disparities Research Coordi-nating Center (NHDRCC).

Why informatics? And what does informatics have to do with health care? As a resource used to optimize, store, and retrieve pertinent data on health and biomedicine, informatics is key to addressing health disparities. Health disparities are an epidemic among minorities, affecting communi-ties and healthcare providers, includ-ing you! Have you ever asked yourself why so many minorities are stricken with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, HIV, and cancer? What are the forces that drive health disparities among minorities? Who is addressing the is-sues amongst the communities? With the goal of eliminating health dispari-ties, NIMHD was established by the Minority Health and Health Dispari-ties Research and Education Act to

address health disparities and research the causes. NIMHD is responsible by law to coordinate research and activi-ties based on the NIH strategic plan. Under this strategic plan, Spectrum has been awarded funding for the creation of the NHDRCC.

The goal of NHDRCC is to provide a complex relational data-base containing records of research and other related work in the area of health disparities. At the core of this goal is the compilation of a com-

pendium of all the minority health research data. Spectrum has designed and begun implementing the database to achieve this goal, as well as disseminate pertinent information to various stakeholders throughout the United States.

The future dissemination plan of the National Health Dispari-ties Research Coordinating Center (NHDRCC) will continue to expand the database with ongoing data collec-tion functionality, increasing research results, and providing a browse facility. Once the NHDRCC has reached the goals of the strategic plan objective to enhance information dissemination activities on health disparities research, it will be transferred to the NIMHD for further development.

The informatics team at Spec-trum has worked extremely hard and diligently on the development of the NHDRCC. We celebrate our contri-bution to minority health disparities research, and express gratitude to the healthcare providers, community, policy makers, and scientists who are determined to help fix what is broken in health care for minority communi-ties. Along with the National Health Disparities Research Coordinating Center (NHDRCC), let’s build on what works!

T

Bill Bowers

Spectrum Joins the Fight to End Health DisparitiesSpectrum Healthcare Diversity & Informat-ics, publisher of The Young Scientist, was recently awarded a contract through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to develop a centralized computer database. This database will enhance our efforts to encourage students to enter and serve in the challenging fields of science, bioscience, and other research areas that allow them to fight and eliminate health disparities.

We encourage all those involved in research through NIH to share their experiences with us. For more information, please visit www.spectrumunlimited.com.

Medical Students:A Career In PediatricsCan Open Up New Doors

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a membership opportunity for medical students.The AAP offers many benefits, both general and specific to medical students, including: Affiliate membership in the Resident Section Free admission to the AAP National Conference & Exhibition (NCE) Discounts on all AAP products and services Pediatrics 101—a resource guide from the AAP Online Resources

- An e-newsletter for medical students,- Medical Student Listserv®,- Access to the YoungPeds Network

And much, much more!

For information please contact us at:[email protected] or call Julie Raymond at(800) 433-9016 ext. 7137 orvisit www.aap.org/ypn

Our MissiOnMichigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies is a university and community partnership driven by a team of dedicated professionals committed to provide excellence in graduate, undergraduate and continuing medical education, knowledgeable and caring service, and research.

Our VisiOnMichigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies will excel in providing quality medical education. We will deliver expert, responsive patient care and pursue innovative research.

Our ValuesCompassionate ServiceLeadershipLifelong LearningTeamworkCommitment to Excellence

michigan state university kalamazoo center for medical studies

At MSU/KCMS, we realize that being an exceptional physician means having a balance between the personal and professional areas of your life. Our mission is to help you achieve your clinical and academic goals in a truly supportive environment. More than 180 residents take part in our residency programs and have exposure to the broadest range of health care. Our partnership with award-winning Level One Trauma Centers means that from newborns to the elderly, you will have patient diversity that will allow for you to develop your skills to their fullest.

At MSU/KCMS, you will have opportunities to participate in a variety of research projects. We are proud of our numerous awards and grants and our faculty that understands the correlation between great research and great patient care.

At MSU/KCMS, with quality of education comes quality of life. Almost half our residents own their own homes in a region that has been ranked as one of the best places in America to live. The “Kalamazoo Promise”—which provides free college tuition for students completing K–12 in the Kalamazoo Public Schools—low cost of living, clean air and an abundance of recreation means your hours outside of MSU/KCMS will be as fulfilling as those inside.

www.kcms.msu.edu · (800) ASK-KCMS

MSU/KCMS offers fully accredited programs in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Orthopaedic Surgery, Medicine-Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, and Transitional Year.

MSU/KCMS also offers an Osteopathic Traditional Internship and dually accredited AOA/ACGME Family Medicine and Internal Medicine residencies.

AAMCperspective

any of you may have dreamed of becoming doctors in grade school,

while the realization of the possibility came much later for others. You may have been inspired to pursue medicine after being cared for by a compassionate doctor or from witnessing health dispari-ties in your community. Regardless, we’re delighted you’re interested in the medi-cal profession! Research has consistently shown that diversity enhances medical edu-cation, and employing a diverse physician workforce is a useful strategy in achieving healthcare equity.

There is still a need for a larger physician workforce, and shortages in some specialties and geographic areas are especially pronounced. However, there are other careers in medicine essential to building a competent physician workforce that are often overlooked. For instance, there is growing recognition to develop a culturally competent and sensitive aca-demic medicine workforce to train the next generation of physicians to address the di-verse healthcare needs of our national and global patient population. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Hispanic Center of Excellence at

the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein-HCOE) have jointly launched an initiative to better prepare students to enter this academic medicine workforce. Their study, “Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians,” is currently in the process of data collection. The research-ers have been surveying and interviewing medical students, residents, and faculty

to investigate personal and professional experiences that have influenced their interest or disinterest in an academic medi-cine career. In addition, the researchers hope to identify ways in which to enhance professional development training and opportunities for marginalized medical stu-dents and residents interested in academic medicine careers.

The Next Generation of Academic Physicians By Laura Castillo-Page, PhD, and Sarah Schoolcraft

M

Journal for Minority Medical Students 9

Laura Castillo-Page, PhD Sarah Schoolcraft

David Geffen School ofMedicine at UCLA

David Geffen School ofMedicine at UCLA

Committed to:Committed to:

For additional information contactThe Office of Academic Enrichment and Outreach, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,

PO Box 956990, Los Angeles CA 90095 (310) 825-3575www.medstudent.ucla.edu/prospective

The best medical education is personal………..………come home to UCLA!The best medical education is personal………..………come home to UCLA!

DiversityDiversity

ExcellenceExcellence

• Superior recruitment, retention and graduation record• 2005 Entering Class: 12% African American; 15% Latino

and 1% Native American• Strong alumni and mentor network• Affiliated hospitals and clinics providing one of the most

broad and diverse medical training programs available• Celebrations of diversity including exhibits,

distinguished guest lectures, multi-media and theatrical events, traditional food shares and film festivals

• Comprehensive premedical outreach and academic pro-grams

• Outreach to designated health manpower shortage areasand communities

• Superior recruitment, retention and graduation record• 2005 Entering Class: 12% African American; 15% Latino

and 1% Native American• Strong alumni and mentor network• Affiliated hospitals and clinics providing one of the most

broad and diverse medical training programs available• Celebrations of diversity including exhibits,

distinguished guest lectures, multi-media and theatrical events, traditional food shares and film festivals

• Comprehensive premedical outreach and academic pro-grams

• Outreach to designated health manpower shortage areasand communities

• Ranked among the top ten U.S. medical schools*.• UCLA Medical Center, judged "Best in the West" and

in the top five nationally*• More students at UCLA honored with the prestigious

McLean and Cadbury Awards than at any other medical school (Awarded annually by NationalMedical Fellowships, Inc. to the number one and thenumber two graduating minority student in the nation)

• Instruction and mentoring by distinguished, award-winning faculty

• Research fellowships and training programs• Small group sessions, guided by faculty, demonstrate

the relationship between course material and clinicalapplication

• Combined degree programs with other UCLAprofessional schools (Law, Management, Public Healthand Public Policy)

*U.S. News and World Report

• Ranked among the top ten U.S. medical schools*.• UCLA Medical Center, judged "Best in the West" and

in the top five nationally* • More students at UCLA honored with the prestigious

McLean and Cadbury Awards than at any other medical school (Awarded annually by NationalMedical Fellowships, Inc. to the number one and thenumber two graduating minority student in the nation)

• Instruction and mentoring by distinguished, award-winning faculty

• Research fellowships and training programs• Small group sessions, guided by faculty, demonstrate

the relationship between course material and clinicalapplication

• Combined degree programs with other UCLAprofessional schools (Law, Management, Public Healthand Public Policy)

*U.S. News and World Report

This initiative has received support from organizations such as the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the National Hispanic Medical Associa-tion (NHMA), the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), the American Medi-cal Association (AMA) the National Medi-cal Association (NMA), and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. These organizations serve essential roles as platforms to bring students from all backgrounds together to network, obtain information, and provide mutual support. The support of these organizations illustrates the widespread commitment to promote, build, and strengthen the academic medicine work-force, and to ensure health equity for all.

As with any career, there are factors that might make academic medicine challenging. Pressure to perform multiple duties (research, teaching, serving on committees, serving as mentors, etc.), might make it difficult to secure grant funding and publish articles. This, in turn, might complicate or prolong the tenure process. Additionally, pressure to pay off

student loans makes careers in academia less appealing.

However, there are multiple benefits to choosing a career in academic medi-cine. Participants in the pilot focus group indicated a desire to counteract the per-sistent paucity of minorities in academic medicine, and increase diversity among all levels of academia. Furthermore, research has indicated that diversity among physi-cian scientists helps broaden the research agenda to focus on diseases dispropor-tionately impacting typically underserved populations.1,2 Members of the pilot focus group indicated that this opportunity was a benefit of a career in academia. Ad-ditionally, participants mentioned the importance of having faculty from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds to serve as mentors and role models for aspiring physicians and physician scientists, and expressed pride in seeing a diverse medical school faculty.

It is never too late to consider a career in academic medicine! The contributions made to the training of

the future generation of physicians, are significant and worthwhile. It is the hope of the AAMC and Einstein-HCOE that institutions will change or create poli-cies to foster diversity among all ranks of academia, that faculty from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds will have a supportive peer group, as well as access to role models and mentors, and that students will be exposed to the benefits of a career in academic medicine. NOTES 1. NIEHS News. Making More Minority Scientists. Environmental Health Perspectives. 1997;105(2). (http://www.ehponline.org/docs/1997/105-2/niehsnews.html) Accessed April 28, 2010. 2. Powell K. Beyond the glass ceiling. Nature; 448:29-100.

A physiatrist is a doctor who treats medical conditions that can cause pain or limit function. Also called physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians, physiatrists provide a full spectrum of care from diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation to restore maximum health and quality of life. This multidisciplinary specialty approach allows us to treat a wide range of patients from children to adults in an inpatient and/or outpatient setting. The physiatrist diagnoses and treats congenital anomalies, amputations, cerebral palsy, back and neck pain, spinal cord injury and other function limiting conditions. Physiatrists perform electromyography/nerve conduction studies, write prescriptions for physical/occupational therapy, wheelchairs, braces and prostheses; and various types of spine injections.

Physiatrists treat conditions of the bones, muscles, joints, brain and nervous system, which can affect other systems of the body and limit a person’s ability to function. Example: A 56-year-old man has a stroke, leaving him temporarily unable to work and depressed. His physiatrist designs a comprehensive rehabilitation program, working with a neurologist to evaluate the brain’s adjustment to stroke, an occupational therapist to work on regaining motor skills, and a psychologist to help the man cope with his depression.

Physiatrists treat people, not just symptoms. By evaluating the impact of a condition on the whole person – medically, socially, emotionally and vocationally, the physiatrist help their patients understand and take control of their health.

