InSightCleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine September 2014

Thirty-two amazing students joined the Cleveland Clinic family as the 11th class of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. On July 7, they came together to hear faculty member Phillip Hall, MD, welcome them to the profession and describe, with his usual integrity and compassion, what it takes to become a physician. The students then donned their new white coats for a photo, followed by lunch with the faculty and staff at the Foundation House.

Over the next few days, our new students heard from many: Police Officer Derrick Dark on safety; clinical psychologist Scott Bea, PsyD, on study skills; faculty member Neil Mehta, MBBS, MS, on their new computers; and Executive Dean James Young, MD, who offered key insights (and a few chuckles) about life in medical school.

Sessions with faculty helped ready the class for their summer sessions of basic science and research. Upper class students shared study skills and pearls about Cleveland, and the students had a chance to meet their physician advisors, research advisors and University track peers.

Family and friends arrived that Sunday to have breakfast and to watch the students march across the Severance Hall stage to get their new white coats and to read the professional oath they created only two days earlier.

Like their predecessors, the class of 2019 is exceptionally talented. They have volunteered in healthcare activities (82), served as tutors, mentors or coaches (55), volunteered for community programs (46), and held elected leadership positions (42). They boast more than 20 publications, 28 posters or oral presentations, four scientific grants, and too many scholarships to count.

Among the students are members of Phi Beta Kappa, a Marshall Scholar and a patent holder. They count 106 other awards among them. Many graduated with magna or

Welcome, Class of 2019!

summa cum laude behind their degree, and most have held multiple jobs in the past and have studied or volunteered outside of the U.S. Most speak more than one language, and half speak Spanish.

Not only do the students excel academically, but many also have intriguing backgrounds. One taught moral politics to prison inmates; another assisted babies into the world as a birthing doula; and yet another participated in the world’s longest barbecue. One student served as a missionary for two years; another taught art to children with autism; and another served as a research and development expert for Epic, the electronic medical record Cleveland Clinic uses. Some have been engineers and journal editors. Nearly all have been tutors. At least one has a black belt in karate; another wrestled in Division III tournaments; and a third is a Parkour expert. (Editor’s note: I had to consult Wikipedia for that one.)

The students have now settled into their seminars, research labs and new residences. So move over, LeBron. We just added 32 more superstars to Cleveland. Please join the college in welcoming them to the Cleveland Clinic family!

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NEWS

Student Creates App to Help People With Depression and AnxietyFifth-year student Jeff Clark recently created an Android phone app to help people cope with depression and anxiety. Called CBT Keeper, the mobile app teaches people simple techniques that are based on the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a proven treatment for depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

The impetus behind developing the mobile app was a desire to help people quickly. Jeff recognized that the most effective treatment for mental illness is a combination of medication and therapy, but so few people ever receive therapy. Giving people access to an evidence-based psychotherapy tool could make a big difference in their lives.

So, armed with his medical school laptop and an Android-powered Nexus 4, Jeff embarked on creating a basic smartphone app to help people practice cognitive-behavioral therapy principles.

“The app is pretty rudimentary right now and only used as a treatment adjunct,” says Jeff. “But it’s a small step forward in my plan to make better psychotherapy tools available to patients.”

Creating the app wasn’t part of Jeff’s research project with CCLCM or with the National Institute of Mental Health, where he spent a year on another research project. Says Jeff, “It’s just something I thought I could do to give back.”

The app uses basic exercises, goals and scorekeeping to motivate people to keep using it. Most people find out about CBT Keeper through word of mouth, social media and Web searches. So far, the free app has been downloaded about 1,600 times.

After medical school, Jeff plans to apply to psychiatry residencies. “I’ve always thought about entering a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry, but I’m trying to keep an open mind about other paths within psychiatry,” he says.

Read more about Jeff’s mobile app endeavor on his website.

Socializing Journal Club at #mededCCLCM faculty member Neil Mehta, MBBS, MS, recently organized a Twitter version of journal club, which brought together more than 75 medical professionals from around

the world to discuss how displaying the costs of lab tests influences the test-ordering behavior of primary care physicians.

