Ty’rique has spent the past couple of months filling up his own scorecard with stamps and signatures that verified his participation in physical activity. Football, kickball, relay races, playing in the park; these were some of his choice activities. At the finale, he was among the three dozen young students from two area elementary schools who had filled the 24 spots on at least one scorecard and could now be in the running for one of the grand prizes: two bicycles, a Wii console and games, scooters, tickets to USF basketball and football games and to the Florida Aquarium.

Scorecard Community Coordinator Bonnie Salazar with Ty'rique Brock, his mother Andrenna Brock, and a full scorecard.

The Florida Prevention Research Center (FPRC) at the USF College of Public Health helped Robles and Sulphur Springs Elementary Schools implement the Scorecard program, which offers elementary aged students action outlets for physical activity in their community. The program encourages youth to try new activities with an emphasis on fun rather than health or skill.

“It’s all about providing an opportunity for them to try new things, to spend time with friends and family, to find something they like to do, and to have fun,” said Robert J. McDermott, PhD, professor of public health and co-director of the FPRC with Carol Bryant, PhD.

Students use the card to track their physical activity. When they have been active for a designated period of time (typically one hour) at a Scorecard site or at home, an adult stamps or signs one of the 24 squares on the card. Once all of the squares are filled, the card is redeemed for physical activity related prizes (such as Frisbees, beach towels, water bottles, backpacks), and makes them eligible for grand prizes.

The Scorecard program began in 2004 in Lexington, KY, and USF’s FPRC earned a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2006 to fund Scorecard locally.

The FPRC ran a pilot Scorecard program for middle school students in Sarasota County in 2006, then the full program for elementary school students in Hillsborough County last spring.

“One key point we learned from the Sarasota program was that it is better to target younger kids because as the kids start to enter their teens, they start to favor sedentary activities, like video games and television,” Dr. McDermott said.

“So the point is to interest them in activities earlier because by the time students are teenagers, it might be too late.”

During the past year, the FPRC worked with Robles and Sulphur Springs Elementary Schools, as well as other community partners in the Sulphur Springs and Robles areas, to build a comprehensive plan for tailoring the Scorecard program to fit local needs, with the goal of helping Tampa’s youth become more physically active throughout the year.

Prior to choosing the schools that would participate, Dr. McDermott’s team assessed the environment surrounding the schools, looking for those that were more kid friendly, with parks that had amenities like bathrooms and benches, and with ample venues for planned activities, such as bowling alleys, skating rinks, etc.

“We want the kids to feel safe, so if the nearby park is littered with broken bottles or drug paraphernalia, we weren’t likely to include that school,” he said.

Local venues participated by hosting regularly scheduled events for the students. Terrace Sports, for example, hosted weekly timeslots when students could bowl for $1 per game with a $1 shoe rental. Weekends were filled with events, such as track meets or baseball clinics at local parks, or activities like the Too Good For Drugs Walk and KidFest at MOSI.

Much of the support provided by FPRC came from public health graduate students John Trainor, Emily Koby, and Alyssa Mayer, Dr. McDermott said. They staffed many of the events and evaluated the programs to provide feedback to the school. In addition, the graduate students collected data from last spring’s program and presented it this month at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. Students will also be involved in the data analysis from the fall program, and will probably present or publish those results, as well as share the results with the schools as feedback.

“They learn something new from participants’ feedback and refine the program each time,” Dr. McDermott said.

From left: Alyssa Mayer (MPH student COPH), John Trainor (PhD candidate Applied Anthropology), Andrenna Brock-Cadet (mother of Scorecard student), Emily Koby (master's student Applied Anthropology), Bonnie Salazar (Scorecard Community Coordinator), and Susan Carrigan (USF Social Marketing Ctr.).

In addition to the graduate students, the program received much support from Tonya Thomas as the neighborhood Scorecard coordinator and Sulphur Springs resident.

Next spring, however, the goal is for the schools to take the program and run with it, Dr. McDermott said.

“We have built an infrastructure with the schools and community organizers so that they could run the program on their own.”

Beyond that, the next task is to apply basic marketing principles and develop a tool kit that can be used in schools around the country, he said.

As for Ty’rique and the grand finale celebration, he didn’t win one of the grand prizes but still came away feeling like a winner. His mother Andrenna Brock-Cadet said that the Scorecard program was great for Ty’rique.

“Sometimes we’re surrounded by a lot of negative and this program was a positive thing for my son,” she said.

“As a parent, I enjoyed seeing him participate. And it helped me get out and move, too. Sometimes I would get in there and run around and play. They definitely need to keep this program going.”

Playing up the grand prizes at the Scorecard Finale Celebration are DJ Ekin (left), radio host for WBTP 95.7 the BEAT, and Acafool, a local hiphop artist.

Students get in the mix at the Scorecard Finale Celebration.

Story by Sarah A. Worth, USF Health Communications
Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Newschannel 8 anchor Gayle Sierens interviews Dr. Stephen Klasko, USF medical dean.

The USF College of Medicine was featured on last night’s (Nov. 3rd) newscast of WFLA Newschannel 8 in a story titled “A New DNA for Doctors.”

COM Dean Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, was interviewed by veteran news anchor Gayle Sierens for a segment on the college’s innovative approaches to teaching the next generation of doctors.

In introducing the interview with Dr. Klasko, Sierens said: “He’s old enough to remember Marcus Welby, MD, experienced enough as a doctor to know communication is the key to really helping patients, smart enough to have an MBA from Wharton, and wily enough to speak out and say the old way of getting kids into medical school needs a little tweaking…”

USF 2nd year medical student Elisa (Margret) McQueen and 3rd year student Courtney Bovee – both enrolled in the Business and Entrepreneurship scholarly concentration – were also interviewed.

Click here for video of the newscast "A New DNA for Doctors.".

Sierens continued the conversation with Dr. Klasko, discussing healthcare reform’s impact on medical education, on the 11 a.m. newscast scheduled to air Friday, Nov. 13. Dr. Klasko commented on the shortage of primary care physicians who will be needed to anchor a health system insuring more people.

Click here for video of newscast "Where Will The Doctors Come From?"

Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory Holder, left, and Chief Circuit Judge Manuel Menendez, right, donned white coats to help Dr. Steve Klasko, CEO of USF Health and dean of the USF College of Medicine, into a black judicial robe.

     Lawyers and doctors came together in Tampa Oct. 6 for USF’s Black Robe Program, an event intended to bridge gaps between medicine and the law. The program allowed our USF Health faculty members to learn more about the legal system from those who know it best – Hillsborough County judges and lawyers.

Rhea Law, chair of the USF Board of Trustees, participated in the Black Robe program.

      The program was designed by Rhea Law, chair of the USF Board of Trustees; Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory Holder; and Dr. Steve Klasko, CEO of USF Health and dean of the USF College of Medicine, to emulate the concept of the White Coat program at Tampa General Hospital.

Dr. H. James Brownlee, Jr., chair of family medicine at USF, makes a point during the Black Robe Program.

     Faculty physicians, along with a few medical students, met with judges Wednesday and then spent the day shadowing a judge, learning up close how the legal system works. The day also featured a discussion of health issues in the judicial and legal process.

Black Robe Program participants inluded, L to R: Judge Menendez; medical student Anna Wouters; medical student David Sindler; Dr. Klasko; medical student Lisa Daniels; Rhea Law; Dr. Alicia Monroe, vice dean for educational affairs; Judge Holder; and Jay Wolfson, associate vice president for health law, policy and safety.

     -- Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Stuart Himmelstein, MD, Florida ACP Governor; Robert Ledford, MD; Kellee Oller, MD; Francisco Torano, MD; Joe Lezama, MD. The ACP State Championship trophy is featured above Dr. Oller.

The USF team includes Robert Ledford, MD, Kellee Oller, MD, and Francisco Torano, MD – all residents in the USF Department of Internal Medicine and, coincidentally, all graduates from the USF College of Medicine.

The “coach” for the winning team is Joe Lezama, MD, associate professor in the USF Department of Internal Medicine and chief of medicine at the James A. Haley VA Hospital. Dr. Lezama, who has coached USF teams for 10 years (with five state titles now under his belt), also coached a team of fourth year medical students who won a national “medical jeopardy” competition at the ACP annual meeting in April. That team also included Dr.Oller and Dr. Torano, who have since graduated and moved up to the internal medicine resident team.

“It was a blowout,” Dr. Lezama said. “USF earned a record 1,000 points in this competition, handily beating out the University of Florida, which scored a negative 150 points. That’s a 1,200-point victory!”

Next on their list is pursuing the national / international title in April 2010, when they will travel to Toronto to compete against other U.S. teams, as well as those from Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Central and South America, in the 2010 ACP annual meeting.

Contestants had to recognize radiographic findings of Paget's disease, skin findings of neurofibromas, and EKG findings of left bundle branch block. They also had to answer a broad range of questions on internal medicine topics. Here’s a sample:

1. What is the number needed to treat if the absolute risk reduction is 0.1?
2. What is the infection one is most concerned with in patients infected with Taenia solium?
3. What is the first test to get for a pregnant woman with abnormal uterine bleeding?
4. What is the skin lesion associated with Darier's sign?

Did you do as well as our residents? (See answers below)

Story by Sarah A. Worth, USF Health Communications

Answers:

1. Ten; 2. Neurocysticercosis; 3. Pregnancy test; 4. Urticaria pigmentosa

Led by Yiliang Zhu, PhD, professor in the College of Public Health, the USF team draws upon a wide array of expertise from researchers at Colleges of Public Health, Medicine, Nursing, Moffitt Cancer Center, Jaeb Center for Health Research, and Tampa VA hospital.

The summer institute, which will open in the summer of 2010, is a part of a national effort to train the next generation of biostatistical scientists. Its aim is to address a persistent shortage in biostatistics training and to support medical and health research.

Undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing an academic program or a professional career in biostatistics should consider applying to participate in the six-week summer institute. For more information, email Yiliang Zhu at yzhu@health.usf.edu.

USF athletic training student Tristen Webb measures the range of motion of fellow student T.J. Gilbert as Dr. Gianluca Del Rossi looks on.

The USF Athletic Training program has been granted reaccreditation for 10 years – the maximum period allowed by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

USF’s ATEP is one of only two (out of more than 350 programs nationwide) located within a medical school and the only one housed in an orthopedic department, said Micki Cuppett, EdD, ATC, director of Athletic Training Education at USF Health.

“USF serves as a model of excellence for other athletic training programs across the country,” Dr. Cuppett said. “We routinely receive inquiries from other ATEPs who look to us to learn how we positioned the program in the College of Medicine.”

The two-year undergraduate program recently moved into 6,200 square feet of space on the third floor of the University Professional Center, 3500 E. Fletcher Ave. That was just in time to accommodate the program’s newest group of 31 incoming students -- its largest class ever. The new space includes two classrooms and a state-of-the-art Athletic Training Lab complete with rehabilitation and emergency equipment, 17 examination tables and a research laboratory.

Approximately 250 pre-athletic training majors compete yearly for 30 admission slots in the USF ATEP; the program’s total student enrollment (juniors and seniors) is currently 59. Students gain 250 hours of clinical experience each semester and collaborate with athletic trainers, orthopedic surgeons and residents, primary care and musculoskeletal medicine physicians— professionals they will work with throughout their careers. The students rotate through area high schools, community rehabilitation/physical therapy clinics, USF Athletics and several professional sports organizations, including the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. Graduates receive a B.S. degree in Athletic Training and are eligible to sit for the national licensing exam.

Dr. Jeff Konin lectures to first-year athletic training students in their new classroom.

The USF ATEP was initially accredited in 2003, when the major was housed in the College of Education. The program transferred to the new Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in 2007.

Positioning the ATEP program in Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine allows athletic training students to take advantage of College of Medicine resources, including the gross anatomy laboratory and patient simulators in the Center for Advanced Clinical Learning. It also facilitates cross-disciplinary education. For example, athletic training faculty and student help teach medical students musculoskeletal content and skills in the Physical Diagnosis courses and in the fourth-year Skin and Bones Clerkship.

The ATEP program also strengthens USF’s Sports Medicine and Athletic Related Trauma Institute, a state-sponsored sports safety outreach program providing certified athletic trainers to high schools across the Tampa Bay region. Several of USF’s ATEP graduates now work for SMART at local high schools.

“Our graduates have established successful careers as athletic trainers in high schools, colleges and universities, professional sports programs, sports medicine clinics and other athletic health care settings,” Dr. Cuppett said.

About 70 percent of USF’s athletic training graduates continue on to earn another professional degree, including the MD degree or an advanced degree in physical therapy, she added.

The Athletic Training laboratory and classrooms occupy 6,200 square feet in the University Professional Center. The new space accommodates numerous exam and treatment tables.

Faculty and staff involved in the year-long self study and preparation for the reaccreditation site visit this spring were: David Leffers, MD, Chair, Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine; Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PT, Vice Chair, Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, and Director, SMART; Micki Cuppett, EdD, ATC, Director, Athletic Training Education; Gianluca DelRossi, PhD, ATC; Barbara Morris, MS, ATC, CSCS, ROT; and Larry Collins, PA-C

For more information, visit www.usfatep.com

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
- Photos by Micki Cuppett, EdD, ATC, USF Athletic Training Education

Dr. John Curran works with a team of residents and neontal nurse to stabilize a "newborn" during a recent emergency simulation exercise at the TEAMS Center.

It was a delivery room complication. The full-term newborn had inhaled meconium, its own feces, on its way out the birth canal and was having trouble breathing.

In a nearby room, USF Health Associate Vice President Dr. John Curran, a veteran pediatrician and neonatologist, was touring the Department of Pediatrics new Team Education and Multidisciplinary Simulation (TEAMS) Center with guest and colleague Dr. David Tayloe, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The 2,300-square-foot facility houses more than $250,000 worth of high-fidelity patient simulators – adults, a child and newborns – each with a computer-driven age-appropriate physiology that can mimic routine and crisis medical scenarios. The life-like mannequins can convulse, turn blue around the mouth, reproduce breathing sounds, recreate variations in blood pressure and heart rate, even secrete blood and other imitation bodily fluids.

With Dr. Tayloe at his side, Dr. Curran was unexpectedly whisked away to the simulation center’s labor and delivery room, where a team of USF neonatologists and an NICU nurse were already working on the tiny patient in distress – a newborn mannequin hooked up to a beeping monitor. In a nearby bed, the mother, an adult-size mannequin, shouts out: “What’s going on with my baby? Is he alright? Why won’t anyone tell me anything?”

Dr. Curran suctions and opens the airway.

Dr. Curran begins ventilation as USF neonatology fellow Dr. Cathy Kotto-Kome performs chest compressions. Assisting at left is neontalogy fellow Yahdira Rodriguez-Prado.

