WINTER 2021
A Publication of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine
UKMedicine Solving Kentucky’s Greatest Health Challenges
Answering the Call in the Ultimate Time of Need Medical Students Reflect on a Unique Educational Experience PAGE 06
Graduate Student Gains Vital Experience Researching COVID-19 PAGE 12
Student Letter Advocates for Crucial Change PAGE 02
CONTENTS 01 Message From the Acting Dean 02 Student Letter Advocates for Crucial Change 04 Resident, Fellow Orientation Goes Successfully Virtual 05 Dr. Kanga Successfully Converts Psychiatry Clerkship to Virtual Learning
Virtual Symposium Provides Unique Opportunity for Students to Apply Course Knowledge
06 More Than a Year of Covid-19: Medical Students Reflect on a Unique Educational Experience 09 A Tribute to Dr. Rebecca Shadowen 10 College of Medicine Students Step Up to Volunteer at COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic 12 Graduate Student Gains Vital Experience with VITAL Alliance Researching COVID-19 14 ‘Full Circle’: MSMS Graduate Helps with COVID-19 Contact Tracing 15 Rural Family Medicine Resident on how COVID-19 ‘Forever Impacted’ Outlook on Becoming a Physician 16 Research Faculty Create Virtual Workshop to Adapt to Pandemic 18 Through Moments of Reflection, Friendships Were Made 19 Outside the Margins Series Tackles Important Issues Related to COVID-19 20 Class of 2021 Spotlight: Mentorship Helps Abi Recktenwald Find Perfect Career Path 21 Match Day 2021 22 A Surge in Medical School Applicants in Response to COVID-19 23 Recruiting the Next Generation of Physicians – During a Pandemic 24 Thread Leaders Appointed to Enhance Medical School Curriculum 25 College of Medicine Collaboration Offers Free Counseling Services for All Learners
CREDITS UK Medicine magazine is a publication of the UK College of Medicine. For more information, write: University of Kentucky College of Medicine 780 Rose Street, MS 335E Lexington, KY 40536-0298 Editor: Audrey Kirby, Publications Production Manager, Email: Audrey.Kirby@uky.edu | Phone: 859-323-1143 Photography: Jorge Castorena, UK College of Medicine Communications; Pete Comparoni, UK Photo; Mark Cornelison, UK Photo; Chris Kohley; Garrett Landers; Shaun Ring Photography Editorial: Lauren Greathouse, UK College of Medicine Communications; Audrey Kirby, UK College of Medicine Communications; Kristi Willett, UK Public Relations Design: BORN Copyright ©️2021 University of Kentucky. All rights reserved. An equal opportunity university. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of UK College of Medicine.
ON THE COVER Amanda McGeorge, a medical student at the UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus, was in the midst of clinical rotations when the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on her community. She and four other medical students shared their unique experiences dealing with COVID-19.
MESSAGE FROM THE ACTING DEAN
ANSWERING THE CALL IN THE ULTIMATE TIME OF NEED If there’s anything that exemplifies the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s commitment to the Commonwealth, it’s how our faculty, staff, and learners adjusted to the once-in-a-lifetime COVID-19 pandemic we faced this past year. The virus challenged our institution in ways we never could have expected. It caused us to quickly shift our educational practices to virtual learning; it strained our clinical team and forced a reallocation of resources; and it exacerbated the health disparities in our communities. As vice dean for education, and now as acting dean, I have witnessed our team step up in ways that make me so proud to be at the College of Medicine. Our faculty and staff made sure nothing would get in the way of our excellent delivery of education because they understood their responsibility to train the next generation of physicians and scientists. Our residents, medical students, graduate students, and post docs remained vigilant, engaged, and in tune to the needs of our state. Not only did they continue their path to this honorable profession, but they devoted their time outside of the classroom to help when they could. Our team also made great strides in addressing the systemic racism made more visible by the deadly pandemic and recent events – including the tragic police killing of Breonna Taylor here in our state. The College of Medicine joined other UK health care colleges to embrace unity and commit to change. I have a great feeling about this next cohort of physicians and scientists. They rose to the challenge in an ultimate time of need across all of our campuses, and they have more than proven their ability to step up when duty calls again. We hope that you are moved by the stories of triumph and honor included in this edition of UK Medicine, which centers on our team’s response to this challenging year, especially our learners.
Charles “Chipper” Griffith III, MD, MSPH Acting Dean; Vice Dean for Education
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STUDENT LETTER ADVOCATES FOR CRUCIAL CHANGE In 2020, the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others at the hands of police violence, as well as the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on marginalized communities, exhibited the need for social change.
“The instances in 2020 regarding racial injustice, such as the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and too many others, in addition to the release of data exhibiting how the COVID-19 pandemic was disproportionately impacting communities of color were all sobering. In response to these events, I wanted to hold the College of Medicine accountable for ensuring that its future graduates will be prepared to serve patients with the humanity and care that they deserve.” —Jodi Llanora, Class of 2023
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Learners at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, “deeply shaken” by these events, gathered to see how they could help. They started with a powerful letter. “Current events are bringing to light the ugly, systemic racism that continues to permeate our culture,” the letter read. “The disproportionate effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on communities of color and the many instances of racist crimes that have occurred just this month are major health issues. We believe that it is our responsibility to directly address these issues as future physicians to the best of our abilities.” The letter went on to outline improvements that students and graduates wished to see at the College of Medicine including changes in the curriculum, admissions, orientation, faculty representation, and community service. Overall, 132 College of Medicine students, graduates, and more than a dozen student organizations signed the letter, with the intention of having the document be a running petition. Their goal was to counter racial disparities in education and in the future care they will provide as physicians.