In a traditional journal club, a discrete group of participants meets face-to-face to discuss advances in medicine. This Twitter version allowed anyone with a Twitter account to participate and featured contributions from the journal editors and article authors, something that never happens during a traditional journal club.

For these and other reasons, academia is starting to pay more attention to social media. Holding journal club through social media channels offers myriad educational benefits to medical students in particular and just might be part of an evolution in learning.

Read more about this first Journal of General Internal Medicine Twitter journal club in The Times They Are A-Changin’: Academia, Social Media and the JGIM Journal Club, co-authored by Dr. Mehta.

Applying for a Faculty Appointment Just Got EasierApplying for a CCLCM faculty position just got much easier, thanks to a team of talented professionals in the college and to Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs Gene Barnett, MD, who was the main sponsor for the project.

Staff who wish to apply for a new faculty appointment can now apply online and upload all supporting documents. Not only that, but staff can also track the status of their application online, obviating the need for repeat phone calls to the college.

“We had been using a legacy system that heavily relied on paper,” says Neil Mehta, MBBS, MS, Director of Education Technology, who oversaw the project. “There were a lot of inefficiencies, and a lot of phone calls and email messages with the old system.”

The new online system is customized by level of appointment and walks an applicant through the process step by step. Find out more here.

Interested in Teaching at the Medical School?Would you like to learn more about Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine? Have you thought about

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Jeff Clark (‘15)

Neil Mehta, MBBS, MS

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getting involved in teaching at the medical school? There are a number of roles that you can take within the medical school. To learn more about teaching and advising opportunities, a CCLCM faculty appointment, and the approach we use to teach in our unique system, please join us at the next New Faculty Orientation in October.

Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 NA3-57 7:30 a.m. – noon

To register for the New Faculty Orientation, email Michaela Stiber. Please remember to request meeting time and block your clinical schedule at least 30 days in advance in order to attend this event.

If you have already participated in a New Faculty Orientation event, thank you for attending. We hope you have found a satisfying role in the medical school.

For questions, please contact the Office of Faculty Development or CCLCM Curricular Affairs.

We look forward to seeing you in October!

College Committee AppointmentsThe following students have either joined or continued their participation on the CollegeTech Committee: Daniel London (’15), Sang Been Hong (’15), Yumeng Li (’16), Taylor Aiken (’17), Vishnuvardhan Ganesan (’17), Andrew Tarr (’17), Dan Firl (’18), Noble Jones (’18), Joseph Featherall (’19), Vishhvaan Gopalakrishnan (‘19) and Michael Walters (’19).

New Communication Skills Student Preceptors for years 1 and 2 are: Rachel Elkin (’16), Christopher Loftus (’16),

Sean Steenberge (’16), William Tierney (’16), and Chen Yan (’16). These students will be co-precepting with Communication Skills faculty preceptors this coming year. Student preceptor positions are available through the CCLCM Communication Skills Student Precepting Elective.

Taking Resident Education Training to FloridaLily Pien, MD; Colleen Colbert, PhD; and Judith French, PhD, conducted a Faculty Development and Resident Educator Retreat on Aug. 4 and 5 to the general surgery faculty and general surgery residents at Cleveland Clinic Weston.

The team covered topics such as the roles of direct observation and feedback in performance improvement, assessment within competency-based frameworks, and introduction to general surgery milestones.

CCLCM alumna Brittaney Wilson-Harris, MD, was in the audience and actively participated in the discussions about feedback, self-regulation and learning plans.

Need Help Educating Trainees? The Office of Faculty Development (OFD) in Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Educational Resources provides a range of services to professional staff who are involved in educating trainees. The OFD does this through one-on-one and group consultations, direct teaching (workshops and courses), and web-based resources.

Complete this Request for Services form so we can better meet your faculty development needs.