AAMCperspective


Research has indicated that diversity among physi-cian scientists helps broaden the research agenda to focus on diseases disproportionately impacting typically underserved populations.

A physiatrist is a doctor who treats medical conditions that can cause pain or limit function. Also called physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians, physiatrists provide a full spectrum of care from diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation to restore maximum health and quality of life. This multidisciplinary specialty approach allows us to treat a wide range of patients from children to adults in an inpatient and/or outpatient setting. The physiatrist diagnoses and treats congenital anomalies, amputations, cerebral palsy, back and neck pain, spinal cord injury and other function limiting conditions. Physiatrists perform electromyography/nerve conduction studies, write prescriptions for physical/occupational therapy, wheelchairs, braces and prostheses; and various types of spine injections.

Physiatrists treat conditions of the bones, muscles, joints, brain and nervous system, which can affect other systems of the body and limit a person’s ability to function. Example: A 56-year-old man has a stroke, leaving him temporarily unable to work and depressed. His physiatrist designs a comprehensive rehabilitation program, working with a neurologist to evaluate the brain’s adjustment to stroke, an occupational therapist to work on regaining motor skills, and a psychologist to help the man cope with his depression.

Physiatrists treat people, not just symptoms. By evaluating the impact of a condition on the whole person – medically, socially, emotionally and vocationally, the physiatrist help their patients understand and take control of their health.

Socially Responsible and Financially Just Global Health Education Programs since1992

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Apply Online Todaywww.cfhi.org

Bolivia – Ecuador – India – Mexico – South Africa“Sure I got credit for my time in India and the clinical work might help me get into medical school. However, the mentality I have developed, my heightened perception of others, an appreciation of diversity and a newfound patience with life are the most important things I will take away from this experience.” Nicole Tierney, Infectious Diseases in Mumbai, India

AMA perspective

t can be very therapeutic to step back from the busy daily routine of life

and take stock of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to go. As I reflect back on my own personal challenges, my accomplishments, and my failures in life, I would hope that my “self-therapy” can also serve as an inspi-ration to others.

At almost age 40, I know about half of what I knew at age 18. At 18, I knew for certain that a) I’d found the man of my dreams, b) I wanted to begin a family, and c) my father had absolutely no clue about anything.

I eloped during my first year in col-lege. Three years later, with three babies on one side and my pride on the other, I returned home. My father assisted me as I began to build a life as a single parent and struggling college student.

A year after returning home, I gradu-ated with a bachelor’s degree in psychol-ogy and eventually accepted a position as a mental health worker on a psychiatric unit. I found myself fascinated by the pa-tients and personally fulfilled by providing care to a disenfranchised group. I would try to discuss my observations with the treating psychiatrist, but he’d regularly

dismiss me. I’d watch as patients stood single file in the unit’s hallway for their meeting with the psychiatrist as he read a list of possible side effects and completed a checklist. There was no eye contact, no attempt to discover more about the pa-tient’s struggle, and absolutely no privacy.

I vividly remember one day, I stood in line beside a patient who was strug-gling in his repeated attempts to start a dialogue with the psychiatrist, who made no effort to listen. When I tried to help the patient communicate his needs, the psychiatrist looked me straight in the eye and said, “If you think you can do it bet-ter, then go to medical school.” He stood and walked away. I never saw him again, but every day I thank him. He inspired me to stop standing on the sideline and go to the forefront.

My father, to my surprise, wasn’t that excited about my decision to apply for medical school, since the chances of be-ing accepted and graduating — with three young children—were marginal at best. But I was determined. I completed the pre-med requisites at night school. After entering medical school with so much idealism I soon was squashed by the demands of rigorous courses and limited time. Luckily, I found daycare on campus so I could attend classes, but finding time to study at night was difficult.

When my father realized I was deter-mined to succeed, however, he began to offer daycare assistance while I studied. He was unable to assist financially so I ac-

I did it–you can too!By Dionne Hart, MD, Governing Council, Minority Affairs Consortium

I


Dionne Hart, MD


AMAperspective

cepted a service-related scholarship from the National Health Service Corps.

My dream was slowly becoming a reality when my father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I immediately made an effort to assist in his care while continu-ing school but later became his full-time caregiver. After his death, I didn’t believe I had the strength or support to finish, but to my surprise, many offered to help, and some (like that psychiatrist who told me to go to medical school if I could do better) provided inadvertent motivation through their efforts to dissuade me.

With the assistance of so many peo-ple, I graduated from medical school and completed a psychiatry residency program at Mayo Clinic. Today, for the first time in my adult life, I live alone as my children pursue their own educational goals. To honor those who showed me compassion and support, I have dedicated my life to assisting the mentally ill as their advocate, confidante, and medical provider.

I overcame many challenges to be-come a psychiatrist, and I believe anyone who wants to follow in my footsteps can do so as well. Remember, be determined,

but not hardened; stay strong, but rely on friends and family to help you; and learn the science of medicine, but master the art of patient communication—the true center of doctoring.

Dr. Hart is a psychiatrist in practice in Rochester, Minnesota. She is an active member of the American Medical Association and sits on the Governing Council, Minority Affairs Consortium. In August 2010, she will complete her service obligation to the National Health Service Corps. Her children are pur-suing careers in healthcare, social work, and criminal justice.

AMA Foundation promotes

diversity and alleviates debt

The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation is currently accept-ing nominations for the 2010 Minority Scholars Award. This program is presented in association with the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium, with support from Pfizer Inc. Scholarships in the amount of $10,000 are granted to first or second year medical stu-dents from historically under-represented groups in the medical profession and recog-nize scholastic achievement, financial need, community involvement and personal commitment to improving minority health. Started in 2004, the program has provided over $600,000 in scholarships to individuals who are dedi-cated to the elimination of healthcare disparities. How to apply: Applications are available in February, 2011; deadlinefor submissions is April 15, 2011. Accredited medicalschools in the UnitedStates can submit up to twonominations per institution.

I have dedicated my life to assist-ing the mentally ill as their advocate, confidante, and medicalprovider.

OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS/DIVERSITY

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) recognizes the importance of allowing its medical students the opportunity to exchange ideas with others who have talents, backgrounds, viewpoints, experiences and interests different from their own. To this end, the Medical College is committed to the recruitment, admission and graduation of talented students from diverse backgrounds.

SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS

Academic programs are offered to local high school, resident and non‐resident college level students through a series of educational pipeline programs. The Diversity Summer Health‐related Research Education Program (DSHREP) allows undergraduate, graduate and medical students from diverse backgrounds, the opportunity to engage in a ten‐week summer fellowship for students interested in the areas of cardiovascular, pulmonary and hematological research. The program is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Lung and Blood Division and offers a monthly stipend to participants.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

The Office of Student Affairs/Diversity has implemented several new initiatives to support your successful study here at MCW and to provide enrichment experiences. We have a student counselor who is available to you whenever you need academic, personal or other counseling. We also have our Academic and Career Development Specialist, who provides tutoring in areas such as study skills, test‐taking strategies and helps develop a board preparation course, ensuring students’ ability to master the basic and clinical sciences.

STUDENT SUPPORT GROUPS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Student National Medical Association (SNMA) La Raza Medical Association (LaRaMA)

American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)

Applicant Host Program (AHP)

MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN AFFILIATED HOSPITALS, INC (MCWAH)

The Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals (MCWAH) is a consortium that was established in 1980 to facilitate the administration of Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs conducted jointly by the Medical College of Wisconsin in conjunction with 10 health care institutions in the greater Milwaukee area; specifically Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin are directly located on the campus grounds. In addition, MCWAH ensures the accreditation of its training programs by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Currently, MCWAH employs 800 housestaff in 75 accredited residency and fellowship programs.

For more information contact

Dawn St. A. Bragg, PhD Assistant Dean

Student Affairs/Diversity (414) 456-8734

Trenace L. Cole Recruiter/Student Counselor

Student Affairs/Diversity (414) 456-8735

email: [email protected]

Karen Shanahan, M.S. Ed. Academic & Career

Development Specialist Student Affairs/Diversity

(414) 456-8583 [email protected]


LMSAperspective

raditionally, many of the health professions student associations have

focused on diversifying the healthcare workforce by promoting mentorship and pipeline programs. The basis is to promote one-on-one attention that will lead to the success of students from diverse back-grounds. The ultimate goal is that by diver-sifying the healthcare workforce, the medi-cal needs of underserved communities will be better addressed. Yet in these efforts many of us have overlooked the impact of finances on meeting this ultimate goal.

A 2008 AAMC study on parental income1 of US medical students reported the beginning of an undesirable trend in which the number of matriculates from the top quintile of parental income increased from 50.8% in 2000 to 55.2% in 2005 (Fig.1). Note that this study is based solely on those matriculates reporting their parental income for financial aid purposes. Therefore, those who did not need finan-cial aid presumably come from families that can afford to pay their entire medical education and thus are at a higher bracket of income than the average top quintile on this graph. This skew could potentially cre-ate a state in which the medical profession

becomes elitist and medical graduates will opt out of serving in underserved areas or choosing a primary care specialty. Further-more, by having medical students coming from the top quintiles of society, the racial and socioeconomic diversity of the profes-

sion will be greatly affected. Another 2008 study by the AAMC2 reported that under-represented minorities (URM) begin with a disadvantage of increased debt prior to entering medical school. In 2007, 44% of African Americans and 39.2% of Hispan-ics owed $25,000 or more in premedical school debt. Whites and Asians reported the lowest percentages of overall premedi-cal schools debt, presumably because of the availability of their financial resources from their families. This will greatly impact underserved communities, in that both African-Americans and Hispanics tend to favor at greater rates practicing in an underserved communities in contrast to both whites and Asians. If we look at the educational debt from medical school, the picture gets worse.

The cost of medical education in the United States has dramatically increased over the last 30 years, by approximately 400% at private schools and 250% at public institutions. The AAMC reported in 2007, that graduating medical student debt was increasing at an annual rate of 6.9% and 5.9% in public and private schools, respectively3. In contrast, physi-cian compensation has modestly increased

Educational Debt How it affects the medical workforce diversity and underserved communities By Alvaro E. Galvis

T

Alvaro E Galvis

Vanderbilt School of Medicine is seeking to bring the best residents, fellows and faculty from all ethnic, racial and gender groups into this great Medical center. As we broaden our reach, you will enrich our environment and make Vanderbilt a leader in promoting people of diverse backgrounds.

We invite you to visit Vanderbilt and learn more regarding our training programs or visit our website at www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/gmediversity.

U.S. News & World Report listed Vanderbilt Medical center 16th on its 2009 “Honor Roll” of hospitals, a tribute reserved for a select group of institutions labeled the “best of the best.”

Vanderbilt is the third fastest growing health sciences center in the country in research funding.

The Monroe carell Jr. children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has been ranked no. 15 on a listing of best children’s hospitals in the U.S. by Parents magazine, the third national accolade earned by the hospital this year.