“As students, we know that our educational experiences in the College of Medicine matter and that they influence the reputation of the institution. Bringing forth our observations of inequity and our demands for stronger inclusivity in the curriculum and academic culture was important for communicating our awareness of the problem. Our hope was to promote administrative action beyond acknowledgement of the problems that existed. And we hoped for full transparency from the college throughout the process of implementing our demands.” —Kaylin Batey, Class of 2023
Kaylin Batey, a student in the Class of 2023, said the public health crises of systemic racism and COVID-19 were a call for action and accountability. As then-vice president of UK’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), Batey joined forces with Hina Iqbal from the Class of 2024 to assemble a coalition of students. Iqbal introduced the idea of a written letter and led the writing, organization, and gathering of signatures. She coordinated this work with SNMA, and thanks to strong teamwork, the efforts expanded to involve a wide range of faculty and students. Together, students listed components of medical education and training that could be improved to ensure equality for all, not only at the UK College of Medicine, but also at medical colleges across the U.S. “For those who believed Black lives mattered in the setting of police brutality, it was important to remind them that this advocacy is needed in our future profession as medical providers,” Batey said. “We share in this responsibility, and we owe it to our patients.” For Jodi Llanora, a student in the Class of 2023 involved in the creation of the letter, the initiative was a call to implement changes that would ultimately help prepare students to serve as advocates for all patients, regardless of backgrounds. “It was so important because it was an opportunity to empower the UK College of Medicine community to transform the field of medicine,” she said. College of Medicine leadership welcomed the letter and responded by meeting with the students prior to implementing a plan to address the concerns. Over the past year, changes have been made, and the letter continues to be used as a resource and a guide. Some of the improvements that have been fulfilled so far include: • Increased transparency from leadership while working to address concerns delivered by students, providing opportunities to solicit feedback, and welcome studentfaculty conversations. • The appointment of Health Equity and Advocacy thread leaders and a thread leader in Health System Sciences who will integrate learning objectives related to the social determinants of health into the core curriculum and make the curriculum more inclusive of race, gender, and sexual orientation.
• Improvement in the demographic diversity of standardized patients and simulations for objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) in order to better reflect the patient population in the Lexington-Fayette area. Representation from Black standardized patients have increased from 8 percent in 2020 to 20 percent in 2021 in the College of Medicine. • Integration of more small-group discussions that focus on the sociopolitical determinants of health and addressing inequities in medicine. “While there is still much work to be done and more room to improve, the College of Medicine has taken this letter from students and alumni as a thoughtful and needed call for change,” Stephanie White, MD, MS, associate dean for diversity and inclusion, said. Dr. White and Acting Dean, Charles Griffith, MD, have ensured that students have been consistently updated throughout the past year on plans and progress. “We plan to continue this transparency, not only for accountability and ensuring our actions are having the intended impact, but also to demonstrate that we hear you, we see you, and we are committed to working to make the College of Medicine better,” Dr. White said. Batey said his hope for the College of Medicine is that it becomes a national leader in health equity and inclusive medical education, for the good of the state and its people.n
“We have many changes ahead, and this letter I hope only served as an impetus to get the momentum going. Specifically, our College of Medicine’s minoritized students deserve an education which fully supports them, and all our College of Medicine students deserve an education which is honest, open, and critical of the structures which continue to disenfranchise and harm some of the most vulnerable members of our state, whom we will soon serve through our skills and degree.” —Hina Iqbal, Class of 2024
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RESIDENT, FELLOW ORIENTATION GOES SUCCESSFULLY VIRTUAL When residents and fellows join a hospital system, it’s important they become acquainted with their city and feel like they belong with their team. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that was a challenging task to complete, but the College of Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) went above and beyond to ensure its incoming physicians and trainees received a proper welcome. A major part of that was creating an engaging virtual orientation. “We had to shift what we normally did for orientation because we have nearly 200 people together in one place, but that obviously was a big no-go last year,” Amy DiLorenzo, PhD, assistant dean for educational innovation and scholarship in GME, said. “So we had to get creative and do some things a little differently.”
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The orientation developed into a hybrid of in-person and online activities. Zoom played a major role as a platform for lecture-based material and didactics. GME also received assistance from the college’s senior communications director Lauren Greathouse to produce detailed videos that showcased Lexington and UK’s GME programs. While GME was unable to host its annual in-person welcome dinner, the team discovered a new orientation feature it plans to use in future years. Whoova, a phone application, allowed learners to interact with one another before orientation. They could share interests, meet their team members, and ask questions before even coming to UK. For the events that had to be on campus, such as employee health and electronic medical record trainings, GME mitigated potential spread of
COVID-19 by separating incoming residents and fellows into multiple groups to ensure safe distances. “I really think we were just pleased that we were able to pivot, both for orientation and for support of all the programs in their resident and fellows recruitment. Our role was to support and guide the programs to create a good virtual recruitment experience during these unusual times,” Dr. DiLorenzo said. n
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GME PROGRAMS
In the spring of 2020 as students were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fareesh Hobbs Kanga, MD, had a clerkship that needed to be transitioned to a virtual format, and in a short amount of time. This was no easy task because her course requires in-person instruction and “authentic clinical experiences,” according to the Liaison Committee on Medicine Education (LCME).
DR. KANGA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTS PSYCHIATRY CLERKSHIP TO VIRTUAL LEARNING
Mere days before the clerkship was set to restart, Dr. Kanga swiftly drafted a plan aimed at incorporating students into as many real-life telehealth sessions as possible. Residents from the UK College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry invited medical students into their telehealth appointments at the outpatient clinic, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Lexington allowed students to join Zoom support groups for clients with mental illness. Dr. Kanga also collaborated with Eastern State Hospital, which piloted virtual teaching rounds. During the course’s direct observations, when students must have an attending psychiatrist observe them taking a history and perform a mental status exam on a patient, students were not allowed to hold face-to-face visits with patients. “Instead, several of our wonderful psychiatry residents agreed to be standardized patients, like actors, for an evaluation on Zoom,” Dr. Kanga said. “With the help of Dr. Todd Cheever, who provided a patient script, and Jodi Smith, who coordinated all of the schedules, the residents portrayed the scripted patient while the student performed a history and discussed the mental status exam with an attending present.” Meanwhile, all didactic lectures in the course were moved to Zoom. Students completed modules from the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP), which allowed them to watch a diagnostic psychiatric evaluation, answer questions about interviewing, take history and examine patients, and work through diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Kanga also held extra sessions and meetings, and students completed their psychiatry shelf exam at home on their computers with their phones set up so that instructors could proctor remotely. The result was a viable alternative that allowed continuous learning for third-year students during the pandemic. n
MD 828 VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM PROVIDES UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO APPLY COURSE KNOWLEDGE As a new course director for MD 828, Gastrointestinal System and Nutrition, April Hatcher, PhD, knew she wanted to put a creative spin on how she taught these subjects to her secondyear students. Capitalizing on the expansion of virtual platforms, she and a team of faculty and staff at the College of Medicine established a unique opportunity for students to apply the knowledge gained from the course.
