In this issue:

• Current Scholar News

• National Advisory Committee News

• National Activities

Ron Ackermann (2009) is Director of the Community Health Engagement Program (CHEP) of the Indiana Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), funded by NCRR in June 2008.

Amy Alderman's (2010) research on breast reconstruction after a mastectomy was discussed in USA Today in October.

She has the following recent publications:

Brockhurst AC, Alderman AK, Lowery JC, Davis JA, Wilkins EG. Survey Assessment of Physical Function Following Post-Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction.  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2008, 121: 1108-1115.

Alderman AK, Chung KC.  Measuring Outcomes in Hand Surgery. Surgical Clinics of North America, 2008, 35(2): 239-250.

Atisha D, Alderman AK, Wilkins EG. The Impact of Obesity on Patients’ Satisfaction with Breast Reconstruction.  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2008, 121:1893-1899

Atisha D, Alderman AK, Lowery JC, Kuhn LE, Davis J, Wilkins EG. Prospective analysis of long-term psychosocial outcomes in breast reconstruction: two-year postoperative results from the Michigan breast reconstruction outcomes study.  Annals of Surgery, 2008, 247: 1019-1028.

Caleb Alexander (2009) and colleagues recently published a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine entitled "National trends in treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus, 1994-2007", in which they describe remarkable changes in the landscape and costs of diabetes care during the past 13 years.

Also, Alexander has successfully enrolled a few patients in a randomized controlled trial of a behavioral intervention to reduce patients' prescription costs, and is finally beginning to understand what is meant by
the phrase “Faster, Better, Cheaper: Pick Two” when it comes to such trials.

Jane Brotanek (2009) has published/had accepted nine articles and made six research presentations in the past year.  Two of the presentations were at an International Conference in Computational Linguistics in Manchester, UK.

She continues to mentor two fellows in General Academic Pediatrics, a resident who was awarded a Resident Research Grant from the AAP, and several medical students.

Brotanek was recently appointed Co-Chair of the Ethnicity, Culture, and Healthcare Special Interest Group of the Academic Pediatrics Association.

Publications:

Brotanek JM, Grimes K, Flores G. Leave No Asthmatic Child Behind: The Cultural Competency of Asthma Educational Materials. Ethnicity & Disease 2007;17:742-748.

Brotanek JM, Gosz J, Weitzman M, Flores G. Iron Deficiency in Early Childhood:  Risk Factors and Racial/Ethnic Disparities. Pediatrics 2007;120:568-575.

Brotanek JM, Gosz J, Weitzman M, Flores G. Secular Trends in the Prevalence of Iron Deficiency among US Toddlers: 1976-2002. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2008;162:371-381.

Brotanek JM, Gosz J, Weitzman M, Flores G. Reply to “Iron-Status Indicators.” Pediatrics 2008;121:652.

Berry A, Brousseau D, Brotanek JM, Tomany-Korman S, Flores G. Why Do  Parents Bring Children to the Emergency Department for Nonurgent Conditions?: A Qualitative Study. Ambulatory Pediatrics. 2008;(in press).

Brotanek JM, Seeley C, Flores G. The Importance of Cultural Competency in General Pediatrics. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2008;(in press).

Brotanek JM, Oglesby Rocha L, Flores G. Supporting Immigrant Family Strengths to Promote Optimal Early Childhood Health and Healthcare. Zero To Three. 2008;(in press).

Brotanek JM, Weitzman M, Flores G. Reply to “Secular Trends in Iron Deficiency: Connections to Obesity and Food Insecurity.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2008;(in press).

Brotanek JM, Schroer D, Valentyn L, Tomany-Korman S, Flores G. Reasons for prolonged bottle-feeding among Mexican-American toddlers: an ethnographic study. Ambulatory Pediatrics 2008;(in press).

