June 24, 2016
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 34, No. 41
Emanuel 9 campus event touches hearts By Mikie Hayes hayesmi@musc.edu Some clutched tissues. Others hugged and comforted colleagues. Others still were silent, both in reflection and prayer. An auditorium normally abuzz with conversation and anticipation, was, on this day, the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at Mother Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston, somber. MUSC President David Cole, M.D., FACS, welcomed the audience filled with MUSC employees and guests. “We’re coming together to show our support and to honor all those who’ve been impacted by the tragic event that took place one year ago today,” he said. “Last year, each of us were at a different point, a different day, a different moment when we all converged on the tragic event that brings us back here to this point, one year later. The unspeakable act. The horrific act. The senseless murder of nine of our community, nine of our family, nine of our colleagues, nine of our friends. For many at MUSC, they represented nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, friends.” He continued, his words poignant and measured. “So this day is certainly etched in our minds, in our hearts as a community. As health care providers, community members, people and individuals, we will always remember this tragic event and remember the victims that this has affected.” Cole shared his belief that MUSC is a family. One of the ways MUSC demonstrates being a family, he said, is how its people respond to challenges as a group and to situations that are horrific and tragic. “I have to say, having the honor of being president of MUSC,
See Hearts on page 6
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FEllowShip awardS Annual John R. Raymond Awards fund external faculty mentor relationships. LIKE US
Rising fourth-year College of Medicine student John Robinson shared his personal reflections following the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church on June 17, 2015.
‘Acts of Amazing Grace’ highlights kindness By Mikie Hayes hayesmi@musc.edu
can’t buy. Ninety seconds was all the time it took for Dylann Roof, a 21–year–old from Columbia, Every year, businesses spend South Carolina, with ties to white billions of dollars trying to brand supremacy ideology, to murder and distinguish themselves as nine innocent people at a Bible singular and exceptional, building corporate trust and recognition. But study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston. on July 17, 2015, a period of only For the families and friends of 90 seconds forever branded one the nine slain that day and the church and its home city as strong, forgiving and united – a reputation three who survived the shooting that quickly touched the world, one and two hiding in the next room, that minute and a half irreparably that modeled character money
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changed their lives. When the tragedy hit the news, people were horrified. The idea that a young man could accept the Christian hospitality of a loving group of people for more than an hour, and in turn murder them because of the color of their skin, horrified the world. The outpouring of support, said Marlena Davis, a member of the church who runs the praise dance ministry and a medical center
See acts on page 7
YES FamilY Fund
4
President’s Letter
Special fund awards grants to 13 deserving projects.
5
Meet Carlton
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Bike Community
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2 tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016
Applause Program The following MUSC employees received recognition through the Applause Program for going the extra mile: Medical Center
Robin Ackerman, RT4 Children’s Specialty; Kiffany Adams, Hospital Patient Accounting; Sandra Buck, RT Urology Clinic; Debra Cassidy, 6East; Charles Warlick, Diversity and Inclusion; Robin Sanders, Registration Admin; Brittany Jones, Pharmacotherapy Clinic; Carnice French, ART 6West; Emily Mihalek, ART 6West; Tom Carter, ART 6West; Nathaniel Carey, ART 4East; Alicia Hessami, ART 4East; Ashley White, 8East; Chris Collette, 10West; Hayle Gainor, 8East; Dionne Boone, Venipuncture; Jeffery Senfield, Cardiology; Brenda Brown, HVC; Patrishia Brown, Guest Services; Shatora Williams, GI Clinic;
2016 humanitaS launch partY
Nicky Canoy, Environmental Services; Becky Hank, ART 6West; Lori Davenport, ART 6East; Lori Myers, Radiology; Rhonda Flynn, ART 6East; Jessica Koenig, ART 6East; Maud Smith, ART 6West; Debra Ryan, ART 6West; Ashley Wilson, ART 6 West; Jessica Schneider, ART 6West and Erica Mascoe, ART 6West University
Erinn Healy, Burser’s Office and Patrick Loveland, College of Medicine/Dean’s Office
Construction Update:
Charleston Center Drive closed
Due to the ongoing construction activity for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, Charleston Center Drive, located between Courtenay and McClennan Banks drives, will be closed for the duration of the construction project. A pedestrian tunnel will be maintained along the south side of Ashley River Tower (ART) so pedestrians can continue to use this pathway to the Courtenay Garage, Roper Hospital and other destinations. Service vehicles can continue to access the building via
Editorial of fice MUSC Office of Public Relations 135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C, Charleston, SC 29425. 843-792-4107 Fax: 843-792-6723 Editor: Cindy Abole catalyst@musc.edu
the space under the building. All vehicles authorized to park under ART will share a single entrance and exit on the Ralph H. Johnson Boulevard side of ART. Caution entering and exiting this area is essential. Visitors and patients with diabilities will not be allowed to self–park under ART in the handicap parking area. Patients and visitors are directed to park in the Courtenay Garage (third floor and above) and utilize the third floor pedestrian connector between the Courtenay Garage and ART. The Catalyst is published once a week. Paid adver tisements, which do not represent an endorsement by MUSC or the State of South Carolina, are handled by Island Publications Inc., Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C., 843-958-7480 or 843-937-4803. E-mail: sales@moultrienews.com.
photo by Cindy Abole
Humanitas Faculty advisor Dr. Steve Kubalak, left, members of the staff editorial board and supporting MUSC students get a peek of the new 2016 edition of Humanitas and help celebrate the 20th anniversary of MUSC’s literary and arts journal. The event featured a reception and Humanitas photography exhibit curated by Roberta Sokolitz.