Functioning as a mini-conference, the symposium was designed for students to relate GI diseases or conditions to a sociocultural perspective, integrate perspectives of multiple stakeholders, and describe how the experience will influence their approach to patients when they become physicians. “Our students capitalized on this opportunity and used their projects to develop in-depth knowledge they will use in their future careers. The results were quite extraordinary,” Acting Provost Robert DiPaola, MD, said. “In a time when faculty had to quickly adapt their instruction to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Hatcher and Dr. Craig developed an innovative model for how virtual medical education can work so successfully.” n
Dr. Hatcher, who is an associate professor of neuroscience, and clinical director, Lauren Craig, MD, associate professor of medicine, organized a two-hour virtual symposium during the final week of MD 828 for students to hold online presentations on what they learned about gastrointestinal (GI)-related topics. April Hatcher, PhD
Lauren Craig, MD UKMedicine | 05
MORE THAN A YEAR OF COVID-19: MEDICAL STUDENTS REFLECT ON A UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE For medical students at the University of Kentucky, the COVID-19 pandemic not only shifted their learning experiences, but also demonstrated to them how prepared they are to impact the world through their future careers in medicine.
Amanda McGeorge, Class of 2022, Bowling Green Campus As a member of the College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus inaugural class, Amanda McGeorge knew she had a responsibility to pave the way for future students; however, she didn’t expect to also face the challenges brought on by a global pandemic. McGeorge was in the midst of her second year, on the brink of clinical rotations, when COVID-19 started spreading across the United States. Though students were never put in rooms with COVID-19 positive patients, McGeorge described an everpresent uneasiness with so much uncertainty. The Bowling Green community had a difficult struggle with COVID-19 spread compared to other Kentucky counties. Things really hit close to home about five months into the pandemic when Rebecca Shadowen, MD, a preceptor and clinical role model for students at the campus, died from the illness. “She really was a trailblazer in Bowling Green for what direction to go with everything, and a lot of my classmates worked with her closely in their second year, learning how to approach clinical skills,” McGeorge said. “Knowing we were striving to treat the patients we saw every day, but treating the patients that could be the next Dr. Shadowen, I think that motivated a lot of my classmates and myself to do everything we could and really go the extra mile.” As local, state, and national health experts learned more about COVID-19, restrictions eased, and McGeorge was able to start clinical rotations in her third year. Her first
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Left: Amanda McGeorge says the COVID-19 pandemic brought its share of challenges and heartbreak, but it also prepared her for a health care career more than she could have ever imagined. Right: Gant Unfried offered to work at a nursing home in his hometown at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said “there was no way I could have said no” to a neighbor in need.
was surgery, followed by pediatrics, a clinical rotation that typically would have provided experience treating patients with allergies and cold and flu symptoms. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients were screened for symptoms upon arrival to clinic, and those with symptoms were advised to go to an outpatient location for testing. When McGeorge did assist in the treatment of patients, she had to wear personal protective equipment such as masks, goggles, and face shields, which she said made it harder to relate to them. “It’s almost like a spaceman is coming in to evaluate them,” she said. “So you have to go a little bit beyond what you may have done prior to this pandemic in order to build that rapport and really remind them that there’s a person behind all of the protective gear.” Despite its challenges the pandemic prepared McGeorge more than she ever could have imagined. “Being somebody wanting to pursue this career, and family and friends looking to you and saying ‘What is this virus? What do we do?’ And not having answers because as a medical student you have very few answers anyway, it just started out very scary,” she said. “But the more I was exposed to patients in general and just life in the hospital and clinic, I realized there are always going to be health concerns that we don’t have answers to, and we need people out there to find those answers.” Though COVID-19 altered her routine, the experience has prepared McGeorge to the highest degree. McGeorge, who grew up just outside of Bowling Green, has benefited from earning her education at a campus close to home, particularly one with an intimate feel that would give her the experience and support she needed to succeed as a physician.
Gant Unfried, Class of 2021, Lexington Campus When COVID-19 proved itself to be a serious public health threat, Gant Unfried answered a call to volunteer his time and talents and assist local health care efforts. In the spring of 2020, Unfried was a third-year medical student in the midst of his internal medicine rotation when he was pulled out due to COVID-19-related restrictions. Meanwhile, the Kentucky Department for Public Health was coordinating a network of medical students and other volunteers to help nursing home facilities severely impacted by the virus. Unfried, who was a certified nursing assistant with prior health care experience, offered to work at a nursing facility in a county neighboring his hometown of Hopkinsville, Ky. He admits being “terrified” at the beginning, but he felt compelled to make a difference. “We didn’t really know what was going on, and it was kind of the height of hysteria,” he said. “We didn’t know what we’re going into. We didn’t know what the virus was even really at the very beginning. “There was no way I could have said no,” he added. “It was a neighbor in need, and I felt the need to help out.” Unfried said the experience highlighted the need for health care in rural areas like western and eastern Kentucky. It was that initial need that drew him into medicine in the first place. Though challenging and even heartbreaking at times, he said the time working in the nursing facility provided him life lessons he will take with him through his career as a physician. “Most people that go into medicine want to help people, and me specifically, I feel like I want to help the greatest amount of people in the most significant way or the most impactful way,” he said. “I’m from western Kentucky. I love western Kentucky. It’ll always be my home.”
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Fluent in English and Mandarin, Lan Jiang (left) helped translate emerging medical research from China when much was unknown about COVID-19.