ACCOLADES

Dr. Toby Cosgrove Receives Faculty AppointmentOn July 15, 2014, the Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees approved Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Delos “Toby” M. Cosgrove, MD, as Professor of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

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Student Debra Dixon Elected to SNMA Board of Directors CCLCM student Debra Dixon (‘16) was appointed to the position of Health Policy & Legislative Affairs Co-Chair at the 2014 Student National Medical Association’s Annual Medical Education Conference. The conference, which was held in Washington, DC, in April, is consistently the largest gathering of underrepresented minority medical students at any time of the year in any place in the nation. More than 4,000 medical and pre-medical students, physicians, exhibitors, administrators, government officials and observers attended the 2014 AMEC.

It is truly a distinct honor for Debra Dixon to be appointed to her position.

Debra, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, started her medical journey by excelling in math and science at The Seven Hills School. Her experiences as a Robertson Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped to solidify her interest in medicine, research and caring for the

underserved. After graduating in 2010 with a dual degree in Biology and Spanish, she entered the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

She is currently completing her third year of training and aspires to a career in cardiology. She is looking forward to spending the next year conducting cardiovascular research as a Sarnoff Scholar and serving on the SNMA Board of Directors. When she is not studying, Debra enjoys traveling, photography and music.

Founded in 1964, the Student National Medical Association is the nation’s oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color. Organized with chapters across the nation, the SNMA membership includes over 7,000 medical students, pre-medical students and physicians. SNMA is dedicated to increasing the number of African-American, Latino, and other students of color entering and completing medical school and to assisting in the eradication of racial and ethnic health disparities. SNMA community service and mentoring programs provide science appreciation, health care education, mentoring, and academic enrichment to elementary, junior high school, high school and college students interested in pursuing health-related careers. For more information, please visit www.snma.org.

Student Mia Williams Elected to National PositionMia F. Williams (‘15) was elected to serve as the Vice President of Networking and Communications for the Latino Medical Student Association Midwest Region at this year’s 2014 LMSA Midwest Regional Conference.

Two Resident Development Awards GrantedTracy Hull, MD (Digestive Disease Institute), and Santhosh Thomas, DO (Neurological Institute), received the Resident Educator And Life-long Learner (REALL) Resident Development Awards. Drs. Hull and Thomas received the awards for excellence in teaching their respective residency programs the REALL modules after participating in the REALL Train-the-Trainer Spring Retreat.

Class of 2014 Bestows Awards on Cleveland Clinic Caregivers

During the graduation celebration on May 17, the class of 2014 chose two Cleveland Clinic caregivers to receive awards. The first annual award, for Excellence in Research Education, was given to Julie Tebo, PhD, who is the Director of PBL Facilitator Development. Julie Tebo, PhD

Tracy Hull, MD

Santhosh Thomas, DO

Mia F. Williams (‘15)

Debra Dixon (‘16)

The second annual award, called the Graduating Students Award, is given to the person who most embodies the ideals of Cleveland Clinic and who demonstrates the highest level of commitment to its students. The students chose Darlene Gray, Student Affairs Coordinator, to receive that award.Darlene Gray, flanked by MJ Barile

and Denise Egleton, formerly with Lerner College of Medicine.

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SERVING THE COMMUNITY

Fourteen medical students and seven CCLCM faculty members travelled to the Sacred Valley and Chincha Alta regions of Peru for two weeks this past June as part of the Peru Health Outreach Project. Extra emphasis was placed on health education this year, and one of the participants noted that his favorite part of the experience was the “fact that education took on a sustainable role in people’s lives.”

Established six years ago, the Peru Health Outreach Project (PHOP) is a global health initiative of the CCLCM and CWRU School of Medicine students. The initiative is designed to give students an opportunity to offer education and medical care to an underserved international community while working across language and cultural differences.

Two Weeks in PeruEducating and Caring for the Underserved

In the Sacred Valley: Making sustainable change

The group visited secondary schools, community centers and villages, providing education on topics ranging from sexual health and oral rehydration to hand hygiene and back pain. The group also distributed shoes and toothbrushes to several hundred villagers, taught dental hygiene using visual aids and provided dental fluoridation to hundreds of children.

To provide advanced training to the local healthcare workers, the group organized a symposium on topics such as trauma assessment, resuscitation and third-trimester bleeding. The two-day symposium was led by physicians, with hands-on sessions facilitated by medical students and Peruvian physicians.