Presentations:

Brotanek JM, Jacqueline G, Weitzman M, Flores G. Time To Revive Popeye: Secular Trends in the Prevalence of Iron Deficiency among US Toddlers: 1976-2002. Poster presentation, American Public Health Annual Meeting, Washington DC.  November 2007.

Brotanek JM, Schroer D, Valentyn L, Tomany-Korman S, Flores G.  Reasons for Prolonged Bottle-Feeding and Iron Deficiency Among Mexican-American Toddlers: An Ethnographic Study. Poster symposium, American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Columbus, OH. April 2008.

Brotanek JM, Valentyn L, Moran E, Flores G. Why are Mexican-American Toddlers at High Risk for Prolonged Bottle-Feeding and Iron Deficiency? Poster Presentation, Pediatric Academic Societies’ Meeting, Honolulu, HI.  May 2008.

Brotanek JM, Valentyn L, Moran E, Flores G. Why are Mexican-American Toddlers at High Risk for Prolonged Bottle-Feeding and Iron Deficiency? Platform Presentation, AcademyHealth Research Meeting, Washington D.C.  June 2008.

Raynor M, Bouillon P, Brotanek J, Flores G, Halimi S, Hockey AB, Isahara H., Kanzaki K, Kron E, Nakao Y, Santaholma M, Starlander M, Tsourakis N. The 2008 MedSLT System, Coling 2008: International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Manchester, UK.  August 2008.

Rayner M, Bouillon P, Flores G, Ehsani F, Starlander M, Hockey BA, Brotanek J, Biewald L. A Small-Vocabulary Shared Task for Medical Speech Translation , Coling 2008: International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Manchester, UK.  August 2008.

Aaron Caughey (2010) was promoted to Associate Professor, effective July 2008.  He was named the Director of Clinical Perinatal Research and the Program Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at UCSF, also effective July 2008. 

Caughey received the Academic Faculty Teaching Award from the obstetrics/gynecology residents at UCSF.

Publications:

Caughey AB, Urato AC, Thiet MP, Lee KA, Washington AE, Laros Jr RK. Time of delivery and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;(in press).

Tran SH, Shaffer BL, Cheng YW, Aziz N, Caughey AB. Length of rupture of membranes at term and infectious maternal outcomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008;198:700 e1-5.

Caughey AB, Nicholson JM, Washington AE. First versus Second Trimester Ultrasound: The Effect on Pregnancy Dating and Perinatal Outcomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008;198:703 e1-5.

Kaimal AJ, Cheng YW, Bryant AS, Norton ME, Shaffer BL, Caughey AB. Google Obstetrics: Who is educating our patients? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008;198:682 e1-5.

Duggal N, Mercado C, Daniels K, Bujor A, Caughey AB, El-Sayed YY. Antibiotic Prophylaxis For Prevention Of Postpartum Perineal Wound Complications. Obstet Gynecol 2008;111:1268-1273.

Schwarz EB, Smith R, Steinauer J, Reeves MF, Caughey AB. Measuring the effects of unintended pregnancy on women's quality of life. Contraception 2008;78:204-10.

Aziz N, Cheng YW, Caughey AB. Factors Affecting Duration of Latency in Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2008;(in press).

Wong L, Caughey AB, Nakagawa S, Kaimal AJ, Tran SH, Cheng YW. Maternal complications vary among different Asian-American subgroups. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;(in press).

Cheng YW. Nicholson J, Nakagawa S, Washington AE, Caughey AB. Perinatal outcomes in term pregnancies: Do they differ by week of gestation? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;(in press).

Kaimal AJ, Zlatnik M, Thiet MP, Caughey AB. Timing of prophylactic antibiotics and the rate of post-cesarean surgical site infections. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;(in press).

Nystrom MJ, Caughey AB, Lyell DJ, Druzin ML, El-Sayed YY. Perinatal Outcomes Among Asian, Caucasian, and Asian-Caucasian Interracial Couples. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;(in press).