serious symptoms, he suffered fatigue and mild allergy-like symptoms. He remained isolated in his parents’ basement until he was no longer capable of spreading the virus. Being a medical student already involves a strong workload, but having COVID-19 during the first year certainly complicated Grace’s situation. During quarantine he spent a majority of his time studying. He even took two exams from home. Grace benefited from being a student at the College of Medicine-Northern Kentucky Campus, the college’s newest regional campus, because he was already taking virtual classes. In the fall, he was still in the midst of his foundations course, which is taught in Lexington and broadcast to regional campus learners. And when he had questions, he said campus staff were responsive through email and phone calls. Lan Jiang, Class of 2021, Lexington Campus Lan Jiang is fluent in English and Mandarin. As a student who had nearly completed her four years of medical school, she also had a comprehensive understanding of medical terminology and basic disease pathophysiology. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she utilized all of these skills to help share important developing information about the virus. Jiang and her friend from Albert Einstein Medical School in New York City collaborated on an approximately 20-page Google document translating emerging medical research from China and converting information from Mandarin to English. She then shared the information with a pulmonologist and ICU critical care doctor at UK to potentially spark inspiration for how to manage patients. “I felt like as a medical student, I had the unique ability to help out, and it was rewarding to do so in the early phases of the pandemic when there was so much uncertainty,” Jiang said. Jarrett Grace, Class of 2024, Northern Kentucky Campus Many of Jarrett Grace’s family members work in health care fields, so they already had witnessed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients in their communities. But when they caught the virus, they felt the fear firsthand. In November 2020, Grace, his father, his siblings, and his 85-year-old grandfather, were forced to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. “It was a humbling experience because I don’t even know the last time I was sick,” Grace said. “I was shocked. It was pretty scary at first.” Though Grace and his family didn’t have 08 | UKMedicine
“Those involved in the College of Medicine curriculum team helped me get all the resources I needed to succeed while in quarantine,” Grace said. Months later, Grace has remained focused on his wellbeing. His experience with COVID-19 taught him to continue monitoring his own health and to trust the medical system in which he will soon work.
A Tribute to Dr. Rebecca Shadowen In September of 2020, the College of Medicine lost a dear colleague to COVID-19. Rebecca Shadowen, MD, died on Sept. 11 at the age of 62 after a four-month battle with the virus that caused a global pandemic. Dr. Shadowen was an infectious disease specialist who played a key role in keeping her community informed about the latest COVID-19 information and public health safety measures. She also was an integral part of the team that helped establish the Medical Center of Bowling Green’s coronavirus unit. Dr. Shadowen mentored future physicians and scientists as a faculty member at the College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus, a regional campus that opened in 2018 as part of the college’s expansion across the state. Nicole Perez, Class of 2024, Lexington Campus Just as Nicole Perez was beginning medical school, the COVID-19 pandemic began wreaking havoc in the United States. The uncertainty early in the pandemic complicated her plans to move from her hometown of Miami, Fla., to Lexington, Ky. She had never been to Kentucky before her medical school interview. She didn’t know anyone, where she should live, or where to buy furnishings. And as someone who considers her family her strongest support system, she wasn’t able to receive the full family send-off she had hoped. In addition to these challenges, Perez carried the worry that her family members would get sick while she was hundreds of miles away. Perez said the College of Medicine’s consistent and supportive communications through the process, even before she set foot on campus, made her feel more comfortable. Once she arrived at UK, though going through virtual orientation and virtual classes was a unique experience, she felt more connected than she expected. “You would think being online, that it would be a negative experience, but it was actually well put together,” she said. “There’s constantly someone who’s monitoring the chat in Zoom, so you can have your questions answered in real time. That really helped me feel connected.” n
Jarrett Grace (left) and Nicole Perez (above) faced the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic as they were entering medical school.
Paden Vernon, a fourth-year medical student at the Bowling Green Campus, said Dr. Shadowen had a reputation for being both “fiercely intelligent and desiring the best from those she worked with.” As a preceptor during the Advanced Clinical Medicine (ACM) second-year course, she became a mentor figure for Vernon. “Naturally, my ACM group and I were fairly intimidated the first time we met her to present our first patient encounter,” Vernon said. “As we expected, she didn’t hold back with her critiques and suggestions. When we finished, we must have had looks of shock on our faces because she stopped us from leaving and told us, ‘I’m sure you all have heard that I’m tough, and I am. But you all are my students now, and I care deeply about your success and the future of medicine. So I will be tough, but fair, on all of you because you are my students, and I want you to be the best you can be.’” Dr. Shadowen found joy in educating the next generation of health care leaders, taking particular joy in having students “shadow Dr. Shadowen.” Not only did she educate and practice in Bowling Green, but also maintained an interest in promoting success for women in health care fields. She captivated audiences as a frequent speaker with the campus Women in Medicine group. “She had our group hanging on to every word she said,” fourth-year medical student Dixi Secula, said. “Every moment and every experience shared with her is one that I, and many others, will cherish for a lifetime. She had a tremendous impact on me as a future physician, a woman, and a person in general. We are all better from knowing her.” College of Medicine faculty, staff, and learners mourn the loss of a remarkable physician, educator, and friend. As we move forward in training future health care leaders, we will keep Dr. Shadowen’s memory in our hearts, doing our best to follow her example.
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COLLEGE OF MEDICINE STUDENTS STEP UP TO VOLUNTEER AT COVID-19 VACCINE CLINIC The University of Kentucky COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Kroger Field was able to increase its vaccination capacity by about 1,000 people per week thanks to volunteers from the University of Kentucky’s health care colleges, including the College of Medicine.
This story was adapted from its original publication on UKNow.uky.edu. The University of Kentucky’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic was able to extend its weekend hours and increase vaccination capacity by about 1,000 people a week thanks to volunteers from the University of Kentucky’s health care colleges, including the College of Medicine. The College of Medicine provided more than 50 volunteers – faculty, staff, and students – who participated by serving in roles from everything from immunizers to wayfinders. “This extra five-hour shift not only means increased vaccination capacity, but it also offers students an excellent experience and a valuable public service opportunity,” said Robert DiPaola, MD, acting provost for the University, who also is the project lead
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for UK’s Screening, Testing and Tracing, to Accelerate Restart and Transition (START) team. “Our medical students are trained and qualified to help out and in addition, they are paired up with other health care providers.” Medical student Cameron Wade was quick to agree to volunteer when the chance became available. “For my own personal perspective, I have a loved one with an immunocompromised condition and so it’s very important for me to help get as many people vaccinated as possible.” n
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GRADUATE STUDENT GAINS VITAL EXPERIENCE WITH VITAL ALLIANCE RESEARCHING COVID-19 Martha Sim, MD, a graduate student at the College of Medicine, knew it was possible she would witness a pandemic in her lifetime, but she did not expect it to happen so early in her research career. Yet in 2020, COVID-19 spread rapidly across the globe.
Martha Sim, MD, (left) works in the lab of Jeremy Wood, PhD, (right) and has made important contributions studying the virus that caused a global pandemic.
