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Roundup

Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday March 16

Please see below for the following updates:

  • SMH Rheumatology Division Head
  • Complete your CMaRS annual re-appointment by March 31
  • March Launch of EPAs in the MD Program
  • SMH DFCM Grand Rounds
  • New video chat application available on bedside terminals at St. Michael’s
  • Education Opportunity - Patient Safety Education Modules
  • Reminder: SMH DOM Awards - Deadline: March 31, 2023
  • Reminder: Nominations for Murray Muirhead Awards – Deadline: April 14, 2023

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Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday March 9

Please see below for the following updates:

  • Physicians memo: Updates on masking requirement and flu season
  • Reverting to pre-pandemic patient visitor policies across Unity Health
  • Update on Executive Portfolio changes
  • Changes to ONE Mail - March 15
  • Invite: Cardiology for the Practitioner

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Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday March 2

Please see below for the following updates:

  • Chief Medical Residents Update
  • EPAs in the MD Program
  • SMH DOM Awards
  • Announcements – February 2023 (Congratulations to, New Division Head of Respirology, Postings)
  • Compensation for COVID-19 related work for February 2023 - Due March 3rd, 2023

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Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday Feb 23

Please see below for the following updates:

  • Claims submission changes effective April 1
  • Annual Medical Staff Re-appointments (CMaRS) for 2023/2024
  • New Incoming Senior Director, Research Operations at Unity Health Toronto
  • Important Updates from the Unity Health Research Ethics Board
  • Compensation for COVID-19 related work for February 2023 - Due March 3rd, 2023
  • Medical Education Strategic Plan Survey

 

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Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday Feb 16

Please see below for the following updates:

  • Registration Opens March 1st – Education Scholars Program at the CFD
  • Registration opens March 1 - Stepping Stones Program at the CFD
  • Compensation for COVID-19 related work for February 2023 - Due March 3rd, 2023
  • Congratulations: Dr. Camilla Wong awarded the Dr. Vincent J. Hughes Humanitarian Award
  • Calm App subscription for staff and active physicians

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Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday Feb 9

Please see below for the following updates:

  • Accepting Applications - NEAL Program at the CFD
  • SMH DOM Awards
  • Posting: Assistant / Associate / Full Professor - Resident Advisor, Internal Medicine
  • MD Admissions. UofT Medical School
  • Unsung Heroes: virtual seminar Friday Feb 10 at 1 pm
  • Angels Den 2023 call for proposals
  • Celebrating Resident Doctor Appreciation Week (Feb. 6 to 10)
  • Farewell to Natalie Comeau

Dear Physician Leads,

We are very excited to share that the New and Evolving Academic Leaders (NEAL) program is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 cohort- NEAL’s 11th cohort! I have included more information about the

Going into our 11th year, the New and Evolving designed for people in an academic health science context who are committed to becoming change agents in their spheres of influence and beyond by centering principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigeneity and accessibility in their leadership practice. This program is intended for those who want to challenge the status quo, and need to develop networks, tools, skills, and evolving practices to positively shape our future academic health sciences system.

Deadlines for applications are:
Early Bird: April 18, 2023  - (Note: Reduction in tuition if applying early)
Final: May 18, 2023
Fees:
Standard Tuition Rate*:
Early bird member rate – $12,350
Member rate – $12,850
Non-member rate – $14,777.50
Basic Sciences Tuition Rate**:
Early bird member rate – $10,150
Member rate – $10,650
Non-member rate – $12,247.50
 
Click here for more information.
 
 

Last week, calls for nominations were circulated for the Dr. Michael Freeman Award for Integrity and Professionalism, the Dr. Michael Ward Award for Mentorship, and the SMHDOM Master Clinician Award.  You are encouraged to please take a moment to consider who amongst your colleagues would be honoured by a nomination for one of these awards! More information can be found here: https://www.smhdom.com/awards and attached.

The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2023 for all 3 awards. If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected]

 

 

The Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Toronto is seeking applicants for the position of a Resident Advisor, Internal Medicine. The Division offers the largest training program in Internal Medicine in Canada (200 residents) alongside faculty members who are national and international leaders in education and research. Applicants must be eligible for a full-time clinical academic appointment at the rank of Assistant, Associate or Full Professor at the University of Toronto. Effective start date for the Resident Advisor term will be April 1, 2023, or an alternative date as mutually agreed on. The duration of the contract will be 2 years, renewable once.

