Volume 3
WHAT’Snew
Number 4
February 21, 2014
Pennsylvania Hospital
From Philly to Sochi – This Physician Makes a Different Kind of House Call Even before they began, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia were fraught with problems. Troubling issues ranged from protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin and terrorist threats to stray dogs roaming Olympic venues and news reporters’ tales of unfinished hotel accommodations. Sadly, the disturbing media coverage dedicated to these issues detracts from what the Olympics should represent: feats of incredible human achievement and international pride.
`` Photo taken by Dr. Gary Dorshimer in Sochi, of the Canadian and Finland ice hockey teams shaking hands at the end of the game.
Inside From Philly to Sochi continued...................................2 Penn Heart & Vascular Center Celebrates American Heart Month...............................2 Fun and Fund Raising at the “Souper Bowl II”.......................3 The Patient Experience.............3 What’s Happening.....................4 Harrison Fund Committee Now Accepting Proposals........4
As the world watches events unfold in Sochi, there are legions of people working behind the scenes to ensure the safety and success of the games and the health of the athletes and visitors. One such person is, Gary W. Dorshimer, MD, FACP, FCPP, chief of the Section of General Internal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital, head team physician for the Philadelphia Flyers, team internist for the Philadelphia Eagles, consulting physician for the Adirondack Phantoms, and associate program director for the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Dorshimer travelled to Sochi where he served as an internal medicine consultant for the NHL. An Olympic veteran in his own right, Dr. Dorshimer served in the same role at the 2010 Vancouver, 2002 Salt Lake City, and 1998 Nagano winter
Olympics. Board certified in Internal Medicine with an additional certification in Sports Medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Dorshimer’s career was impacted by sports from its beginning.
2 0 1 4 W inter O l y mpics
`` Dr. Gary Dorshimer, shown here in Sochi, Russia.
Q. While a general internist/primary care physician, you clearly take a special interest in sports medicine. How did it all begin? A. After I completed my residency at Pennsylvania Hospital, two of my mentors, Dr. Edward Viner and Dr. Roger Daniels, asked me to join their primary care practice. At that time, Dr. Viner was the team physician for both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Philadelphia Orchestra. His appointment with the Orchestra had him traveling quite extensively which meant I was the one charged with covering
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From Philly to Sochi – This Physician Makes a Different Kind of House Call
the Flyers playoff games against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. To have just joined a practice and have such an opportunity — I was the proverbial kid in a candy shop. As for the Eagles, I have a colleague and former head team physician Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi to thank for that. The Eagles were changing their primary care staff and he asked if I was interested in being their physician. Q. How long have you worked with the Flyers and Eagles? A. I have been the Philadelphia Eagles’ team physician for the past 16 years and am in my 30th year as team physician for the Philadelphia Flyers. Q. What is your role as primary care physician to the Flyers and Eagles? A. I attend every Eagles football game — home and away. I attend the majority of regular season Flyers home games and home and away playoff games — home and away. I treat various injuries and illnesses, whatever arises, for players of both teams. However, the most common injury seen in the athletes are concussions. Much to the surprise of many, internists and primary care physicians — not neurologists — evaluate and treat concussions. In addition to the players, I am responsible for treating the entire greater Philadelphia Eagles’ and Flyers’ families. This includes coaches and all other staff. Providing primary care for both of my home teams has been a tremendous and rewarding experience.