Dr. Latha Kumaraswamy, a neonatology fellow, loads a syringe with epinephrine.

As the senior physician, Dr. Curran steps in to open the newborn’s airway by inserting a breathing tube. When the newborn’s heart rate continues to fall after the tube is inserted, ventilation and CPR compressions are begun. A succession of rapid-fire questions and commands cuts through the tension. Dr. Curran: “Where’s the oxygen?…Give me a good-size tube; you have all kinds of smaller ones.” Nurse: “Have we confirmed placement of the tube?” Neonatology fellow: “It’s good!” Dr. Curran: “Let’s get an umbilical cord line in.” Nurse: “Can we get a dose of epinephrine?” Neonatology fellow: “Epi in.” Nurse: “Heart rate coming up… Let’s call NICU and tell them we’re bringing a baby over and have a ventilator ready!”

Outside the room, TEAMS Center Director Laura Haubner, MD, and coordinator Jason Fields, punch up different angles of the scene on a computer monitor for better views of the team at work and control the infant’s vital signs as the drill unfolds. Once Dr. Haubner is satisfied with the team’s response, she brings up the baby’s heart rate with a few clicks of the computer mouse.

Above: USF pediatrician Dr. Laura Haubner, director of the TEAMS Center, and Jason Fields, center coordinator, monitor the team's responses from a control station outside the L&D room. Below: They punch up different views on a computer screen as the emergency scenario unfolds and record for evaluation after the simulation exercise.

Following the emergency scenario, Dr. Haubner ushers the team and residents who observed the simulation into the center’s conference room, where she facilitates a debriefing. The health professionals watch a replay of their performance on a giant screen, critique their strengths and weaknesses, and discuss what they’ve learned. Dr. Haubner prods with questions: “When the heart rate dropped to 35, what were you thinking?... Were the chest compressions and ventilation well coordinated?... Do you feel you called for help readily enough?”

The debriefings are often an “eye-opening” experience for physicians and nurses, said Dr. Haubner, an assistant professor of pediatrics. “The teaching points elicited by the videotape can be very powerful. They get a sense of how important it is to set roles for each team member in advance and clearly designate a team leader.”

Dr. Haubner leads the team in a post-simulation debriefing, where members can critique their performance replayed on a giant screen.

Seated next to Dr. Terri Ashmeade (left), USF assistant professor of pediatrics and TGH NICU medical director, and Jason Fields (right), TEAMS coordinator, Dr. Curran poses a question to the group based on a rare, real-life delivery complication he experienced.

The center is intended to do more than allow physicians, nurses and medical students to practice, hone or retool their clinical skills in an environment without risk to real patients. “We strategically teach them how to deal with conflict and emotional distractions in both routine and crisis situations,” Dr. Haubner said.

The simulation team training focuses on multidisciplinary group dynamics, leadership, interpersonal communications skills and decision making under pressure, and emphasizes using all available information, equipment and people to achieve safe and efficient outcomes. “This crew resources management approach has traditionally been used by high stakes industries like aviation and nuclear power for simulation training, but it’s slowly being adapted by medicine, Dr. Haubner said. “We’re pretty high stakes too.”

The potential benefit for patient safety and improved outcomes is huge, she said. “According to the Institute of Medicine, most medical errors are based on lack of teamwork and miscommunication, not caused by inadequate medical knowledge.”

Dr. Curran with Dr. Paul Tayloe, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who observed the emergency L&D simulation during his visit to the TEAMS Center July 23. Dr. Tayloe earlier that morning had delivered the annual John S. Curran Lectureship, speaking to USF pediatrics faculty and residents about health reform.

Dr. Tayloe, who observed the emergency scenario and debriefing, was impressed by what he saw. “This is great. I can see how this type of simulation training would help take a lot of the anxiety out of having to walk into a real-life emergency and respond effectively as part of a team,” he said. “But keep in mind, if you find yourself practicing in a rural area, usually you are the team and must be able to save a baby’s life on your own. I still advise residents to take plenty of call in the delivery room!”

Housed on the first floor of the 17 Davis Building, the TEAMS Center formally opened July 1 and is operated by the Department of Pediatrics with support from the Office of Graduate Medical Education. It has been used by more than 130 USF faculty, residents and fellows -- primarily from Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine -- as well advanced registered nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists from Tampa General Hospital. The center expects to expand its simulation training to more health professionals and disciplines in the coming months, Dr. Haubner said.

Using one of the center's task-trainer simulators, third-year pediatrics resident Dr. Karolina Dembinski practices placing an umbilical catheter, used to deliver medications and fluids to critically ill infants, as neonatology fellow Luis Munoz observes.

In addition to Dr. Haubner and Jason Fields, TEAMS Center faculty include Brad Peckler, MD, from Emergency Medicine (Team Health), and Erika Abel, MD, USF assistant professor and program director of Med-Peds. For more information, please contact Dr. Haubner at lhaubner@health.usf.edu, or Jason Fields at jfields@health.usf.edu.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
- Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Fellows are doctors who are receiving specialized graduate medical education in a subspecialty. They already have completed medical school and graduate training, or residency, in a primary specialty.

“We’re delighted to be able to train more doctors for careers in sports medicine,” said Dr. Eric Coris, director of the University of South Florida’s Sports Medicine Division, co-director of the fellowship, and associate professor of family medicine. “With a population that is aging but also more active, there’s an incredible need for more physicians who can care for people with athletic injuries and help them stay healthy and active.”

The fellowship program will be based at the Turley Family Health Center in Clearwater. The health center, operated by Morton Plant Mease, provides comprehensive health care services to a diverse group of patients without regard to a patient’s ability to pay.

“The program will offer the fellows the opportunity to learn in various training environments,” said Dr. Sean Bryan, co-director of the fellowship and a USF affiliate associate professor of family medicine.

“This is a best of both worlds situation,” Dr. Bryan said. “Imagine having the resources of a strong community health system and a major academic health center at your disposal.”
Fellows will receive training from USF primary care sports medicine faculty as well as from USF and community orthopedic surgeons, cardiologists, other specialists and allied health professionals, Dr. Bryan said.

“We understand that to provide the best care for athletes, you need a multi-disciplinary team approach,” he said.

As part of their training, the fellows will help support community sports events and activities, including the St. Anthony’s Triathlon and the Morton Plant Mease Triathlon. They’ll also help care for students in USF Athletics, under the supervision of USF faculty members.

“We’re fortunate to have access to a wide range of athletes in high school, Division I college, professional baseball, football and multiple triathlons. This will provide significant depth to our training,” Dr. Bryan said.

Core faculty members for the fellowship will include: Dr. Bryan; Dr. Coris; Dr. Ted Farrar, associate director of the fellowship; and Dr. Michelle Pescasio, assistant director of the fellowship.

The USF College of Medicine created the USF Sports Medicine Institute, which is dedicated to caring for athletes of all ages and skill levels, as well as people who are physically active at home and at work. The institute’s providers offer diagnosis and treatment of all athletic injuries, as well as expert pre-sports participation exams.

Nationally recognized for health care excellence, Morton Plant Mease Health Care is dedicated to providing community owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Morton Plant Mease Health Care is comprised of the following hospitals – Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin, Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey.

About USF Health
USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

About Morton Plant Mease
Nationally recognized for health care excellence, Morton Plant Mease Health Care is dedicated to providing community owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Morton Plant Mease Health Care is comprised of the following hospitals – Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin, Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey.

Medical students Kiran Kondaveeti, Ani Chawdry and Christian Robles lead a presentation at Thursday's Diversity Learning Lunch.

Bringing more minorities into the health care professions will do more than just make those professions more diverse, a group of USF medical students said at a campus forum Thursday.

It could save lives.

When doctors and patients can’t understand each other, whether because of language or cultural barriers, the patients suffer, said three first-year medical students who led Thursday’s Diversity Learning Lunch seminar. All three students – Christian Robles, Ani Chawdry, and Kiran Kondaveeti – are studying in the medical school’s scholarly concentration in health disparities.

The trio presented a video about the difficulties that Florida farm workers face in getting access to health care. They also reminded their audience of some sobering statistics, showing that death rates for young adult Hispanics and African-Americans are signficiantly higher than those for young adult whites.

Part of the answer to solving that problem, they said, is to bring more minorities into the health care field.

“If you don’t have good communication between doctors and patients, it’s going to create problems,” Kondaveeti said.

That task has challenges as well. African-Americans represent over 12 percent of the U.S. population, but only 4.4 percent of doctors; Hispanics, 12.5 percent of the population and only 5.1 percent of doctors. Those groups lag behind in medical school enrollment as well.

Students attending Thursday's lunch included Alyssa Brown, right.

Minority students face more obstacles in education, income and language on the path to medical school, the Council on Graduate Medical Education has found. But Robles pointed out that the council noted a bright spot. Those students who stay in school are just as likely as their white counterparts to go on to medical school.

The group discussed ways to help minority students reach medical school.

“Maybe having students like us go out into the community and show them that it is possible to become a doctor,” Robles said. “No one is showing them what they can become.”

Group members also stressed that every medical student needs to think about diversity. African-American doctors will see Asian and white patients as well as black ones, pointed out Alyssa Brown, a third-year medical student who attended Thursday’s forum.

“As a physician, it will be important that I’m comfortable treating all my patients,” she said.

The event was organized by the Office of Student Diversity and Enrichment.

-- Story by Lisa Greene, USF Health Communications
-- Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

“We are in a position to set up a program to train all other Allergy and Immunology training programs in North America as experts in the area of rhinoscopy, an essential part of our specialty’s practice,” said Division Director Richard Lockey, MD, professor of medicine who oversees the USF Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program.

Upon successful implementation of the novel online educational module, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s RRC will extend the A & I training program’s recent reaccreditation from five to 10 years. “If we did not have such an excellent record with the ACGME, this distinction would not be possible,” Dr. Lockey said.

Rhinoscopy, performed by inserting a thin flexible tube into the nasal passage, uses a fiberoptic light to examine inside the nose and throat. It can help the physician identify problems that may not be detected by X-ray or CT scan, including sinus infections, nasal polyps, laryngeal evidence of acid reflux and vocal cord dysfunction. It can evaluate if medications are working or if surgery is needed.

While proficiency in rhinoscopy is not yet a requirement for graduate medical education in allergy and immunology, recent advances in technology have increased its usefulness as a diagnostic technique for chronic upper respiratory diseases. Yet, less than 30 percent of the 71 A&I programs in North America have the resources to teach the endoscopic procedure to their physicians in training, said Mark Glaum, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy and Immunology.

Dr. Glaum, who developed USF’s proposal with colleagues Roger Fox, MD, and Dennis Ledford, MD, presented the proposed pilot project to A&I program directors at their winter meeting in San Antonio, TX, earlier this year. “It was very well received,” he said. “Meaningful training in rhinoscopy represents an important skill and current curriculum gap in many programs… Our program may be a new modality to help physicians-in-training based in more rural areas without access to certain technology, equipment and expertise.”

The USF Division of Allergy and Immunology will prepare a web-based educational module including online lectures and instructional video demonstrating rhinoscopy for evaluation of upper airway diseases. The program will be offered through streaming video on the A&I Division website and available to download onto mobile computer devices, like PDAs and smartphones, through Apple’s iTunes U website. This online content will reinforce and be coordinated with hands-on rhinoscopy training sessions at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAI) and American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) meetings.

USF will evaluate the pilot program’s effectiveness by surveying A &I program directors and fellowship graduates who did and did not participate in the project.

The Division plans to roll out the online course by January 2010 and couple it with the hands-on rhinoscopy workshop at the 2010 AAAI annual meeting in New Orleans, LA.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications

The new affiliation was announced by the leadership of USF Health and LVHN at a joint video conference.

(March 5, 2009) -- The University of South Florida’s College of Medicine (USF) and Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) today announced an affiliation that will create a Health Care Leadership Track; a medical education curriculum to train a new generation of 21st century physician leaders. LVHN will serve as the northern instructional medical campus of USF Health. The campus located in Allentown, Pa. will serve third and fourth year medical students of USF Health who will receive all of their clinical medical education at the campus while residing in the Lehigh Valley.

Students from Pennsylvania and the surrounding area will be able to attend USF Health located in Tampa, Fla., for their first two years of medical school, and then return to LVHN for their last two years. Under the affiliation, USF initially will expand the number of available slots in its annual medical school class by 24 students, and eventually by 48 students.

“We are tired of hearing that the health care system is broken. It is time to fix it,” said Stephen Klasko, M.D., M.B.A. Senior Vice President for USF Health and the Dean of the College of Medicine. “We want to transform the fundamentals of medicine, the DNA of the health care system, one medical student at a time.”

“This relationship between the University of South Florida and Lehigh Valley Health Network represents an opportunity to partner with one of the country’s most progressive medical schools which will allow us to create a national leadership track in medical education and to bring more physicians to Pennsylvania,” said Elliot J. Sussman, M.D., LVHN’s President and CEO. “We need to have training that meets the needs of our population in the future,” Sussman said.

“We are jointly designing a new medical education curriculum that will prepare physicians for the new paradigm of health care delivery. This emphasis includes cost management, physician leadership development, and emphasizes high quality and safe care for patients. Teaching hospitals like LVHN must be committed to developing new and innovative ways to train doctors so they can help with the health care reform everyone believes we so desperately need in this country.”

“We want to transform... the DNA of the health care system, one medical student at a time,” said Stephen Klasko, MD, USF Health CEO and medical school dean.

In fact, in October of 2008, 35 national leaders in medical education met for a conference sponsored by the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation of New York to address complex issues concerning the medical school of the future. Much of the discussion of the conference focused on the contemporary realities that are not yet reflected in the preparation of future physicians. Some notable examples include the accelerating pace of scientific discovery, more public accountability, the unsustainable rise in health care costs, the well-documented shortfalls in healthcare quality, the unconscionable racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care and the inexorable increase in the burden of chronic illness and disease.

The conferees were led by Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., President Emeritus of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and currently Professor of Medicine and Public Health at George Washington University. “The overarching theme that coursed through the discussions was the urgent desire to bring medical education into better alignment with societal needs and expectations”, Dr. Cohen said. “The new affiliation between USF and LVHN offers great promise in making a concrete difference in the medical school educational mission, just when we need it most.”

Sussman also said increasing the pool of highly qualified physicians is extremely important because the population is both aging and increasing. In fact, Florida and Pennsylvania lead in the nation in the proportion of the total population that is 65 and older. While the number of physicians is inadequate to serve the population’s needs in the future, experts are predicting a major physician shortage of between 100,000 and 200,000 physicians by the year 2020. As a result, in 2006, the AAMC recommended a 30 percent increase in U.S. medical school enrollment by 2015. This would add 4,900 students to the medical school pool.