Our office supports the Minority House Staff for Academic and Medical Advancement (MHAMA), an organization of Vanderbilt house staff and advi

sors. See website: www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/mhama.

contact us by e-mail at [email protected] call 615-343-7958

André L. Churchwell, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine (cardiology)Associate Dean for Diversity in graduateMedical Education and faculty AffairsVanderbilt University School of Medicine

Major strength lies in the quality of our faculty, residents and students

OffIcE fOR DIVERSITyHOUSE STAff AnD fAcULTy AffAIRS

www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/gmediversity


by 2.6% from 2001-2006. This currently means that based on the average physi-cian salary of $216,000 (before taxes), monthly loan payments can represent anywhere from 8.8% (in MEDLOANS) to 14% (Federal Loans) of their income. However, this average physician salary is significantly higher than most primary care physicians earn, which can be 30% less, and significantly lower than most special-ties (an average of 16% more). The 2025 projection of overall shortage of 124,000 physicians will not affect medical disci-plines equally and it is expected that 37% of the shortage will be in primary care (PC)4, presumably because educational debt is the driving force behind graduat-ing medical students choosing the higher paying specialties. Furthermore, not all communities will be affected equally. Rural and urban underserved communities will be much more greatly impacted than their affluent counterparts, again because of the financial compensation

What are we to do?A new commitment to advocacy

needs to be established by the various health profession associations and its allies (e.g., LMSA, SNMA, AMSA, PAMSA) to oppose any further increase in tuition fees at all levels of post-secondary educa-tion, from community colleges all the way to medical school. We must begin to promote the idea that education, diversity, and healthcare cannot be separate issues. Further changes to the recently passed healthcare reform must include increased financial aid via scholarships and grants for students that belong to the lower quintile of income, and increased funding to finan-cial incentive programs in medical educa-tion (such as long repayment programs or service-requiring scholarships).

LMSAperspective

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REFERENCES

1. Jolly P. Diversity of U.S. Medical Students by Parental Income. Analysis in Brief. Washington, DC: AAMC. 2008 Jan;8(1).

2. Castillo-Page L. Diversity in Medical Education Facts and Figures 2008. Washington, DC: AAMC Diversity Policy and Programs. 2008.

3. Jolly, P. Medical School Tuition and Young Physician Indebtedness. An update of the 2004 Report. Washington, DC: AAMC. 2007 Oct.

4. Dill M, Salsbert E. The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections through 2025. Washington, DC: AAMC. 2008 Nov.

We must begin to promote the idea that education, diversity, and health care cannot be separate issues.

Figure 1: Parental Income of Entering Medical Students in U.S. Medical Schools by Quintiles of U.S. Household Income, 1987-2005

VISITING RESEARCH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (VRIP)

Sponsored by the Harvard Catalyst Program for Faculty Development and Diversity, VRIP is an 8-week mentored summer research program open to 1st and 2nd year U.S. medical students, particularly underrepresented minority and/or disadvantaged individuals from accredited U.S. medical schools. VRIP is designed to enrich medical students’ interest in research and health-related careers, particularly clinical/translational research careers. VRIP offers students housing as well as a stipend and transportation reimbursement for travel to and from Boston. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Noncitizen Nationals or Permanent Residents of U.S.

For more information on Harvard Catalyst programs please contact:Vera Yanovsky, Program CoordinatorPhone: 617-432-1892E-mail: [email protected] Site: www.mfdp.med.harvard.edu/catalyst

Medical Student Programs at Harvard Medical School

Boston, Massachusetts

VISITING CLERKSHIP PROGRAM (VCP)

Sponsored by the Harvard Medical School Minority Faculty Development Program, VCP is open to 4th-year and last quarter 3rd-year minority medical students in good standing at U.S. accredited medical schools who wish to participate in a clerkship in any discipline at Harvard Medical School (HMS) affiliated hospitals. Housing and financial assistance towards transportation expenses to and from Boston are available. Students are assigned a faculty advisor, provided the potential to network with HMS residency training programs and have access to the medical school library, seminars and workshops. Clerkships are offered year-round. Applications must be submitted 3-6 months in advance of the desired rotation.

For more information please contact:Jo Cole, Program CoordinatorPhone: 617-432-4422E-mail: [email protected] Site: www.mfdp.med.harvard.edu

Program Director:Joan Y. Reede, MD, MPH, MBA

Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership Associate Professor of Medicine

Harvard Medical School

UAB SNMA Members Mix Haircuts with Healthcare

SnMA perspective


uring her second week as a UAB medical student, Whitney McNeil

was performing a blood-sugar check when she got a shock. Instead of providing a numeric value, the glucose meter simply read “high.” She alerted her supervisor,

who told the patient to go straight to the emergency room. “I was worried that he might not make it,” McNeil says.

Barbershops provide a relaxed at-mosphere for health screenings. Assistant Dean Anjanetta Foster (middle) and medi-

cal student Whitney McNeil (right) attend to a patient in downtown Birmingham.

The procedure was unusual for another reason- it didn’t take place in a medical facility. McNeil’s patient was in a Birmingham barbershop.

Barbershops provide a relaxed atmosphere for health screenings. Assistant Dean Anjanetta Foster (middle) and medical student Whitney McNeil (right) attend to a patient in downtown Birmingham.

D

SnMA


perspective

This screening and others like it are part of a volunteer effort organized by UAB School of Medicine chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA). The chapter conducts communi-ty-based health screenings for hypertension and diabetes, and its members counsel the public about preventing and treating these common, sometimes avoidable conditions.

SNMA members often seek locations like barbershops and beauty salons—places where people “just relax and hang out,” says McNeil, the SNMA chapter president. There the doctors-in-training also find a ready audience of mainly African-Ameri-can patrons, owners and employees.

And it provides a less intimidating ex-perience for patients, who often feel more at ease with a doctor of their own race, says Anjanetta Foster, MD, assistant dean for diversity and multicultural affairs, who also volunteers.

“Blacks are disproportionately affected by the consequences of high blood pres-sure,” says Foster. “We often see a lack of understanding about how to treat it or why it should be treated.”

The student outreach brings care to individuals who rarely, if ever, receive it.

This past year, the group conducted screen-ings for the Labor Day weekend March for Health Equity in Selma and Montgomery. “We found people who hadn’t been to a doctor in 30 years. It’s not that they don’t want to go; there’s just no access,” McNeil says.

At the barbershop screenings, most people have health insurance, “but they often have health concerns they just don’t want to think about,” McNeil says. “We help open their eyes and make them realize they need to see a doctor.”

The students point out opportuni-ties for free and low-cost health care, such as the M-Power Clinic, which involves volunteers from the SOM’s Equal Access Birmingham group. They also steer high-risk patients to the emergency room, as Foster did at a recent screening where two women were found to have near stroke-level blood pressure.

Encouraging diversityThe SNMA also organizes the annual

Teen Summit for more than 100 Birming-ham-area high-school students. The one-day event includes preparation assistance for the ACT college entrance

exam, meetings with college representa-tives, and a forum with doctors, lawyers and other professionals.

The summit’s broad goal is to prepare teens for college, but it also helps dispel any doubts about pursuing a health-care career.

“We’ve had teens say, ‘I was told by a coun-selor that I should become an engineer, but I’ve always wanted to be a doctor,’ “ says Foster, who works to identify, recruit, and retain minority medical students. Without this experience, a potential physician could have been lost, she says.

McNeil, who grew up in Birmingham, says these activities “changed how I think about medicine.” She feels that the group is making a definite difference in the city.

“We’re the ones who need to make people aware of what’s going on in these communities,” she says. “If we don’t do it, who will?”

Foster agrees: “If the students go out and affect one person’s life, they can say, ‘I’ve accomplished something today.’”

We found people who hadn’t been to a doctor in 30 years. It’s not that they don’t want to go; there’s just no access.

Health Equity Leadership Institute 2010:Preparing Future Physicians to become Future LeadersBy Drew Lee, AMSA Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Health (REACH) Education Coordinator

n the midst of our busy schedules and academic lives, 21 medical and pre-

medical students gathered in Washington DC to explore topics in health equity at this year’s Health Equity Leadership Institute (HELI). I was fortunate to be one of the few individuals selected to participate in this three-day crash course on medical advocacy, in which I learned various advocacy skills and formed lasting friendships with others who share a simi-lar passion for health equity as I do.

Like many of my peers, I entered medical school in order to become an advocate for my patients. I began my first day of medical school excited to explore topics in health equity and social justice, only to quickly find out that the topics I wished to cover and the skills I wished to develop were often beyond the scope of the medical curriculum. As a result, I began reading up on the literature, at-tending various talks, and getting involved wherever I could. I felt it was important

to develop the necessary knowledge and skills now, in order to become the best physician-advocate I can be for my

patients in the future. However, without any specific direction, I found myself overwhelmed by the amount of issues that needed to be addressed, and I wanted to know what else I could do to become a better, more efficient advocate. This is when I came across the HELI applica-tion. For those who may be in a similar situation as I was, I would like to share a glimpse of what I learned during this one-of-a kind experience.

Advocacy Requires a Little Courage

Even before arriving in Washington, DC, I could tell I was going to learn a lot at HELI by the amount and content of the homework we received in preparation for the institute. We were assigned to read several articles, watch PBS’s Unnatural Causes, approach our deans to obtain funding to attend HELI, as well as par-ticipate in a webinar to learn about H.R. 3090: Health Equity and Accountability

i


Drew Lee

AMSAperspective

Act. Though these assignments were not incredibly difficult, we would soon find out that we would be lobbying for H.R. 3090 on Capitol Hill as the first activity of HELI! Although this was my second time lobbying, I could not help feeling a little anxious as we prepared our short spiel on why we need to increase funds for health equity. However, once we arrived on Capi-tol Hill and began talking with the staffers, the tentativeness quickly disappeared as it became apparent how much the staff-ers valued our perspective. Naturally, we began recalling different incidents of health inequities that we have personally experienced and have seen in the lives of our patients. As different members of our team told their stories, I could sense how much they also cared about health equity, and Lobby Day reminded me once

again of the importance of the dialogue between medical professionals and policy-makers in affecting change that will have a real world impact.

Advocacy Requires KnowledgeWhile most people would agree that health inequity in our medical system is not a good thing, without a general knowledge of cultural competency and general principles such as health dispar-ity vs. inequity, it is often difficult to recognize and eliminate these inequities in the clinical setting. Although it is impos-sible to become an expert on every single different ethnic and cultural group in the world, one of the key concepts in cultural competency that I gained through HELI was to avoid what novelist Chimamanda Adichie referred to as the “single story”

(TEDBlog: http://blog.ted.com/2009/10/the_danger_of_a.php). According to Adichie, the “single story” is dangerous as it does not take other viewpoints into consid-eration; but rather, interprets everything through a single lens, creating the risk for misunderstanding and in the clinical set-ting, the risk for negative health outcomes. Moreover, without the proper knowledge and research, even our best intentions can have negative effects. Without under-standing the strengths and needs of the communities we work in, we can often create more problems for the commu-nity through our efforts. As a result, we learned about Community Asset Map-ping and Participatory Models in order to engage communities, and work together for change.

AMSA perspective

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterA National Leader in PediatricsThe Cincinnati Children’s Pediatric Residency program is dedicated to quality education; outstanding patient care; innovative discovery through clinical, laboratory, and outcomes research; and advocacy for their patients and families. You’ll have the opportunity to work side-by-side with excellent residents and faculty from all over the world, and with a variety of patients from all different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. The large number of subspecialty programs at Cincinnati Children’s allows the medical center to attract a wide variety of patients, and their patient vol-ume ensures that your experience as a resident is com-prehensive. In fact, almost every aspect of a residency at Cincinnati Children’s can be tailored to meet an individual’s needs. Each year they train approximately 175 residents in a variety of programs: •Categorical Pediatrics Pediatric Primary Care Track Pediatric Research Track Global Health Track •Internal Medicine / Pediatrics •Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation / Pediatrics •Psychiatry / Child Psychiatry / Pediatrics (Triple Board) •Human Genetics / Pediatrics •Neurology / Pediatrics For more information: www.cincinnatichildrens.org

“The Cincinnati Children’s Pediatric Residency Program provides you with the opportunity to work side-by-side with ex-cellent residents from all over the world. You will work within all areas – from primary to quaternary care – with a variety of patients from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are unique in our individualized attention to each one of our resident’s needs and our dedication to family-centered care in our daily work. Upon graduation our train-ees enter outstanding fellowships and primary care positions throughout the country. We look forward to answering any of your questions and making this the best experience in your professional career.” Javier A. Gonzalez del Rey, MD, M.Ed. Director, Pediatric Residency Training Programs

Advocacy Requires networkingNeedless to say, I think passion was

a common characteristic among all the HELI participants. While some of us were passionate about ethnic inequities in health, others were fervent about topics in socioeconomic status, sexual orienta-tion, immigration, and linguistic barriers. I was fascinated by all the different projects everyone was involved in, and it really reassured me that, even through the rigors of medical school, I can find the time to be a patient advocate.