Kim DH, Vahidi K, Caughey AB, Coakley FV, Vigneron DB, Kurhanewicz J, Mow B, Joe BN.  In vivo 1H MRS of amniotic fluid and fetal lung at 1.5T: technical challenges. J MRI 2008;(in press).

Henry DM, Cheng YW, Shaffer BL, Kaimal AJ, Bianco K, Caughey AB. Perinatal Outcomes in Active Phase Arrest and Vaginal Delivery. Obstet Gynecol 2008;(in press).

Cheng YW, Chung J, Block-Kurbisch I, Inturrisi M, Shafer S, Caughey AB. Gestational weight gain in gestational diabetes: What is optimal to improve perinatal outcomes? Obstet Gynecol, 2008;(in press).

Bruckner TA, Cheng YW, Caughey AB. Increased neonatal mortality among normal-weight births beyond 41 weeks of gestation in California. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;(in press).

Cheng YW, Tan TO, Bryant AS, Hopkins LM, Stotland NE, Caughey AB. Length of first stage of labor: Is it predictive of perinatal outcomes? Obstet Gynecol, 2008;(in press).

Lyell DJ, Pullen KM, Mannan J, Chitkara U, Druzin ML, Caughey AB, El-Sayed YY. Maintenance nifedipine vs. placebo: a prospective, double blind trial. Obstet Gynecol, 2008;(in press).

Cheng YW, Delaney S, Hopkins LM, Caughey AB. The association between the length of first stage of labor, mode of delivery, and perinatal outcomes in women undergoing induction of labor. Obstet Gynecol, 2008;(in press).

Shaffer BL, Cheng YW, Vargas J, Caughey AB. Manual rotation of the fetal occiput in persistent transverse or posterior positions. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 2009;(in press).

Caughey AB, Stotland NE, Washington AE, Escobar GJ. Who is at Risk for Prolonged and Postterm Pregnancy? Am J Obstet Gynecol, 2009;(in press).

Marie Crandall (2011) has the following appointments, publications and presentations:

Appointments:

- American Public Health Association; Violence Prevention Committee, 2008-
- Illinois Public Health Association, Scholarships & Awards Committee, 2008-
- Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Program Committee, 2008-
- Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Vice Chair, Research-Related Topics Committee, 2008-
- Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Research Funding Mentoring, 2008-
- Program in Public Health Executive Committee, Northwestern University, 2008-
- Program in Public Health Diversity Committee, Northwestern University, 2008-

Publications:

Koons A, Crandall M, An G, Shapiro M, Kramer S, West M.  Even ephemeral endotoxin exposure establishes endotoxin tolerance  Journal of Trauma 2008;64(4):938-42.

New Book Chapters:
Crandall, M.  Blunt Abdominal Trauma  Common Surgical Diseases—An Algorithmic Approach to Problem Solving, 2nd edition; Eds. Myers, J., Millikan, K., and Saclarides, T.  Springer, New York, NY 2008

Crandall, M.  Penetrating Chest Injury   Common Surgical Diseases—An Algorithmic Approach to Problem Solving, 2nd edition; Eds. Myers, J., Millikan, K., and Saclarides, T.  Springer, New York, NY 2008

Presentations:
Crandall M, Schermer C. Suicidal ideation among young mothers: interdependent risk factors, concerning outcomes.  American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Maui, HI. September 2008.

Straus D, Crandall M, Esposito T, Schermer C. Prehospital transport and survival from penetrating thoracic injuries: an urban trauma success story. American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Maui, HI. September 2008.

Louise Davies (2010) was an invited speaker at a National Cancer Institute Conference held September 10-12, 2008.  The title of the conference was “Thyroid Cancer State of Science Conference: Chernobyl and Beyond.” The goal was to review, disseminate, and exchange information on research concerning thyroid cancer with the objective of advancing the understanding of mechanisms of thyroid cancer formation, providing avenues for new treatment, and furthering collaboration between thyroid cancer scientists. Davies talk was on the epidemiology of thyroid cancer in the United States.