Penn Heart & Vascular Center
Celebrates
American
Heart Month
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Q. How long were you in Sochi? A. I was there from the beginning and came back to the States February 18. There are a total of 18 hockey games before the medal round which started February 12. To start, Dr. Peter Deluca, the Flyers’ orthopaedist, and I were with the players. After that, the orthopaedic physicians from Ottawa and the primary care physicians from Detroit replaced us. Q. How did you first get involved with the Olympics? A. I have been involved with the Olympics since the NHL’s first involvement at the Nagano games in 1998. The National Hockey League wanted their physicians to consult on all injuries and to help care for the entire NHL family. An orthopaedist from Vancouver, a dentist from Calgary, and I were the first asked to represent the NHL. We all served on the Executive Committee of the NHL Team Physician Society, of which I have been the Secretary and Treasurer now for 25 years. Q. What is your role exactly, as primary care physician consultant to the NHL at the Winter Olympics? A. I am available to see any NHL player on any country’s team for a second opinion consultation regarding treatment and return to play from injury. Individual team physicians serve as point of origin for players care and treatment. While I don’t attend the practice sessions, I am always available in case of illness or injury. I attend all games and am
This February we continue to celebrate American Heart Month alongside the American Heart Association and thousands of other organizations and individuals.
available to see players – as requested by them or their team physicians. I am also responsible for “return to play” decisions for any NHL player diagnosed and treated for a concussion. Q. You are obviously a sports fan and love what you do. How else has sports medicine affected your career? A. Sports Medicine has also shaped my professional career as an educator. I am a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and am the Assistant Program Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In my role at CHOP, I assist with Sports Medicine Fellowship recruitment and teach fellows. I really enjoy teaching and find it to be a fun part of my job. I get to expose fellows to the professional sports medicine experience through my work with the Eagles and the Flyers from the perspective of an internist. I also teach fellows the importance of the partnership between a team’s physician and athletic trainer and how to work with trainers. Athletes of all ages are not the same as other patients. Right off the bat, we teach fellows how physicians and athletic trainers need to work in tandem to take care of a team. We teach them how to interact with athletes and about the different issues unique to the diagnosis, treatment and rehab of athletes.
You are invited to share your incredible stories of Heart Heroes from across PAH and Penn Medicine — stories of our patients, physicians, nurses, researchers, technicians, therapists, and more. You, who are our most important ambassadors for Penn Medicine, are invited to join the conversation at: www.facebook.com/ PennHeartandVascular.
The Patient Ex p e ri e nc e The following praise comes from the husband of a recent neurosurgery patient at PAH:
`` Shown L to R from the ACC-PAH are Debra DeMille, Marylou Osterman, Jenny Egg and Carly Roop.
I am currently sitting in the surgical waiting room, with my bride in neurosurgery with Dr. Baltuch (Gordon H. Baltuch, MD, PhD, professor of Neurosurgery and director, Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery) and his team. I cannot speak more highly of the treatment and care at this hospital. As early as 5:15 a.m. when we were greeted so warmly by Ms. Bowman (Barbara Bowman, Security officer) at the Security Desk through the folks in Admissions, to pre-op staff and even to Ms. Dorko (Leah Dorko, Family Patient liaison) who is looking out for all of us up here on the 9th floor. PAT admissions and lab folks were wonderful. Medical staff, PT, everyone. I do not normally gush but you folks are worth it. Thank you all.
Fun & Fun d Raising at th e “ S o u p e r B o w l I I ” A few days before the Seattle Seahawks crushed the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XLVIII, the Abramson Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital (ACC-PAH) celebrated its second annual “Souper Bowl.” Unwilling to coast on the success of Souper Bowl I, Marylou Osterman, Cancer Center coordinator, Carly Roop, nutritionist, and Jenny Egg, social worker, lead a team of coworkers and volunteers to host a second event with increased attendance and sales. On January 28, while the rest of Philadelphia — and much of the northeast — was in the grips of single-digit temperatures, the Farm Journal Building was warm and filled with the aromas of delicious homemade soups. “The terrific smells attracted over 100 people to stop into Souper Bowl II,” said Osterman. “Plus, patients, caregivers and staff from all floors of Farm Journal were grateful to have such a great lunch option right in our building on such a freezing cold day!”
