Archived News and Events - 2012
Martha Earl Participates in Medical Library Leadership Fellows Program
Martha Earl, MSLS, AHIP, Assistant Professor, Preston Medical Library, is participating in a one-year fellowship program to develop medical library leaders, jointly sponsored by the National Library of Medicine and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries. She was one of five selected for the tenth fellowship class, which prepares leaders for director positions in academic health sciences libraries. Fellows are paired with mentors and will spend two one-week visits at their mentors' libraries. Fellows also participate in learning sessions and discussions with all current mentors and fellows, using a combination of in-person and virtual learning experiences.
Earl said, "The idea in participating in the fellowship is that I can learn new things in library leadership and bring those practical ideas back to put into practice here at UT. Sandy Oelschlegel [Preston Library Director] was very supportive and helpful with the application process."
Earl's goals for the program are to learn more about working within the university context to communicate the value of the library to administration; look at differences in services between her and her mentor's library; and learn more about fundraising, revenue generation and partnerships that leverage resources.
Fellows attended the Association of American Medical Colleges annual meeting in November 2011 where they participated in a leadership orientation and discussed trends in medical library leadership as well as trends in medicine and health sciences. Earl said that some of the leadership trends discussed included the value of true marketing, being at the table with leaders and having a voice; developing champions and telling your story to other leaders and people in the community; and knowing "what keeps your boss awake at night," such as trends for chief financial officers.
In April, Earl spent a week at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Medical Library with her mentor, Connie Poole, who is the Associate Dean for Information Resources and Chair of Information and Communication Sciences. She will return for another week in August.
Monthly, fellows participate in virtual learning sessions with topics including work force, e-science, revenue generation, diversity, and power and influence.
Other fellows and mentors selected are:
Shannon D. Jones
Associate Director, Research and Education
Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences
Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
Mentor: R. Kenny Marone
Director, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
Associate University Librarian for School and Department Libraries
Yale University
Jennifer McKinnell
Head of Public Services
Health Sciences Library
McMaster University
Mentor: Cynthia Robinson
Director, George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library
Hershey Medical Center
Penn State College of Medicine
Douglas L. Varner
Senior Associate Director/Chief Biomedical Informationist
Dahlgren Memorial Library
Georgetown University Medical Center
Mentor: Evelyn B. Morgen
Director, Lyman Maynard Stowe Library
University of Connecticut Health Center
Jeffrey D. Williams
Assistant Director, Collections, Access & Clinical Services
Biomedical Library
University of California, San Diego
Mentor: A. James Bothmer
Associate Vice President for Health Sciences and
Director, Health Sciences Library
Creighton University
April 30, 2012
Frontiers Magazine Highlights Nursing Excellence
The Spring 2011 issue of Frontiers magazine celebrates nursing excellence and the achievement of University of Tennessee Medical Center earning Magnet status through the national Magnet Recognition Program®. Readers will learn the benefits of a Magnet hospital and how the principles of the Magnet program result in better patient care.
Frontiers magazine is a publication for alumni and friends. It is produced by the University of Tennessee Medical Center and UT Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville, which form the region’s only academic medical center.
This issue of Frontiers is available in print and online. To request a copy, contact the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine at 865-305-9190, or be added to the mailing list.
Physicians Take Medical Training to Ghana
For four weeks, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine physicians in Family Medicine and Surgery provided medical care and medical training in northern Ghana, located in West Africa. David Stockton, MD, MPH, Professor of Family Medicine, first joined a mission trip to the Baptist Medical Center in Nalerigu in 2007 and has returned several times. This year, Gregory Blake, MD, Professor and Chair; second-year residents Jonathan Laymance, MD, and Michael Martin, MD; and Hobart Akin, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, also participated in the medical mission.
Working out of sparsely equipped operating, procedure and clinic rooms and using antiquated techniques, the physicians were able to treat patients for a variety of conditions including general wound care, skin grafts, suture of lacerations, abscess drainage, cesarean sections, exploration of tumors and more.
"We had to treat patients based on the ability to do physical diagnosis," Dr. Akin said. "We could take x-rays, but we had no other imaging equipment available. If a patient had abdominal pain, the only option was to open him up."
Dr. Laymance, who said he has a passion for mission work and has previously been to Brazil, Honduras and Costa Rica, said they were exposed to pathology rarely seen in the United States, including cases of mumps, leprosy and elephantiasis. He said he also enjoyed the opportunity to learn surgical technique, assisting Dr. Akin on cases including hernia repair and exploratory laparotomies with repair of bowel perforation due to typhoid.
Dr. Akin said his main goal during the trip was to train not only visiting residents but also local medical staff on surgical techniques as the staff at the hospital, including an obstetrics and gynecology physician and a pediatrician, had not been formally trained in surgery.