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Dr. Sim currently works in the laboratory of Jeremy Wood, PhD, assistant professor in the department of internal medicine. Her initial work involved the study of thrombosis in HIV patients as part of the Virus-Induced Thrombosis Alliance (VITAL), a team within the College of Medicine’s Alliance Research Initiative studying the correlation between infectious and cardiovascular diseases. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sim transitioned her work to focus on blood clotting in patients with the virus. “The VITAL team gives me firsthand experience in collaborating with multiple labs in different departments, including the clinical research side, as well as learning on how basic research results can be translated into clinical relevance,” Dr. Sim said. “I have always been interested in basic research, and I think it became increasingly clear that through collaboration by researchers of different expertise, we are able to achieve more understanding and can also increase research efficiency.” Dr. Sim always had a keen interest in studying infectious diseases. After earning her medical degree in 2013 in Indonesia, her initial work was in an emergency department at a local hospital, but she came to UK to earn an education that would expand her role as a physician-scientist. At UK, she pursued her master’s degree and worked with Erin Garcia, PhD, to study bacterial pathogenesis. In her graduate
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I feel like studying basic research with more clinical significance and translational possibility suits my academic background, as well as my future career interest. This is where I want to be right now.
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—Martha Sim, MD, Graduate Student
work she narrowed her focus into more viral infection and immunology-oriented research projects. She worked in the labs of Rebecca Dutch, PhD, vice dean for research, and Sidney Whiteheart, PhD, who introduced her to studying the role of platelets in HIV infection. Now, in Dr. Wood’s lab, she has made important contributions to lab work studying the virus that caused a global pandemic, and minus the full shutdown at the beginning, she has been able to continue that work. “Dr. Sim jumped very quickly to studying COVID-19,” Dr. Wood said. “She has a previous medical degree and is interested in a career as a physician-scientist, so we viewed the pandemic as an opportunity for her to do patient-oriented research.” Dr. Sim’s tenure at UK has provided her valuable skills to pursue her dissertation research in coagulation and viral inflammation. The experience also solidified her interest in becoming a physician-scientist. In her upcoming career, she aims to use her clinical and research background to work in a hospital or academic institution. n UKMedicine | 13
‘FULL CIRCLE’: MSMS GRADUATE HELPS WITH COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING In summer 2020, Maya Cleveland joined the University of Kentucky Health Corps as a contact tracer identifying individuals who might have encountered a person infected with COVID-19. During this time efforts to control the spread were relatively more difficult with high positive testing rates and uncertainty surrounding the virus. Cleveland said providing support to faculty, staff, and learners during the toughest parts of the pandemic was a rewarding experience. It prepared her well for pursuing a medical degree at the UK College of Medicine this fall. “Before I started with UK Health Corps, I was just amazed at the people that were in the hospitals doing the work on the ground,” Cleveland said. “Contact tracing was pretty important in trying to contain the virus, so being involved in it made me appreciate everyone in the effort of curbing the virus, not just those at the front line but those behind the scenes, and it made me have a greater appreciation for those that do it.” 14 | UKMedicine
Cleveland has had an interest in medicine ever since she joined the University of Kentucky’s Area Health Education Center (AHEC) four-week camp allowing her to take college courses and shadow health professionals. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and medical biotechnology, she pursued a Master of Science in Medical Sciences through the College of Medicine. She did her master’s project in the laboratory of Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD, in the department of pharmacology and nutritional sciences where she studied the effect of diet on a person’s immunity and how it potentially exasperates asthma. As a Kentuckian, Cleveland wants to use her medical and research education to help patients in her state. She is from Lexington and has family in Middlesboro, Ky., a town in Appalachia where she said health care is not always very accessible. “A lot of times my family has to come to Lexington or go to other neighboring cities to seek medical treatment,” Cleveland said. “Breaking those generational curses of bad health outcomes is what also influenced me to go into medicine.”
A major benefit of her job as a contact tracer was receiving a robust education about COVID-19 and being able to share that information with her family and friends to keep them safe. As an incoming medical student, Cleveland’s initial goal is to practice medicine and be a source of information for her community; however, she sees her biggest impact eventually being made through public policy and communitybased research. She hopes to follow this career path and help create optimal positive change in health care. More than a year into the pandemic, Cleveland feels less fear and more hope as vaccines are available to widespread audiences in the U.S. In spring of 2021, she had the opportunity to work one shift per week as volunteer manager at UK’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic. She said her experience has come “full circle.” “A lot of students were angry, scared, and nervous in the beginning, and then you go to the vaccine clinic nearly a year later and people are so happy and appreciative. The energy was very different,” Cleveland said. “It was a full circle moment for me. It was pretty amazing to witness.” n
RURAL FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENT ON HOW COVID-19 ‘FOREVER IMPACTED’ OUTLOOK ON BECOMING A PHYSICIAN Makayla Arnett Lewis, MD, is a second-year family medicine resident in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s rural family medicine program in Morehead. She graduated from the College of Medicine’s Rural Physician Leadership Program, a specialized training program in rural medicine. She explains how the virus “forever impacted” her perspective of becoming a physician.
Why did you go into medicine? Medicine was something I naturally became interested in around my sophomore year of high school between my academic interests and family experiences with illness. I also knew that I wanted to live and work near where I grew up in rural eastern Kentucky, and there’s no better place to practice medicine than at home.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, where were you in your medical education journey? At the beginning of the pandemic here in the U.S., I was finishing my fourth and final year of medical school at UK, although at the time I was rotating in the emergency department at St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead. I believe I was on shift when the first patient tested positive for COVID-19 in Morehead,
which was unsettling because no one knew what the next few days or weeks would look like.
How did you adapt to the challenges of the pandemic, personally, and professionally? COVID-19 changed so much for so many, but I am blessed to have not had significant challenges or loss over the past year and a half. At the end of medical school, our capstone course to prepare us for residency was transitioned to a completely online course. Completing my last day of medical school at home in my living room was an experience I never saw coming four years prior, that’s for sure! Furthermore, our Match Day and graduation ceremonies were both held virtually. Beginning residency in July of 2020 almost felt like a return to normal as most of the summer had been spent at home after graduation. In some ways, things didn’t seem too out of the ordinary as my co-interns and I had never practiced medicine outside of a pandemic. Still, it was difficult as managing the effects of COVID-19 and other advanced diseases despite COVID-19 became our new normal. Zoom became an essential skill for our clinic, hospital, and residency meetings. Our weekly
didactics sessions were attended from our living rooms. Virtual clinic appointments were a constant source of entertainment and, often, frustration. But this was the world in which we lived and worked, so we carried on.