On average Lehigh Valley Health Network recruits 70 new physicians to the area each year. With the continued population growth in the area, this number is expected to rise in order to meet the increased demand. Some of the most successful recruits are those that grew up in the area or went to medical school within 150 miles of the Lehigh Valley. In addition, Pennsylvania retains more of its medical students than other states. In fact, 43 percent of physicians practicing in Pennsylvania went to medical school here. The national average is 32 percent.

Stephen Klasko, M.D., said …"by offering new slots at USF Health to students
from Pennsylvania and the surrounding area, the school will be able to attract diverse students from that part of the country. Most importantly, these students will benefit because the new affiliation offers the opportunity to receive a unique medical school education aimed entirely at educating physicians who will become leaders in understanding and changing health care. This is an opportunity to cross state boundaries to make a difference nationally.”

A request to establish a regional (branch) medical campus is being submitted to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in U.S. and Canadian medical schools. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association (AMA).

The goal is for the first students from USF Health to arrive at LVHN regional medical campus by the summer of 2013.

University of South Florida: USF Health -
The University of South Florida is the 9th largest public university in the country based on enrollment of more than 46,000 students. It is one of Florida's top three research universities and was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants last year. The University offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the Doctor of Medicine.

Lehigh Valley Health Network
Lehigh Valley Health Network includes three hospital facilities - two in Allentown and one in Bethlehem, Pa.; eight health centers caring for communities in four counties; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the region; pharmacy, imaging and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes trauma care at the region’s busiest, most-experienced trauma center treating adults and children, burn care at the regional Burn Center, kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Primary Stroke Center. Lehigh Valley Health Network has been recognized by US News& World Report for 13 consecutive years as one of America’s Best Hospitals, is a national Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing, enjoys the highest survival rates in the nation for heart attacks and has been honored seven straight years among the top integrated health networks in the U.S. Additional information is available at www.lvh.org.

Dr. Alexander Rosemurgy

Alexander, Rosemurgy, MD, professor of surgery and medicine at USF Health, has been named Associate Dean for Medical Simulation and Academic Enrichment in the College of Medicine.

“Dr. Rosemurgy will play important roles in our progress towards building a leading academic medical center committed to new discovery and innovation,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine. “He will enhance the participation of junior faculty and residents in our clinical departments in cutting-edge translational and clinical research.”

Dr. Rosemurgy has been instrumental in working Deborah Sutherland, PhD, associate vice president for Continuing Professional Development at USF Health, to help develop the USF Health Simulation Center at Tampa General Hospital. The center -- designed to be a model center for simulation education and training in the Southeast -- houses a comprehensive variety of advanced simulators that allow physicians and other health professionals to practice surgical and clinical skills in a controlled setting, without risk to patients.

Dr. Rosemurgy is surgical director of the Digestive Disorders Center at Tampa General Hospital. He holds the Vivian Clark Reeves/Joy McCann Culverhouse Endowed Chair for Digestive Diseases and Pancreatic Cancer at USF. His research focus and clinical interests include achalasia, portal hypertension, GERD, cholangiocarcinoma, and pancreatic cancer. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers in his areas of expertise.

Dr. Rosemurgy received his MD degree from the University of Michigan College of Medicine and completed a surgical residency at the University of Chicago where he spent two years in basic science research. He joined the USF College of Medicine in 1984. He founded and directs the General Surgery Division’s Academic Summer Program, a rigorous program that educates and mentors students interested in careers in medicine and emphasizes translational and clinical research.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
- Photo by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications/Media Center

###

Kevin Sneed (center), PharmD, clinical director and assistant dean of the Division of Clinical Pharmacy, heads the USF Doctor of Pharmacy Program.

Tampa, FL (Jan. 29, 2009) -- The Florida Board of Governors today unanimously approved a proposal to establish a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (PharmD) Program at the University of South Florida.

The approval means that USF Health can begin planning the four-year professional degree program, housed under the auspices of the USF College of Medicine. The university expects to apply to the Florida Legislature for program funding by 2011, so that its first PharmD class could be admitted later that year.

“The Board was insightful in recognizing the long-term, critical healthcare need for more pharmacists to serve the citizens of Florida,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine. “As with everything we do at USF Health, this program will be designed as a critical hub in the future of health care, especially for the citizens of our region.”

Florida is positioned at the high end of the 20-percent national shortage of pharmacists, said Kevin Sneed, PharmD, clinical director and assistant dean of the USF Division of Clinical Pharmacy.

“Beginning in 2011, the first wave of baby boomers will begin enrolling in Medicare. Many will require medication therapy as part of their health care, and the state’s demand for pharmacists is expected to grow substantially,” said Dr. Sneed, an associate professor in the USF Department of Family Medicine. “We are building a rigorous, patient-centered program that will focus on the needs of this aging population while preparing pharmacists to be innovative healthcare leaders.”

Since pharmaceuticals touch on virtually all aspects of health care, the full-service pharmacy program will emphasize interdisciplinary collaborations that will draw on faculty and other resources from USF Health’s colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health and provide opportunities for collaborative teaching and research. Pharmacy students will receive their clinical training at USF-affiliated teaching hospitals across the Tampa Bay region, most of which have pharmacy residency programs, and at outpatient sites, including the Centers for Advanced Healthcare on USF Health’s north and south campuses.

The program will emphasize clinical research between the PharmD program and other USF doctoral and master’s programs.

Dr. Sneed said he expects the USF Doctor of Pharmacy Program to enroll as many as 50 students in its first class if funding is approved. The accreditation application process would begin in summer 2010, he said.

- USF Health -

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

L to R: USF charter CRNA students LaSonya Malbrough, Latanya Lawrence, Anita Lee, Tae Garrison, and Georgia Vong at a clinical rotation.

At the Dec. 13 commencement ceremony, 100 percent of USF’s charter class of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, or CRNAs, graduated with a job lined up -- proof that the demand for this specialized health professional remains strong even in a slow economy. The 12 graduates, who received Master of Science degrees, are working in hospitals across the greater Tampa Bay area including Tampa General Hospital, Morton Plant Mease Hospital, University Community Hospital in Carrollwood and Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

CRNAs are anesthesia professionals who administer nearly 65 percent of the 26 million anesthetics given to patients each year, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. CRNAs are the sole anesthesia providers in nearly half of all hospitals and more than two-thirds of the rural hospitals in the United States.

USF’s CRNA program, the first such certified program in the Tampa Bay area, began in fall 2006 as a response to the nationwide demand for more anesthesia providers.

It was only the third public university to offer the CRNA certification out of seven accredited nursing programs in Florida.

USF’s CRNA program, directed by Sierra Gower, MS, CRNA, was designed to provide a high-quality, competitive program that combines extensive education with practical clinical experience.

“The need for CRNA's nationally and in the Tampa Bay community has never been greater and we are extremely proud that 100 percent of the charter class of nurse anesthetists secured employment upon graduation well before completing their degrees,” Gower said. “These 12 very skilled people will become Certified Registered Nurses Anesthetists and provide much needed safe, competent anesthesia care.”

A 1990 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services drew attention to a national shortage of nearly 5,400 nurse anesthetists. Recognizing the increasing numbers of healthcare procedures requiring anesthesia, many retiring CRNAs, and decreasing graduation rates of nurse anesthetists, the study concluded that nurse anesthesia educational programs must produce between 1,500 to 1,800 graduates annually to meet expected demands for nurse anesthetists by the year 2010. Currently, about 1,000 nurse anesthetists graduate annually.

The graduates from USF's charter CRNA class were: Joshua Beason, Thomas Benafield, Mary Bergin, Julia Cramer, Kimberly Durham, Jason Edwards, Tae Garrison, Kathleen Harley, Lisa Hollett, Dean Jani, Lasonya Malbrough, and Anita Lee-Newkirk.

- Story by Sarah Worth, USF Health Communications

Dec. 1, 2008 (Tampa and Bangkok) -- President Judy Genshaft of the University of South Florida and President Wiroon Tangcharoen, of Srinakharinwirot University completed on Nov 26 the signing of an Academic Collaboration and Student Exchange Program agreement. The agreement outlines an exchange of undergraduate and graduate students and plans for joint medical training. The initial exchange of students is expected in 2010.

“This is an exciting and important agreement for global education in medicine and other fields for both institutions. This marks the first affiliation of a Thai institution and an institution in the State of Florida,” said President Genshaft.

President Genshaft travelled to Thailand Nov 22 to 29 with a group including Rhea Law, chair of the USF Board of Trustees. The president's group returned on their scheduled date of Nov 29, but left Thailand through the U-tapao military air base instead of Bangkok's international airport, which was shut by anti-government protests. "We had a great trip that allowed us to discuss our shared commitment to student opportunities and build an already strong relationship," President Genshaft said.

Prior to the signing ceremony, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakrl Sirindhorn presented the Global Leadership Award to President Genshaft and Stephen Klasko, CEO for USF Health and Dean of the College of Medicine. The Global Leadership Award is the first such award given in recognition of leadership and commitment to excellence in global education.

The team attended an international medical summit at Srinakharinwirot University College of Medicine, where Dr. Klasko made a presentation along with several faculty members from USF Health.

“International medicine is more than a trend - it is a force to contend with,” Dr. Klasko said. "We've had a deep and fulfilling relationship with SWU and our hosts could not have been more gracious and helpful during this visit. They made certain that the political issues evolving in Bangkok at the time had only a minimal effect on our trip."

Other members of USF's team stayed in Thailand for further discussions, including Dr. John Sinnott, associate dean for international affairs at the USF College of Medicine, Dr. Lynette Menezies, and Dr. Charurut Somboonwit. For more information on the team, see the USF College of Medicine International Affairs website.

- USF -

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu.

An innovative University of South Florida dual master’s degree program offers future leaders in the biotechnology workforce the opportunity to concentrate on honing business and management skills – and save some time and money in the process.

The Dual Master’s Degree Program in Biotechnology & Entrepreneurship combines the College of Medicine Master’s in Biotechnology with the College of Business Administration Master’s in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies.

“The combined degrees can be mastered in three years, and will spare students a significant commitment of time and money without compromising in-depth training,” said Inge Wefes, PhD, director of the Biotechnology Master’s Program. “The program makes graduate students outstandingly versatile and thereby lays an essential stepping stone for their future success.”

The 57-credit dual curriculum allows students to have three courses, a total of 9 credit hours, count for two otherwise independent Master's programs. Obtaining a Biotechnology Master’s and Entrepreneurship Master’s separately would require a minimum of 66 credit hours.

This fall, the Biotechnology Master’s Program will celebrate its first graduation after recently having been designated a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Program by the Council of Graduate Schools.

For more information on the Dual Master’s Program in Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship, contact Dr. Wefes at iwefes@health.usf.edu.

- Newsbrief by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications

Laura Gonzalez, PhD, ARNP, director of the USF College of Nursing's Center for Virtual Simulation, instructs students using one of the laboratory's patient simulators.

New technologies have advanced ways to simulate hands-on, real-time patient experiences, including computer-controlled mannequins that can be programmed to display certain health conditions and complications in humans. Human patient simulators allow students to repeatedly practice skills and procedures and to make judgements and errors in a controlled setting. These virtual patients have helped revolutionize nursing education by providing another level of safety before students care for real patients in hospitals and other clinical settings.

“Students learn to think on their feet and enjoy using the simulation lab to practice honing their skills,” said Laura Gonzalez, PhD, ARNP, director for the Center of Virtual Simulation at the University Of South Florida College Of Nursing.

I-Stan (TM), completely wireless and tetherless, is the latest model of human patient simulator. Unlike previous models, I-Stan is controlled wirelessly through the computer and all the simulator’s operating machinery is housed inside its body. The instructor uses the computer to control all actions of the simulator, changing the physiological symptoms manually as the students administer treatment to the virtual patient. The USF College of Nursing plans to create a control room where instructors can operate the patient simulator while viewing the students’ actions through a one-way mirror. In addition, the room housing the I-Stan will be modeled to resemble a hospital room or an intensive care unit.

The simulation lab meets the needs of today’s students by complementing traditional teaching methods with technology. The use of simulators is not inteded to replace classical education, but rather to enhance learning. The process of learning through assessment, evaluation, decision making and error correction is considered a stronger learning environment than passive instruction, experts say.

In a “mock code” simulation nursing students are put in a situation in which the patient undergoes respiratory and cardiac arrest and must be given immediate care to survive. The students must call upon their training and knowledge of how to respond in an emergency without wasting any time.

Fred Slone, MD, adjunct faculty member in the College of Nursing, demonstrates the latest model of human patient simulator, I-Stan, for the college's Community Awareness Nursing Development Leadership Education (CANDLE) group.

During four-hour monthly sessions students also work with the birthing simulator Noelle. A specialized robot-mannequin, Noelle is capable of delivering a baby vaginally, simulating a fetal heart rate and illustrating physiological changes throughout the birth. Students can view cardinal movements internally and externally as the birth progresses. They get a complete, first-hand experience before, during and after delivery -- caring for mom and newborn.

“Skills that may not be available for practice in a clinical environment are practiced in the lab to increase their exposure,” said USF College of Nursing faculty member Jenny Molloy MS, ARNP, RNC. “Because their roles would primarily be as an observer, skills the students may not be able to practice can be practiced in the simulation lab."

Clinical nursing instructor Jenny Molloy MS, ARNP, RNC, helps students "deliver" a newborn using a specially-designed labor and delivery simulator.

The George & Marian Miller Center for Virtual Learning at the USF College of Nursing also meets the changing needs of students while increasing the quality of education. Topic-specific software helps students learn indispensable skills that require considerable practice.

With the support of an interdisciplinary grant, the College of Nursing and the College of Engineering created nursing educational software to help students learn and practice elements of hands-on nursing skills such as inserting a naso-gastric tube. Other interactive programs allow students to practice reading and interpreting chest X-rays and heart rhythms.

There is a strategic plan to incorporate more laboratory simulation throughout the curriculum. “The goal is to have simulation used in every semester’s coursework, from novices to experts,” Dr Gonzalez said. “We don’t need to stop with nursing students; practicing nurses always need a refresher, especially in high-risk, low-volume situations.”

- Story by Ashlea Hudak, USF College of Nursing Communications
- Photos by Luis Battistini, USF CONECT, Joseph Gamble, USF Communications, and Ashlea Hudak.

Med 1 Class President Wesley Hill sketches the model in charcoal.