For More information please visit: Assistant / Associate / Full Professor - Resident Advisor, Internal Medicine (utoronto.ca) 


Sent on behalf of Dr. David Latter, Director, MD Admissions and Student Finances

Dear colleagues,

We are well into the UofT medical school admissions process for the 2022-2023 cycle. Unfortunately we are still in need of a dozen or so more file reviewers. The selection of our future colleagues is such an important and rewarding task.  I am hopeful that Unity Health physicians, clinical fellows and or residents can rise to this need.

Attached you will find a handout which consists of an overview of both the file review and video interview process, as well as key dates for the upcoming cycle.

To sign up as a rater for the 2022-2023 admissions cycle, or to simply request more information, please  contact [email protected].

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the registration process or the admissions process in general please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

I hope you are able to help us out to complete the 2022-2023 admissions cycle.

Thank you in advance.

Kind regards,

David Latter, MD, CM, FRCS(C)
Director, MD Admissions and Student Finances
Enrolment Services – Undergraduate Medical Education
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
1 King's College Circle, Room 2124, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8
Email: [email protected]
 

Dear Colleagues,

MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions is hosting a virtual seminar:
Unsung Heroes: Dr. Alexander Augusta and other early Black health care providers
When: Friday, Feb 10 at 1 pm
 
Speaker: Dr. Heather Butts, JD, MPH, MA, HPM, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
 
Zoom details will be posted: https://maphealth.ca/event/unsungheroes
Hope to see you there!

The St. Michael’s Foundation is pleased to announce the call for proposals for Angels Den 2023.

Since 2015, the St. Michael’s Foundation has worked closely with the hospital’s research leadership to grow Angels Den into Canada’s biggest medical research competition. Watch this quick overview of the event, or check out the full show at AngelsDen.ca.

This year an award will be given of $500,000 in funding to support ground-breaking research. For a copy of the call for proposal or the application please email [email protected]. The deadline to apply is March 31.


Resident doctors are integral parts of our teams and undertake vital work to provide the best care experiences to patients. Resident Doctor Appreciation Week is Feb. 6 to 10 and we want to say a heartfelt thank you to our resident doctors for the work they do to support our teams and patients.

This past year has brought another year of challenge that our resident doctors have risen to support! From continued support of the Medical Resident Redeployment Program to navigating the provision of care while new care and support spaces were constructed, these have all been critical to enabling the best care experiences for patients across our hospitals and communities.

Make sure to take the time this week to celebrate the resident doctors on your teams.

 


Natalie Comeau, Manager, Privacy, FIPPA and Information Access, will be leaving Unity Health to pursue an exciting opportunity outside of health care. Her last day is Feb. 8

Natalie joined St. Michaels and St Joseph’s in August 2016 from University Health Network (UHN) and led the way to building a harmonize privacy program at Unity Health. Natalie made many valuable contributions to the network as well as the broader health care community with a dedicated focus on data governance, supporting and enabling innovation and research, while never losing sight of protecting patient health information during challenging times. She will be greatly missed by colleagues.

Please join us in thanking Natalie for her contributions to Unity Health and wishing her the best in her future as she begins this exciting new chapter.

 

Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday Jan 26

Please see below for the following updates:

  1. Learner Assessment of Clinical Teacher (LACT) forms
  2. Seeking Assistance with OMSA's Mentorship Program
  3. Accepting Applications - NEAL Program at the CFD
  4. CL Medical Director Coverage
  5. Announcement - Kim Grootveld
  6. Compensation for COVID-19 related work for December 2022 - Due February 3rd, 2023
  7. Celebration of Dr. Paul Kortan’s Life and Legacy – January 30th, 2023 – 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Please note: That teaching evaluations can be completed by residents ‘on demand’ via ELENTRA

Dear all,As we embark on a new year, I wanted to reach out with a number of updates concerning an important initiative in medical education at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine: the Learner Assessment of Clinical Teachers (LACT) tool.

The LACT is now the primary tool used to assess clinical teaching for both the MD Program and all PGME Programs (residency and fellowship) and is available for use in MedSIS for MD learners, POWER for PGME learners and Elentra (for PGME learners only)

The LACT was designed to be used as a “low-stakes” formative assessment for clinical teaching.  Reporting on serious incidents should occur through other mechanisms such as the Learner Mistreatment Disclosure and Reporting Portal, and/or through other recognized contacts within a Program, Course, Department, Academy, site, etc. 