The Catalyst announces change in print schedule The Office of Communication and Marketing, whose staff produces The Catalyst, MUSC’s campus newspaper, has announced it will change its print schedule from weekly to bi–monthly beginning July 1. The Catalyst will continue to publish content online with regular updates as necessary. Online content will be featured in a consolidated news platform that can be accessed at musc.edu/news, increasing the frequency with which stories are available for you to read. The Catalyst’s decision to change its print schedule follows industry trends
and a redirection for staff to provide more communication expertise in other areas. There will be some changes to the look and distribution of the printed edition of The Catalyst this fall. The Catalyst has been MUSC’s news source for 43 years since its establishment in 1973 and represents an important resource for information and news affecting the MUSC community. The paper circulates 8,000 free copies to more than 35 distribution locations throughout campus and satellite locations around the Tri–county.
tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016 3
Campus research award presented to two MUSC faculty daniejer@musc.edu
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he 2016 John R. Raymond Fellowship Awards were presented to Emily Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Nursing, and Anya Benitez, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine, at Colcock Hall June 15. Named for the former MUSC provost and vice president for academic affairs, who served from 2002 until 2010, the awards were created to provide financial support for full-time faculty members to develop a mentor relationship with an expert outside MUSC. Darlene Shaw, Ph.D., associate provost for educational affairs and student life and MUSC’s chief of institutional strategy, presented the awards on behalf of Raymond Raymond, who could not attend. “Dr. Raymond was personally dedicated to the advancement of women,” she explained. “Even after leaving MUSC, he continues to provide us funds every year keep the fellowship alive.” Shaw chairs the steering committee for the Women’s Scholars Initiative, a career advancement program for women at MUSC that Raymond helped to found. “The WSI is dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women at MUSC and cuts across all missions of the enterprise: clinical, education, and research. We offer 11 different programs over the course of a year, each of them geared toward helping women advance their careers, whether that be through academic promotion, tenure, or by helping to position them to better compete for leadership positions. Because of our success, the WSI recently received national recognition from the Association of American Medical Colleges. “WSI was one of the first affinity
groups here at MUSC. Our mission is a vital part of MUSC’s broader mission of fostering diversity and inclusion in all that we do, one of the five goals of our strategic plan, Imagine MUSC 2020,” Shaw continued. “We’re proud to see our work as part of that bigger picture.” Shaw thanked Raymond for his continuing support of the program, as well as Mark Sothmann, Ph.D., MUSC’s outgoing provost for academic affairs. “Under Mark’s leadership, we made an important step forward. He asked the deans to provide an annual report about the status of women in their colleges. This helps keep the issue on everyone’s radar screen and keeps the conversation going.” Shaw also recognized the new dean of the College of Medicine, Ray Dubois, M.D., Ph.D., for the continued funding his college provides the WSI. Katherine Twombley, M.D., medical director of the pediatric kidney transplant program and director of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology, was present at the ceremony to share her experience since winning the award last year. Working with mentor Ruth McDonald, M.D., medical director of Seattle Children’s Hospital’s pediatric solid organ transplant program, Twombley’s goal was ambitious: establishing a pediatric solid organ transplant program at MUSC that would combine existing heart, liver and kidney transplant programs. “I want to thank the WSI,” Twombley said. “This has been an absolutely phenomenal program to take part in. The little bit of investment you get from this grant goes so far. It is life changing what this award does.” Twombley said she abruptly became division director two years ago and was in search of an experienced mentor who could guide her through the transition. “I owe it to my junior faculty to be the best division director I can be,” she said. “I really wanted to find someone who had been a successful division director, who could help me figure out how best to serve my junior faculty.” McDonald’s advice was instrumental in adjusting to the ins and outs of being
See Award on page 11
photo by J. Ryne Danielson
2016 John R. Raymond Fellowship Award winners Emily Johnson, Ph.D., left, and Anya Benitez, Ph.D. Each will receive a grant to develop a relationship with a mentor outside MUSC.