Davies has now grown the Otolaryngology Service at the White River Junction VA to the point where she was named “Chief” of the service, now having enough employees working on the service to qualify as a “Chief”.

Ashish Jha (2009) has just published a paper entitled “Patients’ Perception of Hospital Care in the United States” in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Jha AK, Orav EJ, Zheng J, Epstein AM. Patient’s Perception of Hospital Care in the United States. N Engl J Med, 2008;359:1921-31.

Allison Kurian’s (2011) paper on the topic of ethnic differences in breast cancer genetics was recently published:

Kurian AW, Gong GD, Chun NM, Mills MA, Staton AD, Kingham KE, Crawford BB, Lee R, Chan S, Donlon SS, Ridge Y, Panabaker K, West DW, Whittemore AS, Ford JM. Performance of BRCA1/2 mutation prediction models in Asian Americans. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Oct 10;26(29):4752-8.

Phil Levy (2011) received a grant from Wayne State University's International Programs office which will support a project entitled “Continuation of an International Collaborative Research Educational Effort Between Wayne State University Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Emergency Medicine of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.”

Levy had an abstract accepted for oral presentation at the 2008 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association: 

Levy P, Nandyal D, Sun JL, Pieper K, Welch R, Ghali J, Gheorghiade M, O’Connor C, Fonarow G. Does aspirin use adversely influence intermediate term outcomes for hospitalized patients who are treated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers? Findings from
OPTIMIZE-HF.

Promotions and Appointments, effective July 2008:

- Promoted to Associate Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University
- Appointed to be an ALS worksheet author for the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) International Consensus on CPR and ECC Science with Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) 2010
- Appointed to Chair the Acute Heart Failure Committee of the Society of Chest Pain Centers
- Appointed to the Steering Committee of the Emergency Medicine Cardiac Research and Education Group (EMCREG-International)
- Appointed to the Research Committee of the American College of Emergency Physicians
- Named as a Peer Reviewer for his subspecialty’s premiere journal, the Annals of Emergency Medicine

Publications:

Kirk JD, Filippatos G, Gheorghiade M, Pang PS, Levy P, Amsterdam EA, Peacock WF, Fonarow GC for the Society of Chest Pain Centers Acute Heart Failure Committee. Acute heart failure treatment. Crit Path Cardiol. 2008;7:103-10.

Khan A, Levy P, Miller W, DeHorn S, Compton S. Predictors of mortality in delirium tremens. Acad Emerg Med 2008;15:788-90.

Tamara Perry’s (2009) recent activities include:

Peer-reviewed manuscripts:

Vargas PA, Perry TT, Robles E, Jo CH, Simpson PM, Magee JS, Feild CR, Hakkak R, Carroll PA, Jones SM. Relationship of Body Mass Index with Asthma Indicators in Head Start Children. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2007; 99:22-28.

Perry TT, Vargas PA, Bufford J, Feild CR, Flick M, Simpson PM, Hamilton RG, Jones SM. Classroom Aeroallergen Exposure in Arkansas Head Start Centers. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2008:100;358-363.

Perry TT, Vargas PA, McCracken A, Jones SM. Under-diagnosed and Uncontrolled Asthma: Findings in Rural Schoolchildren in the Delta Region of Arkansas. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2008;(in press).

Halterman JS, Lynch KA, Conn KM, Hernandez TE, Perry TT, Stevens T.  Environmental Exposures and Respiratory Morbidity among Very Low Birth Weight Infants at One Year of Life, Archives of Disease in Childhood 2008;(in press).

Awards:

Minority Access, Inc. National Role Model, 2007

Grants:

Marion B. Lyon New Scientist Development Award, “Impact of Endotoxin and Allergen Exposure on Childhood Asthma in Arkansas Delta Region.” $50,000, 4/08 – 4/10

CAROLINE RICHARDSON’S (2009) recent activities include the following:




Honors:

Fellow, American Academy of Family Physicians, January 2008

Publications:

Segar M, Eccles JS, Richardson CR.  Type of physical activity goal influences participation in healthy midlife women.  Womens Health Issues, 2008;18(4):281-91.

