Please see below for the following updates:

• Join us on June 14^th, 4:00pm – 6:00pm  -  Interview w/ Dr. Kirsten Patrick, Editor-in-Chief of CMAJ & Networking Reception
• Please RSVP for the SMH DoM - 36th Annual Higgins Day - Resident Research Event by June 3^rd
• WebCV will be de-commissioned at year end – Sign up to have your data moved to Elements, the new web-based CV system
• Update on respiratory virus testing
• Applications open for the 2024-2026 Master Teacher Program
• CALLING FOR APPLICANTS: Assistant/Associate Professor – Waugh Family Professorship – Physician as Patient
• UT DOM Annual Day

Editor-in-Chief of the CMAJ, Dr. Kirsten Patrick will be visiting us on Friday, June 14^th.

1:1 Drop-In Sessions are available for individuals.  Please use the google link below to sign-up.

Limited Space is available.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s-FjZ7jsmimJlZBz0G7qFHmarC4-u3CP0f0WWQFH0eY/edit#gid=0

We would also like to remind everyone to join us on Friday, June 14^th, 2024 from 4:00pm – 6:00pm.

“A conversation with the Editor-in-Chief of the CMAJ, Dr. Kirsten Patrick -  Living your values as an editor”

Dr. Patrick will be interviewed by Dr. Seema Marwaha and Dr. Malika Sharma will facilitate discussion.

4:00pm – 5:00pm – Interview with Dr. Kirsten Patrick

5:00pm – 6:00pm – Networking Reception

Location:  2nd Floor Li Ka Shing, Rooms 240 & 241

Sharon Straus, Physician-in-Chief, cordially invites you to St. Michael’s Hospital Department of Medicine 36th Annual Higgins Day - Resident Research Presentation Event.

 

Monday, June 17th 2024

12:00pm – 4:00pm

*Zoom Hybrid Option Available*

https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/65040490616?pwd=SUErSEVUZytoVjM2Q2ZTRTJBc0FIZz09

In Person Location:

Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital

209 Victoria Street, 1st Floor, Room: 136

Toronto, Ontario

Keynote Speaker:

Gillian Booth MD MSc FRCPC FCAHS

Canada Research Chair in Policy Solutions for Diabetes Prevention and Management. Clinician Scientist, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions,

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Unity Health Toronto

“From data science to interventions: The best part of the research was the friends we made along the way.”

Luncheon:  12:00 – 12:30 pm

Welcome: 12:30 pm

Keynote Talk: 12:35 – 12:55 pm

Resident Research Presentations:  1:00 – 3:25 pm

Annual Awards Announcement: 3:30 pm

Please RSVP for the luncheon: https://knowledgetranslation.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e3vpvmRztRvzRrg

Please RSVP by June 3^rd

Dear DoM faculty members, 

Elements was recently highlighted in the Chair’s Column in the March edition of the DoM Matters Newsletter. Further details, including training materials, can be found on the VPRI website and the Community Support Site. The goal of this project is to populate Elements with faculty CV data and help DoM faculty transition away from WebCV, which we are aiming to decommission by the end of 2024.

To help populate fields in Elements that require manual entry, we are requesting faculty provide their CV and consent to the curation team to use their CV to populate their profile. Over the summer of 2024, there will be a team of work study students updating profiles. Curated profiles will remain marked as private, and faculty will receive an email once their profile has been curated asking them to login and review it. 

To take advantage of the curation service, please complete the following steps:

1.            Complete the consent form. Completing the form will prompt an email message to the address provided.

2.            Reply to the prompted email and attach your CV and a profile picture.

Once your profile is curated, you will receive an email and be invited to log in and review. It is also possible to request delegate access so someone else can edit your profile on your behalf. Please email [email protected] and share the name and email address of the requested delegate.

Additional plans for Elements over the summer of 2024:

• Additional training materials specific to Temerty Medicine will be generated and shared via the MedIT website 
• Launch of a workflow for requesting guest UTORid’s so staff outside UofT can be granted delegate access/edit Elements profiles 
• Release of multiple other extraction reports, such as Activity Report, Teaching & Education report, and CPA report
• Development of regular communication channel for Elements updates

If you have any questions, please message [email protected].   

Best, 

Joanna King, Manager, Business & Research Administration 

&  

Kate Park, Elements Client Support Coordinator 

From: Infection, Prevention and Control 

The seasonal influenza season has ended, with case numbers falling close to zero in recent weeks. Therefore, influenza testing will not be necessary for most patients presenting with febrile respiratory illnesses. Testing for influenza A and B remains available and should still be performed for patients presenting with an influenza-like illness of sufficient severity to require hospital admission.

Avian Influenza

We continue to hear about highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1, globally. While the risk to the general population remains low, it is important to be aware of and conduct testing where appropriate. The Ministry of Health recently released a memo in regards to avian influenza – some key points follow:

       1. Influenza testing remains available at Unity Health and should be considered if there is a concern for avian influenza. The test utilized for avian influenza is the same for seasonal influenza.

