Please see this weeks updates: 

• Invite: DoM Coffee Break @ LKSKI Starbucks (209 Victoria St)
• EPIC Project updates for our involved MDs: Training and Exemptions & Order Sets
• Reminders and instructions for Epic Systems Training registration
• Brian Wong appointed GIM DDD
• Announcing new members in the Department of Surgery
• Burrough’s Wellcome Fund: Career Awards for Medical Scientists Oct 8, 2024
• REMINDER: Submit your 2023/2024 Annual Activity Reports – Active Staff Members ONLY
• REMINDER: 2023/2024 Annual Activity Reports – Courtesy Staff ONLY - Please fill out the online survey

The SMH Department of Medicine would like to invite you to enjoy a hot or cold drink on us!

Please drop by the Starbucks located in the Li Ka Shing Building (209 Victoria St) on Wednesday August 28th any time between 12:00pm - 2:00pm where you will be provided with a $10 gift card. 

We hope you will have time to have a chat with your colleagues.  We look forward to seeing you then!

SMH Dept of Med

*Sent on behalf of Trevor Jamieson*

- We are still recommending that even those MDs who feel they will get an exemption still sign up for a training slot.  There are a few reasons for this:

1. they may not actually get an exemption or they may not pass the end user proficiency assessment. In either of those cases, they will be stuck with regular training, and will need a timeslot that works for them

1. regardless of exemption, people will still need to complete a 2 hour "user settings lab".  These are currently tacked on to the training days.  By signing up for a training day, they will still be guaranteed a slot for that USL.  It's possible that we will need to release their training slots to make room for others who need full training and lack a slot, but by default we can assume they have that slot confirmed

Order Sets

 

- Unity is currently building more than 2 x the number of order sets than some peer institutions who have gone live (e.g. UHN 130, Unity current 278).  This is after reducing our prior lists by over 30% (we started at over 400 - thank you for the work to help with that rationalization)

  - This is putting a significant strain on resources to get them built and validated, and we will need to prioritize the work.  It also creates a significant downstream maintenance issue.

  - Many (many) of these existing order sets are used less than once a month - a number are less than once every 2 or 3 months or even less than once a year.  Quite a number were far, far, out of date (at times last updated in the early 2000s) - emphasizing the maintenance challenge of having such a large number of sets.

  - For go-live we are going to prioritize the build of order sets that have higher rates of utilization and/or involve higher risk meds/processes and others will occur later.  We will also ensure that all specialties have at least a number of core minimum order sets that they can leverage.

  - Many of these order sets also require committee review. They work to ensure that the orders conform to the professional standards of others, like nursing, and that medications included meet basic criteria (like being on the formulary)

  - As an org though, we also need to recognize that having such a large volume of order sets begets low utilization (as they become harder to know about and to find) and maintenance challenges and to strategize on how to continue to rationalize this work over time

Thank you for reading and for all your continued effort on the project.

Trevor

Trevor Jamieson, MD, MBI FRCPC (he, him)

Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO)

Unity Health Toronto

Toronto, Ontario

@DrTJamieson

 

Please note: All DOM physicians including courtesy and clinical associates:  Even if you are using/have recently used Epic at another hospital, you are still required to register for training at SMH.  A training exemption will be made available for physicians who have recent and related Epic experience but until the exemption process opens in August, all physicians should secure a spot for training. Don’t delay – training spots are quickly filling up.

Please be reminded that all Unity Health staff and physicians who will use the new Epic EPR system once it launches on Nov. 30 are required to complete Epic Systems training ahead of go-live. Physicians are responsible for registering themselves. Training registration is now open. Please see below for important reminders and step-by-step instructions on how to register. 

Registration instructions 

Training has been preassigned in Elevate, Unity Health’s Learning Management System (LMS). To enrol in a classroom training session, please see this tip sheet, this how-to video or follow the steps below. You can also find an introduction to Elevate in this short overview video.

1. Sign into Elevate (https://elevate.unityhealth.to) using your Unity Health credentials. This is the same network username and password that you use to log into other Unity Health systems. 
   • Note: You can access Elevate through any browser and on any device. You do not need to be logged into Citrix or FortiPortal, or on a Unity Health device. 
2. Once logged in, you’ll see a My Learning Progress widget on the right-hand side of the home page, below the Elevate banner. In that widget, find the course you want to enrol in. 
   • Note: You won’t be able to see your Epic Systems training courses until 7 a.m. on June 24. If you still don’t see your courses after that time, click on “View All” at the bottom right-hand side of the widget. 
3. Click on the course title you want to enrol in. 
4. In the Enrolment Options box, click on the “Choose Session” button. 
5. From the available list of sessions, select the one you want to enrol in. 
6. Click the “Confirm” button to enrol in the chosen session. 

If you encounter any issues trying to register once the training registration window opens, please log a ticket with the HelpDesk using the ServiceNow portal (NOT via phone or email). A member of the EPR Education team will review your ticket and get back to you as soon as possible. 