The GSM physicians noted the biggest hurdle in treating patients was the language barrier. Although many of the people speak English, there are about 100 dialects in Ghana. They also said one of the hardest things to see was the infant mortality, usually from malaria.
"Death is accepted there," Dr. Akin said. "You don't see grieving. The infant mortality may be as high as fifty percent."
Dr. Martin said, "The time in Ghana showed me how lucky we are to have our homes and health. It also helped me to realize I do have the training to know how to handle the patient that has an emergency, urgency or critical illness."
Baptist Medical Center was established more than 50 years ago and is the only hospital in the region. It has two full-time American physicians and is partially staffed by more than 150 volunteer practitioners each year. Dr. Stockton said UTGSM has a long history of faculty and resident physicians volunteering in Ghana.
April 23, 2012
Research Seminar Discusses Chromosomal Aberrations
The next University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine Research Seminar will host Carmen Lozzio, MD, Professor of Medical Genetics discussing, "New Techniques for Detection and Interpretation of Chromosomal Aberrations." The seminar will be held Tuesday, April 24, at noon in Morrison's Conference Center at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. This seminar is open to healthcare professionals who are interested in learning more about chromosomal abnormalities.
April 19, 2012
Cancer Experts to Lead Discussion of Four Cancers
Some of the top cancer experts in the U.S. will lead discussion in Knoxville during the John W. Whittington, M.D., Endowed Lecture, September 13-15. The lecture will examine research and treatment of breast, colorectal, melanoma and gynecologic cancers and is approved for 10.5 AMA, ACPE and AAPA credits. Registration and information are available at www.tennessee.edu/cme/Whittington2012.
Featured speakers include renowned experts:
Charles M. Balch, M.D., F.A.C.S., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
John L. Bell, M.D., F.A.C.S., UT Graduate School of Medicine, UT Medical Center Cancer Institute
Jordan Berlin, M.D., Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
George J. Chang, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.C.R.S., MD Anderson Cancer Center
Mitchell H. Goldman, M.D., F.A.C.S., UT Graduate School of Medicine
Larry C. Kilgore, M.D., F.A.C.S., UT Medical Center
Minetta C. Liu, M.D., Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Edward E. Partridge, M.D., Director, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
Lawrence Solin, M.D., F.A.C.R., F.A.S.T.R.O., Albert Einstein Medical Center and
Vernon K. Sondak, M.D., H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.
The 2012 Whittington Lecture is appropriate for healthcare professionals practicing in dermatology, family medicine, gastroenterology, gynecology, internal medicine, oncology, pathology, radiology as well as pharmacists and others involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
After the adjournment of the conference, registered conference participants and guests are invited to attend a tailgate hosted by the University of Tennessee Medical Center prior to the UT Volunteers vs. Florida Gators football game on Saturday, September 15. Additionally, a limited number of complimentary tickets to the football game will be available to registered conference participants. Full details are available at www.tennessee.edu/cme/Whittington2012.
The John W. Whittington, M.D., Endowed Lecture is presented by the University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute, the UT Graduate School of Medicine and Department of Surgery and is directed by John L. Bell, M.D.
April 17, 2012
The Knoxville News Sentinel Features Alzheimer's Disease Research and Breakthroughs
Research efforts by faculty and staff at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease were featured in a special section of the Knoxville News Sentinel (KNS), wrapping up a three-part series on the degenerative brain disorder that affects at least one in ten persons over the age of 65. The special section, “Searching for a breakthrough: Researchers strive to understand, treat Alzheimer’s,” includes the following four articles by KNS writer Carly Harrington.
War on Alzheimer's: Research efforts gain momentum, but funding still lags
John Dougherty, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cole Neuroscience Center; Alan Solomon MD, Professor of Medicine and Program Director, Human Immunology and Cancer Program; and Alex Osmand, PhD, Research Scientist, Medicine, discuss why interest in Alzheimer’s disease research is growing.
Supporters push for a dedicated Alzheimer's center: Treatment, research center would be 'major step forward'
Dr. Solomon shares his vision for a dedicated Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment facility at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Researchers develop amyloid imaging agent: Method could have impact on diagnosis, treatment
A
novel agent for imaging visceral amyloid deposits in patients with amyloidosis, including Alzheimer’s disease, has been developed by Jonathan Wall, PhD, Director of the Preclinical Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging Laboratory with his team, Stephen Kennel, PhD, Alan Stuckey, Tina Richey and Emily Martin. Currently no such capability exists in the US.
Doctors collaborate on study of early Alzheimer's diagnosis
A collaborative study by Dr. Solomon and Dr. Dougherty shows promise to allow for the earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
April 16, 2012
Preston Medical Library Launches New Program to De-Stress with Service Dog Visits
Preston Medical Library is launching a new service in collaboration with the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine Human Animal Bond in Tennessee (H.A.B.I.T.) program to help library patrons de-stress through service dog visits. The service will launch April 12 at 2 p.m. in Preston Medical Library where library patrons will have the opportunity to interact with visiting dogs.