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4 tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016 Letter from the Office of the
President
Dear MUSC Family, As the state legislative session closes, I want to recount the success MUSC experienced this year in securing funds to advance our institution’s strategic priorities. I’ll begin by recognizing the skill and commitment of our Governmental Affairs team led by Mark Sweatman, with ample support from Emzee Hilliard. They have partnered with many of us throughout the year, helping to share our story with the legislative community and properly positioning our organization’s statewide impact. Mark is a respected and valid voice in Columbia. He has built partnerships that allow us Cole to navigate in the political arenas at federal, state and local levels. At this juncture, the Fiscal Year 2017 State Appropriations Bill and Capital Reserve Bill have been adopted and all of the provisions that will benefit our institution have been finalized. MUSC highlights include: q $12 million to support MUSC’s ongoing, statewide partnership in the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance (SCTA). q $10 million toward construction of the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, which follows on the heels of the state’s FY2016 allocation of $25 million. q $1 million to support our statewide teaching partnership efforts. q $900,000 in annual, recurring funds to retire the $25 million debt remaining from construction of the new College of Dental Medicine building. q $750,000 for construction of the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital Helipad — set up as a 1:1 match, which means the funding MUSC received must be matched by an equal amount of private or local government support. This helipad will be equipped to serve not only our new Children’s Hospital but will also be a regional disaster assistance hub in times of need. The state legislature also mandated a 3.25 percent cost–of–living adjustment (COLA) for all state employees, a pay increase that will become effective on July 1. The increase will add $10 million in salary expense to the university payroll; however, the state has contributed $1.6 million to help fund it. We are working diligently to identify and earmark resources to support the remainder of the salary mandate. The MUSC clinical enterprise is scheduled for salary reviews and potential adjustments in the fall. This year’s outstanding legislative results are a clear indication that our value as a strategic statewide enterprise is being both understood and acknowledged. In large measure, our success over the past few years can also be attributed to the incredible work that each of you performs every day. Your focus, dedication and ongoing commitment to advance research, clinical care and education are to be commended. Teamwork and strategy alignment will continue to be keys to our success as an organization. To recognize outstanding individual contributions that are in sync with our organizational values – compassion, collaboration, respect, integrity and innovation — we created the President’s Values in Action Award. I have been amazed at the nominations received thus far, and I encourage you to make the time to share your story about a team member who excels in one of these categories. Employees across our enterprise are encouraged to submit nominations. For more information, please visit: http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/leadership/president/values-in-action.html. Thank you again for all you do to move MUSC forward. Yours in service,
David J. Cole, M.D., FACS President
tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016 5
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Hearts
Continued from Page One
I believe that how MUSC responded as a community and with the community to this is something we should acknowledge and be very proud of. There wasn’t some road map. There’s not some pathway to say this is what you do when this happens. Aside from maybe looking into your heart and trying to see what you might be able to do to reach out to those around you in response to something like this.” Anton Gunn, MUSC Health chief diversity officer and personal friend of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church, was emotional as he took the podium. “This year, this past year, has been hard as a community and as a nation. What happened a year ago today touched the lives of everyone in this room, everyone in this community and city. But many around this country are still to this day struggling to understand what happened. Why it happened. And the purpose behind it all.” He said he, too, has been struggling with these very issues, in large part due to another personal tragedy in his life that many don’t know about. His younger brother, Cherone Louis Gunn, was one of the 17 U.S. servicemen killed in the terrorist attack against the USS Cole in October of 2000. “I know what it’s like to have one day normal and the next day, your life is forever changed by a horrific event that boggles your mind to try to understand. So I’ve been living with this type of situation for a while. But the tragedy at Emanuel AME Church was also another personal one, because of my relationship with Clem Pinckney, pastor of the church and member of the South Carolina Senate,’” he said. When they wer’e both 23, they met at the South Carolina Statehouse. “We were the same age, but he was serving in public office,” Gunn said. “It gave me the confidence that I could be the leader I wanted to be.” They later served together: Gunn in the House and Pinckney in the Senate. A week after the shootings, Gunn drove to Columbia to pay his respects to his friend, where his body lay in state. At the Statehouse, Pinckney’s casket had been placed between the House and Senate, as he served in both chambers during his 18 years in office. While
there, Gunn spoke to Jennifer Pinckney, the wife of the pastor, and her words to this day stick with him: “Clem talked about you all the time. He loved you for the way that you love hip-hop music and culture. He couldn’t tell everybody how much he loved hip–hop music in the church or at the Statehouse, so he lived through you and your Facebook feed.” That affected Gunn deeply. “It gave me a stronger sense in the context of – you never know the impact that you have on other people’s lives. And I can safely say, these nine people, whether we knew them or had a personal relationship with them or not, have had an impact on all of our lives and the lives of this community. And so, as we reflect a year later on this tragedy, and try to find a purpose and a meaning, let us find purpose and meaning in the lives that each of these nine individuals lived.” Rising fourth-year College of Medicine student John Robinson shared his personal reflections about the tragedy. photo by J. Ryne Danielson On the night of the shooting, he was returning from the library where he had The Rev. Thulisiwe Beresford, center, a Lutheran chaplain for MUSC, been studying. He received a text from a visits with employees after the June 17 service held at the Drug Discovery friend at the College of Charleston who auditorium. said that there was a shooter on the loose AME minister Melvin Williams has who was killing black people. MUSC chaplain and Lutheran pastor. been an MUSC chaplain since 1994. He “A year ago on this day, I was one of