Drawing not only develops hand-eye coordination, it teaches one to really observe, to see, as nothing else ever will. -- Marculewicz

One must always draw, draw with the eyes, when one cannot draw with a pencil. -- Balthus

Art and medicine have been connected since the beginning of time — on cave walls, in Greek sculpture, on canvases by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dix, Picasso, Kahlo, and Wyeth. When things go wrong, when disabilities and illnesses occur, when suffering persists, visual artists record these general and intimate stories using unique tools and colors.

In a project conceived by Chris Phelps, PhD, former chair of anatomy, and Lois LaCivita Nixon, PhD, course director for On Doctoring at the USF College of Medicine, students were invited to participate in a Life Drawing class to consider medicine’s central focus -- the human body, in a slightly different way. The intention was to provide a Medical Humanities connection to behavioral sciences, patient diagnosis, and anatomy so that students could focus on the human figure in a non-medical setting -- a figure that might laugh, fidget, cough, and scratch.

“Students often draw things to learn or observe diagrams in their books. It seemed like a natural correlation with the sciences,” said Dr. Nixon. “These students know the body well. They are able to name all the parts of it, and now they get to consider simultaneously both its subjective and objective nature.”

Recently 19 Med I and II students trekked across campus from the medical college to the College of Fine Arts to participate in the optional Life Drawing session. The students filled an unfamiliar, clearly non-medical room containing colorful posters, stools, and jars of brushes, pens, sharpeners -- not a lab coat, test tube, or thick medical book in sight! Instead, the untidy classroom was arranged with spindly easels circling the central stage or platform, and new tools that included charcoal sticks, sharpeners, and large pads of newsprint paper. An unknown figure, a 60-year-old man, who would serve as their model greeted them with a smile.

Dr. Lois Nixon (right front), director of the On Doctoring course, says the Life Drawing class allows students to observe and interpret the human body in a non-medical setting.

Neil Bender, an assistant professor in the Visual and Performing Arts, began with a short powerpoint lecture about human anatomy and drawing techniques. It became clear that specific points, such as shoulders, hip bones, and knees would seize attention when students tried to create figure lines. Later Bender provided energetic assistance to the students as they completed rapid sketches of the arm or the foot before moving to the full human figure.

Classes like this have been offered at Columbia University, New York University, and other medical schools to emphasize the kinds of observation and interpretation skills associated with medicine.

They encourage students to become familiar with parts of as well as the full, fluid, subjective body. In addition, the session and focus can help ease tensions that some medical students may experience when they start studying and dissecting their cadaver.

Neil Bender of the USF College of Visual and Performing Arts led the session.

Prior to the session, several students noted that they had never seen a fully nude adult body but all students were responsive to the pilot class and fully attentive to the drawing challenges.

The model eventually sat for 30 to 40 minutes so that students could draw his full figure. Because the easels circled the figure, there were as many perspectives as there were students.

The exercise, not exactly what students might have thought about within a medical school context, was greeted as an enthusiastic challenge and each student worked studiously on the various assignments.

Second-year medical students Fabio Ferrari and Christine Booth observe the model as they draw.

“I felt really excited. I like to draw for stress relief, but this was my first time drawing a human being,” said first-year medical student Erika Reese.

Lauren Mullinax, a second-year medical student, didn’t feel like her excitement was translating into art. “I am doing awful as an artist but to actually see a person with feelings is nice,” she observed.

“I’ve never taken a drawing class before. It’s a new experience. It’s way different from the norm,” said Dan Razzano, an master's student specializing in anatomy.

The Life Art drawing class offers an unusual experience for medical students and lessons about patient movement and perspective. Rather than relying on the text or on specific exam and patient assessment patterns, students were able to become familiar with the human body in a non-medical way.

Dr. Nixon, noting that good patient care requires a level of comfort between doctors and patients, regards the drawing exercise as another lens for seeing and interpreting as well as a way for reducing tension between the doctor and patient. A patient can tell when their doctor is uncomfortable with them during an examination and this exercise may lead to new insights and agilities for providing care, she said.

The Life Art drawing session lasted about two hours. It consisted of a short presentation on figure art from Bender. The student then sketched seven one-minute drawings, capturing the essence of the model as he struck different poses. They also spent 30 minutes on a more detailed drawing of the entire human figure. According to Bender, the students were doing well flexing their creative muscles.

“You guys are better than my intermediate class. Any of you want to change majors?” Bender joked.

The students’ artwork will be displayed in the Shimberg Health Science Library for about two weeks starting November 7.

- Monique Salazar, USF Health Communications, contributed to this story.
- Photos by Eric Younghans

L to R: U.S. Rep Kathy Castor talks about the USF College of Nursing's partnership with James A. Haley VA Hospital, flanked by Marian Hardwick and Carey Ledee, among the first USF nursing students enrolled in the new VA Nursing Academy.

TAMPA, FL (Oct. 27, 2008) -- A new nursing academy will help alleviate the state’s nursing shortage, offer care to wounded veterans and create high-paying jobs in the Tampa Bay area, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said today.

“It marries a number of missions,” Castor said. “This VA Nursing Academy is a wonderful new initiative that builds upon the collaboration of USF and the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.

With the Haley VA's new state-of-the-art spinal cord injury wing as a backdrop, Castor was joined at the news conference by Patricia Burns, PhD, dean of the USF College of Nursing, and Sandra Janzen, associate director for patient care services/nursing programs at the Haley VA Hospital.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has provided $3.5 million to USF’s College of Nursing to establish the VA Nursing Academy. USF's nursing school is one of 11 across the country to date selected to form nursing academies with 10 VA medical centers. The money allows Haley and the nursing college to hire five faculty members this year and another five next year. That, in turn, allows the school to enroll more nursing students.

As a result of the program, 100 new nurses are expected to graduate with their baccalaureate degrees in the next four years, Janzen said. If they join the VA system, those new nurses can expect starting salaries of about $47,000, she said.

“These are high-paying jobs for our community at a time when unemployment is on the rise,” Castor said. “These are good paying jobs with good benefits.”

L to R: Patricia Burns, PhD, dean of the USF College of Nursing; Sandra Janzen, associate director for patient care services/nursing at the Haley VA Hospital; and Congresswoman Kathy Castor responded to questions about the partnership's impact on Florida's nursing shortage.

The nursing students do clinical work at Haley, where they gain first-hand experience treating the nation’s veterans. They will be exposed to specialized services including mental health, physical rehabilitation, polytrauma and spinal cord injury care. Haley officials hope the nursing students will eventually work at the VA hospital.

The program has three main goals: to expand teaching faculty, to improve recruitment and retention of nurses, and to create new educational and research opportunities.

Florida’s nursing shortage is acute. The state is short nearly 13,000 registered nurses this year. By 2020, the shortage is expected to reach more than 52,000, according to the Florida Center for Nursing.

Part of the problem is nursing schools are forced to turn away qualified applicants. In 2007, for example, nursing schools had to say no to more than 40,000 qualified applicants, primarily because the schools didn’t have enough faculty members to teach the aspiring nurses, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Students enrolled in the VA Nursing Academy are eligible to apply for $10,000 scholarships awarded through USF’s College of Nursing and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Nursing Academy initiative underscores Castor’s work on higher education, health care and military affairs. Castor pushed for the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which provides loan forgiveness to students entering careers in public service – including nursing. Congress also allocated $2.4 million for a program through the USF College of Nursing to help veterans cope with emotional health and other problems.

See Related Story:
USF awarded $100,000 for RWJF New Careers in Nursing Program

USF College of Nursing Dean Patricia Burns with Kathy Castor.

USF nursing student Marian Hardwick, a participant in the VA Nursing Academy, is interviewed by ABC Action News anchor Sarina Fazan.

Hardwick and Ledee help out veterans Alfred Rozelle (second from left) and Charles Alston during lunchtime at the Haley VA spinal cord injury unit. Cas Cahill, far left, USF assistant professor of nursing, is director of the VA Nursing Academy.

Alston shares a laugh with nursing student Ledee.

- Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

VA Nursing Academy participants Marian Hardwick, left, and Carey Ledee were two of eight students in the College of Nursing's Accelerated Second Degree Program awarded RWJF scholarships this fall. Hardwick has a bachelor's degree in health education and Ledee in biology.

The University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing is among the first institutions in the nation to receive funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program. Grants provided through this competitive program will be used for scholarships to increase the number of students enrolled in USF College of Nursing’s accelerated baccalaureate nursing program.

This groundbreaking national initiative, launched by RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), aims to help alleviate the nation’s nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the pipeline of students in accelerated nursing programs. The USF College of Nursing was awarded $100,000 to provide 10 student scholarships for 2008/2009.

Scholarship applications were distributed to the incoming class of Accelerated Second Degree students from the VA Nursing Academy (VANA) cohort, and 8 eligible students were awarded the scholarships on Sept. 22. The VA Nursing Academy is a collaboration between The Department of Veterans Affairs and the USF College of Nursing aimed at boosting care for veterans and job opportunities for nurses.

Students were thrilled to have this wonderful opportunity. One student commented, “This is unbelievable – now I can focus on my courses without worrying about the bills so much!” Another said, “You can’t imagine how much this is going to help me because now I can drop back my hours at work!”

Through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed to entry-level nursing students in accelerated programs during the 2008-2009 academic year. Award preference is given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds. Grant funding also will be used by the school of nursing to help leverage new faculty resources and provide mentoring and leadership development resources to ensure successful program completion by scholarship recipients.

“This program aims to safeguard the health of the nation by helping to ease the nurse and nurse faculty shortage,” said RWJF President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A. “This new initiative also will advance our strategic goal of promoting leadership in the health professions.”

The RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program supports accelerated programs, which offer the most efficient route to licensure as a registered nurse for adults who have already completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in a discipline other than nursing.
Although enrollment in these programs has steadily increased over the past few years, many potential students are unable to enroll since already having a college degree disqualifies them for receiving most federal financial aid programs for entry-level students. The New Careers in Nursing scholarships address this problem, and will also address the overall nursing shortage, by enabling hundreds of students to launch their nursing careers through accelerated education.

“Students admitted to USF under the VA program will do their clinical work at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa and, ideally, will end up working there," said Dr. Cass Cahill, an Assistant Professor at USF and Director of the new VA Nursing Academy.

USF was competitively selected as one of seven nursing schools across the nation this year to join the VA Nursing Academy. The VA awarded $3.5-million grant to the university to establish the VA Nursing Academy at USF. The money will pay for five faculty positions for four years and is part of a five-year, $40-million effort by the VA to team up with universities near their medical centers.

“The VA Nursing Academy expands our teaching faculty, improves recruitment and retention, and creates new educational and research opportunities," U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs James B. Peake said in a statement.

By bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and master’s degree levels, the new scholarship program also helps to address the nation’s nurse faculty shortage. Data from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration show that nurses entering the profession at the baccalaureate level are four times more likely than other nurses to pursue a graduate degree in nursing, which is the required credential to teach.

Additionally, the program targets the need to recruit students from groups underrepresented in nursing or disadvantaged backgrounds. According to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, diversifying the nursing profession is essential to meeting the health care needs of the nation and reducing health disparities that exist among many underserved populations.

Two scholarships are being held in reserve at the USF College of Nursing until the next class of VANA students are admitted, which is expected to be in April 2008. Only students who are admitted to the College of Nursing in the accelerated second degree program are eligible.

AACN serves as the National Program Office for this RWJF initiative and oversees the grant application submission and review processes. For more information about this program, visit www.newcareersinnursing.org.

- Story by Ashlea Hudak, USF College of Nursing Communications
- Photo by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

See podcast below.

Spotlight on International Agreements

International agreements are a physical demonstration of USF’s ability to work and engage with colleagues around the world. They lay the foundation for the development of mutually strengthening and enriching international educational and research experiences for both faculty and students. Currently the University of South Florida has 130 collaborative agreements with over 40 countries. These agreements pave the way for the USF’s position as a global institution.

In March 2008, Vice President Xiaoming Wang and eight officials from Capital Medical University in Beijing, China traveled to USF with the vision of establishing a collaborative Breast Cancer Surgical Research and Training Program. The purpose of their visit: establish an agreement with USF Health, which will serve as the first step towards building a bridge of collaboration to the world’s most populous country. This agreement is one of eight signed in the past two years under the direction of the COM Office of International Affairs, which was established in 2005.

Dr. Lynette Menezes, Director of International Affairs for the College of Medicine explains, “Signing a formal agreement of collaboration is symbolic ― it embodies intellectual synergy and broadens local horizons. It signifies we are serious about working with your institution and we want to make a difference together. Developing collaborations with international institutions is challenging and requires unique skills, special sensitivity and respect for each others interests and cultures. Therefore, agreements are co-signed by the highest authorities of an institution which implies a buy-in by the leadership of each institution to work together as a unified team on the global stage.”

Cultural Recognitions
These agreements are critical for many cultures because they are written documents of mutual interest. As Dean Maria Crummett explains, “It’s the beginning of that recognition and trust. It shows that we have a bond and we want to strengthen that. And it is very important to have that face to face contact to have the visitors come.” When countries like China with such a promising future for medical breakthroughs reach out to the United States it is essential that we take advantage of these opportunities.

Forging a bond: Capital Medical University
USF’s collaborative agreement with Capital Medical University from Beijing focuses on developing a breast cancer surgical research and training program in Beijing. Projects will include student exchange, and involve the complex exchange of research, training, and interventions. Capital Medical University is attempting to create specialized centers at their institution in Beijing, China similar to those offered by USF Health. According to Dr. Cox, the goal of the Chinese is to be able to create a system where, “Multiple disciplines work together under one umbrella of administrative care.”

The concept is simple, but the possibilities are endless: develop specialty doctors in areas of China, where holistic medicine is more commonly practiced. Dr. Cox hopes that Capital Medical University can initiate a curriculum similar to the CRISP Program that has begun at the Morsani Center. This collaborative agreement will benefit patients by allowing both superpowers to exchange research and results.

Setting the stage: The Confucius Institute
The backdrop for the agreement signing was the Confucius Institute, an emblem of USF’s international outlook. The Confucius Institute will assist the educational and business communities in Tampa Bay to develop closer ties with China through Chinese language instruction and cultural exchange. USF is the first university in Florida and the first major public research university in the Southeastern United States to establish a Confucius Institute, which is one of only forty two in the United States. The Confucius Institute will be yet another way for USF to spread its message on a global stage.

Story by Julian Corvin and Kaeley Hamilton, USF Division of Infectious Disease & International Medicine/ Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Click below to view podcast.