What have you learned through the pandemic? Becoming a new physician in 2020 is most certainly a time in my career that I won’t soon forget. As I reflect on that time now, it is much easier to remember the good than the bad. I witnessed the creation and distribution of a wildly successful vaccine in record time – a feeling I can only imagine is akin to the creation of the smallpox or measles vaccine. I, hopefully, was able to provide encouragement and education to patients in an insanely uncertain time in health care. I was baptized into the practice of telemedicine which is likely a new standard in health care. And time and time again, I observed the resiliency of people in the face of frustration, fear, and sadness. Overall, the past year and a half with its ups and downs has forever impacted my perspective as a physician and my career in ways that I probably will never quite fully understand. n UKMedicine | 15
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced education to be virtual, Brett Spear, PhD, (left) and Timothy McClintock, PhD, (right) collaborated to create an online workshop for rising second-year graduate students.
RESEARCH FACULTY CREATE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP TO ADAPT TO PANDEMIC “If there is one good thing that came from this COVID-19 experience, it forced us to act. We had to act, and we had to act fast. This is not only true about courses, but also about other opportunities to train our students. I would say this experience really changed my attitude about how to get things accomplished.” —Dr. Spear
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The COVID-19 pandemic has created an ever-changing environment requiring quick adjustment, especially in the field of research. In response to the pandemic, scientists at UK ceased non-essential research activity in the spring of 2020, and education was moved to online platforms. While these measures were necessary to ensure safety for faculty and learners, graduate students in the College of Medicine Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBS) PhD program saw their progress interrupted. Brett Spear, PhD, professor in the department of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, and former director of graduate studies for the IBS program, was concerned these students would not have a way to stay occupied and engaged through the pandemic restrictions, as IBS students normally do full-time research in the summer. “After spring break, students were no longer able to come to the lab to do research, and all their coursework moved online,” Dr. Spear said. “During the final half of the spring semester, the students could keep busy with their coursework even if they couldn’t come to lab; however, once the semester ended, there were no more courses, and they still could not do research.” Dr. Spear collaborated with Timothy McClintock, PhD, Louis Boyarsky Professor of Physiology, along with faculty in several College of Medicine departments including physiology and pharmacology and nutritional sciences. Together, they established the Bioinformatics, Excel, and R-programming Tools (BERT) workshop, a four-week course held entirely online through Zoom that taught rising second-year graduate students about useful technologies for analyzing large data sets. The workshop was geared toward the 21 students in the IBS program; however, 80 people signed up including College of Medicine faculty, post docs, staff, and students, as well as students from the College of Pharmacy.
“The BERT workshop was a tremendous example of how passionate our faculty are about keeping our students on track,” Beth Garvy, PhD, associate dean for biomedical education, said. “The process took quick thinking and accelerated planning, and the result was successful in allowing our IBS students to remain engaged during the pandemic.” Three topics were emphasized in the BERT workshop due to their prevalence in Dr. McClintock’s PGY 617 Physiological Genomics course for second-year graduate students embarking on their dissertation research. Though the focus of PGY 617 is on one particular type of large data set, gene expression data produced by RNA sequences or microarray techniques, the BERT workshop underlined the broad and valuable application of these tools in other data sets. “We needed to make it clear to students that these tools would be valuable to them even if they never had to analyze transcriptome data produced by RNA sequences,” Dr. McClintock said. “In the end we continued to use transcriptome data as the primary examples in the workshop but tried to make it evident how the tools could be used more broadly.” The bioinformatics portion of the BERT workshop showed students where to gain access to information about individual genes and proteins from the internet and taught them how to identify the most useful tools to analyze information. The Microsoft Excel portion of the workshop taught students to organize these large data sets using spreadsheets. The R-programming portion trained students in programming skills for a language that is dedicated to statistical analysis of large data sets and visualization of these data.
analyzing transcriptome data, taught the Excel portion of the workshop. Dr. Sangderk Lee, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and nutritional sciences, assisted with the R-programming portion. Dr. McClintock said that because PGY 617 is a computer lab course designed for hands-on training, the workshop was relatively simple to adapt to the cessation of face-to-face instruction. Also, PGY 617 is taught in spring semesters, so instructors had just moved their lectures and lab exercises into Zoom to provide the material the students need to complete the project assignments. The experience of creating the workshop so quickly and efficiently under such dire circumstances helped Dr. Spear and Dr. McClintock realize the importance of taking action when recognizing a need. As of now, the material from the BERT workshop is being developed into a regular spring semester course for the IBS program, through which it can be useful to a wider range of students and the research laboratories they join. n
“The BERT workshop will probably be a one-and-done event, but the players – bioinformatics, Excel tools, and R-programming – are moving on to the big leagues.” —Dr. McClintock
Eric Blalock, PhD, associate professor in the department of pharmacology and nutritional sciences and master of UKMedicine | 17
THROUGH MOMENTS OF REFLECTION, FRIENDSHIPS WERE MADE Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, physical distancing helped mitigate spread of the virus. But a consequence was that it eliminated opportunities for in-person team building. In a year of trials and tribulations, the restrictions made coping with distressing events more difficult. To build community during the challenging year, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted Moments of Reflection, virtual events that allowed faculty, staff, and learners to connect over Zoom and openly discuss national events that might have caused grief, sadness, anger, and fear. Clinical research assistant Markeda Yarbrough initially attended to converse with others who felt the same pain she felt following the police killing of George Floyd. For Yarbrough, this particular Moment of Reflection would offer more than just a place to share her feelings. She also gained a friend. She connected with administrative assistant Sabrina Brewer during a breakout discussion. Brewer said she was inspired by Yarbrough “pouring her heart into what she was saying.” Brewer was so touched that she reached out to Yarbrough after the event. “She let me know that she heard my pain, and we check in with each other consistently,” Yarbrough said.
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“I have truly met a special person,” Brewer said. “I look forward to building our friendship.” Yarbrough and Brewer exchanged phone numbers and have kept in touch ever since, sending each other uplifting and encouraging texts. Brewer even nominated Yarbrough for Staff Senate, which Yarbrough joined on July 1. Moments of Reflection are hosted by Stephanie White, MD, MS, associate for diversity and inclusion, and Brian Hamilton, MEd, director of the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Events have addressed the trial of Derek Chauvin, the riot at the U.S. Capitol, and the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Whether attendees felt overwhelmed, angry, exhausted, hurt, confused, concerned, scared, or uncertain, they were able to connect with one another and share their emotions. Since the first event, Yarbrough has attended at least six Moments of Reflection. She said they “have served as a resource and a way to exhale in a place that feels safe.” Brewer also has attended additional events. “I was so thankful that I joined that first Zoom when I did,” Brewer said. “Brian and Dr. White are great to work with, and their work is making a difference.” n
Markeda Yarbrough (left) and Sabrina Brewer (right) have formed a strong friendship ever since they met during the College of Medicine’s virtual Moments of Reflection.