The Souper Bowls are held in support of the ACC-PAH team participating in the annual American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. “While the Souper Bowl gives us a chance to take a break from our hectic schedules and spend some time with colleagues, friends and patients, our primary goal is to raise money and awareness and increase attendance for our Relay for Life Team, ‘Together We Can,’” said Osterman. “The American Cancer Society is a great local resource, available 24/7, for people with cancer and their families. This year I’m thrilled to report that in on only a couple of hours, we raised over $600 at Souper Bowl II — surpassing last year’s event.”
com/2CL8) will be held Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., at Marconi Plaza, on Broad Street, between Oregon and Packer Avenues. A true team effort, staff chipped in to cook up five different kinds of homemade soups, two types of chili (regular and vegetarian), and tasty desserts. Guests were also treated to a soup toppings bar, beverages and all the buttered rolls they could eat. Bowls and flatware were donated for the event by the Department of Food and Nutrition at Pennsylvania Hospital.
“The soup was excellent and a wonderful warm treat on a bitterly cold day. The Souper Bowl was a win-win for the Abramson Each year, over four million people from over Cancer Center as well as all the hungry staff. 20 countries partake in the global community Marylou Osterman deserves the MVP for walk to raise much-needed funds and the event,” said Souper Bowl II attendee awareness to save lives from cancer. During a and Welcome Desk representative Barbara Relay event, participants and cancer survivors Swierczynski. celebrate what they’ve overcome and run a victory “Survivors Lap.” This year’s Relay for Life of South Philadelphia (http://ittybittyurl.
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WHAT’S H a p p ening
Your resource for events and happenings throughout PA H and P enn M edicine
For complete events listing, please visit What’s New on the Inside Penn Medicine web site at: http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside
February–March February-March Penn Program for Mindfulness Winter 2014 Course Offerings
March 7
MINS Digital Art Contest Deadline for Submissions
March 27
Annual PAH Nursing Research Conference
May 3
Million Dollar Bike Ride
Harrison Fund Committee
The
deadline
applications for
Now Accepting Proposals
M ay
The Harrison Fund Committee is now accepting the submission of proposals for funding for the term July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. The deadline for applications is May 1. The Committee historically supports individual proposals with annual budgets that range from $5,000 to $20,000. The Harrison Memorial Fund was created on February 24, 1922, by Deed of Trust of George L. Harrison. Among other things, the Trust provides that “income from the Fund should be used for the direct benefit of poor patients in ways not ordinarily supplied by usual Hospital funds.” Income from the Fund supports prospectively identified therapies that are not covered by patients’ insurers and cannot be covered by their personal financial resources.
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May 16-18
Penn Wissahickon Hospice’s Annual Camp Erin
WHAT’Snew EDITORIAL STAFF Editorial Staff Olivia Fermano
Sally EditorSapega and Photographer Director of Internal Communications Pamela Furches Design Olivia Fermano Graphic Design Editor and Photographer Barry Ogburn Pamela Furches Design Photography Graphic Design
ADMINISTRATION
Barry SusanOgburn E. Phillips Photography Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer
> > > Proposals should be submitted electronically to Frederick Nunes, MD, chair, Harrison Fund Committee at Frederick.Nunes@uphs. upenn.edu, and copied to Cindy A. Gallo, Harrison Fund Committee administrator at cigall@pahosp.com. For specific information on formatting and submitting a Harrison Fund grant proposal please visit the PAH Intranet page.
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“ ...income from the Fund should be used for the direct benefit of poor patients in ways not ordinarily supplied by usual Hospital funds.”
Administration Director of Communications
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Sally Sapega Director of Internal Communications Contact Contact What’snew What’snew at: at: Department Department of of Communications Communications Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Hospital Hospital Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA PA 19106 19106 phone: phone: 215.829.6799 215.829.6799 email: email: olivia.fermano@uphs.upenn.edu olivia.fermano@uphs.upenn.edu WHAT’Snew WHAT’Snew isis published published biweekly biweekly for for PAH PAH employees. employees. Access Access WHAT’Snew WHAT’Snew online online at at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/whats-new/. http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/whats-new/.