However, it is important to realize that passion without direction can lead to burnout with very little to show for one’s efforts. One way to avoid this is to network with other people who share a similar interest for health equity, rather than approaching these complex issues

on your own. At HELI, we learned many wonderful ways to network, and I realized that networking is an essential compo-nent to efficiently solving issues in health inequities. Without networking, health inequities are often too complex and mul-tifaceted for any one individual to solve. But through collaboration, we can move several steps closer to making the world a better and more equitable place to live.

In the end, HELI ended up being what I needed to develop the necessary skills to become a better advocate. I am extremely thankful to all the sup-portive deans and professors at Loyola University Chicago Stritch SOM and the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology who provided a significant portion of the funding for me to attend HELI. For those who may be passionate

about health equity and want to take the next step to becoming a better advocate, I highly recommend taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity before the end of your medical education.

Drew Lee is a MSIII at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine where he is pursuing a dual MD/MA degree in Medicine and Bioethics and Health Policy. He is cur-rently involved with several projects in health equity, global health and preventive medi-cine. In 2010-2011, Drew will be serving as AMSA’s Medical Education Coordinator for the Race, Ethnicity, & Culture in Health (REACH) Action Committee.

AMSA perspective

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VISITING ELECTIVES PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS UNDERREPRESENTED IN MEDICINE (VEPSUM)

VEPSUM offers four-week electives at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM) and its affiliates in the Graduate Medical Education Consortium to qualified 3rd-year and 4th-year medical students who are from groups underrepresented in medicine1 and who attend U.S. accredited medical schools. In collaboration with the MSSM Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs, VEPSUM is designed to increase diversity in the house staff and subsequently the faculty of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and its affiliated institutions.

Electives are available between July and February. Students must have completed their required core clerkships before starting the program.

Tuition is not charged.

Housing and travel expenses are subsidized for one month.

Students are provided the potential to network with residency program

directors, residents, minority faculty, and students, and have access to the Office of Graduate Medical Education, Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs, medical school library, seminars, and workshops.

To learn more about VEPSUM and the application process, please visit: http://www.mssm.edu/about-us/diversity/initiatives/visiting-electives-program

We look forward to receiving your application and to having you visit with us!

For more information please contact:

Adam Aponte, MD, MS at [email protected]

Monique Sylvester, MA at [email protected]

1 The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) defines groups underrepresented in medicine “those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general

population."


Finding My Way to electronic Health RecordsBy Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBAVADM, USPHS

he recent oil spill off the Gulf Coast may prove to be one of the great

environmental challenges of our lifetime. It is yet another devastating blow to the Gulf region, a place I call home. My heart goes out to the people there who are con-cerned about how this lat est disaster will affect their live lihood and their health. Though the full effects of the spill remain to be seen, already the health needs of Gulf Coast inhabitants are increasing dur-ing this time of crisis. Physicians in the area will need to adapt and find inno vative ways to efficiently deliver health care for an already underserved population. I recall my ex periences as a physician during the crises of Hurricanes Georges and Katrina and try to remember how I adapted. The day after Katrina hit, I drove through Bayou La Batre, a small fishing village on the Gulf Coast where I practiced medi-cine for 23 years. The damage didn’t look so bad when I pulled up to my clinic. However, when I opened the door, I nearly fell sick from the smell of dead fish and crabs. Furniture had been tossed around the office every which way. All the patient information—all the paper records—were ruined. I remember think-ing that I had tried to prepare for this kind of crisis and recalled that I had strongly considered moving to electronic health records (EHRs). But money was

tight, as it was for many small practices through out the country, and it even-tually came down to a choice: I could either install an EHR system or pay the electricity bill. Searching for a source of courage, I recalled the reasons I had chosen to become a family physician. Like many physicians just out of school, I believed strongly in pri-mary care—my mother, father, and brother had all died of pre ventable dis-eases. As a National Health Service Corps scholar, I now had the privilege of mak-ing a difference in a small community. Bayou La Batre was my assign ment. I was familiar with the town, since I had grown up in nearby Daphne, where my family has been since the early 1800s— the Seafood Capital of Alabama, a shrimping town, where people made their living on the water. But the sea-food industry had been hurting, which meant that there was little money for health insurance or out-of-pocket copay-ments, and more impor tant, that there weren’t enough primary care physicians. Many of my patients spent most of their time on the boats, going out for two months at a time. Skip ping from coast to coast was part of their job. I remember one pa tient who had been out for nearly three weeks and had used superglue to treat a gash on his hand. My patients had

to improvise, and they had few medi-cal options for man aging their illnesses, whether acute or chronic. I felt I had ar rived in the right place at the right time. Well, perhaps it wasn’t exactly the right time. In 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in the Gulf Coast, caus-ing over $100 million in damage to Alabama alone. My clinic was destroyed. Without a building in which to treat patients, my nurse Nell Bosarge and I spent the next two years driving my pickup truck to their homes. Eventually, I mustered the re sources to rebuild the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic—on higher ground this time, and on four-foot stilts. Meanwhile, we man-aged to save the drenched paper records of our patients by care fully dry-ing them in the hot Ala bama sun.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina came, again threatening to de stroy the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic. We had 48 hours to evacuate the area and, given

THe suRGeON GeNeRAL’s

rePort

Surgeon General Regina Benjamin

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the new secure location of the build-ing, saw no reason to pack away all the paper medical rec ords. When I returned to the Bayou, the building had been destroyed by the water. Nell and I knew we had to get everything out of there, or else it would mildew. We spent just as much time clearing out the medical records—again placing them in the sun in 90-degree weather to dry them, care-fully turning them over—as we did trying to salvage the structure of the place. This time, I could not make house calls to my patients’ homes, be cause the vast major-ity of their homes had been destroyed, too. Our staff set up a makeshift clinic in the auditorium of the lo cal shelter, while volunteers and donations helped us prepare for a January 2 reopening. Tragedy befell the Bayou Clin ic once again, when, in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, just before our clin-ic was to reopen, a fire broke out and the clinic burned to the ground. This time, the precious records, the ones that Nell, the staff, and I had spent hours drying and recovering on two separate occasions, were com pletely destroyed. We were forced to rely on memory and intuition in treating our patients. Any in formation on allergies, coexist-ing conditions, and specific family his-tory was now left to recollection. Having lost the Bayou Clinic three times, I knew we had to have a better way of practicing. I needed to find a way to deliver high-quality health care to peo-ple who didn’t have a lot of money. From the experiences with the hurri-canes and the fire, I knew we had to be able to evacuate the clinic quickly, while still safe guarding the vital patient infor-mation. Whereas I had previously decid-ed against installing an EHR system because I couldn’t afford one, I now real-ized I couldn’t afford not to have one.

Our trials did not go unnoticed. Wonderful people from all over volun-teered their time and money to help us

rebuild. A generous donation from a pri-vate founda tion supported our efforts through the Katrina Phoenix program, helping us rebuild our clinic with com-puter hardware, in coordina tion with a generous EHR vendor and with the help of good-hearted student volun-teers from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachu setts. They also provided us with support, teaching us how to use the system and helping to imple ment it in our practice. Needless to say, Nell and I were relieved when we turned on the switch and became a paperless office. Though it is challenging to persuade some doctors and nurses to convert from paper records, “buy-in” was not an issue at the Bayou Clinic, since Nell and the rest of the staff were adamant about never hav-ing to “bake charts in the sun” again. The new system we implemented allowed us to easily track and document our patients’ histories; with a click of a button, we could send a pre scription or remind

patients of upcoming mammograms, thus improving the quality of care. Practicing medicine became eas-ier for the clinicians and better for the patients. With the availability of new in centive payments made possible by the Health Information Tech nology for Economic and Clini cal Health Act (HITECH), and assistance for the tran-sition to electronic health records avail-able from regional extension centers, small practices like mine now have the kind of support that I had — and fewer reasons to de lay a decision that should have been obvious long ago. Until the day we turned on our EHR system, I was still using pens with waterproof ink. It is a very good thing for both me and our patients that my fellow physicians and I don’t need to use those pens anymore.

This article was originally published on July 13, 2010, at NEJM.org.



Make The Commitment To Medical School,And We’ll Make The Commitment To You.

The School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers you more than a world-renowned medicalcurriculum. We also provide you with opportunities to succeed. Our Office of Minority Enhancement was created specifically to help students like you to make the most of your education and enjoy all of the advantages of medical school.Call us, and find out more about:

UAB is an equal education opportunity institution.

financial assistance,assistance in securing research and clinical opportunities,counseling and support for academic and personal concerns,tutorial programs, andliaison activities among the School of Medicine, minority students, and medical organizations.

our special programs, including combined M.D./Ph.D. and M.D./M.P.H. degrees, the Early Decision Plan, and the Summer Health Enrichment Program (UAB-SHEP), which prepare you to enter medical school.

For more information about our minority programs,please call 1-800-707-3579, ext. 6 today. Or write:

Office of Diversity and Multicultural AffairsThe University of Alabama School of Medicine1530 3rd Avenue South, VH 102KBirmingham, AL 35294-0019Visit our web site: http://medicine.uab.edu

Standing, from left: Sandrine Niyongere, MSII, Ezinne Okwandu, MSII, Alexis Mason, MSII, Whitney McNeil, MSII. Seated, Justin Jackson, MSII.


Elfriede A. AygemangInternal MedicineMayo School of Graduate Medical EducationRochester, MN

Diandra N. Ayala Medicine - Preliminary and Radiation OncologyWake Forest Baptist Medical CenterWinston-Salem, NC

Jewell P. Carr Family MedicineCarolinas Med CenterCharlotte, NC

Demaura K. Hawkins Family MedicineCMC—Northeast Medical Center/CabarrusConcord, NC

Mikhail C. S. S. Higgins TransitionalSt. Joseph HospitalChicago, ILandRadiology-Diagnostical/Clinical-4yrHospital of the University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA

Nichole L. Johnson Family Medicine/Urban Carolinas Med CenterCharlotte, NC

Seon B. KumAnesthesiologyWake Forest Baptist Medical CenterWinston-Salem, NC

Steven J. NewtonFamily MedicineMoses H. Cone Memorial HospitalGreensboro, NC

Ugonna T. A. Nwankwo Medicine - PediatricsUniversity of Pennsylvania Medical CenterPittsburgh, PA

Bamidele A. OlatunbosunSurgery - PreliminaryUniversity of California San Francisco - East BayOakland, CA

Cheryl N. OnwuchurubaObstetrics-GynecologyUniversity of Tennessee Graduate School of MedicineKnoxville, TN

David M. SeifAnesthesiologyWake Forest Baptist Medical CenterWinston-Salem, NC

Nanna H. SulaiInternal MedicineMayo School of Graduate Medical EducationRochester, MN

Cortney C. WilsonPediatricsNCC BethesdaBethesda, MD

W ake Forest University School of Medicine and North Carolina Baptist Hospital comprise one of the major academic medical centers in the United States.

We extend congratulations and our best wishes for continued success to the Class of 2010.

Excellence. Persistence. Success.