Kriska AM, Hawkins M, Richardson CR.  Physical activity and the prevention of type 2 diabetes.  Curr Sport Med Rep, 2008;7(4):182-4.

Janney CA, Richardson CR, Holleman RG, Glasheen C, Strath SJ, Conroy MB, Kriska AM.  Gender, mental health service use and objectively measured physical activity: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2003-2004).  Mental Health & Physical Activity, 2008;1(1):9-16.

Strath SJ, Holleman RG, Ronis DL, Swartz AM, Richardson CR*.  Objective physical activity accumulation in bouts and non-bouts and relationships to markers of obesity in U.S. adults.  Prev Chronic Dis, 5(4):A131, 2008.

Newman MA, Pettee KK, Storti KL, Richardson CR, Kuller LH, Kriska AM.  Monthly variation in physical activity levels in post-menopausal women.  Med Sci Sport Exerc;(in press).

Presentations:

Internet-mediated Interventions and Physical Activity.  Graduate students, Physical Activity Epidemiology Study (Andrea Kriska), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, February 19, 2008.

Stepping Up to Health: An Internet Mediated Walking Program for People with or at Risk for Heart Disease.  Geisinger Center for Health Research, Harrisburg, PA, March 4, 2008.

Intuitive Eating Scale for Adolescents: A Validation Study.  Stracks J, Battle J, Richardson C.  Michigan Family Research Day, Brighton, MI, May 22, 2008.

Grants:

University of Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center
Motivational Interviewing for Weight Loss Maintenance
Principal Investigator: Djuric, 10/15/07-10/14/08, Co-Investigator
$50,000 total costs (concurrent with K-grant)           

University of Michigan School of Medicine
The Women’s Healthy Lifestyle Study
Principal Investigator: Djuric, 12/01/07-12/31/08, Co-Investigator
$28,280 total costs (concurrent with K-grant)

VA
Using a Functional Assessment to Optimize Oxygen Therapy in Chronic Lung Disease
Principal Investigator: Cohen, 01/01/08-12/31/08, Consultant
$49,600 total costs

NIH
Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center Grant: Behavioral, Clinical and Health Systems (BCHS) Intervention Research Core
Principal Investigator: Anderson, 02/01/08-01/31/13, Co-Investigator
$685,040 total costs (concurrent with K-grant)

VA Center for Clinical Management Research QUERI (QLP41-018)
THRIVE Pilot: Tele-counseling Healthy Routines in Veterans through Encouragement
Principal Investigator: Damschroder, 03/01/08-09/30/08, consultant
$22,550 total directs

VA
Veterans Walk to Beat Back Pain
Co-Principal Investigator (w/Krein), 10/01/08-09/30/11
$897,500 total directs

Nirav Shah (2010) received the following grant:

Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
Bridging Knowledge Gaps in the Comparative Effectiveness of ACE Inhibitors & ARBs.

September 1, 2008-­ February 28, 2010
Principal Investigator.
$492,177.

Samir Shah (2011) was selected to serve on the editorial board of the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, effective July 1, 2008.  Shah is co-editor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases: The Requisites in Pediatrics which was recently published by Mosby, Inc.

Lynn Sullivan (2009) was awarded the Yale Department of Internal Medicine Faculty Achievement Award in Research in September 2008.

Publications:

Sullivan LE, Moore BA, Chawarski MC, Pantalon MV, Barry DT, O’Connor PG, Schottenfeld RS, Fiellin DA. Buprenorphine/naloxone treatment in primary care is associated with decreased HIV risk behaviors. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2008;35:87-92.