Over the two weeks, the group reached more than 200 secondary school students, 200 community leaders and health workers, several hundred children and their parents, and more than a dozen medical professionals — a success by any standard.

In Chincha Alta: Providing direct care

The Peruvian American Medical Society established a year-round clinic in the coastal city of Chincha, which was devastated by an earthquake a few years ago. For the third consecutive year, a group of our physicians and students staffed this clinic and helped educate high school students, dental students and government employees on CPR and sexually transmitted infections.

The medical students, working alongside physicians, helped get patient histories and perform physical exams. Patient conditions ranged from common colds to a pleural effusion from decompensated heart failure, and procedures ranged from chest/lung ultrasound and wound suturing to upper and lower endoscopies.

In addition to providing clinical care, physicians and students conducted roughly two 30- to 45-minute educational sessions each day.

One unexpected benefit of working at the Chincha clinic was the medical student exchange, facilitated between the American and Peruvian medical students. As a result, two medical students from Peru will travel to Cleveland later this year to shadow Cleveland Clinic physicians.

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Interestingly, and new this year, a handful of students and faculty were invited to talk about their outreach experiences in Peru on the local television. The TV appearance gave the community a chance to call in and ask health-related questions, and effectively attracted more patients to the clinic.

Using research for future plans

Throughout the two weeks and at both the sites, the group took pre- and post-survey data, particularly with respect to targeting knowledge deficits, focusing group presentations, identifying topics for education and directing use of resources on the ground.

This research will help inform future work and contribute to the collective knowledge of the global health community in Peru.

Why is the trip important?

In addition to exposing students to global medicine and the challenges of working across language and cultural differences, PHOP provides a humanitarian, cultural humility and educational perspective to the students.

For example:

• Much of the health education that the group provides to the villagers would otherwise be lacking.

• Training healthcare workers to educate and care for the villagers provides a positive and sustainable impact.

• The group brings donated medical supplies that have been identified as much-needed by the local physicians.

• Students benefit from the experience, both from a clinical and research perspective, as well as an

exposure to different models of medicine in a resource- poor country.

• Much emphasis is placed on sustainability, respect for local culture and avoiding “Band-Aid® medicine.”

• The experience allows students from CCLCM and CWRU to work together and form strong relationships.

Says Valerie Zeer, a first-year medical student at CWRU, “I only wish that one day I can give back even half of what I gained from our experience with the incredible community of Chincha Alta and the Sacred Valley. We worked with the community to execute medical education projects and to empower the citizens of each community with medical knowledge that best suits their needs and resources. I can’t wait to improve our education projects and return to Peru with more volunteers and even better curriculum.”

View participant photos here. For more information, contact Sangeeta Krishna, MD, Faculty Adviser, or Briana Prager (CCLCM 2018).

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PHOP 2014 Participants:

Medical Students

Ben Ball, M2 CWRUAndy Beck, M2 CWRUJanine Bernardo, M5 CCLCMAndy Bowen, M2 CCLCMBrian Corwin, M2 CWRUCameron Fausett, M2 CWRU – Student LeaderJade Fettig, M5 CCLCMCody Fowers, M3 CWRUDan Huck, M5 CCLCMKelly Manger, M2 CWRUBriana Prager, M2 CCLCM – Student LeaderStephanie Shatzman, M2 CWRU – Student LeaderValerie Zeer, M2 CWRUStuart Zeltzer, M4 CCLCM

Faculty

Robert Cain, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Family MedicineHumberto Choi, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Critical Care and Pulmonary MedicineKaren Cooper, DO, Cleveland Clinic, Family MedicineKshama Daphtary, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Pediatric Critical CareArnold Feltoon, MD, South Pointe Hospital, Emergency DepartmentSangeeta Krishna, MD, Cleveland Clinic, PediatricsSherif Mossad, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Infectious Disease and TransplantMohan Sakhrani, MD, MetroHealth, Family Medicine

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EXTRA MILE

ROUND UP

PBL Facilitator Dr. Shelly Artz Brings Home the Gold A volunteer facilitator at CCLCM, J. Sheldon (Shelly) Artz, MD, recently won a gold medal in men’s doubles tennis at the national Transplant Games of America in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Artz underwent two heart transplants at Cleveland Clinic in 2003. Following a long, challenging recovery, he was eager to get back to playing tennis and living a full life. He also wished to give something back to Cleveland Clinic for saving his life. He was offered the opportunity to serve as a volunteer facilitator with the Lerner College, and he’s been teaching ever since.