The Class of 2010

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently launched a multidisciplinary network of experts who will explore new approaches to understanding the origins of health disparities, or differences in the burden of disease among population groups. Using state-of-the-science concep-tual and computational models, the net-work’s goal is to identify important areas where interventions or policy changes could have the greatest impact in elimi-nating health disparities. The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), part of NIH, is contracting with the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, to establish the Network on Inequality, Complexity, and Health (NICH)

Comprised of scientists with exper-tise across disciplines, including economics, biology, ecology, computer science, educa-tion, sociology, mathematics and epidemi-ology, NICH will be the first network to apply systems science approaches to the study of health inequities.

Systems science methods enable investigators to examine the dynamic interrelationships of variables at multiple levels of analysis (e.g., from cells to soci-ety) simultaneously. They also study the impact on the behavior of the system as a whole over time.

For example, factors such as access to health care, neighborhood environment, educational opportunities, physiology, and genetics all may interact over the course of a person’s life to influence risk for diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Besides exploring hypothesized causes of health inequalities, these simula-tions may reveal unexpected causes, and help researchers predict better which interventions have the most potential for reducing or eliminating health disparities. The computational models function as computer-simulated laboratories in which to probe the causes of health disparities, as well as their solutions.

“NICH brings together scientists from many different disciplines to create a new conceptual approach for examining the behavioral, social, and biological fac-tors which interact to cause inequalities in health,” said Deborah H. Olster, PhD act-ing director of OBSSR.

Led by chair and principal inves-tigator George A. Kaplan, PhD at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, NICH’s primary goal is to catalyze groundbreaking research on health disparities and population health using systems science methods. NICH will foster areas of health disparities research that are receptive to using a systems

science approach.“Much of the health disparities

research conducted to date took place within single disciplines, and therefore could not comprehensively approach the multitude of factors that are involved. NICH will fundamentally change this ap-proach by embracing perspectives from the biological to the societal, while employing cutting-edge simulation meth-ods from computer science,” Kaplan said.

The network will foster collaborative research, which builds bridges between disciplines interested in health disparities and complex systems research. NICH will produce reports and publications, in-cluding possible books or special journal issues, on the collaborative work of net-work members and other experts. Publica-tions will focus on breaking new ground by illustrating, explaining, promoting and translating the application of complex systems approaches to critical health disparities areas that require transdisciplinary development.

Access to health care, neighborhood environment, educational opportunities, physiology and genetics all may interact over the course of a person’s life to influence risk for diseases

such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

HEALTH DISPARITIES

rePortNiH seeks to Break New Ground in reducing health Disparities

Live

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STUDIO IMPRINT Doctor AD # NAV-MOF 327 08 SB

JOB NUMBER CAMEWA-7866 ART DIRECTOR M. Laufer

CLIENT WRITER J. Trapp

COLORS 4 PRODUCTION M. Miller

BLEED 18.5 x 11.5 ENGRAVER

TRIM DATE 10.24.08

LIVE 15 x 9.75 FILED Studio Imprint

DESCRIPTION: Spread(NEWSWEEKLY) 4/C NON-BLEED

To learn more about how I got 100% tuition coverage, a sign-on bonus of $20,000, and $1,907 a month with the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) while going to medical school, visit navyhealthcare.com © 2008. Paid for by the U.S. Navy. All rights reserved.

To learn more about how I got 100% tuition coverage, a sign-on bonus of up to $20,000, and up to $1,907 a month with the Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) while going to medical school, visit navyhealthcare.com

The Navy landed me here.


Key findings from the study of 141 medical schools include:

•public and community-based medical schools graduated higher proportions of primary care physicians than did private and noncommunity-based schools;

•schools in progressively smaller cities produced more primary care physicians and physicians who practiced in under-served communities, but they graduated fewer minorities;

•osteopathic schools produced more primary care physicians than did allopathic schools, but also trained fewer minorities;

•for the most part, schools with sub-stantial NIH research funding produced fewer primary care physicians and physicians who went on to practice in underserved areas and had lower overall social mission scores; &

•schools in the Northeast performed poorly on all three goals and had the lowest social mission scores of any re-gion in the country.

Morehouse School of Medicine ranks number one in the country in the first-ever study of all U.S. medical schools in the area of social mission. The ranking comes as a result of the emphasis MSM places on primary care and serving underserved communities—a role the study emphasizes as critical to improving overall health care in the US.

“This ranking is an acknowledge-ment of the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, and students and goes to the very core of what MSM has stood for from the very beginning: building a healthier America by focusing on those communities with the biggest health challenges,” said MSM President John E. Maupin, Jr. , DDS.

The study, funded with a grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr., the first to score all U.S. medical schools on their abil-ity to meet a social mission, shows wide variations among institutions in their production of physicians who practice primary care, work in underserved areas, and increase diversity in the medical field.

“Where doctors choose to work, and what specialty they select, are heavily influ-enced by medical school,” said lead author Fitzhugh Mullan, MD, a GWU professor of health policy. “By recruiting minority students and prioritizing the training of primary care physicians and promoting practice in underserved areas, medical schools will help deliver the health care that Americans desperately need.”

“Morehouse School of Medicine was established to recruit and train minority and other individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, as physicians committed to the primary health care needs of the undeserved in Georgia and the nation,” said Sandra Harris-Hooker, interim dean and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, vice president and senior associate dean for research. “This study emphasizes the importance of what we do every day at MSM to meet the health care needs of those most vulnerable.”

The researchers examined data from medical school graduates from 1999 to 2001 and developed a metric called the social mission score to evaluate medi-cal school output. The measurements used were the percentage of graduates who practice primary care, work in health professional shortage areas, and are under-represented minorities, then combined into a composite social mission score.

HEALTH DISPARITIES | rePort

Erica Shantha, a second-year medical student at Morehouse School of Medicine, takes a patient’s blood pressure at the triage unit at the mobile clinic during a trip to

Haiti with Project Medishare. Photo by Jennifer Browning.

Morehouse school of Medicine ranks #1 in Newly Released study on social Missions


If you’ve wanted to be a doc-tor since you were a kid, you likely pictured yourself working in your community, doing every-thing from setting a broken arm to managing a challeng-ing case of diabetes or CVD.

now that you’re in medi-cal school, things might have changed. Every time you sign a piece of paper that says you owe a huge chunk of future earnings to a bank you’ve never heard of—$100,000, $250,000, $400,000?—it means you’ve got to think seriously about how you’re going to pay that money back, and that often means spe-cializing. But the need for pri-mary care physicians is growing, just like med school debt levels.

What’s the answer? It’s compli-cated, as you well know. Read on to find out more about your options and how people just like you are navigating the waters of change. We know you’ll find a way to have the career you’ve always dreamed of.

The Careers Issue


Rule 1: They don’t want to be at your office

It may seem odd to patients, but most doctors forget that going to the doctor is generally unnerving. We work there, and being in a doctor’s office is normal to us. Not so with most patients. The spotlight is on them and their health. They stand on the scale, undress, tell intimate things about their lives, confess errors, are poked, prodded, shot with needles, lectured at, and then billed for the whole thing. Yes, it seems that some patients are happy to be there—and I do my best to make my pa-tients feel comfortable, but there is always an underlying fear and self-consciousness that present when a person is sitting on the exam table.

The best thing to do in response is to show compassion. If you feel awkward, scared, or self-conscious, the thing you most want is for someone else to under-stand how you feel. Patients are much more likely to follow a doctor’s advice when they feel the doctor understands. Identifying the fear and relating to it are the first steps at building trust.

Rule 2:

They have a reason to be at your office

People don’t like to waste time and money. They don’t come to the office to waste the doctor’s time. Yet early in my training I was incredulous at the reasons some of my patients were coming to see the doctor. Why come in for a head-ache? Why come in for a cold? Doesn’t the person realize that a stomach bug won’t get any better by coming to the doctor?

It took me being in my own practice (and trying to keep my business going) to realize that there was (almost) always an underlying reason for a patient to come in. Sometimes that reason is simple: they need an excuse from work, or they have terrible pain that needs to be treated. Oth-er times, however, the reason is more subtle. When a person comes to my office with enlarged lymph nodes, for example, the real reason they are coming in is that they are afraid it is cancer. When patients

Doctor RULES:Six important things to know about your future medical practiceBy Rob Lamberts, MD


have chest pain, they are afraid it is their heart.

On every visit I try to identify the real reason (or the real fear) that brings them to see me. I don’t end the visit until I have addressed that reason. If they have an enlarged lymph node, I make sure to say, “I don’t think this is cancer because....” If they come in with chest pain, I say “This doesn’t sound like a heart attack be-cause…..” If I fail to do so, then they leave the office with the fear and feel ignored.

Rule 3:

They feel what they feel

Patients will often tell me their symp-toms in a very apologetic tone. They seem to think that they have to come to me with the “right” set of symptoms, and not hav-ing those symptoms is their fault. Some-times those symptoms make no sense to me at all and I am tempted to dismiss or ignore them.

But as a physician, you have to trust your patient. Only the really crazy patients make up symptoms. Yes, some may exag-gerate what they feel out of anxiety or out

of fear that you won’t hear them for lesser symptoms, but then your job is to uncover the anxiety, not ignore the com-plaint. I have heard from many patients that their doctor “did not believe” their complaints because they did not make sense. If you don’t trust them, why should they trust you?

If symptoms seem to contradict what I know to be possible, I often openly tell them that this seems to contradict. But I make sure I don’t imply that they might not be telling the truth. A puzzle is a puzzle. It is my job to undo a seeming contradiction. I may not ever be able to do so, but at least I don’t make them feel bad for feeling what they feel.

Rule 4:

They don’t want to look stupid

I remember when I broke my shoulder—a compression fracture of the neck of the humerus bone—and went to the orthopedist office. I always felt self-conscious about how much pain I was reporting. A colleague had fractured his humerus the year before and had reported he was back to doing surgery within a few

weeks. Here I was, a few months out and couldn’t even lie down in bed. I felt like a wimp. Was this other guy just tougher than me? My orthopedist made me feel much better when he explained that my colleague had a mid-shaft fracture, while mine was right in the shoulder joint—a much slower place to heal.


This event made me realize how many patients felt when they came into my office. People are often worried that they are over-reacting. They wonder what I must think for a person to come to the office with that symptom. This is especially true of parents bringing their children in. No-body wants to be “that mother that over-reacts to everything.” In response to this, I try to say specifically, “I am glad you came to the office for this because…” or “Yeah, I can see how that worried you because it could be….”

Rule 5:

They pay for a planWhat do people pay for when they

come to the medical office? They pay for opinion, yes. They pay for knowledge as well. But what they really pay for is a plan of action based on their circumstances. If

they have an ear infection the plan is to use an antibiotic (maybe) and treat the pain. If they have abdominal pain, the plan may be much more complex. They want to know what is going to be done, and that it is going to help.

I try to give a plan, either verbal or written, to each patient that walks out of the exam room. What medications are given and why? What medications are to be stopped? What tests are ordered and what will the results mean? When is the next appointment? What should they call for if they have problems? The better I can answer these questions, the more confi-dently the patient will walk out of the exam room. The days of paternalistic medicine are over—no handing a prescription and just saying “take it.” Patients should know why they are putting things in their body.

Rule 6:

The visit is about themWith all of the stresses in a doctor’s

office, I get tempted to complain about things. Who better to complain to than someone who feels much the same way? But patients are paying for you to take care of their problems, not the reverse. I keep my personal gripes or frustrations to myself as much as possible.

Dr. Rob Lamberts is a primary care practitioner with a practice in Georgia. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. You can follow his blog, Musings of a Distractible Mind, at http://distractible.org.

I try and give a plan, either verbal or written, to each patient that walks out of the exam room.