PHOTO GALLERY:

From L to R: Dr. Charles Cox, Professor of Surgery, USF with Vice President Xiaoming Wang from Capital Medical University

From L to R: Dean of USF International Affairs, Dr. Maria Crummett and Vice President Xiaoming Wang, Capital Medical University sign the agreement

At Center: Dr. Charles Cox, Dr. Lynette Menezes, Dean Maria Crummet and Vice President Xiaoming Wang with other faculty from Capital Medical University

Other Links:
USF Health International Affairs, College of Medicine
USF International Affairs

Panama City, Panama

The USF Health International Foundation may be located in Panama, but what its team of scientists and educators hopes to accomplish could have far reaching effects across the Americas. The foundation hopes to create greater access to continuing professional education courses in the health industry. Their goal: make courses and training more readily available for physicians, nurses, and other health professionals throughout Latin and Central America. Foundation leaders say by basing their programs in Panama, they hope to extract the difficulties that can come with international travel and help more health professionals across the Americas access new & improved training.

“The foundation will be sponsoring a variety of programs from student exchanges, research activities, continuing professional development – also known as ‘lifelong learning activities’- which will help us work the healthcare professionals in Panama to develop their skills,” said Deborah Sutherland, PhD, President of the USF Health International Foundation and Associate Dean of Continuing Professional Development for the USF College of Medicine.

Among the health specialties the foundation is focusing on are women and children’s health, including obstetrics and gynecology surgical needs; family medicine; emergency medicine; orthopedics and general surgery.

“Presently, the physicians are usually taken outside the country in industry-sponsored courses. They provide them training in industry specific labs. If we can offer those courses here in Panama, collaborating with Panamanian faculty, it not only helps improve the performance of the practicing physician, we reach MORE physicians,” said Dr. Sutherland, who was part of the 18 month long intercontinental negotiations to open the foundation in Panama.

Dr. Deborah Sutherland

During a visit to Panama’s capitol for the inauguration of the foundation in June 2008, Sutherland and other USF Health leaders met with University of Panama and Universidad Latina de Panama representatives to discuss how best to make this happen.

“We feel that our potential and our partnership with Panama is limitless,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President, University of South Florida; CEO, USF Health; and Dean, College of Medicine.

Adding simulation technology to the ‘mix’ is a key component to the foundation’s vision for continuing professional education in Panama. “We believe that when we talk about safety, the next step is going to be ‘How do we assess the technical competence of physicians?’” said Dr. Klasko. “If you’re an airline pilot, every couple of years you’re on a simulator making sure that you have the technical competency…We’re looking at a model where people from all over the country and the world can come to assess technical competency.”

For Klasko, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist, the simulation training goes beyond oversight of healthcare providers. “There’s a brand new medical procedure. How do I become really good at that? Well, the traditional way of doing things is to take weekend courses, which really aren’t the only right way to do it. And, you don’t really know when you’ve left if you’re competent to do it,” noted Klasko. “We’re hoping through simulation that we can standardize that education.

The groundwork is being laid, as we speak, with the help of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Sterling Williams, MD, Vice President of Educational Affairs, ACOG, traveled to Panama this past June to join the USF Health delegation. “I work in six Central American countries. I’m in Central America 6 – 8 times a year, so I have the added advantage of having visited all the hospitals in Panama where there are OB/GYN residents,” said Dr. Williams. “I look at it from a different perspective. No matter what a facility needs here, if the government does not approve of it, they don’t get it. There’s nothing that the University of South Florida can do to change that equation without first having a conversation with the government…What we need are conversations broader than just the hospital facility.”

“We in the United States tend to look at how we can benefit. This is more about what we can give,” said Williams, rich in personal anecdotes of his visits with health professionals across the region. “So you say ‘Why should we bother?’ We should bother because we can help to improve healthcare and, therefore, health.

A delegation of representatives from USF Health and USF was joined by ACOG's Dr. Sterling William in Panama City last June, meeting with Panamanian health officials, physicians and educators to discuss collaboration on future continuing medical education programs. Among their stops, the Punta Pacifica Hospital in Panama City, a private hospital, where chiefs are among the first to implement hospital standards similar to ones in the U.S.

Punta Pacifica Hospital - Panama City, Panama.

Back at home on the campus of USF Health, a local reporter asks Sutherland to explain how Panama fits in to the university’s ‘big picture’. “The USF Health International Foundation becomes a vehicle that allows USF and USF Health to become a player in the global community,” said Sutherland. “It shows that we care and that we care about borders beyond the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, etc. It shows that we care about healthcare and education on a global level and that we’re willing to make the commitment to provide these opportunities for our students and our faculty.”

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications
Part VII of Panama Series

NEWS CLIP COURTESY WUSF - August 2008 Broadcast

OTHER LINKS:
Voices from Panama: Specialists on Specialties
Photo Gallery

Panama Series: Pt 1 - 6

Part I: USF Health International Foundation
Part II: Public Health Students Get Family Style Welcome in Panama
Part III: Reporter's Notebook: Panama Canal
Part IV: Hola to Babies in Panama
Part V: Nursing's Community Health Program in Panama
Part VI: Public Health Researchers on Expansion of Historic Panama Canal

The 115 students of the MD Program graduating Class of 2008 have achieved the highest average to date of any USF College of Medicine (COM) class on the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) examination of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Physicians in the U.S. must pass 4 licensing exams before they may practice medicine. They are: Step 1, 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) and Step 3. Here at USF, COM students are required to take and pass Step 1 after year 2 of their MD studies. COM students must pass Step 2 Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Skills prior to graduation. Students take Step 3 during their year of residency training.

All 115 students in the USF COM, Class of '08, passed the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) on their first attempt in contrast to the national performance, which has a 96% pass rate on the first attempt.

The mean score for USF COM students in the Class of '08 was 237.5 compared to a national mean of 226.

"This achievement is a reflection of both the outstanding students we have at the College of Medicine and the excellence of our educational program and faculty," said Steven Specter, PhD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the USF College of Medicine.

The outstanding results on this national medical licensing exams are part of a trend at the USF medical school in its efforts to increase Step 2 Clinical Knowledge scores. Test results have been consistently on the rise since its new curriculum was put in place for the Class of 2004.

Front row, L to R: Boo Kwa, USF College of Public Health, and Jarbas Barbosa, Pan American Health Organization.
Back row, L to R: Dean of USF International Affairs Maria Crummett and USF College of Public Health's Karen Liller, Ann DeBaldo, COPH Dean Donna Petersen, and Alfonso Ruiz, Course Director.

July 31, 2008. Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, Manager of Health Surveillance and Disease Management for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Dr. Boo Kwa, Chair of the Department of Global Health at the USF College of Public Health, formalized and signed a partnership between both entities to create a series of unique courses entitled "Health in the Americas".

The new three-week courses will be launched in May 2009 and offered at the College of Public Health campus in Tampa, FL. PAHO will sponsor participants from Latin American countries to faciliate their travel to the United States and Tampa to attend classes. Many of the students will be health professionals and administrators from PAHO member nations. USF students will also be able to register for this credit course. Among the goals of the unique course is to allow USF and visiting PAHO students the opportunity to collaborate on projects to help develop solutions for public health problems.

The course being created will be based on the book Health in the Americas.

Other Links

USF College of Public Health, Dept. of Global Health

Pan American Health Organization

Health in the Americas Book

The Division’s educational initiative can serve as a model for the other College of Medicine departments and divisions interested in incorporating instructional technology into their educational programs.

The clinical teaching sessions with USF Health faculty range between 15 minutes to one hour in length and cover a wide range of infectious disease topics, including meningitis syndromes in a format helpful for board review and the top 10 most influential events in the history of infectious disease medicine.

The iTunes store is the world’s largest online music store and the largest music retailer in the United States, with more than 50 million users. The iTunes music store is now available in at least 25 countries with many more to come this year. “A USF College of Medicine podcast series on iTunes will expand our potential audience into the millions worldwide and will permit many more viewers to see the incredible quality of our teaching at USF Health.” said Site Co-creator and Webmaster Richard L. Oehler, MD, FIDSA.

Access and subscribe to the podcast listing directly by clicking here.

To access the Infectious Disease podcast series in Itunes, select “Itunes Store” from the program and enter “Infectious diseases” in the search window. The USF podcast series will appear as one of the listings from the search.

Newsbrief by Julian Corvin, Division of Infectious Disease & International Medicine

University of South Florida senior medical student Lonna Gordon knows a thing or two about medical mistakes. Gordon worked as a retail pharmacist before entering medical school.

“So many times I received prescriptions to fill and the amount was dead wrong – the dosage was actually toxic,” said Gordon.

She recalls one time she had to be very persistent about calling and talking her way through several emergency room staffers before she was finally able to speak to the physician who had written a prescription for 0.5 mg of Clonidine three times a day – an exceedingly high dosage for that blood pressure medication. Noticing that the patient waiting in the pharmacy for her to fill the prescription appeared agitated, Gordon questioned whether the ER doctor meant to write the script for Klonopin, a medication used to treat anxiety. He had.

Gordon was one of the first students to sign up for USF’s new interdisciplinary course Human Error and Patient Safety, which will bring together graduate students from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Engineering (industrial engineering), and Arts and Sciences (aging studies, anthropology, communication, psychology, social work). The three-month course, starting Aug. 27, will be the first of its kind at USF, and possibly the country, said Peter Fabri, MD, PhD, associate dean for graduate medical education at USF.

Part of the “Year of Patient Safety” initiative at USF, the course is intended to be one important step in laying the educational foundation needed to promote a culture of patient safety.

“I’m really excited about this course,” said Dr. Fabri, a surgeon who holds a doctorate in industrial engineering with an emphasis on patient safety. “We have a unique ability to make a real difference.”

A leading cause of death and injury

The 1999 Institute of Medicine report To Err is Human estimated that avoidable errors in U.S. hospitals were killing 44,000 to 98,000 Americans a year and injuring thousands more. These “adverse events” include everything from wrong-site surgery, anesthesia-related mistakes and treatment delays to medication errors, patient falls and deaths related to patient transfers.

“If you accept the data in the IOM report, that would be the equivalent of one jumbo jet filled with passengers crashing every day for a year.” Dr. Fabri said. “And that doesn’t count hundreds, if not thousands of near misses that occur in our hospitals every day.”

Dr. Fabri will co-direct the course with Jay Wolfson, JD, PhD, a distinguished service professor of public health and medicine director of the Suncoast Center for Patient Safety at USF. They are assisted by a steering committee of multi-college faculty instructors comprised of Karen Liller, PhD, associate dean of public health; Mary Webb, PhD, associate dean of nursing; Eric Eisenberg, PhD, interim dean of arts and sciences; and Jose Zayas-Castro, PhD, professor and chair of industrial and management systems engineering.

Combining lectures, case study discussions and renowned visiting experts in patient safety (see link to experts at end of story), the course is designed to promote teamwork by putting students in interdisciplinary groups to work on patient safety projects. In fact, the first class will be launched with a session and practical exercises, led by Michael Brannick, PhD, of USF Industrial/Organizational Psychology, on how to function effectively as a team member. Over the semester each team will develop a recommendation to resolve a real patient safety problem identified by Tampa General Hospital.

Typically, medicine has viewed all errors as failings – expecting clinicians to be fault-free and blaming and shaming individuals when a mistake occurs.

Some have argued this punitive approach provides an incentive for health care professionals not to report their mistakes or those of colleagues. In addition, the “captain of the ship” culture in which physicians are trained and practice may inhibit other health care workers from speaking out when they notice an error is about to occur.

Improving patient safety a team effort

The IOM report prompted legislative and regulatory initiatives designed to analyze, report and monitor medical errors and search for solutions. But the educational aspect needed to create a cultural shift toward patient safety has lagged, said Dr. Fabri.

“In spite of all the rhetoric about teamwork, our country’s medical students are still trained to be autonomous, not team players. So we’re preparing highly competitive individuals, when what we need are professionals who can work together for a common good -- the best outcome for the patient,” he said. “The only way you can change culture is to bring people with different skill sets together so they can begin talking about patient safety problems and thinking outside the box of their traditional disciplines.”

Medical student Gordon is looking forward to learning other students’ perspectives about ways to improve patient safety. “Physicians don’t have enough time or all the expertise to do everything their patients need. In order to effectively and safely deliver care you have to collaborate with others, and most of us have not been trained how to do that…. It’s important for health professionals not to antagonize each other, but to help strengthen and act as checks and balances for one another.”

Students from each discipline will bring something of value to the table when it comes to strategies for reducing health-related errors, say faculty involved in the new course.

USF surgical residents at Moffitt Cancer Center use a whiteboard to list specifics such as site of impending surgery, any medications that could affect the operation's safety, medical risk factors and names of all the staff working the OR case.

While physicians and, to some extent nurses, are primarily focused on the health and well being of individual patients, public health professionals take a broader, population approach and emphasize prevention, said the College of Public Health’s Dr. Liller. “How could this one improvement impact the safety of the patient population? What might we do in the first place that could prevent that error from ever happening again?”

Industrial engineers are trained to figure out how to do things better. They consider aspects of human behavior when engineering systems to improve quality and productivity in working environments, said the College of Engineering’s Dr. Zayas-Castro. When it comes to designing patient safety solutions, getting to know the challenges, constraints, concerns and viewpoints of health care professionals who work on the frontlines of patient care is as valuable as being able to quantify processes and measure data, he added. “The level of complexity in any clinical organization or healthcare facility today makes it extremely difficult to derive the best solution with just one viewpoint or discipline.”

Confronting the inevitability of error

Dr. Wolfson goes so far as to say the course might actually help protect future physicians from malpractice suits -- maybe even save their licenses. “Doctors talk to people all day long, but they don’t communicate very well,” he said. “The single most significant variable associated with adverse events and the bringing of successful malpractice cases to court has been poor communication.

“Our goal is to help students understand that patient safety is an interdisciplinary issue requiring them to think critically before they act, communicate with lots of people, and take nothing for granted," Dr. Wolfson said.

While there is no entirely risk-free environment, Dr. Wolfson said, much can be done to mitigate error through such measures as changing medication shapes or colors to help prevent mixups and confusion about dosages and developing standardized checklists for surgery. “Health professionals can’t prevent all errors, but we can certainly identify where and when most errors occur and build in better systems to reduce their likelihood,” he said. “And, equally important, we have an obligation to fix something as soon as we realize it’s wrong. By exercising that obligation we’ll help create more trust in the health care system.”

The slogan for the USF Year of Patient Safety initiative is “Measure Twice, Cut Once.” The proverb originated with carpenters as a reminder that if you cut wood improperly the piece is ruined. In other words, it’s faster and better to double-check than make a mistake.