the Terrified, Robinson went back to his provided words of comfort and prayer at on–call chaplains, and I saw things that I room to try and get details and protect the event. “This is a sacred moment to himself. With nothing on the news to don’t want to ever see again.” me,” he said. “I am a chaplain, but I am provide information, he called other She explained that the allegedshooter also an AME chaplain. Mother Emanuel belongs to a sister congregation in classmates to make sure they were safe has been my church as long as I’ve been and see if they knew more than he did. Columbia and that for the past year, a pastor. Sen Pinckney was my good Once the news emerged that a young the Evangelical Lutheran Church has friend. We knew each other’s family man killed nine innocent people in an been working hard on events of racial members, and we were good friends.” effort to start a race war, Robinson was reconciliation. “Today it is a great honor, Williams compared Job’s story in the in disbelief. “We were shocked knowing a humbling one. What the shooter Bible to that of the Emanuel Nine. He that this happened to some of the most meant to do — take down those who were said what looked like a defeat was turned in Bible study — today, I’ve been given upstanding citizens in our community. into victory. “When the families and We grieved knowing that these were this privilege as a Lutheran pastor to lift survivors stood up that day in court and up the names.” good people who simply wanted to said, ‘We forgive him.’ Those were the welcome a stranger into their house of She spoke the names of the nine words of Christ, if you recall, he said, worship and allow him to experience the victims and asked for 90 seconds of when he was on the cross.” hospitality that Charleston is so known silence. With fire and brimstone in his voice, for, while sharing the rich tradition of The Rev. Dr. Terry Wilson, manager Williams explained that forgiveness is faith that Mother Emanuel AME church of MUSC Pastoral Care, offered the a word of eternal release. “It is a release has provided for so many. It was the benediction. “May God give you grace from burden. It releases you from accepting nature of these fine few that not to sell yourself short; grace to risk the desire to hate and to think about allowed a grossly misled killer to perform something big for something good; revenge. That’s what forgiveness will do. grace to remember that the world is too what he thought would be a match strike Forgiveness is a word that can change to a powder keg of hatred and fury across dangerous for anything but truth and too defeat into victory and this is what those small for anything but love.” the nation. What he failed to realize surviving families did. They set the mood was that the heinous nature of his crime With lowered heads and tear-stained for the entire city of Charleston. They would inspire feelings of compassion faces, people streamed out, many followed the teachings of Christ. They and draw condemnation from even the embracing as they processed the words of stood up and said, ‘We forgive him.’” most ardent supporters of race-based comfort and healing. The Rev. Thulisiwe Beresford is an violence.”
tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016 7
acts
Left graphic: The “love” logo was created by Lauren Jones of Anderson, South Carolina. Right photo: Media Relations’ Tony Ciuffo attemps to jump a colleague’s car battery on campus demonstrating an “Act of Amazing Grace” honoring victims of the Mother Emanuel Church
Continued from Page One
human resources employee, was immediate and awe– inspiring.“People were moved to help in some way,” she said. “So many people around the world were affected. The tragedy initiated a groundswell of support worldwide, and we were touched beyond belief by the kindness and generosity.” Davis spoke one day before the year anniversary of the tragedy. Far from her normally ebullient self, she was feeling the weight of how she, her elderly mother and their church would feel during many of the events planned to honor the victims. The anniversary service was scheduled to be held at TD Arena at the College of Charleston. They haven’t been back since the day of Rev. Clementa Pinckney’s funeral, when President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy for the pastor and state senator to a capacity crowd of mourners who flowed out into the streets of Charleston. “Tomorrow will be difficult, I’m not sure what to expect. I’m pretending to be strong, but I can see myself falling apart,” she said with resignation.” At church on Sunday I sat there, and I thought, ‘This is the day a year ago, when everything was OK. A couple of days later is when our whole world changed.’ I felt that. It was just so emotional — church was very emotional. But you know, crying is OK.” She said the Orlando tragedy makes this anniversary so much worse. “It’s unbelievable really – it’s just too close to the date. It makes me sad for the president to have to get back on the TV and say the same thing all over again. I can only hope he never has to do this again.” As the church planned how it would honor and commemorate the lives of the brothers and sisters in Christ and their beloved pastor, one of the leaders at the church asked Davis to spearhead a project that would be part of the commemoration — something that resembled random acts of kindness. “People have been left searching for personal ways to respond and counteract the hate and negativity that was the reason for this tragic event and other tragedies like Orlando and Paris,” she said. “People just want to help. They want to make a difference. It’s part of their human nature.” Davis came up with a way for people to be involved by doing something uplifting for others, and she calls it Acts of Amazing Grace, inspired by the song the president sang at her pastor’s service. “I just kept hearing President Obama singing ‘Amazing Grace’ at Reverend Pinckney’s funeral. The words grace and mercy kept coming together in my head. It all just fell into place.” Davis was also asked to add a page to the Mother
photo by J. Ryne Danielson
Emanuel website for the project – the idea was to have an interactive page so people could share their acts. She wasn’t sure where to start, so she asked MUSC’s Chief Information Officer Michael Caputo. He graciously offered to help the church and had one of his team develop the page. Davis was touched by this gesture. “I can’t thank Michael Caputo enough. James Webb, who developed the page, was amazing. He really has performed the very first ‘Act of Amazing Grace’ for this call to action. He has been so wonderful – giving me direction and guidance — gentle, yet effective, and the outcome is more than I could have imagined. I cannot thank him enough. Their generosity makes me tear up.” actS oF amazing gracE Beginning on June 21, people were encouraged to perform an act of kindness for someone else and to write about it on the Acts of Amazing Grace Facebook page. If a person takes a picture, that, too, can be uploaded with the description. “This can be any type of act that a person chooses,” Davis said. “For example, the quartet I am a part of will be playing at a nursing home. Buy a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line. Mow someone’s grass. Read to children at school. Give a sincere compliment to a stranger. Literally, the possibilities are endless.” She said the church believes that through this project, people will have a tangible way to honor the people who lost their lives, as well as their families and friends and a church trying so very hard to move forward. Davis feels this one simple project also is going to go a long way in helping people heal. She hopes the nine days devoted to the victims will too, and that it will allow people to feel some semblance of normalcy again. moving Forward Last year, immediately after the tragedy at the church, Davis’ mother and her dear friend and church sister Felicia Sanders canceled their women’s’ trip to Chicago. Sanders was at the Bible study that night. During the shootings, she threw herself over her granddaughter,