Preston staff prepared for the program through an information session at the UT College of Medicine, learning how the dogs' temperaments are tested and selected for service; the careful health screenings required for service dogs; and the benefits of the human-animal bond. H.A.B.I.T. program administrator Karen Armsey accompanied her dog, Maggie, a Golden Retriever, for a trial visit, where Maggie interacted with Pastoral Care residents, Walter State University nursing students, and patient family members.
For more information on H.A.B.I.T. dog visits at Preston Medical Library and contact Donna Doyle 865-305-8776.
Update: The launch, originally scheduled for April 12, has been moved to April 26.
April 10, 2012
Researchers Earn Doctorate Degrees
Dustin Osborne, Assistant Professor, Radiology, has earned his PhD in Nuclear Engineering (Radiological Engineering) effective December 2011. His dissertation, "Characterization of a Small Animal SPECT Platform for use in Preclinical Translational Research," focused on the performance of SPECT to image I-125 and determine areas for improvement.
Dr. Osborne works in the Molecular Imaging and Translational Research Program (MITRP) area of Radiology as an imaging specialist and physicist providing technical expertise with regard to developing experiments, optimizing the conditions under which the experiments are performed, and analysis of data acquired from the imaging systems. Dr. Osborne also provides business development support to the MITRP, including driving collaborations and working to create an educational infrastructure within the group.
Jonathan Phipps also graduated with his PhD in December 2011 through the UT Comparative and Experimental Medicine Program, conducting research under the guidance of Jonathan Wall, PhD, Director of the Preclinical Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging Laboratory. His research, "Toward Personalized Medicine: The Potential Role of RNA Interference in Plasma Cell Dyscrasias," investigated the ability to apply a fairly novel method of gene regulation, RNA interference, to reduce protein burden in patients with amyloidosis and other plasma cell disorders. Dr. Phipps also developed and generated a virus-based delivery system which is used to deliver a modified version of interfering RNA to knock down the ability of cells to produce immunoglobulin components in a semi-permanent fashion. Dr. Phipps now works as a post-doctorate researcher in the Human Immunology and Cancer Program with Daniel Kestler, PhD, Assistant Professor, studying a protein called ODAM, which has been proposed as a biomarker in breast cancer.
Tatiana Perevozchikova, who was working as a Graduate Student in the Conformational Diseases and Therapeutics Research Program under the direction of Valerie Berthelier, PhD, received her doctorate in January. She studied "Structural Dynamics of Huntingtin Exon 1 Aggregation Studied By Small Angle Neutron Scattering" in collaboration with the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As a graduate student, Dr. Perevozchikova made several presentations at international meetings and won awards, including Best Research Presentation Prize from the National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering. She is now a post-doctorate researcher for nSoft at the National Institute of Standards and Technology under the U.S. Department of Commerce in Maryland.
April 9, 2012
Internal Medicine Residency Program Provides Model for Performance Improvement
In light of ACGME's renewed focus on resident performance improvement efforts, "Residency Program Alert," a newsletter published by HCPro, Inc, featured the Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine and its Monday Morning Quarterback meeting program as a model for other residency programs to follow.
Monday Morning Quarterback meetings were initiated by Medicine faculty Mark Rasnake, MD, and Daphne Norwood, MD, in fall 2010 as a way for residents to identify issues related to safety and quality and recommend a plan of action to the department. Teams including a first-year resident, senior residents and a faculty mentor work together to identify safety issues and take action on issues they think they can improve.
"We incorporated ideas from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and created a conference to bridge the gap between the resident's education and the hospital's quality and safety initiatives," Dr. Rasnake said. "We found that things discussed at a monthly morbidity and mortality conference would grow stale before the next meeting and needed changes would not be implemented. We thought a weekly meeting would help keep patient safety and quality on the front burner."
He and Dr. Norwood were correct. Dr. Rasnake said the program does not charge residents with brainstorming novel solutions. Instead, residents are instructed to take ideas instituted at other healthcare organizations and adapt best practices to the Graduate School of Medicine. Residents use a plan-do-study-act cycle to investigate improvement efforts. To date, recommendations have been made to improve insulin safety and the management of alcohol withdrawal, which are currently being discussed within hospital committees. Also, two residents have pending research presentations stemming from work done on the evaluation of syncope and on the reliability of point of care coagulation testing. Both of these projects are to be presented at national meetings by the residents.
Dr. Norwood said another positive outcome of the Monday Morning Quarterback meetings has been the communication between residents and institutional leadership, empowering residents to provide feedback and giving them a better understanding of how to effect change within a hospital.
April 4, 2012
The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine
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Knoxville, TN 37920