Dr. Fabri says that finding ways to make impending errors transparent may be the most effective way to prevent more errors from happening. Before they can do that, physicians, nurses and other health professionals need to accept the idea that error is an inevitable part of the human condition, even among highly trained, conscientious individuals. “Overconfidence in the system can be disastrous,” he said. “Human beings, by their very nature, will always make mistakes. So, we need to train our students to recheck what they do and recheck what their colleagues do, to speak up if they have doubts, and to be constantly vigilant.”

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier/USF Health Communications

Related links:

- Course features leading experts in patient safety

- Applying airline safety standards to the OR

Triple Crown for USF Nursing Program - Third Time Achieves 100 Percent Pass Rate in State Exams & First Time Test Takers from USF CON Score Well Above the National Average

July 18, 2008. Graduates of the USF College of Nursing have once again achieved a 100-percent pass rate on the required exam to practice as a nurse. The outstanding numbers are the results from students who graduated from the USF program and sat for the Registered Nurse Licensure Examination (NCLEX) during the second quarter of this year. The nursing school, based in Tampa, FL, has attained the coveted 100 percent pass rate twice before - first in 2007 and again this past spring.

NCLEX results are reported each quarter by the Florida Board of Nursing. These latest results include all graduates of baccalaureate and associate nursing degree programs who sat for the NCLEX during the second quarter of 2008.

Of the 51 nursing schools statewide, only 25 achieved a 100-percent pass rate on the NCLEX for this second quarter.(4/01/08 - 6/30/08)

In addition, USF's College of Nursing is home to one of only 5 programs in the Florida State University System where 100 percent of the school's first time test takers passed the licensing exam, well above the national average of 88 percent.

"Congratulations to our outstanding faculty and students," said said Patricia Burns, PhD, FAAN, dean of the College of Nursing. "I congratulate our graduates on a job well done. This is an important measure of our college and demonstrates it's one of the best in the state."

"This is a critical measure that says the USF College of Nursing perhaps the best in the state, and one of the best in the country," said Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, USF's Senior Vice President for USF Health. "My congratulations to the faculty and graduates. We're all proud of you."

Student nurses who have completed their coursework are eligible to take the national licensing exam.

Before nurses begin practicing, they must graduate from a recognized nursing program, like USF's, meet specific requirements of the state board of nursing, and pass the National Council for State Boards of Nursing NCLEX exam for registered nurses. USF student nurses who sat for the exam in 2003 were the first to have completed their baccalaureate study in the College's community-based clinical collaborative curriculum. The USF College of Nursing teamed up with nurse leaders from community hospitals to devise the Clinical Collaborative curriculum - a plan to keep new nurses in nursing and in Florida by bridging the gap between academic preparation and professional application of the skills and knowledge a nurse uses every day.

Newsbrief by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

Section-CONDoorsign - Photos for web/creative educational models

Balboa, Panama. The USF College of Nursing exchange program with the University of Panama is now in its third year. To date, three delegations of USF nursing students, nearly 45 in total, have participated in the program. Traveling to Panama during the summer months, our students, faculty and/or instructor are hosted by various representatives of the University of Panama during their stay. The focus: Community Health.

The “home base” for USF nursing students there is the Hostal Amador Familiar in Balboa, a neighborhood near the Panama Canal which was formerly controlled by and home to U.S. military forces operating the famed canal. During students’ month long stay in Panama, they’re accompanied by faculty members from the Escuela de Enfermeria , Universidad de Panama,– the University of Panama’s Nursing School.

Learning Community Health in Traditional & Non-traditional Ways...
USF students experience community health education in a variety of settings – from pediatric, maternity and mental health hospitals; to the mountain villages of Panama’s native Indian tribes, as well as the more traditional settings at Panama’s university and its National Nurses Association.

This year’s group of 15 USF nursing students was led by Assistant Professor Versie Johnson-Mallard, ARNP, PhD; and Instructor Debra Gottel, MHS, BSN.

From L to R: Instructor Debra Gottel and Assistant Professor Versie Johnson-Mallard.

For Johnson-Mallard and Gottel, the course abroad is no vacation. The day long excursions and activities end with “class” in the hostal’s kitchen. Surrounded by pots & pans, ripe bananas, and table-top salt & pepper shakers, the assistant professor and instructor go over lessons on a variety of subjects. On any given night, the discussion centers on topics like the care of vulnerable populations, communicable diseases and immunizations, school health, community mental health, the role of the public health nurse, making community assessments and referrals, just to name a few.

"The desire for more was infectious," says Johnson-Mallard. "The eagerness spread among the students, even after a long day, they wanted to talk and attempt to understand. They wanted to hear from other students, their thoughts and experiences. By the end, they were completing each others sentences with wide eyes and eager faces."

“Sharing this experience with the students has been a wonderful opportunity for me as an instructor,” says Gottel. “I have seen the students enthusiastically and competently engage in activities that challenged them in many ways. They left Florida with trepidation and returned feeling confident - confident in their abilities to practice beginning nursing, communicate with people who did not speak their language, navigate new surroundings, make friends and think in new ways.”

The group of students consisted of 14 females and one male, all in their senior year. They're names are Lindsay Betchel, Caitlin Brock, Tara Casimir, Tania Cruickshank, Christine Doherty, Jessica Dorey, Alexandra Henry, Shadae Llewelyn, Jessica Meerbott, Jason Merry, Lydia Pendino, Cristina Penzabene, Courtney Rice, Melissa Skrzypek and Erin Smith.

CLICK HERE TO MEET THE STUDENTS...

From L to R: Sandra Cadena, PhD, ARNP, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Director of Global Health, USF College of Nursing; Student Tara Casimir and Dean Patricia Burns, USF College of Nursing.

Educational Program Bearing Fruit...
Sandra Cadena, PhD, ARNP, is the College of Nursing’s Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Director of Global Health. Traveling with students in prior years, she describes the program as one that bears fruit – many and varied, all equally important. “From an educator’s perspective, it’s interesting to watch the growing pride our students feel for their profession. They can make an incredible difference in people’s lives, no matter what corner of the world they choose to nurse in," says Dr. Cadena. "It also heightens their sensitivity to cultural diversity. I think the immersion can increase a student’s awareness of his/her own cultural identity and, in turn, helps make them more sensitive to a growing culturally diverse patient population in our own country.”

Cadena with delegation of USF nursing students in Panama during Summer 2007.

A First for Dean of Nursing...
A first since the launch of the exchange program, this June, USF students were joined in Panama by Patricia Burns, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Associate Vice President of USF Health and Dean of the College of Nursing. Dean Burns visited with Bulls in Panama for the first time and traveled to the City of Knowledge, as well, where the USF Health International Foundation inaugurated its offices there on June 2. Nursing students, already in country since May 19th, joined Dean Burns during the foundation ceremony. Their excitement and school pride shining bright on an important night for USF and the future of its exchange programs in Panama.

Group photo w/USF College of Nursing delegation at the City of Knowledge, Panama during June 2, 2008 inaugural of USF Health International Foundation.

Students weren’t shy about sharing their opinions with the dean about Panama’s health disparities, medical protocols, infection control and more. It's music to her ears. Dean Burns happily detecting students' enthusiasm and passion for the nursing profession.

"This experience for our nursing students is invalueable because it gives them the opportunity to see a culturally different community health model in a foreign country," says Dean Patricia Burns, USF College of Nursing. "The students present their experiences to their fellow classmates upon returning to USF, providing a vicarious, cultural nursing experience for all of our nursing students to learn from and enjoy."

"I feel that the students gained an appreciation for cultural diversity in health care and a sincere appreciation for procedure and policy differences," says Johnson-Mallard. "They spoke of noting appreciation by the people for their professional knowledge & skills and how well, comparatively, they are compensated and appreciated for their profession."

“I have always been impressed with the students at the College of Nursing," says Gottel, now home from Panama. "...but I now have an even greater respect for the dedication and competence that these young adults bring to the profession of nursing. It certainly was a privilege for me to be able to share this experience with such a capable group of students!” says Gottel.

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

PHOTO GALLERY BELOW:

USF College of Nursing group outside Hostal Amador Familiar in Balboa, Panama.

From L to R: Nurse Nivia Gall, Chief Nurse of Surgery at Santo Tomas Maternity Hospital, and USF nursing student Tania Cruickshank, who is part of the college's leadership team in student council.

At center, Dean Burns and Dr. Cadena join this year's nursing delegation in Panama during a visit together to the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal.

From L to R: USF nursing students Christine Doherty, Cristina Penzabene and Alexandra Henry.

From L to R: Annette Graig, RN, President of National Nurses Association of Panama and Dr. Johnson-Mallard, USF College of Nursing.

Student leaders of the USF College of Nursing's Student Council on their visit to the National Nurses Association of Panama. located in the nation's capitol. Front Row from L to R: USF student Caitlin Brock (kneeling) and association President Annette Graig (sitting down) Standing from L to R: USF students Tania Cruickshank, Melissa Skrypek Cristina Penzabene, Christine Doherty and Jessica Dorey.

From L to R: Student Jessica Meerbott and Dean Patricia Burns 'Kodak' moment during the June 2 inaugural event for the USF Health International Foundation.

USF Nursing Students Visit Panama's Busiest Labor & Delivery Room

Balboa, Panama June 4, 2008 - It never takes long for mornings to become incredibly busy at the Hostal Amador Familiar. Almost with the first light of day, come the sounds of showers running, hairdryers blowing, coffee brewing and the microwave dinging with breakfast. First ones up always get the hot showers. No one wants to be late. No one wants to be last.

It’s been the same morning routine at the hostal since the arrival of 15 USF nursing students and 2 faculty members in mid May, but on this particular morning something feels different. Their quick steps and increased back & forth to rooms are a dead give away that something new, something extraspecial will be happening on this day. The anticipation in the air is palpable.

“I hope we see a baby today,” says one student. “I hope we see a couple of babies!” says another. Then, a rapid exchange on the topic of scrubs: “Do you have your scrubs? I have mine…don’t forget to bring yours…mine are dirty?!… I may have extra…” The conversation is critically important because having scrubs will be the key to the something special happening today. No scrubs, no delivery room. No delivery room, no babies.

“Profesora” Lucero de Estrada, RN, of the University of Panama’s Nursing School has arranged for a three-hour-tour of the Santo Tomas Maternity Hospital in the capitol, and these Bulls are hoping to witness at least one delivery during the visit. With interests as varied as their personalities and backgrounds, this year’s group is pursuing nursing specialties in cardiac care, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, anesthesiology, labor & delivery – just to name a few. But on this hot, humid morning, their areas of specialties all take a backseat to “birth”.

Jason Merry, the only male student in the group, explains things this way. “A person once told me, there could be seven people in the (delivery) room and the next thing you know, there are eight! Ever since I heard that, it’s the only way I think about birth. It’s amazing…there’s another life in the room…” he says.

Arrival at Santo Tomas Maternity Hospital...
The arrival at Santo Tomas Hospital is marked by long welcomes and formal introductions. Over three hundred years old, the hospital is rich in history & tradition, and its proud nurses are brimming over with stories to share. Santo Tomas is one of only two large, public maternity hospitals in this nation of just over 3 million people. Its labor & delivery rooms, the busiest on the isthmus. Last year approximately 12,000 babies were delivered here. So far this year, the hospital is averaging 35 – 40 births a day. Women from all over the countryside travel here to delivery their babies at a cost of $25 U.S. dollars for a vaginal delivery, $50 U.S. dollars for a Cesarean- section. In modern Panama, the U.S. dollar has become the nation’s currency. No patient is turned away, regardless of whether they can pay their bill in full, in part, or not at all.

Finally in the Sala de Parto!
USF students have plenty of questions, asking about immunizations, prenatal care, and HIV testing prior to delivery. While their hosts are happy to answer the steady flow of questions, word comes that the head doctor has given permission for USF students to enter the Sala de Parto – Labor & Delivery. They reach for their backpacks with scrubs tucked inside.

“We were all really excited, but we didn’t think that we were going to be able to see a delivery,” says Alexandra “Lexa” Henry. “We were looking up at the clock and thinking ‘Oh, we’re going to have to go soon.’ …then, all of a sudden, two ladies that came in were in labor! It was great!”

Great indeed! With both patients giving the okay for USF nursing students to enter, they split into smaller groups, change into their scrubs and head for the delivery rooms.

Humbled by the inclusion in such a personal moment, our students stand quietly in the corner of the delivery room - eyes wide…at times, almost holding their breath…watching everything and everyone.

Caitlin Brock and Jason Merry are in the back. Caitlin inches forward on the tips of her toes to watch the final push, while Courtney Rice bends her knees and leans in to get a clearer view. Lydia Pendino and Jessica Dorey are wringing their hands, while Erin Smith keeps hers firmly planted over her heart.

Erin suddenly switches over to a ‘thumbs up’ after seeing the baby boy’s head emerge from the birth canal.

In the span of only eight minutes, our students had witnessed the birth of two babies - a girl born at 11:44 AM…a boy born at 11:52 AM.

“I feel that giving birth is such a personal, special experience, and for us to be able to share that with her, it was really cool,” says Caitlin Brock.
Q: I cried a little. Did you?
“I was very teary. I didn’t expect to get so emotional to see the baby born. I didn’t know the lady, but I definitely got emotional.”

“It was breathtaking, the whole experience!” says Christine Doherty.

“Even from the medical perspective, it was a beautiful thing,” says Jessica Meerbott, who witnessed the birth of the baby girl in the next room. “I didn’t start to get emotional until I went over and looked at the baby. She was just so beautiful and peaceful, this little bundle of life and I got to be a part of that. It was just very special,” she says.

The Panamanian mom informs the nurse that her daughter’s name is Kimberly, and with her permission, our students take out their cameras for the first time and take a picture. The Santo Tomas nurses stop to smile and remark, in Spanish, about the tenderness and respect exhibited by these students.

Holding the babies...
Profesora Estrada is pleased. Every single one of her USF estudiantes – students- for the day has witnessed a birth. Still in her scrubs, she leads them into the room where babies are being washed and diapered. Once inside the profesora begins helping our students hold babies and feed them milk out of an espresso-size cup. “un poquito, only a little,” she says. “We don’t use bottles to make it easier for the baby to breastfeed,” she explains.

Q: Profesora Estrada it must give you great satisfaction as you watch students and see when they are really engaged in the learning process, fully experiencing the moment?
“Yes, it’s a great satisfaction,” she responds. “We are professionals and see deliveries all the time, but when you observe the delivery for the first time, it stays with you forever! And also, it will prepare you for the future,” concludes Estrada, who’s been a nursing professor in Panama for almost three decades.

For Tara Casimir, the experience at the Santo Tomas Hospital is only part of a greater story she has to tell of the month long exchange program in Panama – how it’s changed her perspective about life and even herself. “It’s given me so much more confidence… especially with the language barrier and yet I’ve done so many things here…it’s really tested my own abilities,” she says.
Q: Does this make you more certain of your choice to pursue nursing?
“Yes, for sure!” says Tara without hesitation.