saving her life. But at the same time, she watched as her son, Tywanza Sanders, took a bullet, trying to protect his 87–year–old aunt Susie Jackson. Both perished. Naturally a vacation was the last thing on anyone’s mind at the time. Finally, after nearly a year, the ladies decided to reschedule it and are getting ready to travel later this week. Davis said she asked her mother, “Mom, do you think Felicia will go?” “She said she’s going,” her mother replied. Davis hopes the trip is a go. She said it’s a wonderful group of women. Both her sister and mother are among those going to the Windy City with Sanders and the other women. “The memory of knowing this is what they were about to do when the tragedy struck last year – it makes it hard. I hope they will go – it will be good for them.” Davis continues to work with her praise dancers, a group of girls who dance at church. She’s been working with them extra hard on their performance for the tree-planting event at the Gaillard, where the Rev. Dr. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will deliver the keynote address and gospel legend Shirley Caesar will sing her original song, “Mother Emanuel.” “After emotional events like the anniversary service and tree planting, I think Acts of Amazing Grace will be an emotionally inspiring experience,” she said. Davis hopes people will get involved and have fun with this project. The Facebook page will accept posts for at least a week and will stay up indefinitely as an example of what can be achieved when good people put their hearts into something. Davis said, “Just go out and perform an act of kindness. Just do it. Do it in honor of the people who lost their lives. Their families. The church. It affected us all, and what do you do with something like that? People don’t know what to do. We feel like this is going to be an opportunity for people to take part in something extraordinary.”
8 tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016
YES Campaign winds down, family fund awardees featured By J. ryne Danielson daniejer@musc.edu The YES Family Fund is an important way for employees to contribute to the success of MUSC’s key missions: patient care, research and education. Completely funded by employee gifts from the Yearly Employee Support Campaign, since its creation 17 years ago, the YES Family Fund has raised more than $400,000 and funded hundreds of employee-driven projects across the enterprise. Whitney McLuen, YES Campaign coordinator, said these projects wouldn’t exist without the YES Family Fund. “And the YES Family Fund wouldn’t exist without our generous employees. This year we received 51 applications for Family Fund grants – the most we’ve ever received. There’s an obvious need for extra support on our campus as MUSC continues to grow each year. Of those 51 projects, we were able to fund 13 of them.” One project to receive funding this year is infant development support for Child Life Pediatrics. The department was awarded $700 to purchase two mamaRoo infant bouncers and four tummy time props. “Support and comfort are essential in promoting healthy development in infants,” said child life specialist Michelle Thompson. “When in a new environment and stressed, infants are constantly looking for a way to be soothed. Research shows that mamaRoo infant bouncers calm fussy babies and fragile infants in hospital care by replicating the natural motions babies encounter in their daily lives.” Another important piece of development for infants is appropriate sensory stimulation, Thompson said, and infants are encouraged to spend time on their tummies from birth. “However, for many infants, it is difficult and unsafe to be completely flat on a bed or mat, even with supervision,” she explained. “The props allow for support during tummy time in order to promote healthy development while in the hospital.” By helping to create a calm, nurturing environment, this project is an important way for MUSC to put patients first, Thompson added. But without YES, there would not be enough resources to support these goals. Another project putting patients first is the recently created urban garden for the MUSC STAR program. STAR – which stands for stabilization, treatment, assessment and reintegration – is a day treatment psychiatric program for children, which serves as a less costly alternative to inpatient care, yet still provides the multi-faceted, long-term care many patients require. As the program’s medical director, Kirk Meekins, M.D., oversees the treatment of children and adolescents who are having difficulty in their homes or school environments and for whom more conventional outpatient treatments have not been successful. “I believe that as a program, we provide comprehensive services to our patients;, however, we
photo provided
Sponsored by the YES Family Fund, the annual Walk to Remember is held each October. Families who have lost children gather on the portico to sign a bereavement banner and hear their children’s names read aloud, then walk to Alberta Long Lake or Colonial Lake where doves are released. as a team are always seeking ways to supplement the treatment we provide. I believe that in addition to identifying and treating problems and disorders, we must also promote physical and psychological wellness, he explained.” An urban garden is one way to do that, Meekins said. “In the past year, we began developing a gardening program that allows the children to participate in the planning, implementation and maintenance of a STAR garden. Meekins said the $875 contribution from the YES Family Fund will allow for the expansion of the garden and monthly gardening activities that will feature education seminars with a focus on health, diet, nutrition, natural sciences and gardening in an outdoor setting.” The YES Family Fund also sponsors Ozzie’s Project, which seeks to provide educational resources and play items for children in isolation due to compromised immune systems. Child life specialist Morgan Ford wrote the grant proposal. “It is well documented that hospitalization and chronic illness have psychological and emotional impacts on pediatric patients,” she explained. “This impact is immensely compounded when physical isolation is required. Isolation negatively impacts patients by restricting interaction and play opportunities, thus making these children prone to