OUTSIDE THE MARGINS SERIES TACKLES IMPORTANT ISSUES RELATED TO COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy was one of the topics addressed by the University of Kentucky’s Outside the Margins webinar series, an initiative established in order to spark important conversations about the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities. Through virtual presentations from panels of experts, Outside the Margins provided opportunities for conversation about how to potentially resolve these challenges. For many marginalized groups, hesitancy taking the COVID-19 vaccine is rooted in America’s history of medical experimentation and ongoing treatment bias. However, the deadliness of the pandemic has made it crucial for physicians and health care personnel to forge trustworthy connections and encourage the public to protect themselves from the virus. The Outside the Margins series was made possible through partnership among multiple diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices at UK, including the College of Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Subbarao Bondada, PhD, professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, was an expert panelist during the event titled “Vaccine Hesitancy and the Legacy of Medical Racism.” He hoped to increase awareness of vaccines, efficacy, and safety in underrepresented communities. Having the platform to discuss these topics frankly and to a wide audience helped educate the community more effectively. “Hopefully we increased vaccine awareness and convinced a few more reluctant people to take the vaccine,” Dr. Bondada said. Nikita Gupta, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery, participated in the “Queer and Trans People of Color and the Pandemic” panel discussion for her work co-leading the LGBTQ* Advisory Committee and her clinical work with transgender patients. She spoke about her role in clinic, how she comforts patients, allyship, and the unique aspects of care.
Though Dr. Gupta was a panelist, she said she learned quite a bit as well. Several participants reached out to her after the event to continue the discussion. “This series has been an excellent way to build community while talking about important societal issues all during an isolating pandemic,” Dr. Gupta said. The Outside the Margins series has touched on other pandemic-related topics: • The initial event, titled “COVID-19, Health Inequalities, and the Black Community,” addressed the early effects of the pandemic. UK brought forth a panel of highly qualified individuals in the field of health care including the College of Medicine’s Rebecca Dutch, PhD, vice dean for research, and Anita Fernander, PhD, former associate professor of behavioral science. • “Asian Hate and COVID-19: A Year of Two Pandemics” explored ways to support the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in the midst of hate crimes stemming from the pandemic. • “Where Are We Now: A Year into a Global Pandemic” reflected on a full year of COVID-19. n
“We established Outside the Margins to capitalize on a very important conversation that was moving from very closed off spaces in academia and health care to the leading story on the evening news. We are thrilled with the response at these events and hope everyone was able to take something from it to apply to their own practice and/or to advocate for themselves.” —Brian Hamilton, MEd, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the College of Medicine
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CLASS OF 2021 SPOTLIGHT:
MENTORSHIP HELPS ABI RECKTENWALD FIND PERFECT CAREER PATH
Recktenwald was aware that a surgical residency and career would be difficult, especially with her late start to pursuing it. She said the great female mentorship she had through her four years at the UK College of Medicine was crucial to keeping her on track.
and a mom. (Recktenwald’s child was less than a year old at the time.) Jamie Ward, coordinator for general surgery, kept her informed about upcoming meet-and-greets, programming, and other resources. The College of Medicine student affairs team, including Michelle Lineberry, EdD, and Berry Seelbach, MD, helped Recktenwald with scheduling when she became pregnant her second year of medical school. And in her third year, when she questioned whether a career as a surgeon was the lifestyle that suited her, Lesley Wong, MD, plastic surgery program director and mentor for her medical school research course, “was supportive every step of the way.”
Cortney Lee, MD, clerkship director and associate professor of surgery, mentored her on some of the nuances of succeeding in the role of a surgeon
Now, Recktenwald is following her dream, enrolled in the plastic surgery residency program at the University of Kentucky. n
Going into her third year, Abi Recktenwald had a wide range of interests across medicine and surgery. However, on her pediatric rotation early that year, she encountered a child who needed a complex plastic surgery procedure to cover a skin defect. It was through the experience she realized plastic surgery was her calling.
f o s Clas
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After a long, challenging year dealing with COVID-19 and coping with its effects, the College of Medicine was able to celebrate the Class of 2021 during in-person Match Day and graduation events – a series of moments that reminded us of the college’s mission to prepare the next generation of physicians to improve health in the Commonwealth and beyond. n
MATCH DAY 2021 BY THE NUMBERS
31 Internal Medicine 15 Pediatrics 14 Family Medicine 12 Emergency Medicine 07 Radiology 06 Psychiatry 06 General Surgery 05 Obstetrics and Gynecology
ENROLLMENT BY SPECIALTY
05 Neurology
49%
42%
37%
of the class will complete residency training in primary care.
will remain in Kentucky for residency training.
will stay at UK HealthCare.
Eighteen
specialities that 2021 class matched into.
2021 Match Day Relive the excitement and emotion of Match Day 2021. Scan here to watch our Match Day video.
The Class of 2021 had the option to celebrate Match Day at Kroger Field or to tune in to the ceremony virtually.
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A SURGE IN MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICANTS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 Wendy Jackson, MD, (pictured above, second from left), is associate dean for admissions at the College of Medicine. She has noticed an increase in medical school applications.
The College of Medicine was among several academic medical institutions across the country that saw a surge in applicants amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, UK saw a 37 percent increase in its medical student applicants. Last year, 2,777 applied to the college. This year, nearly 3,800 applied for the college’s 201 available spots.
37
%
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Wendy L. Jackson, MD, associate dean for admissions and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, noted multiple possible reasons for the jump such as the pandemic, which may have had major influence – whether it was the seeking of a job with more security or the motivation to help patients in times of crisis.