On-Demand Access to the LACT

The LACT form is now available as an "on-demand" form on Elentra for all PGME programs and PG learners.  While completion of the LACT form in MedSIS and POWER (for MD and PGME, respectively) is required at the end of each clinical training unit or rotation, PGME learners also have the option to complete an “on-demand” LACT assessment at any time in Elentra.

The on-demand form can be accessed by PGME learners using their UTORID and password.  Instructions for accessing Elentra can be found here.  Instructions for completing a LACT in Elentra can be found at the Elentra help site or with this instructional document found here.

The on-demand LACT in Elentra can be used to assess faculty, non-faculty clinical teachers, as well as other PG learners (residents and fellows) registered with PGME at U of T.

Reporting on LACT Results

 

Reports and interactive dashboards are now being made available to Clinical Departments to display the results of completed LACT assessments for clinical teachers.  Chairs, Vice Chairs Education, as well as others responsible for faculty performance, will have access to the interactive dashboards.  Individual teacher reports will also be provided to Clinical Departments for distribution in PDF format.  Reports will be generated if they meet the threshold of a minimum of three LACT assessments for the 2021-22 academic year.  Reports and dashboards are being made available to clinical departments in early 2023.  PGME and the MD program will work with individual departments to facilitate streamlined distribution of individual teacher reports (e.g., by site and/or by division, where applicable).

Tools and Resources to Support Clinical Teachers

In addition to reports on LACT results for Departments and individual teachers, a number of resources are available to support clinical teachers both through the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Centre for Faculty Development

Lastly,  we are also sharing a Q&A document addressing frequently asked questions regarding the LACT implementation and reporting.Any specific questions regarding the implementation or reporting of the LACT, can be addressed to Dr. Linda Probyn ([email protected]), Caroline Abrahams ([email protected]) or Dr. David Rojas ([email protected]).

Sincerely,

Patricia Houston, MD, MEd, FRCPC
Vice Dean, Medical Education 
Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
E-mail: [email protected]

Become a medical student mentor!

The Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA) Mentorship Program is seeking staff physician, resident, and fellow mentors to establish one-on-one relationships with Ontario medical students. This program addresses a need identified by OMSA and provides a new and exciting opportunity for students, whose learning and clinical exposure were compromised by the pandemic. Pairings are based on professional, clinical and personal interests, and tailored to a student’s goals. 

Complete the sign-up form at: https://forms.gle/oTCCmzxt2Yy8dDyo8 

Deadline: Sat, Feb 11th.

Questions? Feel free to email [email protected] or [email protected] 


Dear Physician Leads,

We are very excited to share that the New and Evolving Academic Leaders (NEAL) program is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 cohort- NEAL’s 11th cohort! I have included more information about the program below.

We would be grateful if you can share the information below and the attachment with any colleagues who you think may benefit from and be interested in enrolling in the program. My apologies for any duplicate communications you may receive regarding the program as we do our best to ensure that we are informing all of our networks.

Thank you in advance.

Manpreet Saini

On behalf of the Centre for Faculty Development Team

 

Going into our 11th year, the New and Evolving designed for people in an academic health science context who are committed to becoming change agents in their spheres of influence and beyond by centering principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigeneity and accessibility in their leadership practice. This program is intended for those who want to challenge the status quo, and need to develop networks, tools, skills, and evolving practices to positively shape our future academic health sciences system.

Click here for more information.


Hello All,

I wanted to update everyone that Dr. Elise Hall is on parental leave and Dr. Rose Mills will be covering the Consultation Liaison Medical Director role. Many of you will have worked with Rose as she’s been with our medical psychiatry service since 2016. But her relationship with St. Michael’s Hospital dates back even longer.

Rose started her journey at St. Michael’s in her first week of clerkship as a visiting medical student on a HIV psychiatry elective. After completing residency at U of T, she joined the department as a locum in 2016, and as full time clinical staff in 2018. She provides outpatient clinics in HIV, Dialysis, Medical Psychiatry and Urgent Care. She is also licensed in Nunavut, and is on the roster of psychiatrists serving Iqaluit. She started contemplating a career in mental health starting at age 8, despite her high school vocational testing advising her to become a film director or a rabbi. Though one can never rule out a mid-career shift, she is delighted to step up and cover this role within the St. Michael’s team over the next several months.

Thanks you, Rose, for supporting Elise’s leave and stepping into this leadership role. Please share with the rest of your teams.