boredom, problems with adherence, negative behaviors and depression.” Since 2008, Ford said, YES has provided resources to alleviate the inherent psychosocial stressors generated by physical isolation during hospitalization. “Through funding from the YES Campaign, Ozzie’s Project has positively affected the Pediatric Medical-Surgical Unit (7E) and Infant Toddler Unit (7A). The project was also broadened in the last two years to include resources for patients on 7C, a 10-bed intermediate care unit.” According to Ford, the impetus behind the project was a sociable young patient with cystic fibrosis named Ozzie. “His playful demeanor, despite difficult circumstances, impressed every MUSC staff member or volunteer who met him. This patient would welcome staff into his room with an excited shout and a wave anytime the door was opened. He craved interaction and play with enthusiasm and intensity, yet never interfaced with another patient or stepped foot in the playroom during his frequent, lengthy admissions. Just in the last two years of his life, this patient spent more than 150 days hospitalized and isolated at MUSC.” Infection control nurse Beth Rhoton, who retired from MUSC in 2012, said the incidence of illness requiring isolation has risen in recent years. “We’re most concerned for our populations of cystic fibrosis
See Fund on page 9
tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016 9 Nurse Kathleen White offers gardenias to grieving families as part of the Tender Memories Memorial Service, held each March in St. Luke’s Chapel. Inside each plant is a memento created by fellow nurse Mary Ernst, who serves alongside White on the Tender Memories Committee. Meant to provide a time for reflection, healing and growth for many families without financial means, this might be the only memorial service they have. It is supported by the YES Family Fund.
Grieving families are encouraged to add their thoughts and prayers to a bereavement banner decorated with children’s footprints as part of the annual Walk to Remember, sponsored by the YES campaign.
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children and immunosuppressed children who contract resistant organisms and feel – for lack of a better term – imprisoned without much, if any, chance of being removed from isolation any time they are hospitalized over the course of their lifetimes.” Ford believes play is important for helping children cope with such prolonged periods of isolation. In her grant proposal, she quoted Erik Erikson, the German-American developmental psychologist, who said, “To play out is the most natural auto-therapeutic measure childhood affords. Whatever other roles play may have in the child’s
development, the child uses it to make up for defeats, sufferings and frustrations.” Ford hopes Ozzie’s project, funded by the YES Campaign, will go a long way to restoring that important part of childhood for some of MUSC’s most vulnerable patients. “The YES Family Fund makes a huge difference in the lives of patients, families and employees,” McLuen reiterated. “Faculty and staff still have time to support the YES Family Fund through our yearly YES Campaign. Just go to giving.musc.edu/yes by June 30 and select the YES Family Fund. Employee gifts will help to provide even more support to worthy projects next
photos provided
2016 YES Family Fund Grant Recipients Breast Infant Development Support for 7A Department: Child Life Pediatrics Amount: $700
Pediatric Brain Tumor Program Department: Pediatric HematologyOncology Amount: $2,500
Can–Teen Support Group Department: Pediatric HematologyOncology Amount: $2,500
Family Meal Coupons Department: Child Life Amount: $2,500
MUSC STAR Program–Urban Farm Department: Psychiatry Amount: $875 Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Psychosocial Program Department: Pediatric HematologyOncology Amount: $2,500 Ozzie’s Project Department: 7E-Child Life Amount: $2,500 Children’s Hospital Bereavement Program: PASSAGES Department: Child Life Amount: $2,500
PCICU Precious Memories Project Department: Child Life Amount: $1,500 Nephrotic Syndrome Patient Kit Project Department: Pediatric Nephrology Requested Amount: $1,300 Diabetes Medic Alert Bands Department: Pediatric Endocrinology Amount: $2,500 Tender Memories Department: Women’s Care Amount: $2,500 Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Educational Patient Handbook Department: Clinical Neurophysiology Services Amount: $2,300
10 tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016
MUSC Wellness dietitian recognized as 2016 Life Hero On June 13, in Bethesda, Maryland, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation recognized the efforts of five Sodexo employees for their dedication to ending hunger in their local communities. The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization established in 1999 by Sodexo, a world leader in quality of life services, that works to ensure that every child in the U.S. grows up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life. During the 17th annual Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation dinner, this year’s Heroes of Everyday Life were presented $5,000 grants to donate to their hungerrelief charities of choice. “Our heroes selflessly give their time and resources to improve the quality of life of those at risk of hunger in their communities,” said Robert A. Stern, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation chairman. “It is amazing to behold the creativity and variety of approaches employed by the Heroes to address and impact a complex community problem like hunger.” Debbie Petitpain, MUSC Wellness Dietitian, was awarded the Heroes of Everyday Life award for her passion, commitment and leadership in the area of food insecurity and meeting the nutritional needs of our community. Her most recent project, “Kids Eat Free at MUSC,” exemplifies the highest level of commitment for this cause and her unstoppable drive to succeed. In fall of 2014, Petitpain approached me about the USDA summer feeding program she learned about while attending the S.C. State Obesity Heroes of Everyday Life winner Debbie Petitpain, second from right, is joined by MUSC Health Promotion director Dr. Susan Johnson, second left, and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation leadership at the group’s annual dinner. photo provided
is paying for an intern to Summit. She saw a need and assist in the coordination an opportunity and wanted of the 2016 program. For to explore the possibility of more information about this offering a program at MUSC. program, visit www.musc. We both agreed it would be a edu/kids-eat-free. challenge given the complexity of the program but were not Employee Wellness deterred. When Petitpain q Step It Up MUSC! began researching examples Challenge — A new of similar programs in other program developed by the health care settings, we soon MUSC Office of Health learned that there were very Promotion, MUSC Wellness Susan Johnson few. Instead of seeing this Center and MUSC Health as a barrier, she saw it as Innovation Center to an opportunity not only to promote a physically active workplace develop a new model for summer feeding and culture of health. Teams consist programs but have an even greater of six to12 colleagues. Designate a impact by helping others across the state team captain and register the team at and nation implement similar programs. musc.challengerunner.com. Teams will To that end, she secured a $10,000 grant compete for the most steps walked/ with Share Our Strength to develop a run on a monthly basis for prizes. Steps toolkit to help guide others thought the are averaged to make it more equitable. process and is seeking other channels Visit musc.edu/ohp/step-it-up for to communicate this groundbreaking information. program to other health care providers. q Worksite Screening: Wednesday, Throughout the planning and July 27 at Clinical Sciences Building implementation process, Petitpain recruited the right people and resources to ensure success, while also personally attending to every detail of the program, understanding that her ownership of this important work would ultimately lead to a collective impact well beyond MUSC. Through her perseverance and commitment, the first Kids Eat Free at MUSC program served 2,385 meals and will no doubt lead to countless more, as she has opened the door for national replication of this program. Petitpain received a $5,000 grant for summer feeding at MUSC which