As a facilitator, Dr. Artz helps keep the students on track during their weekly case-based sessions. “I make sure they don’t veer too far off course, ensure they meet their learning objectives and add a little of my own experience,” says Dr. Artz, who retired from his clinical practice in 2002.

Dr. Artz, who is 72, has no plans to retire from teaching or competing in the Transplant Games anytime soon. He won the gold medal in men’s doubles tennis in 2010 and will

Dr. Shelly Artz (left) and his men’s double tennis partner after winning the gold medal at the Transplant Games of America in Houston, Texas.

try for a third gold medal in the 2016 games, which are, conveniently, scheduled in Cleveland.

As for what keeps him motivated to keep teaching, he says, “I love young people. I love hearing their take on things, and I feel part of something special.”

Congratulations, Dr. Artz, on your latest gold medal, and thank you for your priceless contribution to our students!

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Annual Summer PicnicUpperclass students got a well-deserved chance to relax, and the new class of students got a chance to mix and mingle at the annual CCLCM student picnic, held at the home of Kathleen Franco, MD. “We try to do it every year for students, their families and significant others so everyone can have a chance to meet and have some fun,” says Dr. Franco.

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Annual Goodtime III Cruise In August, about two dozen of the new class of students celebrated a warm welcome to Cleveland on the 21st Annual Goodtime III Cruise, sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association. The students enjoyed a leisurely sightseeing cruise along the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie — and another chance to get acquainted.

Poster PresentationMia F. Williams (‘15) (left) and Anne Song (‘18) presented the poster “Intravenous Insulin Infusion Transition to Subcutaneous Insulin in the Medical ICU” with former Cleveland Clinic medicine resident Mary A. Esquivel at the 2014 Joint Meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in Chicago. The poster project was headed by Cecilia Lansang, MD.

Professors James M. Lieberman, MD, and Belinda Yen-Lieberman, PhD, Donate $1 Million for Medical Scholarship The national average debt for 2013 medical school graduates hovered around $181,058. For our Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine graduates, the average debt is more than halved, largely due to the full-tuition scholarship support provided to each admitted student. CCLCM students graduate with minimal loan debt, increasing their options for advanced training and careers in research, which helps to more rapidly progress the care available to individuals around the world.

Generous donations make it possible for CCLCM to offer a full-tuition scholarship to each student and to be highly selective with the students enrolled. To ensure the continuance of this important financial support, CCLCM Professors James Lieberman, MD, and Belinda Yen-Lieberman, PhD, recently committed $1 million to jointly support medical scholarships at both CCLCM and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Dr. Lieberman is a 1974 graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and joined Cleveland Clinic in 2002. He is a diagnostic radiologist at Cleveland Clinic and leads the breast imaging practice at Marymount Hospital.

SUPPORT

Dr. Yen-Lieberman is Director of Clinical Virology, Serology, and Cellular Immunology in the Department of Clinical Pathology at Cleveland Clinic. She is also Professor of Pathology at the Lerner College.

Both are an excellent example of philanthropy at work, particularly during our enterprisewide fundraising effort to raise $2 billion dollars for the advancement of healthcare over the next seven years.

For information about how to contribute, please contact Amy Kubacki, Senior Director of Development, at 216.636.5024 or at kubacka@ccf.org.

Alumni: Share Your NewsWe’d like to hear about what you’ve been doing since graduation. If you have news to share (maybe you’re involved in an interesting research project or you recently returned from a global health mission), please email Laura Greenwald at greenwl@ccf.org.

Laura R. Greenwald, MBA, Managing Editor Thomas A. Fenn, Art Director