Now home in the U.S., students share that day’s anticipation & the babies with friends & loved ones, near and far. Taken in by the miracle of life, they are moments students say they will never forget.

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

OTHER LINKS:

PHOTO GALLERY - HOSPITAL SANTO TOMAS

Audio Clips of Birth in Progress

A Closer Look: CON's Community Nursing in Panama

Summer 2008: Meet the Students

Dr. Alexander Rosemurgy, founder and director of Division of General Surgery's Academic Summer Program, and Dr. Sharona Ross, one of the surgeon mentors, with some members of this summer's class -- the largest ever.

Each summer they arrive with primarily one common goal - a career in medicine. By the time the summer ends they know if that's what they really want.

"When they come into our program most students don't know a pneumothorax from a pneumovax", said Alexander Rosemurgy, MD, professor of surgery for USF Health and surgical director of the Digestive Disorders Center at Tampa General Hospital. By graduation, he adds, they not only know what a pneumothorax is, they likely have observed the insertion of a tube thorocostomy to treat the condition.

Each Friday at 7:30 a.m., students and mentors meet in the TGH/USF Digestive Diseases Office conference room to critique research projects.

Largest Class Ever
Over the last five years, 48 participants have rotated through the Division of General Surgery's Academic Summer Program, which educates and mentors students interested in careers in medicine. The program, founded and directed by Dr. Rosemurgy since the late 1980s, provides a wide range of supervised research and clinical experiences to undergraduates, recent baccalaureate graduates, and beginning medical students. This summer the program is hosting its largest class ever -- 25 students -- overseen by Dr. Rosemurgy; Dr. Sharona Ross, a GI endoscopy and minimally invasive surgeon (MIS) at TGH/USF; and Dr. Michael Albrink, an MIS surgeon in the Division of General Surgery. They come from various universities across the country, including USF, Auburn, Columbia, Cornell, Emory, Purdue, the University of Michigan, University of Florida and Florida State University.

During the intensive three-month program, students learn medical terminology; attend lectures and conferences; produce videos of surgical procedures; collect and manage data; learn statistical analysis; prepare, edit and submit abstracts and papers; present their research results; and shadow USF surgeons in the operating room, on rounds, and in outpatient clinics at Tampa General Hospital. Putting in 10 to 12-hour days is not unusual.

Paul Harold shows off a video depicting a single-incision laparoscopic removal of the gall bladder. Students have the opportunity to produce surgical videos used for instruction.

While many academic medical centers across the country may have similar programs, Dr. Rosemurgy said, what helps distinguish the TGH/USF program is the volume of student contributions to abstracts and papers presented at national and regional surgical conferences and published in high-impact medical journals like the Annals of Surgery, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Gastroenterology, and Surgical Endoscopy, to name a few. Within the last five years, participants have co-authored 112 national presentations, 46 published abstracts, 57 peer-reviewed published manuscripts, and more than 20 videos presented at national meetings.

"This program is highly productive," Dr. Rosemurgy said. "Students can't do everything that needs to be done to research and write a paper without learning something in the process. Productivity is used as a surrogate marker of learning and mentoring."

L to R: Andrea Marcadis, Paul Toomey, Kenneth Luberice and Connor Morton in the research room.

Medicine’s Next Thought Leaders
The continuing research projects students are tackling this summer include investigating whether a more aggressive approach to removing pancreatic cancer based on tumor margin information impacts patient outcome, evaluating how to best distinguish between benign and cancerous pancreatic tumors before undertaking resection, and determining whether patterns of reflux affect symptoms before and after laparoscopic operations to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The rigorous studies require creativity, critical thinking, and plenty of painstaking work to complete and meet the criteria worthy of being submitted and accepted to peer-reviewed journals or for national presentation, Dr. Rosemurgy said. "Our goal is to influence the career choices of bright young students interested in medicine, medical research, or related fields, and to encourage them to become thought leaders who will improve health care research and delivery in the years to come."

______________________________________________

I'm so proud of these kids. They're going to do great things!"
- Dr. Alexander Rosemurgy, program director
______________________________________________

A recent study by the Division of General Surgery indicates the program's efforts are paying off. A blinded survey of the 48 participants over the last five years found that their scholarly skills improved after the summer research program. The overwhelming majority (92 percent) of the students developed more favorable opinions of careers in medicine, and only 8 percent reported the experience deterred them from a career in medicine because of lifestyle or studious demands. In addition, more than three-quarters of students felt the program promoted a career in surgery, and 82 percent reported it elevated their goals to become leaders in American medicine.

Paul Toomey, starting a USF surgery residency in July, looks over some research data with Marcadis. A graduate of the summer program, Toomey returned this year to help mentor new students.

Student Returns As Mentor
Program veteran Desiree Villadolid, MPH, began in summer 2001 as a USF undergraduate in biomedical sciences. She has worked with Dr. Rosemurgy to develop, refine, and maintain databases tracking the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of hundreds of patients with achalasia (a rare disorder of the esophagus), GERD, portal hypertension, bile duct cancer, and pancreatic cancer. She continued the extracurricular summer research full-time while pursing a graduate degree in epidemiology and biostatistics at the USF College of Public Health, returning to mentor other program participants. This will be Villadolid's last summer as a mentor -- helping students to collect, input, and make sense out of complex patient data -- before heading off to the University of Miami to begin medical school. She plans to be a surgeon.

"I know there aren't many woman surgeons, but Dr. Sharona Ross has been a tremendous role model for me. She's married with four children and still has a career she loves in surgery," said Villadolid, who already has more than 20 published papers, 19 abstracts and five presentations to her name as well as a production credit on a surgical video used to teach residents.

The Gee-Whiz Factor
Villadolid helped Dr. Rosemurgy cull the 100 ideas for this summer's research projects that the division's faculty and residents began identifying in the spring - narrowing the topics down to the most fascinating and clinically-relevant hypotheses for students to test.

_____________________________________________

"It has to pass the gee-whiz factor. That means, if we study this, will the findings likely add something we didn't already know to the body of knowledge in medicine?"
- Desiree Villadolid, student mentor
_____________________________________________

Paul Toomey, a 2008 graduate of the USF College of Medicine who will begin a general surgery residency at USF in July, is helping Villadolid mentor students this summer. Toomey participated in the summer academic program between his first and second year of medical school. He worked on a project with Dr. Rosemurgy, Dr. Ross, Villadolid and others evaluating whether preoperative therapy for achalasia (botulinum toxin injection to relax the sphincter muscle, balloon dilation of the sphincter, or both) impacts the difficulty or outcome of laparoscopic Heller myotomy. This minimally-invasive surgery, which allows food and liquids to pass into the stomach, is intended to improve the swallowing difficulties of patients with achalasia. The findings were presented at the 2006 International Congress and Endo Expo Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons Annual Meeting. "We found preoperative therapy did not make the operation more difficult or adversely affect its outcome," he said.

With a background in biomedical engineering (his bachelor's degree is from Duke University), Toomey wants to apply research to help solve clinical problems. "The summer research experience definitely helped solidify my decision to become an academic surgeon," he said.

Above: Dr. Rosemurgy reviews a case with students Demetri Arnaotakis, Andrea Marcadis and Kenneth Luberice, l to r, shadowing him at the General Surgery Clinic. Below: The students listen as Dr. Rosemurgy consults with the patient.

First-Hand Look at Surgery
Andrea Marcadis, 19, and Kenneth Luberice, 20, are among the undergraduate students in the summer program's 2008 Class.

Marcadis, who will be a sophomore at Emory University in the fall, plans to major in chemistry and apply to medical school. "This has made me think more about specializing in surgery," said Marcadis, whose father is a plastic surgeon. "I like that surgeons can go in and directly fix something that's wrong. For instance, they can take a patient into the OR and take out the cancer."

Luberice will be a USF senior this fall and is majoring in biomedical sciences. A linebacker for the USF Bulls football team, he jumped at the chance to get a head start on his medical education when a counselor from USF Academic Enrichment Center told him about the General Surgery summer program. Luberice, who underwent a shoulder operation to repair a high school football injury, recently observed his first operation -- Dr. Rosemurgy undertaking a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, a surgical procedure to prevent the back flow of stomach acid into the esophagus.

"I was surprised at how many people were in the operating room. It was really amazing to see how everyone worked together as a team," Luberice said.

Dr. Ross leads students in a discussion of their ongoing surgical research projects.

Dr Ross, one of the surgeon mentors, said Dr. Rosemurgy has been and remains a very influential person in the development of her surgical career and in the lives of many students he has mentored.

__________________________________________________

"Very rarely do students have the opportunity to test the waters of a profession the way this research program affords."
- Dr. Sharona Ross, academic surgeon-mentor
__________________________________________________

“A career in academic medicine, and surgery more specifically, is a life commitment to the disciplines of dedicated patient care and unending scholarly pursuit," she said. "I look forward to the opportunity to share Dr. Rosemurgy’s lessons together with my experiences as a woman surgeon and mother of four children with the annual research program participants.”

Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Media Center

Barrett McCormick, a MS graduate, works as a research tech in the laboratory of Eric Bennett, PhD, (right) associate profesor of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology. He will start his first year of medical school at USF in August.

This story was written by Kerry Alexander, USF Health Communications Intern, Summer 2008. Alexander interviewed medical student Barrett McCormick.

Barrett McCormick is not your typical medical student, though he claims his education began with a typical undergraduate experience. He attended the University of Florida, and enjoyed his time there, participating in Greek life, various clubs and groups, and leadership roles.

Coming out of high school and entering college, McCormick was aware he had a distinct interest in math and science, and his initial plan was to be a chemistry major. But things took an abrupt turn when a simple attempt to fulfill a language requirement turned into a more extensive program. McCormick graduated from UF with a major in Spanish, not exactly the end his pre-college math/science inclinations expected to find.

McCormick has been involved in Dr. Bennett's research investigating the modulation of electrical communication in the heart and brain.

Following his passion for medicine abroad...
But his passion for medicine was not totally abandoned. He found ways to apply both his continuing passion for science and his newfound interest in Spanish through various international programs. The first opportunity came in 2004 when he participated with a medical missionary team traveling to Nicaragua.

“We basically worked in mobile medical units, tending on people with fairly minor injuries, not often very serious ailments. But even so, it isn’t care that’s normally available to them in their community," he said.

Providing healthcare to people with little or no access to traditional medical services was both inspiring and educational for McCormick and he cites the leading physician of the trip as a profound influence on his current career path. “The fact that this former surgeon could retire and continue doing something he loves was great for me to see.”

Student Arrival to USF...
McCormick came to USF in the summer of 2006. He recently completed the Medical Sciences Master’s Program and is planning to enter the Medical School this fall. The Master’s Program is an interdisciplinary program that seeks to better prepare students for the rigorous curriculum awaiting them in medical school. According to McCormick, the greatest aspects of the Master’s Program are the variety of courses available and the student’s ability to forge meaningful connections with faculty they are likely to meet again if they continue with med school.

But McCormick does warn of an apparent problem - with interests in medicine growing everyday, he insists that, too often, students are irrationally concluding that good grades in these programs will provide them with immediate access to medical school. According to McCormick, it just doesn’t work that way. “To really make it, you have to have a certain drive and a certain motivation. Good grades just don’t cut it anymore," he said.

McCormick emphasizes that in addition to grades and test scores, medical schools are looking for students who have been involved in unique hands-on opportunities, who are passionate about their community as well as their field. And, according to McCormick, these activities do not need to be bound to one’s medical interests. McCormick found equal educational value volunteering in missions that served the Hispanic community and coaching a Little League baseball team.

McCormick is confident that his international volunteer work will be greatly beneficial in whatever medical profession he finds himself. “On a more superficial level, just knowing the Spanish language will be helpful to me," he said. "So much of the patient-doctor relationship is based on trust, and I certainly feel I can be more direct and more honest with my patients if I can communicate with them without the need of a translator. It will provide me with a much larger patient base.”

Beyond that, McCormick knows his experience traveling, to Nicaragua, Mexico, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico, has provided him with an important self-awareness, and enhanced world view.

Dr. Bennett and McCormick with Sarah Norring (seated) and Tara Schwetz, doctoral students on Dr. Bennett's team.

For aspiring med students...
In terms of advice for aspiring medical students, McCormick’s only request is that students do the things they love to do. McCormick dismisses the idea that undergraduates looking for places in medical school later on need to lock themselves in solely to math and science classes. “If you’re happy taking Biology and Chemistry classes all day, then you should continue doing that," he said. "But if you are interested in something else, feel free to get into it. People should definitely not be afraid to broaden themselves.”

Barrett McCormick certainly never limited himself, and he is glad that USF was accepting of his many academic interests. “I’m happy to be at USF,” he said, “and I’m thankful that they’ve given me the opportunity to become a doctor.”

Story by Kerry Alexander, Communications Intern
Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Students in the Biotechnology Master's Program, one of USF's two Professional Science Master's program, gain "real-life" experience throughout their training.

The University of South Florida is taking the lead in training more people to meet the global economy’s growing demand for a business-savvy workforce skilled in science and technology. The university’s Biotechnology Master’s Program was recently designated a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Program by the Council of Graduate Schools. USF is currently the only Florida university to offer the PSM degree --- its Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Master’s Program earned the first PSM designation in 2002.

Only about one in four students earning only bachelor’s degrees in science or engineering end up with careers in those fields, according to the National Science Foundation. The PSM is designed to help change that. Sometimes described as the science version of the MBA degree, the PSM is being hailed as the one of the most promising innovations in graduate education in recent years.

Unlike traditional graduate training, which typically prepares students for independent research careers (often in academic settings), PSM programs offers students a way to establish rewarding science-based careers in business, government or nonprofit organizations without having to pursue a doctorate degree.

The two-year interdisciplinary programs combine rigorous science or mathematics education with sought-after business skills emphasizing leadership, communication and team building. They include an internship in a relevant “real world” setting.

“In general these programs are for students who want to work in nonacademic settings, in emerging areas of science and scientific discovery, and aspire to managerial or other professional level positions,” said Carol Lynch, PhD, Senior Scholar and Program Director of the Professional Masters Initiatives for CGS. “These are relatively new degrees responsive to 21st century workforce needs, and USF is in the vanguard by adopting the PSM and working with employers to prepare a highly skilled workforce for Florida.”

While administered by the medical school, USF’s two PSM programs emphasize an interdisciplinary curriculum taught by faculty from the Colleges of Medicine, Engineering, Public Health, Arts and Sciences and Business Administration as well as senior executives from industry and biotechnology companies.