Health at work
room HE628h. This screening, valued at about $350, is available to employees with the State Health Plan (including MUSC Health Plan) at no charge for the basic test in 2016. Employees and spouses without this insurance can participate for $47. For more information, including updated pricing for optional tests, and to register online visit musc.edu/ohp/employee-wellness/ worksite-screening.html. q “Miles to Change” is an MUSC running/walking group to improve employee wellness and support a culture of health. For details on upcoming events, T–shirts and joining the group, email milestochange@musc.edu, visit http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/ ohp/musc-moves/Miles-to-change/ or join the Facebook group, MUSC Miles to Change. q Chair massages: Free massages are offered to students and employees Wednesdays. Check Broadcast Messages. for varying locations and times. q Farmers Market: Fresh fruits and vegetables are available.
tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016 11 Dear MUSC Family, We live in a state and local community with residents who are disproportionately plagued by stroke, obesity, heart disease and a host of other serious health issues. To continue making a positive impact in this challenging environment requires committed communities partnering together to create a healthier future for our children and ourselves. As one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers and the only facility of its kind in the state of South Carolina — with a charge to focus on research, education and clinical care — MUSC recognizes we must take a leadership position in this work and have made building healthy communities one of the five pillars of our organization’s strategic plan. MUSC is actively pursuing avenues to reimagine our campus and open new pathways for both walking and biking. Working in concert with our neighbors, Roper Hospital and Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, we are transforming three interconnected health care facilities into a new Medical District that will link the eastern and western parts of the peninsula via a pedestrian-oriented greenway. The greenway is yet another logical, bike–friendly area for cyclists to use instead of being concerned with the rigors and expense associated with driving and parking a car. When it comes to a city’s livability, evaluating transportation options is a key variable. Livability indexes measure the quality of life in American communities, focusing on aspects such as housing, transportation, neighborhood characteristics, health care access, environment, opportunity, career options, and social scenes. Data clearly shows that biking, whether it’s for commuting, exercise or fun, is on the rise in many communities and is becoming a norm in cities of all sizes. Where We Ride: Analysis of Bicycle Commuting in American Cities is a report produced annually by the League of American Bicyclists. According to its 2014 report, from 2000 to 2014, bicycle commuting has seen 62 percent growth nationwide with a total of 904,463 bike commuters in 2014. Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau studies Americans’ commuting habits, including how many people commute by bike. Then, the League of American Bicyclists digs into the data to assess the state of bicycle commuting in cities across the country. The league’s report also notes that nationally, since 2005, states have seen, on average, a 46 percent increase in the share of people commuting by bike with many states having seen tremendous increases in cycling. A color–coded map on the league’s website shows South Carolina has seen a 38 percent increase in cycling commuters from 2005 to 2014. The site ranked the Palmetto State No. 35 out of 50 states by “mode share” or share of bike commuters. To review Where We Ride data, please visit: http://bikeleague.org/content/where-we-ride-2014-analysis-bikecommuting. The Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center reports 1 in 12 U.S. households does not own an automobile and approximately 13 percent of people 15 or older don’t drive. Furthermore, there are 127 million walking trips and 9 million bike trips in the United States every day. [All data points from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey]. For these reasons, we fully support appropriate efforts to make Charleston a more bike–friendly and accessible community. That includes investing in the added infrastructure required for bike lanes. We have reviewed the results of the recently released traffic analysis and want to extend support from the Medical University of South Carolina for the addition of bike paths over several local roadways, including a bike lane on the Ashley River Bridge. We believe that it’s time for Charleston to acknowledge and support the fact that encouraging healthy lifestyles, including investing in the infrastructure needed to provide appropriate alternatives to driving, is critical for our future. Yours in service, David J. Cole, M.D., FACS President, MUSC
Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MBA CEO, MUSC Health
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an administrator, Twombley explained, from figuring out how to manage the division’s budget to managing her own work-life balance. Her mentor also helped develop a business plan for the new combined pediatric organ transplant program, which Twombley is in the process of implementing. “We have three pediatric transplant programs. Each organ has its own medical director, and historically we’ve functioned independently of each other. But we have children who need heart and kidney transplants or liver and kidney transplants. For them to go to the heart clinic in North Charleston on Wednesday and then come to the kidney clinic on Thursday is really becoming a stressor for some of these families.” Twombley said she’s just hired a
pediatric pharmacist, who will be shared by all three programs. Starting in September, the kidney and liver transplant programs will operate out of the same clinic, and a kidney specialist will move into the heart transplant clinic. Combining services puts patients and their families first, she said, which is another strategic goal of Imagine MUSC 2020. “I just want to thank John R. Raymond,” she said, pointing out that Raymond was also a nephrologist. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity, and I hope I’ve done him proud.” Twombley said she still regularly talks to her mentor and that the experience has been life changing. She hopes this year’s recipients will find it just as rewarding and said she’s looking forward to their presentations next year. “Hold on tight,” she told them, “you’re in for a ride.”