Sullivan LE, Saitz R, Cheng DM, Libman H, Nunes D, Samet JH. The impact of alcohol use on depressive symptoms in HIV-infected patients. Addiction 2008; 103;1461-1467.

Netherland J, Botsko M, Egan JE, Saxon A, Cunningham C, Finkelstein R, Gourevitch MN, Renner J, Sohler N, Sullivan LE, Weiss L, Fiellin DA, BHIVES Collaborative. Factors affecting willingness to provide buprenorphine treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment;(in press).

Chaudhry AA, Gifford AL, Cofrancesco J, Sosman J, Berkenblit G, Sullivan LE. Update in HIV Medicine for the generalist;(in press).

Presentations:

Workgroup Chair, Buprenorphine in the treatment of opioid addiction: Balancing medication access with quality care, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, February 22, 2008, Washington, DC.

Invited Speaker, Addressing HIV Risk and HIV Treatment in Patients Receiving Office-Based Buprenorphine. The Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit Seminar Series, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, March 26, 2008, Baltimore, MD.

Presenter, “HIV/AIDS Update”, Society of General Internal Medicine, April 11, 2008, Pittsburgh, PA.

Presenter, “The Impact of Alcohol on Changes in Depressive Symptoms over 3 Years in Patients With and Without HIV Infection”, Society of General Internal Medicine, April 11, 2008, Pittsburgh, PA.

Expert Panel Member, Expert Panel on Drug Interactions, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, May 9, 2008, Washington, DC.

Invited Participant, “Screening for Drug Abuse in General Medical Care Settings Workshop”, National Institutes on Drug Abuse, May 12, 2008, Bethesda, MD.

Presenter, “The Effectiveness of Non-Physician Brief Interventions for Problem Drinking: Implications for the Patient-Centered Medical Home”, Society of General Internal Medicine, Program of Research Integrating Substance Use Information into Mainstream Healthcare (PRISM), June 6, 2008, Los Angeles, CA.

Presenter, Drug substitution therapy: Implications for HIV transmission and the care of HIV-infected patients, as a PEPFAR/SAMHSA-funded Mentor for the Vietnam Pilot Methadone Program, June 20-July 5, 2008, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Presenter, Methadone maintenance for the treatment of opioid dependence: Implications for HIV transmission and the care of HIV-infected patients, as a PEPFAR/SAMHSA-funded Mentor for the Vietnam Pilot Methadone Program, June 20-July 5, 2008, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

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Tom Boat is now Executive Associate Dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and CEO of the University of Cincinnati Physicians (faculty practice plan), the latter as of July 2008.  He is working overtime as committee vice-chair, to complete the IOM report - Preventing Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People.

Ken Kizer was the keynote speaker at the inaugural Stanford Health Policy Forum, held October 29, 2008 at Stanford University.  The forum addressed “How War is Changing Medicine” and examined the unique injuries that have emerged from the current conflicts, the medical innovations that have resulted and the ways in which health care providers and policy makers can address the changing medical and psychological needs of returning veterans. 

Laura Petersen's recent activities include:

Honors:

Invited Fellowship, American College of Physicians, 2008

Grants:

Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
“Does Pay For Performance Improve the Quality of Hypertension Care for Black Patients? A Randomized Controlled Trial”
Principal Investigator
Funding period:  5/1/08-4/30/10

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National Program Office News and Activities

Iris Litt has co-authored, with her husband, Dale C. Garell, the foreward to the 5th edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Health Care by Lawrence S. Neinstein, Catherine M. Gordon, Debra K. Katzman, David S. Rosen. Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Jul 1, 2008.

Litt and Sally Schroeder represented the National Program Office of the Physician Faculty Scholars program and hosted a reception on July 28, 2008 during the 2008 National Medical Association annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.  The reception was co-hosted with the RWJ Clinical Scholars program and the Foundation’s Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development program.  Approximately 70 people attended and had the opportunity to learn more about the three programs.  In addition to remarks from Litt, Des Runyan (CSP national director) and John Lumpkin (RWJF Executive Vice President), NAC member Ezra Davidson also made brief remarks.