Dear GIM Faculty,

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Brian Wong on being appointed the next GIM Departmental Division Director at the University of Toronto! He will officially assume the role on Sept. 1.

Brian is an accomplished leader, researcher, clinician, and mentor (see full announcement here) and an all-around great person and I am so very pleased for our division. Congratulations, Brian!

Moira

Moira K. Kapral, MD MSc FRCPC FAHA (she/her)

Professor of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation

Director, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Toronto

Lillian Love Chair in Women's Health, University Health Network and University of Toronto

Staff Physician, Division of General Internal Medicine, University Health Network

Senior Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI) and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)

Toronto General Hospital

200 Elizabeth St. 14EN-215

Toronto, ON M5G 2C4 Canada

Tel: 416-340-4642

Fax: 416-595-5826
[email protected]

Assistant: [email protected] 

 

 

Sent on behalf of Dr. Najma Ahmed

 

Dear Colleagues,

I am excited to share with you news about five new surgeons who have joined the our Department over the summer.  It has been a busy recruitment season for us!  Please share widely with your groups.

Dr. Daniel Burns – Cardiac Surgery

Dr. Francois Mathieu – Neurosurgery and Critical Care

Dr. Saira Alli – Neurosurgery

Dr. Morgan Schellenberg – General Surgery and Critical Care

Dr. Brent Hopkins – General Surgery

Thank you

Najma Ahmed MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS

Surgeon-in-Chief, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto

Vice Chair Education, Professor of Surgery, University of Toronto

Trauma/Acute Care Surgery, St. Michael’s Hospital

 

E: [email protected]

 

 

*Sent on behalf of Dr. Moira Kapral, Interim Chair, Department of Medicine*

Dear all, please see the message below regarding an opportunity from Burrough’s Wellcome Fund: The Career Awards for Medical Scientists (CAMS).

Dear colleagues

I wanted to draw to your attention to this opportunity from Burrough’s Wellcome Fund: The Career Awards for Medical Scientists (CAMS). This is a highly competitive program that provides US$700,000 awards over five years for physician-scientists, who are committed to an academic career, to bridge advanced postdoctoral/fellowship training and the early years of faculty service. Canadians are eligible to apply. I encourage you to consider potential candidates for this exciting opportunity.

Competitive candidates for the CAMS award will have at least two years of research experience, be two years away from becoming an independent investigator, be a first author on at least one publication in a high impact top-tier journal, and have a significant publication record. Candidates must hold a MD, DDS, DVM or DO degree. Full eligibility requirements are found at the link below.

https://www.bwfund.org/funding-opportunities/biomedical-sciences/career-awards-for-medical-scientists/

There will be two upcoming informational webinars about the application process, eligibility and award components.

1. Tuesday, August 20, 1:00-2:30 pm ET
2. Tuesday, September 10, 10:00-11:30am ET

You can register for either webinar date using the following link.

Award Timelines:

Oct 08, 2024: Application Deadline

Mar 17 - 19, 2025: Finalist virtual interviews

Jun 18, 2025: Notice of Award

 

Warm Regards,

Nicola L. Jones MD, FRCPC, PhD

Senior Scientist, Cell Biology Program, Research Institute, 

Staff Physician, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Department of Paediatrics, SickKids

 

 

Due date:  September 1, 2024

The Department of Medicine is committed to ensuring your career satisfaction and success. With this goal in mind, and due to our size, all full time DoM members are requested to participate in a biennial Faculty Review, at a minimum. This meeting provides you the opportunity for formal discussion about what is and may not be working to achieve your goals, to ensure you are meeting the expectations of your job description from the point of view of your division, department and university, and to facilitate your continued career success.  Faculty members who are in their first 5 years of a faculty appointment will be met with annually. If you have a pressing need to meet or would like to meet annually, please reach out to the PIC office so that we can accommodate this. The priority is to ensure your needs are met and we will do whatever we can in the PIC office to help you achieve your career goals.  You are also encouraged to meet annually with your Division Head to review your career goals and activities, including a discussion of your annual activity report.

Thank you to those who have already submitted.

Due date:  September 1^st, 2024

 

This year, we are circulating a revised online form for your 2023/24 activity report as we would like to ensure we have a full understanding of your clinical and scholarly contributions to St. Michael’s Hospital.  All medical staff holding a courtesy appointment in the St. Michael’s Department of Medicine are requested to complete this online report by September 1, 2024, which will be reviewed by myself and your Division Head.  This information will be used to inform re-appointment to St. Michael’s Hospital next year.   For those of you who hold a faculty appointment, please note that this report is separate and distinct from the reporting you provide to the University of Toronto. Your time to complete this report is appreciated.

https://knowledgetranslation.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1TCV3Bpxbgn1sGi

Thank you to those who have already submitted.