Either way, the surge in applicants is good for the College of Medicine, the state of Kentucky, and beyond. “I think it’s exciting because we are trying to recruit the top-notch, most well-rounded applicants to come to the UK College of Medicine and hopefully keep them in this great Commonwealth to help us address some of the health disparities that occur here,” Dr. Jackson told LEX 18 News in March 2021. The College of Medicine’s numbers follow a national trend, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). AAMC data from the fall of 2020 show more than 20 medical schools across the country have seen applications jump by at least 25 percent. n
RECRUITING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHYSICIANS – DURING A PANDEMIC While the pandemic might have piqued interest in medicine, it also altered the way medical students were recruited to campus. The College of Medicine Office of Admissions swiftly adapted to more restrictive protocols by shifting to effective virtual strategies. In doing so, the team excelled in fulfilling its annual goals: recruit a strong class, preserve the pipeline for students of underrepresented communities, and extend to the community through outreach. “The show must go on,” Dr. Jackson said. “I think what the College of Medicine can really be proud of in terms of reflecting back over its performance
during a pandemic is that we were able to preserve the essentials of the recruitment process.” Dr. Jackson’s team began by training faculty and staff to conduct all-virtual interviews through Zoom. The process required an understanding that every applicant’s remote location would be different. While prospective students couldn’t visit the College of Medicine facilities in person, Dr. Jackson’s team collaborated with the Office of Communications to create virtual tour videos for the college’s sites in Bowling Green, Morehead, Northern Kentucky, and the main campus in Lexington.
high school students in the community. The team was able to convert nearly all of its pipeline programs to virtual platforms, including the annual University of Kentucky Medical Education Development Program (UK MED) program that has attracted underrepresented prospective medical students to the college for more than a decade. Though it was an undertaking to adapt recruitment processes during the pandemic, Dr. Jackson said the results made it all worth it as the College of Medicine welcomed more outstanding medical students to campus. n
The admissions team also used videos to showcase the College of Medicine for
“
The show must go on. I think what the College of Medicine can really be proud of in terms of reflecting back over its performance during a pandemic is that we were able to preserve the essentials of the recruitment process.
“
—Wendy Jackson, MD, Associate Dean for Admissions
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THREAD LEADERS APPOINTED TO ENHANCE MEDICAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM The College of Medicine has appointed thread leaders to enhance its medical school curriculum and ensure students are introduced to a variety of important topics during their medical education. Health Equity and Advocacy Thread The Health Equity and Advocacy Thread will address the political and social determinants of health that contribute to health care disparities such as race and ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, disability, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. The thread will examine best practices for individual health care providers, institutions, and organizations to achieve health equity using approaches that mitigate individual and system-level biases. Thread Leader: Jacqueline PopeTarrence, PhD Dr. Pope-Tarrence is professor emeritus of psychology at Western Kentucky University (WKU) and adjunct assistant professor for the department of behavioral science at the College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus. She is a proud Kentuckian, receiving her Bachelor of Arts from Murray State University, her Master
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of Arts in clinical psychology at WKU, and her Doctor of Philosophy in social psychology at the University of Louisville. Dr. Pope-Tarrence currently co-teaches clinical interviewing courses for firstyear medical students and serves as a member of the College of Medicine Diversity and Inclusion Pillar. Dr. Pope-Tarrence assumes this role that was previously held by inaugural thread leader Anita Fernander, PhD, associate professor of behavioral science. In the spring of 2021, Dr. Fernander was selected to join the Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine as its inaugural Chief Officer for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. For almost 19 years, she was committed to excellence in education and inclusivity for faculty and students at the UK College of Medicine. Assistant Thread Leader: Anna Maria South, MD Dr. South is an assistant professor in the department of internal medicine and division of hospital medicine with additional work in addiction medicine consulting and education services. She also serves as Salvation Army Clinic preceptor, acting internship
attending, and teaching team attending. She completed her residency in internal medicine at UK. Health Systems Science Thread The Health System Science Thread will address what is considered the “third pillar” of medical education, the practice of improving quality, costs, and outcomes of health care delivery within health care systems. This thread will address patient safety, quality improvement, population and public health, systems-thinking, and evidencebased medicine. Thread Leader: Andrew Harris, MD Dr. Harris is an assistant professor of urology with specialties in safety and quality improvement, robotic surgery, robotic oncologic surgery, and complex stone surgery. He is a graduate of the UK College of Medicine and returned to UK for his fellowship, later completing his graduate certificate in improving health care value with an emphasis in quality improvement and patient safety. n
The Physician Wellness Program (PWP) was established by the Lexington Medical Society (LMS), in collaboration with The Woodland Group, to help address stressors for physicians. With the well-being of the community as a priority, the College of Medicine worked with LMS to expand this program to include all trainees at the college.
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE COLLABORATION OFFERS FREE COUNSELING SERVICES FOR ALL LEARNERS In its efforts to promote well-being for all learners, the College of Medicine developed a partnership in 2020 creating an additional wellness option for all trainees across all campuses in Lexington, Bowling Green, Morehead, and Northern Kentucky.
The three-year pilot program is designed for a College of Medicine trainee’s unique needs and is being offered in addition to existing psychological and counseling support services. As part of the program, all trainees, including residents, fellows, graduate students, and medical students, at the College of Medicine are provided eight free counseling sessions each calendar year that are conducted at The Woodland Group. To adapt to COVID-19 and make these services more accessible to learners at regional campuses, virtual counseling sessions were made available. “We understand that training is already a challenging time for all of our learners, and that those challenges have certainly heightened due to COVID-19,” Charles Griffith, MD, acting dean, said. “The College of Medicine is grateful for this opportunity from the Lexington Medical Society and The Woodland Group that will help reduce the burden of stress, especially under these difficult circumstances. We encourage any trainee in the college to utilize this partnership if in need of someone to talk to.” Counseling sessions can help alleviate difficulties, related or non-related to your medical school experience, including family issues, relationship problems, work-related difficulties, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, anxiety, difficulty managing stress, mood swings, and suicidal thoughts. The Woodland Group’s team includes seven licensed psychologists who have been vetted by the Lexington Medical Society and will maintain a confidential file for each participant. No insurance will be billed, and the Lexington Medical Society will not receive any information on who chooses to utilize the program. n For more information, visit: lexingtondoctors.org/services/wellness-program/
Wellness Resource Database To make every wellness resource at the college and University more easily accessible, the College of Medicine established a wellness resource database. The site includes resources for faculty, staff, and learners, and it is equipped with an easy-to-use search tool to find wellness resources that best fit their needs. To access the database, visit: mednet.mc.uky.edu/wellbeing.
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