We anticipate hosting similar receptions at society and other special meetings throughout the year.  If anyone is interested in helping with an event at a specific meeting, please let Sally know.

Litt and Schroeder attended a workshop offered by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on conducting self-assessments of national programs on October 22-23, 2008, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The Foundation has engaged the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit consulting firm, to provide workshops and individualized technical assistance.  These activities are designed to help national programs in RWJF’s Human Capital Portfolio assess the impact of the national program, collect information that can be used for internal improvement and to communicate program outcomes to funders and other stakeholders, and to help the Human Capital Team at RWJ understand and track impact across programs.

New PFSP Collaboration with VA

In July 2008, formal announcement was made of the expansion of the Physician Faculty Scholars program to include a selected group of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research Scholars. Up to five such Scholars will be selected by the PFSP National Advisory Committee (now expanded by 5 VA-Liaison members) to participate in the Physician Faculty Scholars Program. They will be designated “VA Faculty Scholars in the RWJF PFSP”. Except for the source of their funding (the VA) and the fact that they are supported for five years in their existing Program, there will be no differences between the groups. The first VA Scholars will be selected through this current application cycle (August 29, 2008 application deadline), to begin July 1, 2009. Current first-year recipients of VA HSR&D Career Development Awards are eligible to apply for the Physician Faculty Scholars program.

This joint decision by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, PFSP and VA HSR&D leadership will leverage the resources of both programs focusing on similar research and share the same goal of supporting junior medical school faculty working in important areas.

As part of the new collaboration, the following have been appointed to the National Advisory Committee as the VA-Liaison members, effective July 2008.  For more information about the new members, please visit the PFSP web site. 

Steven M. Asch, M.D., M.P.H.
Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Health Services Research
Department of Veterans Affairs
Associate Professor of Medicine
UCLA School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California

Leonard E. Egede, M.D., M.S.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Center for Health Disparities Research
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina

Seth A. Eisen, M.D., M.Sc.
Director, Health Services Research and Development
Office of Research and Development
Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC

Laura A. Petersen, M.D., M.P.H.
Chief, Section of Health Services Research
Baylor College of Medicine
PI, VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence
Houston, Texas

The official press release about the collaboration is available from the PFSP web site (Program News):

http://rwjfpfsp.stanford.edu/news

2008 PFSP National Meeting

The 2008 national meeting of the Physician Faculty Scholars program will be held December 2-5, at the Lago Mar Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The Program Committee has put together a terrific program. 

All Scholars will participate in pre-conference activities on Wednesday, December 3, as organized by representatives of each class.  Each class has designated time to focus on team-building skills.  In addition, Cheryl Kitt (Deputy Director of the Center for Scientific Review, NIH) and William Hay (Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado) will lead workshops for the classes of 2010 and 2011 respectively.  The class of 2011 will also have a session on communication and media training with the Foundation’s communications consultant, IQ Solutions.

Eliseo Perez-Stable (PFSP NAC) will give the keynote address on Wednesday evening, December 3.  His talk is entitled “Healthcare Disparities Research: My Habana Connection.”

Presentations by all of the current Scholars will take place on Thursday, December 4 and Friday, December 5.  On Thursday, there will also be a panel discussion on the topic of patient safety and quality improvement. 

Approximately 15 alumni of the Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars program will be attending the meeting and participating in various capacities, such as a “Q and A” session with current PFSP Scholars and as co-facilitators of Special Interest/Networking Sessions.

We wish to again thank the Program Committee for all of their time and effort.

Craig Newgard (2010), Chair
Aaron Caughey (2010)
Andrea Cherrington (2011)
Ray Dorsey (2011)
Lillian Kao (2009)
Judette Louis (2011)
Brian Primack (2009)
Carl Schulman (2009)
Elsie Taveras (2010)

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