Median compensation for Selected Specialties Inflation Adjusted change 2009 2008-09 2005-09Family Practice (without oB) $183,999 2.77% 4.21%Internal Medicine * $197,080 3.44% 1.86%Pediatric/Adolescent Medicine* $191,401 2.92% 4.22%Data from Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2010 Report Based on 2009 DataSource: Medical Group Management Association


recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine chronicled the day-in, day-out work of an internist

Dr. Rich Baron and his five-person Philadelphia practice. Here’s the breakdown to give you an idea of a typical “day in the life.“

each of the physicians in his practice conducted 18 patient visits per day (a total of 16,640 visits over the year for the practice)After Baron’s practice analyzed the data, they decided to redefine a “full-time physician” as one with 24 scheduled visit-hours per week, embedded in a 50-hour workweek. Put another way, doctors in Baron’s practice can expect to spend half their time on office visits with patients, and the remaining half on non-visit administrative (paper/com-puter/telephone) work.

On top of these daily visits, each physician also:

• Made 24 telephone calls • refilled 12 prescriptions

(an underestimate, since the number doesn’t count refills done during an office visit and because the refilling 10 meds for a single patient counted as one refill)

• Wrote 17 e-mails to patients • looked at 11 imaging reports • reviewed 14 consultation reports.

PrIMArY cAre: A day in the life

A

A Merritt Hawkins survey of hospital revenues showed that of the 114 hospitals surveyed, primary care physi-cians brought in an average of $225,383 less per year than specialists.

•Family practitioners

earned $16,000 less in 2009 than certified regis-tered nurse anesthetists.

•The American Medi-

cal Association predicts a shortage of 35,000 to 40,000 primary care physi-cians by 2025.

•Six out of nine regions in

California have a shortage of primary care physicians, and the problem may be worsen-

ing: With nearly 30 per-cent of California’s phy-sicians more than 60 years old, more doctors are nearing retirement here than in any other state.

•Massachusetts has the

highest ratio of doctors per population in the country, but the state’s health care law (that mandates near-universal coverage) makes it hard for residents to find a primary care physician who is accepting new patients. Last year 60 percent of family medicine doctors’ offices were accept-ing new patients, down from 70 percent in 2007. Last year only 44 percent of internal medicine practices


1

5

2

34

Primary Care

Compare |$180,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . pediatricians $175,000. . . . . . . . family practitioners

To |$519,000. . . . . . .orthopedic surgeons$400,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . urologists

Primary care physicians earn the lowest salary of all physicians, according to the medical search and consulting firm Merritt Hawkins & Associates’ 2010 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives. Why do primary care docs make less than specialists? It all comes down to simple economics: less money in, less money out.


By the numbers

It all comes down to simple economics.

were accepting new patients, down from 66% in 2005.

•Department of Health

and Human Services Sec-retary Kathleen Sebelius announced $250 million worth of new invest-ments designed to support the training and develop-ment of more than 16,000 new primary care providers over the next five years. The investments were mandated by the Affordable Care Act, that controversial health care bill signed into law by President Obama in March.

•A 2007 survey showed

that only 7% of fourth-year students at 11 U.S. medical

schools were considering a career in adult primary care.

•Among the seven nations

studied in a recent Common-wealth Fund reportreport (Australia, Canada, Germany, the netherlands, new Zea-land, the United Kingdom, and the United States) the U.S. ranks last overall and fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries on dimen-sions of access, patient safety, coordination, efficiency, and equity.


Recently, Department of Health and Human services secretary Kathleen sebelius an-nounced $250 million worth of new investments designed to support the training and development of more than 16,000 new primary care providers over the next five years. The investments were mandated by the Af-fordable Care Act, the health care bill signed into law by President Obama in March.

“These new investments will strengthen our primary care work-force to ensure that more Americans can get the quality care they need to stay healthy,” sebelius said. “Primary care providers are on the front line in helping Americans stay healthy by preventing disease, treating illness, and helping to manage chronic con-ditions. These investments build on the

Administration’s strong commitment to training the primary care doctors and nurses of tomorrow and improving both health care quality and access for Americans throughout the country.”

in addition, the Health Resources and services Administration will direct some federal dollars towards repayment of the loans held by medi-cal school graduates who choose to practice primary care in medically underserved communities. Grants will also be given to community colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions and his-torically black universities, which were recently ranked as the top producers of primary care doctors. students will be able to tap new financial aid, and health professionals working in underserved areas will get expanded tax benefits.

What does the new DhhS primary care funding cover?

According to HHs, the invest-ments will be used as follows:

•creating additional primary care residency slots: $168 mil-lion to train 500 new primary care physicians by 2015

•Supporting physician as-sistant training in primary care: $32 million to train 600 new physician assistants, who practice medicine under the supervision of a physician, and can be trained more quickly than a physician

•encouraging students to pur-sue full-time nursing careers: $30 million to encourage 600 nurs-ing students to attend school full-time which will increase the likelihood they complete their education

•establishing new nurse prac-titioner-led clinics: $15 million to cover operating expenses for 10 health clinics that help train nurse practitioners. The clinics will be lo-cated in medically underserved com-munities.

•encouraging states to plan for and address health pro-fessional workforce needs: $5 million to fund state programs de-signed to expand their primary care workforce by 10-25% over the next 10 years.

Why is this med student smiling?

Because she just found out she can contribute to the Journal. So can you—find out how!

[email protected]

Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt University SO

M


The first Community Health Centers (CHCs) were launched in 1965 as a component of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty and were designed to act as a national public safety net and reduce or eliminate health disparities that affected racial and ethnic minority groups, the poor, and the uninsured.

Now operating at more than 8000 urban and rural sites around the country, federally funded, non-profit CHCs serve 20 million Americans, or 5% of the current u.s. popula-tion. seven of 10 CHC patients live in poverty; well over half are members of minority groups.

The recently passed Pa-tient Protection and Afford-able Care Act underwrites CHCs, giving them $12.5

billion to expand to serve nearly 20 million new patients while adding an estimated 15,000 provid-ers to their staffs by 2015. Commensurate support ($300 million) has been extended to the National Health services Corps (NHsC), a close CHC part-ner that recruits and places health care professionals in health professional short-age areas (HPsAs). Finally, the health care reform law established a new Title iii grant program ($230 million over 5 years) for community-based teaching programs and authorized a new Title Vii grant pro-gram for the development of primary care residency training programs in CHCs.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine

How do community health centers fit into the new health care law?

Education Building, 4610 X Street Sacramento, CA 95817Office of Diversity

UC Davis School of MedicineOffice of Diversity Presents

Office of Diversity

The Visiting Clerkship Program provides support for fourth-year students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have historically been underrepresented in medicine. This program is sponsored by the School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Internal Medicine Department. The program is designed to:

• Expose students to both the clinical education and community service opportunities offered though the UCD Internal Medicine Department.

• Allow students to care for an ethnically diverse patient population from rural and urban communities. • Encourage students from diverse backgrounds to apply to the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Eligibility: Eligible participants are: full-time, fourth-year medical students in good standing at accredited US medical school. Students remain registered at their own school while participating in the externship at UCD, but must complete a UCD visiting student application form. VSAS http://www.aamc.org/programs/vsas/start.htm Length: A.I. rotations are four weeks in duration and are subject to space availability. Mentoring and Networking opportunities: The students will meet Dr. Darin Latimore, Director of Medical Student Diversity, with the Office of Diversity and will be introduced to the Latino Medical Student Association and Student National Medical Association members. Courses offered: AI in Ward medicine, MICU, CC and nine subspecialty rotations. Please see website http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/registrar/visiting.html Financial Assistance:

Reimburse up to $500 toward travel cost. Provide a $500 food allowance Waive the application processing fee ($150)

Housing: The Visiting Clerkship Program provides housing for participating students at the Courtyard Marriot, located directly across from the hospital. Applications are available at http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/registrar/visiting.html For information about the Visiting Clerkship Program please contact, [email protected].

Education Building, 4610 X Street Sacramento, CA 95817

UC Davis School of Medicine Office of Diversity Presents

STATEN ISLANDUNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health SystemInternal Medicine Residency

The program includes established comprehensive primary care curricula including innovative programs in Managed Care, Women’s Health and Doctor Patient Communication.

Our traditional Internal Medicine Program has a history of producing high quality, board certified general internists and medical specialists. Some highlights include:

• An expanded ambulatory experience, including multiple specialties

• Specialized curricula not emphasized in other programs including evidence-based medicine; biostatistics and epidemiology; preventive medicine and public health; surgical subspecial-ties (ENT, orthopedics, breast clinic, etc.); adolescent medicine; geriatrics; women's health; dermatology; palliative medicine; pain management; hospitalist medicine; perioperative medicine; etc.

• An ABIM board certification examination passing rate of 97% for our categorical, IM residents (over the past 5 years)

• Our hospital was awarded a "Best Practices" commendation by the ACGME for our work in competency care of Systems-Based Practice

• Exposure to state-of-the-art medical care including: bone marrow transplantation; sleep medicine; all forms of dialysis; open-heart surgery; advanced critical care; stroke unit; epilepsy unit

• Full-time (24/7), on-site supervision by board certified hospitalists and intensivists• Residents serve as mentors to high school students in a minority medicine pipeline

program via a New York state grant

taten Island University Hospital offers an Internal Medicine Residency Training

Program in modern and well equipped medical facilities with a diverse patient

population and high quality teaching staff. University Hospital is a 716 bed

voluntary non-profit acute care hospital which has earned its place among the leading

health care facilities in the northeast. The hospital is a major affiliate of the State

University of New York Downstate College of Medicine. Each year over 100 medical

students are assigned to University Hospital, where they rotate through the various clinical

divisions of the Department of Medicine.

Luane Rabito ShaleeshMedical Residency CoordinatorStaten Island University HospitalDepartment of Medicine475 Seaview AvenueStaten Island, NY 10305718/226-6205 • 718/226-8695 (fax)

Robert V. Wetz, M.D., F.A.C.P.Program Director, Internal MedicineStaten Island University HospitalDepartment of Medicine475 Seaview AvenueStaten Island, NY 10305718/226-6527 • 718/226-9271 (fax)[email protected]

S


Did you know you wanted to go into primary care when you started med school?Dr. Wilson: I thought so, but I wasn’t sure; I thought I might also be interested in surgery. But when I did my third-year rotations, I really felt like primary care was the biggest need was in my community. I like talking to patients and doing health education, so primary care is what I chose.

Also, I believe there’s starting to be a greater respect for primary care. Especially if you do primarcy care in an underserved area, it gives you credentials and “bragging rights” because it is so tough. It lets people know you can handle yourself and you’re dedicated to the craft of medicine.

Finally, primary care really lets you help do the groundbreaking work in global health. People go abroad and surgical subspecialties are needed for short-term trips, but if you’re really interested in doing long-term global health work or going in after a disaster is over, primary care is the way to go.

Were you at all concerned about money?Dr. Wilson: Money is definitely a big issue; I went to a private medical school, so I owe over $250,000. Primary care is

not the way to go if you have interest in making a ton of money. But for me, it was more important to be happy.

Are you participating in any loan repayment programs?

Dr. Wilson: Not yet. I didn’t want to be backed into a corner in case I decided I loved GI or another subspecialty; the repayment penalties are pretty steep. Also, I knew you could go backwards and do a loan repayment program once

you finished if you chose to go into primary care.

I have a mentor who was the clinic attending physician. He did the primary care loan and did his residency in Med-Peds. He served his three years and has gotten his loans paid back. This year he’s going back for a fellowship because he decided he wanted to specialize.

once you made the decision to go into primary care, did

Dr. Jennifer Wilson (standing, far right) with other medical workers on a mission to Nicaragua.