12 tHe catalyst, June 24, 2016
Hearing the call to head to national spelling bee
photo provided
Neil’s sister Erin was born with the condition, and thanks to her parents’ experience with Neil, they knew exactly where to go for treatment. Holcomb said Erin is doing “extraordinarily well,� just like her brother. “She was implanted when she was seven months of age, so she was even younger than Neil was. But they are just an amazing family. If we could bottle them up and send them out to every
family we have, I think we’d have more success stories, absolutely.� Neil is hoping for more success with his spelling, as he gets ready to start sixth grade. His mother said he enjoys reading, which helps. “It was such a good experience, and I would love to go back, but we’re just going to take it a day at a time. We’re going to encourage him to keep reading. He’s excited about what he experienced and would love to go back.�
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C–o–c–h–l–e–a–r. That word, and the device it represents, helped a boy born with profound hearing loss grow into an 11 year old so talented at spelling that he achieved what once might have seemed impossible: Neil Maes made it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. His mother, Christy Maes, said it’s been an amazing journey. “Oh my goodness, it was awesome. I had a pediatrician come up to me who was one of the speller’s moms, who said ‘We’re all advocates for our kids, but what you’re doing is over the top.’ And I don’t think about myself as anything special — just a mama doing what mamas do.� Neil’s parents knew almost immediately after he was born that he couldn’t hear. The problem was picked up in a newborn screening test. So his family, which lives in Belton, South Carolina, researched the best nearby places for treatment. They chose the Cochlear Implant Program at MUSC. Audiologist Meredith Holcomb directs the program. “I think that we are aggressive, meaning we really want people to hear. Some centers are maybe more cautious about implanting certain people or certain hearing losses, and we really are trying to do what’s best for the patients. I think we’re doing that well.� Neil’s mother said he got his cochlear implants just before his first birthday. “Early intervention is key, and time is of the essence. You need to get these in place and get the rehabilitation going,� Maes said. Holcomb said getting the implants is just the first step in a long process. “It takes a lot of at–home therapy and speech therapy to make these implants work well. It’s not something that they turn on, and then all of a sudden they’re hearing and understanding speech. It is day and night work with these parents, and Neil’s parents are a testament to this.� Neil has cochlear implants on both ears. “It’s an electronic device that has two parts,� Holcomb said. “The internal device is surgically inserted into the
cochlea and then a couple of weeks after the surgery, we activate the external device. “The external device has a speech processor that sits on his ear and a microphone that accepts sound. It transfers that sound, similar to what we hear, into an electronic way of hearing. It sends the signal through the skin via a magnet – there’s a magnet that sits on the outside of his head that connects to the magnet that’s inside his head. When those two parts connect, everything should work, and they should be able to hear.� Neil’s hearing is now in the borderline normal range, Holcomb said. He heard some pretty complicated words at the national spelling bee. His parents were in the audience, cheering him on. “The word that he misspelled was polychromatic. And the last one he got right was actinide. He will learn,� his mother said. Neil’s family made a point of sharing his story while they were in Washington, D.C., for the bee. “We tried to take advantage of opportunities for media and interviews, because we want other people to know that this technology is available, so they can learn about it and make an educated choice about what might be best for their family. And we were hoping that through all of this attention, that somebody will be helped. There are still a lot of people out there who don’t know about this technology.� More know about it now, thanks to national news coverage of Neil’s story. Holcomb said his experience shows how much things have changed for people with hearing problems. “Children weren’t able to get cochlear implants until sometime in the 80s. Before that, their only options were to use super power hearing aids and then to be put in an oral preschool and a school for the deaf that was teaching children how to talk.� Neil isn’t the only child in his family with cochlear implants. His mother said she and her husband learned they’re both carriers of an autosomal recessive disorder that causes a 25 percent chance of hearing loss in each of their children.
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By Helen aDaMs adamshel@musc.edu
Eleven year old Neil Maes of Belton, South Carolina, has worn cochlear implants for most of his life.