Inge Wefes, PhD, directs the USF Biotechnology Masters Program, which expects to graduate its first students later this year. As former associate director of the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Master’s Program, she was primary author of a $76,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant that brought the first PSM program to Florida. The grant also funded the successful graduate seminar series “Bioinformatics and Proteomics” which Dr. Wefes continued in 2005 with independent funding for seminars on “Functional Genomics and Genomic Medicine.” The Bioinformatics program is directed by Michael Barber, PhD.

The Sloan Foundation provided seed money for the first PSM programs in 1997 in response to industry leaders’ demands for a new approach to produce enough graduates equipped to enter the science and technology fields. USF was among the select universities participating in the Sloan PSM iniative. In 2006, the CGS assumed primary responsibility for supporting and promoting the PSM, with the goal of making the innovative degree a regular feature of U.S. graduate education.

“Both of our professional science master’s programs fill a niche for those students who may not want or be able to commit five years to obtaining a PhD degree,” said Dr. Wefes, an assistant professor of molecular medicine. “The programs give them a broad knowledge of either biotechnology or bioinformatics, which can then be refined and applied towards the specific needs of companies.”

Because of their ongoing relationships with employers, PSM programs are usually quick in adjusting to shifting workforce demands and to rapidly changing research strategies and technologies. This flexibility may help explain their growing popularity.

Since the first PSM program began in 1997, more than 120 programs have been established in more than 60 institutions across the United States. They offer applied training in biology, chemistry, genomics and proteomics, computer science, mathematics, epidemiology and other sciences for work in biotechnology, informatics, ecology, pharmaceutical discovery and development, forensics and other fields. The number of PSM programs grew 22 percent from 2004 to 2006, and student enrollment increased 54 percent in the same time span, according to a CGS survey. Three-quarters of PSM graduates in 2006 found employment in non-academic sectors, the survey found, and their salaries were generally considerably higher than for graduates with bachelor’s degrees in science or with traditional master’s degrees.

Because they have the training needed to advance in science as well as the professional skills to effectively bridge science and technology with business, companies find that PSM graduates typically require little additional time and money in professional development, Dr. Lynch said.

“The PSM training prepares graduates to hit the ground running," she said, "and that gives these students an edge in an increasingly competitive job market.”

Related Links:
• USF Biotechnology Master’s Program
• USF Bioinformatics & Computational Biology Master’s Program
• Master’s program prepares USF graduates for Florida’s growing biotech industry
• Council of Graduate Schools PSM homepage

Story by Anne DeLotto Baier/USF Health Communications
Photo by Eric Younghans/USF Health Media Center

Entrevista con la Dra. Ana Velez en Español. Tema: la diabetes.

Aquí para leer este reportaje en Español. / Click here for Spanish script.

Ana Paula Velez, MD, is as comfortable with a microphone as she is with a microscope. The Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of South Florida is part of the team in Infectious Diseases & International Medicine and has become a Latina 'Oprah' of sorts. Dr. Velez is a frequent guest speaker of Polk County's Health Watch television show produced by county government in Spanish, "Comunidad Viva". Geared towards health issues prevalent within the Hispanic community, the broadcasts are a favored platform for Dr. Velez because she says it's important to raise awareness on infectious diseases.

"What surprises me the most is, when I say 'I'm in infectious diseases.' they think about avian flu, malaria, TB and other diseases around the world. They're important but we have other diseases that are very close to us that we don't think about, like HIV," says Velez.

Velez says that she and her colleagues deal with a variety of things that most folks would never associate with infectious diseases. "Diseases like HIV, sometimes complicated pneumonia, surgical infections and if you get an organ transplant you can get infections and we deal with all of that too. People who are burned and come in to a burn unit - we also have to see them because they're more likely to get infections and that can be fatal to them," says Velez.

Her goal in making television appearances in Spanish is to educate Polk County's growing Latino population about the real-life dangers of infectious diseases, what they are, and how to prevent further spread and contamination.

In 2005, Velez arrived at USF for a two year fellowship and stayed on with the university's Infectious Diseases team. She is also part of the Infectious Diseases division at the James Haley V.A. Hospital in Tampa and the H.Lee Moffitt Cancer Center located on the campus of USF Health. Prior to her arrival in Tampa Bay, Dr. Velez' residency training in Internal Medicine was completed in Puerto Rico, as well as the Orlando Regional Medical Center here in Florida.

A native of Medellin, Colombia and former resident of Puerto Rico, Velez can easily jump from English to Spanish (and visa versa) when explaining complex medical issues - a key to her success explaining Infectious Diseases en Español and any other language!

Asked what diseases she's seeing more of these days and she quickly answers HIV, diabetes and hypertension.
If people know more about these diseases, it would increase the chances of prevention in some and early detection in others, she says.

"People are living longer but the number of HIV cases is increasing. The other thing I see more of because of my work at Moffitt is the number of patients receiving bone marrow transplants and patients who are receiving solid organ transplants. As these transplants increase, there is a large part of the population that is immuno-suppressed, including HIV patients of course. They are all at increased risk of getting infection and we have to be aware of that and ready for it as medical professionals. The patients have to be aware of that as well."

"There are still people who think that just by shaking hands with someone who has HIV they can be infected," says Velez, who notes there should be more frank and open discussions on sex within these populations. It's a tall order among certain groups, she says, because sex talk in public remains taboo among certain cultures and age groups. By presenting information in a medical framework, Velez hopes her 'Oprah' moments on Polk County tv will help start important discussions.

"Dr. Velez is a role model for all of us. As a clinician, she can stand firm and say no to death. As an educator, she can share not just the knowledge of health but the value of health. She is changing the culture in Polk county in a population that is all too often underserved."
Dr. John Sinnott, Associate Dean of International Affairs for USF Health
& Director of Infectious Disease & International Medicine, USF College of Medicine.

VIDEO GALLERY OF DR. ANA PAULA VELEZ - "COMUNIDAD VIVA" W/TALKSHOW HOST TERESA MARTINEZ.

On HIV: Below is video clip of Dr. Velez. Courtesy: PGTV "Comunidad Viva"

HIV Interview Part II is below. Courtesy: PGTV "Comunidad Viva"

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications
Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Media Center

Dr. Alicia Monroe

Tampa, FL (May 19, 2008) -- Following a nationwide search, the University of South Florida College of Medicine has tapped Alicia D.H. Monroe, MD, an Associate Dean for Diversity at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School, to be the college's next Vice Dean for Educational Affairs.

Dr. Monroe will join USF Health's leadership team to oversee medical education July 1. A professor of family medicine, she is well known for her publications and innovations in physician-patient communication, cross-cultural communication, and mentoring students and faculty.

Dr. Monroe will take over for Bryan Bognar, MD, associate professor of medicine and associate dean for undergraduate medical education at USF, who has served as interim vice dean since May 2007. The national search for a permanent vice dean was led by Donna Petersen, ScD, dean of the College of Public Health. Several candidates visited USF this winter to present their visions for medical education.

"It's very exciting to be able to recruit Alicia Monroe to USF. She's one of the nation's leaders in teaching new models of physician communication, and is perfect for building on the model of physician education we've created at USF," said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the USF College of Medicine and senior vice president for USF Health.

"I want to thank Dr. Bryan Bognar for a year as interim vice dean. Building on our stellar accreditation review last year, Dr. Bognar has been a 'students' dean,' an advocate for everything related to students."

"I am thrilled to be joining the team at USF Health and the College of Medicine,” Dr. Monroe said. “I was attracted by the many strengths of USF and the College of Medicine including strong visionary leadership, a strategic commitment to innovation and excellence, and the opportunity to continue building an already nationally recognized education program. I am excited by the opportunity to collaborate with an extraordinary group of students, faculty, administrators and staff to strengthen current programs and to launch new initiatives that will enhance health professions education, patient care and the health of the greater Tampa community."

Dr. Monroe is an expert in creating educational programs and courses to support the professional development of students, residents and junior faculty. She has taught physician-patient communication and counseling skills to medical students and residents for more than 20 years. At Brown, she designed and helped lead a new two-year required course, "Doctoring," for first and second-year medical students. The course combines traditional aspects of medical education with contemporary content such as the impact of culture on medicine, patient safety and "health care civics" – the social, bureaucratic and economic aspects of the health care system. She was also the principal investigator for an initiative to train faculty leaders how to redesign health care delivery to improve quality and access to diverse patient populations.

Dr. Monroe earned her MD degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, and completed an internship in psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC, and a residency in family medicine at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. She recently completed the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program (ELAM), as well as the Macy Mentorship Program in Health Communication. ELAM is a core program of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.

She has received numerous teaching awards. Dr. Monroe was a three-timer winner of Brown Medical School's Faculty Teaching Award and received the Faculty Teaching Award for Excellence in Multicultural Education 10 times. Other awards included Outstanding Faculty Mentor from Brown University/Women & Infants Hospital, the NBI Healthcare Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award, and Residency Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Monroe has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, books and other media such as DVDs. She is a member and past president of the Association for the Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education, a national organization of medical educators dedicated to creatively and innovatively applying social and behavioral science knowledge to medical education.

- USF Health -

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With $308 million in research funding last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of Florida’s top three research universities.

Lynn Moscinski, MD

Tampa, FL (May 5, 2008) -- Pathologist Lynn Moscinski, MD, has been named chair of the new Department of Oncologic Sciences at USF Health, a department that provides the academic home for faculty physicians and scientists who work at Moffitt Cancer Center. Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for USF Health, made the appointment with William S. Dalton, MD, PhD, President, CEO and Center Director for Moffitt.

The new appointment came as Moffitt and USF signed a new partnership agreement for their affiliation. Moffitt's home campus is located at USF in Tampa.

Dr. Moscinski is a 20-year faculty member and division chief of Hematopathology and Laboratory Medicine. She takes over July 1 for Cliff Schold, MD, who headed the former Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology (DIO) and retired this year.

“This is an exciting and wide open chapter in USF’s relationship with Moffitt Cancer Center,” Dr. Klasko said. “We have a new partnership agreement. We have planning for new ventures together. And now we have a new chair and a new department that will be the core of our missions of learning and discovery as it relates to cancer.

“I’d like to thank Dr. Schold for his service as chair of the DIO, and welcome Dr. Moscinski as the founding chair of Oncologics Science.”

“Dr. Moscinski has a longstanding relationship with USF and Moffitt, and will be an outstanding chair of the DOS, representing the academic interests of the Department faculty,” Dr. Dalton said.

L to R: USF President Judy Genshaft, USF Health's Dr. Stephen Klasko, Dr. Lynn Moscinski, chair of new Oncologic Sciences Department, and Moffitt's Dr. William Dalton at the signing of new Moffitt/USF partnership agreement.

"As the head of the newly developed Department of Oncologic Sciences, Dr. Moscinski will play a key role in academic faculty development and in fostering educational and research collaborations between the Moffitt Cancer Center and the University,” said Santo Nicosia, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology.

“Her firm leadership and previous experience as a senior core faculty of the Department of Pathology, past president of the College of Medicine Faculty Council and advisor to the Dean on LCME accreditation will serve well in the challenging tasks ahead. Outstanding and sustained performances as committed educator, diagnostician, clinical researcher and administrator provide Lynn with the level of credibility required by a multifaceted department and faculty," Dr. Nicosia said.

“On behalf of the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, I congratulate her and look enthusiastically ahead to mutually beneficial collaboration.”

Dr. Moscinski will work with faculty and students to strengthen the educational partnerships between Moffitt and the university, including fellowships, residency and graduate education programs. “The Department of Oncologic Sciences will build upon the continued academic affiliation of Moffitt with USF in ways that are mutually productive for both,” she said. “I truly believe the faculty at Moffitt, through their ties to the university and its medical school, have a significant academic role to play in fostering cancer-related education and research.”

And, “there are real opportunities here to translate what happens in cancer science to other areas like Alzheimer’s disease research and vice versa,” Dr. Moscinski said. “There may be molecular pathways that apply to more than one disease process.”

Dr. Moscinski holds an MD degree from Medical College of Wisconsin, and completed a residency in pathology at the University of Colorado. She joined USF as an assistant professor of pathology in 1988, after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Immunology and a fellowship in hematopathology at the University of Pennsylvania. She soon took on leadership roles at the fledgling and fast-growing Moffitt Cancer Center, now an NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. She previously directed Clinical Chemistry, Molecular Pathology, and Hematopathology at Moffitt, and was division chief of the Pathology Program from 2001 to 2005. She served as the DIO’s associate chair for academic affairs since 2006.

As chair of the DIO Promotion and Tenure Committee, she was instrumental in helping develop a mid-tenure review process for faculty. As chair of the new DOS, Dr. Moscinski plans to develop mentoring programs for junior faculty that leverage the leadership development of senior faculty.

Dr. Moscinski’s research and clinical interests have focused on bone marrow cancers. She has studied how the cancerous cells interact with other bone marrow cells, with the aim of creating new therapies to overcome drug resistance and interrupt tumor growth.

One of Dr. Moscinski’s great loves is teaching – she teaches medical students, graduate students residents and fellows, with several nominations for teacher of the year.

“I try to encourage students to think through a complicated diagnosis rather than automatically look things up in the literature,” Dr. Moscinski said. “At first they look at you with blank stares, but I love how they rise to the challenge and after a few weeks they’re quizzing me… My goal is for all of them to leave smarter than the teacher.”

Kaaron Benson, MD, associate professor of oncologic sciences and associate member of Moffitt, said students rave about Dr. Moscinski in their evaluations. “She’s a terrific teacher,” said Benson, a long-time colleague of Dr. Moscinski’s. “She’s very well organized, speaks clearly and watches her audience to make sure they understand. She’s quick to challenge students to gauge how well they grasp the material… She is also able to find humor in challenging situations.”

Describing herself as someone who likes to “think outside the box,” Dr. Moscinski values the perspectives of other disciplines in coming up with solutions. For instance, she has drawn on pharmaceutical company and business approaches to help create a more effective pathology practice -- “like how to make sure we obtain the highest quality diagnosis in the shortest period of time.”

Dr. Moscinski belongs to the Tampa Bay Tango Club, where she dances the Argentinean tango, and also practices ballroom dancing at Librero’s on Davis Islands. “Dancing is great exercise and stress relief, and I love the melodrama and feeling of being connected to your partner,” she said.

Her other hobby is mountain climbing, and she doesn’t let the absence of mountains in Florida stand in her way. She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and hiked to the base camp of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. “Most of my friends find it amusing that I live in Florida, since I’m not a golfer or beach person, and definitely prefer cooler weather!” she said.

- About USF Health -
USF Health (www.health.usf.edu) is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With $308 million in research funding last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of Florida’s top three research universities.