PrIMArY cAre ProFIleSJessica A. Wilson, M.D. Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin residency: Med-Peds, Medical College of Wisconsinnew Job: staff Physician at Healthcare for the Homeless, Milwaukee, Wi


you ever have second thoughts about the much-publicized pitfalls: money (again), burnout, lack of prestige?Dr. Wilson: You have to be a strong-minded person. If you know that primary care is going to make you happy, then you have to figure out a way to not burn out. For example, when I was looking for jobs, I told my potential employers, ‘It’s non-negotiable: I’m not going to see 40 patients in a day.’ So you have to look for places that are more interested in health care than in the bottom dollar. They’re hard to find, but I did it. Because my new clinic is an FHQC (Federally Qualified Health Center), they get federal funds so they don’t have to push numbers like more traditional practices.

I wouldn’t feel right if I were working in a setting where I had 10 minutes to see

a patient who had five medical conditions. I think that’s the biggest reason primary care docs have burnout: they have to see so many people. If you see 40 patients per day, that’s 200 patients a week, and even if only 50% of those people get labs, then you’re having to look at 100 labs and call 100 people back or write 100 letters and on top of that.

What else was “non-negotiable” for your contract?Dr. Wilson: I also have an interest in global health, I made sure I would be able to have time off to do medical mission trips. I went to Honduras this year, Nicaragua last year, Haiti this year. As long as you know what you want and need ahead of time, there’s such a paucity of primary care doctors that you can negotiate what you want to keep you sane.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?Dr. Wilson: As the health care system improves, I think the reimbursement system will improve as well and more academic institutions will start focusing on care for the underserved, which is where my heart is. I used to be a teacher before I went to med school, so an academic position where I could do clinical work as well as teach med students and residents would be ideal for me.

What other tips do you have for med students as they start to consider their futures?Dr. Wilson: Definitely learn a language! An additional language is a great bonus if you’re trying to get into a quality residency and a bargaining chip with potential employers.

Dr. Wilson (seated) discusses patient care on a mission trip to Nicaragua.

Look for places that are more interested in health care than in the bottom dollar.

Minority Student Opportunities in United States Medical Schools (2009)

The information in this book is supplied by individual medical schools in response to a questionnaire from the AAMC’s Division of Diversity Policy and Programs about minority student opportunities. For most school entries, the narrative descriptions cover seven topics:

• recruitment• admissions• academic support programs• enrichment programs• student financial assistance• educational partnerships• other pertinent information

This current data includes the number of applicants, first-time applicants, and matriculants, for each school by gender and race/ethnicity (source: AAMC Data Warehouse). The publication also contains two appendices: a chart identifying enrichment and other programs related to individual medical schools and tables supplying selected AAMC data of interest.

Cost: $15

To order please visit www.aamc.org/publications or call (202) 828-0416. Association ofAmerican Medical Colleges

Student Research OpportunityThe Societies welcome applications

from all qualified candidates and encourage women and

underrepresented minorities to apply.

Consider a career in research related to pediatrics by participating in a Summer Student Research Program available from the American Pediatric Society and the Society for Pediatric Research.

The summer research program provides interested medical school students with the following:• Research experience at an institution other than your own medical school• Two to three months (40-hour weeks) in a research environment• A stipend of $58.83 per day or a maximum of $5,295

American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research, Student Research Program3400 Research Forest Dr. Ste. B7 The Woodlands, TX 77381

Phone: 281.419.0052 • Fax: 281.419.0082www.aps-spr.org • [email protected]

Since 1991, more than 836 students have attained valuable experience in pediatric labs across the U.S. and Canada. Currently more than 200 laboratories participate, allowing students to select a research project and lab in their own area of interest.

U.S. and Canadian medical students seeking a research opportunity in pediatrics are encouraged to apply. Completed applications must be received no later than January, 21, 2011 to be eligible for evaluation for the 2011 Summer Student Research Program. Application packets and the Directory of Laboratory Opportunities are available on our website at www.aps-spr.org.

PrIMArY cAre ProFIleSUyi osaseri, MD

Did you know going into med school you wanted to be a primary care doc?Dr. osaseri: I’d wanted to be a doctor since third grade and I did a school project on the stages of pregnancy, but going into med school, family medicine was the furthest thing from my mind. After doing all of my rotations with some great mentors, it was clear what I wanted to do: family medicine. I enjoyed being with the broad spectrum of patients and I have a good bedside manner. It was kind of scary because I didn’t think I would pick it. It actually picked me, and once I was objective about it, it made sense and I had a great sense of piece about it.

What about it felt right? Dr. osaseri: I like the idea that I’ll be a gatekeeper to people’s total health; I’m not just going to focus on one piece of the body.

Were you worried about any of the financial repercussions or other things about choosing family medicine? Dr. osaseri: I had some raised eyebrows from my peers and other physicians in my family. It’s kind of a joke with some truth in it: “You’re not going to make money.” But it never bothered me. I know that I have lots of options with family medicine. I can go into teaching or specialize a bit—sports medicine, boutique medicine. I can do international medicine or research. The sky’s the limit.

tell us about your residency experience. Dr. osaseri: Nothing in life prepares one for intern year, except maybe childbirth. [laughs] I knew it be a hard year. You leave being the exalted fourth-year medical student and you’re back down on the bottom of the ladder again. But the physical demand that’s required of you was a real eye opener. It takes a lot of stamina. You’re “on” while you’re learning and the days just blend together.

By second year, I had my bearings. The hours were still grueling, but in a different way. Afterwork I wasn’t completely drained as I had been in first year; I was able to go out or go exercise. The best thing, though was that in second year, I found myself wanting to know more. I was always picking up an article, wanting to learn more to be better. I really felt my drive kick in in second year.

I’m going into third year now, which will definitely have less call (thank goodness). I’ll teach and train the interns and have elective time to go out in the community and work more with specialists to get a better sense of what’s out there.

I love being at the Santa Monica UCLA Hospital. It’s an amazing place for all kinds of diversity: ethnic, age, disease states. And overall, I still enjoy what I do. No matter how tired I am, I can still see the joy in it.

What does your ideal career look like? Dr. osaseri: I appreciate research and its role in medicine, so at some point I’d like to come back into the academic setting to practice and teach. But first, I want to get out there and work in the community.

What advice do you have for med students considering their own careers in medicine?Dr. osaseri: I tell students now to take your time, be honest with yourself, and be honest with your personality. I was very narrow-minded, but I was finally able to relax and take a look at all the other amazing options out there.

It can go the other way, too. For example, I have a close buddy who was always gung ho on primary care, but he had a surgical epiphany. He stopped and looked at what his quality of life was and he wasn’t happy. He made the switch. I also have another friend who was in pediatrics, but found herself always drawn to issues of the skin she was seeing in her patients. She loves the skin; she gets excited about it. So she went to see the mentor she’d had since undergrad—a pediatrician—to talk about dermatology. And even her mentor said, “As long as your happy, you’re still serving your community as a specialist.” Plus, we need minority leaders in all fields so I can refer to them!


Medical School: uCLA residency: Family Medicine, uCLA


Did you know going into med school you wanted to be a primary care doc?Dr. Beaumont: No, I thought I wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. That mainly was because I had done some research with a cardiothoracic surgeon when I was in high school, along with the fact that my grandfather had a really big heart attack. But when I did my surgery rotation during third year, I did well, but I didn’t love it, and I just couldn’t see myself doing that for rest of my life. I don’t mean to stereotype, but to me, it felt very impersonal; they don’t take time to sit down and talk to a patient. I longed for a deeper way to practice medicine and make a difference with the patients I had.

Primary care gets a bad rap compared to other specialties that are a lot more trendy and technological. Some fields have a reputation for being less stressful—punch in and punch out and you’re done. But it just felt right to me.

Why did you choose to go into family medicine?Dr. Beaumont: When I did my family medicine rotation, I just loved it and I did well. By the end of my fourth year, I had narrowed it down to either family medicine or pediatrics. I chose family medicine because I wanted to be able to have continuity of care over generations.

Did you ever have doubts or second thoughts?Dr. Beaumont: No, once I knew what I loved, then I figured everything else would fall into place as it should. I promised myself a long time ago I wouldn’t choose a particular specialty based on income. I wanted to pick a specialty where I would love what I do every single day. Family medicine was the best choice for me.

What was your residency like?Dr. Beaumont: Where to go was the most difficult decision. I applied heavily in the northeast area and I looked at a lot of programs in the New York area where I grew up, but I felt like BMC had the best program for me.

What’s a typical week like for you?Dr. Beaumont: I’m an attending in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center, so I round on the internal medicine/family medicine team. I’m an attending in labor and delivery; I can participate in C-sections (though I can’t do them myself ). I also work at Codman Square Health Center, a local community health center in a very urban and underserved area with a high minority population with a lot of chronic medical illnesses, like diabetes. I’m there every day unless I get called to the hospital for a

delivery. I start seeing patients at 9am and stop at 5pm; I’m scheduled to see a patient every 15 minutes.

Wow...every 15 minutes?Dr. Beaumont: The 15-minute visit can be constraining, and sometimes I have to bring a patient back in order to continue to address whatever’s going on. For example, I saw someone recently who had lost his job and had been looking for a job for quite some time. When he came to see me, he was suicidal. I had to take the time to get the necessary services for him because I felt uncomfortable letting him

Med School: Boston university school of Medicineresidency: Family Medicine, Boston Medical Centercurrently: Family Medicine doc, Codman square Health Center, Dorchester Center, MA

PrIMArY cAre ProFIleSMark Beaumont, MD

leave the clinic. I definitely felt he was a danger to himself, so I had to coordinate care with our behavioral health person.

What do you like most about your job?Dr. Beaumont: I like the flexibility. Family medicine docs are trained to do a little bit of everything. What I heard when I was looking for a position was that, because of where they end up practicing, most family medicine docs end up doing just peds or just adult medicine. I didn’t want to do that; I wanted to practice full scope of comprehensive family medicine to the best of my abilities. In my job, I can do that. I do obstetrical care, pediatric care, and adult medicine. I round at the hospital. I teach residents and medical students.

Do you like the teaching aspect of your work?Dr. Beaumont: I love the academic environment, and I think it’s really important to stay up-to-date with current research.

Is your schedule manageable?Dr. Beaumont: It is now. I used to

be gone 12 to 14 hours a day, but as an attending, my quality of life is awesome and I can tailor my schedule to work a little more or a little less. I’m able to take my daughter to school in the morning and I’m able to pick her up some days. I’m definitely home in the evening when my kids are home from school. Also, all of my charts are electronic, so I can do charting from home. I don’t have to stay at the clinic to do charting after I’m done seeing patients. A lot of docs don’t have this luxury, so I feel very fortunate.

how are you dealing with your debt?Dr. Beaumont: When I graduated, I was about $210,000 in debt. I applied for the National Health Service Corps, and I’ve been in that program for three years. It’s been an awesome opportunity and I plan to stay with the program as long as I can.

What are the requirements for the nhSc?Dr. Beaumont: You have to work full time (40 hours/week) and serve in a priority health professional shortage area.

What would you like to be doing 10 years from now?

Dr. Beaumont: I definitely plan on continuing to do outpatient work seeing different generations of patients, and doing obstetrical care. Though I probably would want to do less clinical time and spend more time teaching residents and medical students.

I’m also developing a passion to work with adolescent men. I find that particularly in the area where I work, they don’t have the skills they need when they graduate high school or when they drop out. They don’t get a GED, they don’t have a particular trade, and then they don’t work, so it creates this cycle of absentee fathers. I’d like to develop a young man’s clinic or something where I can reach out to the young men in our community to provide services to them beyond medical.