       2. Reasons to suspect highly pathogenic avian influenza may include:

• A patient presenting with severe influenza or influenza-like symptoms
• A patient presenting with influenza-like illness who has exposure to infected birds, mammals (especially cows and goats) or contaminated environmental surfaces in the past 14 days prior to illness onset. This may include exposures from hunting, hobby farming, agricultural industry, consumption of raw/unpasteurized dairy products, undercooked meat from affected animals, and close contact with affected animals including poultry, wild game, livestock and other mammals.

3. Currently, the Ministry of Health does not recommend universal screening of patients with influenza/influenza-like symptoms in the community or Emergency Department for potential exposures to avian influenza due to the low risk to the public.

For patients that test positive for influenza A, our Infection, Prevention and Control (IPAC) team will be liaising with the treating clinicians to determine if there were any high risk bird or mammalian exposures. However, all clinicians are asked to report suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza with a compatible 

COVID-19

The prevalence of COVID-19 is much lower than during the height of the respiratory virus season, but COVID-19 continues to circulate in the community. COVID-19 testing remains available at Unity Health and is recommended in patients with an acute respiratory illness for whom treatment or admission is warranted. Testing for COVID-19 in patients with isolated, mild symptoms (such as a sore throat or runny nose) is not recommended. Testing for COVID-19 is also not required for patients with isolated fever, if the cause of the fever is known.

 

The Department of Medicine is now accepting applications for the 2024-2026 Master Teacher Program cohort. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 5:00 pm. 

The Master Teacher Program is a two-year instructional development certificate course designed for full time faculty members, clinical fellows including PGY5s, and clinical associates with major teaching responsibilities. The program provides a core series of interactive seminars on medical teaching and education topics. Program participants are also provided with opportunities to present their own teaching through clinical teaching practica. The core series includes sessions on essential teaching topics:

• small and large group teaching techniques,
• bedside teaching,
• assessing learner needs,
• promotion of understanding and retention of knowledge,
• evaluation and assessment,
• feedback,
• teaching in difficult situations,
• competence by design,
• equity, diversity and allyship,

…and many other relevant teaching and education topics.

Participating physicians will attend the program one half-day per week on Wednesday afternoons starting in September 2024.

Please see the Master Teacher Program webpage for more information and the link to the online application form.

Umberin Najeeb, MD, FCPS (Pak), FRCP(C)
Co-Director, Master Teacher Program

Geoffrey Watson, MUDr. Gen Med, MRCPI, MSc.
Co-Director, Master Teacher Program

Contact: Christian Base at [email protected]

 

~~Sent on behalf of Bev Bulmer, Vice-President, Education, Unity Health Toronto~~

 

ASSISTANT / ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR – Waugh Family Professorship – Physician as Patient

 

UNITY HEALTH TORONTO – ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL SITE

 

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS – INTERNAL CANDIDATES FROM ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL ONLY

The Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto – St. Michael’s Hospital are seeking internal St. Michael’s Hospital candidates only for applications for the Waugh Family “Physician as Patient” Professorship. The successful candidate must currently hold a full-time clinical academic appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor and an Active Staff appointment at Unity Health Toronto – St. Michael’s Hospital.

This is a five-year, joint University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital term professorship. The tentative start date of this appointment is July 1, 2024 or shortly thereafter.

The successful candidate will be poised to become an expert and leader in education and wellness in undergraduate, postgraduate, and pre-licensure education curriculum development, delivery, and evaluation.  The candidate will be a strong collaborator, with lived experience as a physician and health professional. The candidate will display their dedication to training the next generation of education scholars, teachers, and clinicians.  The candidate will work closely and align with existing processes and structures within the Temerity Faculty of Medicine.

A Search Committee will evaluate applicants according to the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital policies. The committee will consider the applicant’s record of scholarly activity, including grants, peer-reviewed publications, program development, collaborations with organizations nationally and internationally, and supervision of graduate students and fellows.

The successful applicant must hold an MD degree and be eligible for medical licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

The professorship will provide approximately $100K/year for five years, which will support the holder's academic activities. These may include salary support, research operations, and relevant educational events.

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae (Web CV or Common CV), a 2-page outline of their previous academic program (including research productivity, training activities, and academic prominence), and a 1- to 2-page description of how the funds will be used during the tenure of the Professorship.

Submissions to the Search Committee must be sent electronically by June 30, 2024, to:

Beverly Bulmer, Vice President, Education, Unity Health Toronto at [email protected] and copied to Wasan Romi [email protected].

For more information about this specific opportunity and/or if you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact Ms. Bulmer.

Unity Health recognizes that scholars have varying career paths and that career interruptions due to personal circumstances can contribute to an excellent academic record. Search committee members have been instructed to carefully consider and be sensitive to the impact of career interruptions in their assessments.

Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto are strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous persons, and persons with disabilities, and members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Please see the attached poster for UT DOM Annual Day. Please note that this event is for faculty only as space is limited. Registration is mandatory:  https://bit.ly/DoM2024