Best,

Karen

Karen Shin, MD, FRCPC
Interim Psychiatrist-in-Chief, St. Michael’s Hospital
Mental Health and Addictions Service
Unity Health – St. Michael's Hospital
17th Floor – 30 Bond St. Toronto, ON M5B 1W8
(P) 416-864-6010 (F) 416-864-5480
[email protected]
 
 

Sent on behalf of Jonathan Fetros, Senior Clinical Program Director – Medicine Program & Vera Dounaevskaia, Medical Program Director, Medicine Program SMH

 

 

 

Dear Colleagues,

Please join us in congratulating Kim Grootveld as she’s accepted a new role as Director of Quality Improvement and Operational Excellence at Unity Health Toronto. Her last day with the Medicine Program will be February 24, 2023.

Kim has been with SMH for 23 years in the Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Program in a variety of roles. including Occupational Therapist, Case Manager and Clinical Leader\Manager in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. Most recently, she was seconded to St. Joseph’s to assist with supporting the Transition Planning and clinical medicine unit teams in the decentralization of the current model of care for Transition Planning. Kim has led a number of Quality Improvement initiatives over her time with Unity Health Toronto, including the Rapid Assessment and Planning to Inform Disposition (RAPID) philosophy of care and the Co-Design of the Assess and Restore program with Toronto Grace Hospital. While it’s sad to see Kim leave our program, it’s exciting to see her take on this new challenge and play an important role in supporting the advancement of Quality Improvement for our patients and team members across Unity Health Toronto.

We’d like to thank Kim for her dedication to the Medicine Program over the years and congratulate her for the incredible legacy she’s leaving behind. Recruitment for a new co-CLM for GIM & Geriatrics will be taking place immediately.

 

Regards,
Jonathan & Vera

Tiffany Camota-Reis

Administrative Assistant to Jonathan Fetros, Senior Clinical Director Medicine Program

St. Michael's Hospital | 30 Bond Street, 2nd Floor Bond Wing Room 332, Toronto M5B 1W8

p: 416-864-5992

e: [email protected]


 

Please submit your COVID hours worked for January 2023 to Jessica Comilang or Julia Stratta by end of day Thursday February 2nd  If you do submit hours, you must complete both Schedule A & Schedule B and the total number of hours should match.  Schedules are attached.

 

 

Department of Medicine Weekly Roundup - Thursday Jan 19

Message on behalf of Dr. Sharon Straus, Physician-in-Chief

This past Monday has been called ‘blue Monday’ for what is perceived to be the ‘most depressing day of the year’.  It was likely exacerbated this year by the long stretch of days without sunshine that we experienced this January.  One of the things that always brings warmth and light to counter this is hearing stories about the amazing members of our Department.  In the past ten days, I continued to hear such lovely stories about how caring, kind and compassionate you are.  One of our amazing general internists, Katina Tzanetos, was concerned about a patient who was admitted to our GIM CTU. The patient had unfortunately left their tablet and hearing aid at the originating rehabilitation hospital and Katina drove on a weekend to pick up the patient’s belongings so that they could bring some comfort to the patient. This week, I also heard about one of our fantastic endocrinologists, Catherine Yu, who was asked by one of our subspecialists to assess a patient urgently to organize treatment to facilitate critical and emergent diagnostic imaging at the end of the day. She saw the patient and ensured therapy was initiated within an hour, facilitating rapid assessment and treatment of a critical illness.

These are just two examples of the kind and compassionate patient care that you exhibit regularly in our hospital. And, this does happen regularly and with frequency. When Katina and Catherine were acknowledged for what they did, both expressed surprise and said anyone would do the same. I believe this is true for our Department members at SMH and this is another reason why SMH is a special place to work.

Thanks to Katina and Catherine for bringing some warmth and light into a dark January and to all of you for your continued commitment to each other, our learners and patients.

-Sharon

Please see below for the following updates:

  • Celebration of Dr. Paul Kortan’s Life and Legacy – January 30th, 2023 – 4:30pm – 5:30pm
  • Announcements – January 2023
  • Annual Medical Staff Re-appointments (CMaRS) for 2023/2024 going live the week of February 21, 2023
  • New Staff Profiles:  The Department of Medicine is delighted to welcome Dr. Danielle Buell, GIM, and Dr. Natasha Sabur, Respirology, to the active staff!
  • Royal College Maintenance of Certification Reminder
  • Decanal Committee Recruitment - Temerty Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr. Michael Farkouh appointed Associate Dean Research and Clinical Trials at Cedars-Sinai
  • Registration Opens March 1st - Clinical Teaching Program at the CFD
  • Internal Funding Opportunity: Sarah McComb Award for Cancer Research

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