What one piece of advice do you have for med students considering their careers in medicine?Dr. Beaumont: I would say explore all options and keep an open mind. Once you find the specialty you could see yourself doing for the rest of your life, go for it.


When i graduated, i was about $210,000 in debt. i applied for the National Health ser-vice Corps, and i’ve been in that program for three years.


ERAS Network RESidENcy TRAiNiNg ANd OppORTuNiTiES

ciNciNNATi childREN’S hOSpiTAl MEdicAl cENTER

cincinnati, Oh

pEdiATRicS

Cincinnati Children’s is a national leader in pediatrics. As a major academic pediatric medical center, we attract patients from all over the world, conduct pioneering medical research and offer outstanding teaching programs. We work closely with community based caregivers. Our vision is to be the leader in improving child health and in preparing tomorrow’s pediatricians. We are proud to be ranked third in National Institutes of Health funding to children’s hospitals and pediatric departments nationwide. In addition, US News and World Report consistently ranks Cincinnati Children’s Depart-ment of Pediatrics as one of the top three departments in the country.

Running the Numbers

Number of Beds 475Annual admissions, including short stays 27,392Radiologic procedures 150,000 +Outpatient visits (includes satellites) 790,949Emergency department visits 93,456Surgical procedures (inpatient and outpatient) 29,168Critical care admissions (cardiac, ICU, NICU) 3,287Interactive Team CareEach ward team is made up of four PL-1’s, with primary responsibility for patients on their ward and two PL-2 or PL-3 supervisors. Each team also includes a faculty member who makes rounds and plays an integral role in teaching. These teams cover wards that admit primary pediatric and subspecialty patients of all ages.

Please contact us or visit our website:Pediatric Residency Training ProgramCincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center3333 Burnet Avenue, ML 5018Cincinnati, Ohio 45229513-636-4315 www.cincinnatichildrens.org

CinCinnati Children’s hospital MediCal Center

Cincinnati, OH

pediatriCs

Cincinnati Children’s is a national leader in pediatrics. As a major academic pediatric medical center, we attract patients from all over the world, conduct pioneering medical research and offer outstanding teaching programs. We work closely with community based caregivers. Our vision is to be the leader in improving child health and in preparing tomorrow’s pediatricians. We are proud to be ranked third in National Institutes of Health funding to children’s hospitals and pediatric departments nationwide. In addition, US News and World Report consistently ranks Cincinnati Children’s Depart-ment of Pediatrics as one of the top three departments in the country.

Running the NumbersNumber of Beds: 475Annual admissions, including short stays: 27,392Radiologic procedures: 150,000 +Outpatient visits (includes satellites): 790,949Emergency department visits: 93,456Surgical procedures (inpatient and outpatient): 29,168Critical care admissions (cardiac, ICU, NICU): 3,287 Interactive Team CareEach ward team is made up of four PL-1’s, with primary responsibility for patients on their ward and two PL-2 or PL-3 supervisors. Each team also includes a faculty member who makes rounds and plays an integral role in teaching. These teams cover wards that admit primary pediatric and subspecialty patients of all ages.


REHABILITATIOn InSTITUTE OfcHIcAgO/nORTHWESTERn

UnIVERSITy MEDIcAL ScHOOLchicago, IL

PHySIcAL MEDIcInE AnD REHABILITATIOn

Providing medical care to this nation’s estimated 40 million physically disabled citizens is a responsibility that often falls to the physiatrist—the physician specializing in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Patients commonly seen by physiatrists include children and adults who have disabilities such as hemiplegia; paraplegia; quadriplegia; amputations; arthritis; fractures; pulmonary, vascular or neuromuscular diseases; and other less disabling conditions.The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University Medical School offers a program of interdisciplinary studies centered at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), with associations at Veterans Administration Westside Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial, Children’s Memorial, Evanston Hospital, Illinois Masonic Medical Center and Alexian Brothers Hospitals.With more than three decades of experience in the field, RIC is dedicated to excellence in research, education and providing comprehensive care programs to the physically disabled. A 176-bed private, nonprofit freestanding facility, RIC was named top rehabilitation hospital in the country by US News & World Report for fourteen years in a row.

Information:Office of GMENorthwestern University Medical School645 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1058-AChicago, IL [email protected]

Contact:James Sliwa, DOResidency Program DirectorRehabilitation Institute of Chicago345 E. Superior St.Chicago, IL 60611www.northwestern.edu/[email protected]

Applications:Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS)[email protected]/eras202-828-0413202-828-1125

cIncInnATI cHILDREn’S HOSPITAL MEDIcAL cEnTER

cincinnati, OH

PEDIATRIcS

Cincinnati Children’s is a national leader in pediatrics. As a major academic pediatric medical center, we attract pa-tients from all over the world, conduct pioneering medical research and offer outstanding teaching programs. We work closely with community based caregivers. Our vision is to be the leader in improving child health and in preparing tomorrow’s pediatricians. We are proud to be ranked third in National Institutes of Health funding to children’s hos-pitals and pediatric departments nationwide. In addition, US News and World Report consistently ranks Cincinnati Children’s Department of Pediatrics as one of the top three departments in the country.

Running the NumbersNumber of Beds: 475Annual admissions, including short stays: 27,392Radiologic procedures: 150,000 +Outpatient visits (includes satellites): 790,949Emergency department visits: 93,456Surgical procedures (inpatient and outpatient): 29,168Critical care admissions (cardiac, ICU, NICU): 3,287

Interactive Team CareEach ward team is made up of four PL-1’s, with primary responsibility for patients on their ward and two PL-2 or PL-3 supervisors. Each team also includes a faculty member who makes rounds and plays an integral role in teaching. These teams cover wards that admit primary pediatric and subspecialty patients of all ages.


Our major strength lies in the quality of our faculty and students

Vanderbilt School of Medicine is actively committed to attracting and maintaining a diversified body of graduate and professional students, residents and faculty in an environment dedicated to excellence.

Vanderbilt School of Medicine’s major strength lies in the quality of our students and faculty. We provide a supportive, positive environment in which students are treated individually in their pursuit of excellence. Our students have one of the highest satisfaction rates in the country.

3 Vanderbilt is one of the top medical schools in the country and is located in the hospitable city of Nashville

3 Vanderbilt is the third fastest growing health sciences center in the country in research funding

3 Vanderbilt Medical Center has been named one of the top 17 and its Children’s Hospital ranks eighth in the country

3 We offer numerous activities, such as SNMA, Meharry-Vanderbilt Student Association, NNLAMS and APAMSA, all which enhance diversity at our institution

We welcome your inquiries and look forward to hearing from you.

For more information please call 1-615-322-7498

George C. Hill, Ph.D.Levi Watkins, Jr. Professor andAssociate Dean for Diversity in Medical EducationProfessor, Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyVanderbilt University School of MedicineNashville, TN 37232

www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/medschool/diversity/odme.php

The goals that YOU have are OUR goals for you

SPARTAnBURg REgIOnAL HEALTH cARE SySTEM

Spartanburg, Sc

fAMILy MEDIcInE

Spartanburg Family Medicine Residency Program is situated in the foothills of upstate South Carolina, near lakes and mountains, and 3-1/2 hours from the ocean. Spartanburg is a college town with a diverse industry, a four-season climate, and new modern facilities.

We have core experiences in IM, Peds, OB, Surgery and multiple others that rival any in the country. Advance OB, endoscopy and other procedural training is strong. An OB fellowship and rural site is available.

Our dynamic Family Medicine Residency Program is looking for graduating students to join our “family” in June 2010. If you are looking for a community-based program with university strengths, where the educational opportunities are matched by a quality and beautiful place to live, then Spartanburg may be the place for you.

Contact:Otis L. Baughman, III, MDProfessor of Family MedicineDirector, Spartanburg Family Medicine Residency Program853 N. Church Street, Suite 510Spartanburg, South Carolina 29303(864) 560-1558 Fax: (864) 560-1510E-mail: [email protected]

InDIAnA UnIVERSITy ScHOOL Of MEDIcInE

Indianapolis, In

PSycHIATRy

The psychiatric residency program at Indiana university School of Medicine has a national reputation for excellence in clinical training. As a major academic medical center, we are leaders in psychiatric research into disorders affecting children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Being the second largest medical school in the country, we have multiple opportunities for teaching and research interactions with medical and health sciences graduate students, and as the only medical school in Indiana, we draw patients from the entire state, as well as the wider mid-western region and beyond. The Department is actively involved in cutting-edge psychiatric services within six diverse healthcare systems, providing exposure to every type of psychiatric practice. We also provide a number of accredited psychiatric fellowships, including addiction, child and adolescent, and geriatric psychiatry, as well as non-accredited fellowships in research and in autism and related disorders.

We will be accepting applications for 2011 within our clinical and academic training tracks (applicants need not specify in advance) through ERAS® and NRMP®.

Key Information:Six hospitals—private, county general/CMHC, children’s, university,

VA, and a state-run, intermediate-stay teaching and research hospital.

Busiest emergency departments in Indiana, with over 275,000 annual visits.

Contact:Joanna E. Chambers, M.D.Director of Psychiatric Residency [email protected]/274-7423http://psychiatry.medicine.iu.edu/


YOU alwaYs wanted [ a career in healthcare. ]

TOGETHER, WE’LL BUILD YOUR FUTURE.

www.midwestern.edu

CHICAGO COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE ARIZONA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

CHICAGO COLLEGE OF PHARMACY COLLEGE OF PHARMACY–GLENDALE

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE-ARIZONA

ARIZONA COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY

LEARN MORE AbOuT OuR PROFESSIONAL DEGREE PROGraMS IN HEALTH CARE, AT www.MIDwESTERN.EDu.

Educating Tomorrow’s Healthcare Team

DOwNERS GROvE CAMPuS555 31ST STREET | DOwNERS GROvE, ILLINOIS 60515800.458.6253 | [email protected]

GLENDALE CAMPuS19555 N. 59TH AvENuE | GLENDALE, AZ 85308888.247.9277 | [email protected]

Physician Assistant StudiesPhysical TherapyOccupational TherapyBiomedical Sciences

BioethicsHealth Professions EducationCardiovascular Science/

Perfusion

Podiatric MedicineNurse AnesthesiaClinical Psychology Health Science

TheUCLA Intercampus post-doctoral research and clinicaltraining programs in MedicalGenetics utilize the resources ofits affiliated campuses and teach-ing hospitals to train academi-cally oriented applicants with M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S. or equivalentdegrees in a wide variety ofclinical and/ or research opportu-nities in molecular, biochemical,immuno-, cancer, cyto-, somaticcell, and population genetics.Five-year combined Pediatric/Medical Genetics residencies arealso available at each of theaffiliated hospitals and applica-tions are accepted through ERAS.These programs meet all therequirements of the AmericanBoard of Medical Genetics andAccreditation Council for Gradu-ate Medical Education (RRC).

Application forms areavailable from:Patricia Kearney

Coord. Academic AffairsMedical Genetics InstituteCedars-Sinai Med Ctr8700 Beverly BlvdWest Tower 665

Los Angeles, CA 90048www.uclamedgeneticspost-

doc.org

ADVeRT i seR ’ s iND ex

Res i D eNCY iND ex

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The Journal for Minority Medical Students is published quarterly by Spectrum Unlimited. Subscription rates: $20 per year. Back issues: $5. copyright 2010 Spectrum Unlimited. no part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazine manag-ers or owners. The appearance of advertisements in the publication does not constitute endorsement of the product or company. SPEcTRUM UnLIMITED • 1194-A Buckhead crossing • Woodstock, gA 30189 • (770) 852-2671 • fax: (770) 924-4327 • [email protected] • www.minoritymedicalstudents.com

journal for minority medical students career issue 2010

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