UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA Family Community Summer 2003 MEDICINE DR. BETSY GARRETT IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE AS SHE STRIVES TO BE A Person with Passion, Commitment, and High Ideals ELIZABETH (BETSY) GARRETT pur- curriculum. And if she’s not involved in Eager to pursue this interest, Dr. Gar- sued a career in medicine because she teaching activities, she’s seeing patients at rett attended her first STFM meeting wanted to make a difference. Born and Green Meadows Family Practice Clinic. while still at Dartmouth – shortly before raised in Monett, a small Missouri town Her job offers variety and experiences she returned to MU to begin her fellow- where general practitioners attended to that are both exciting and rewarding to ship training. This meeting was huge for every health care need in the community, Dr. Garrett. “I enjoy helping patients and her, she says. In fact, it opened the door Dr. Garrett always considered family hope that my style makes them feel spe- for many valuable experiences and friend- medicine to be the “gold standard” and cial and cared for,” she explains. “And I love ships that have significantly impacted what being a doctor was all about. teaching medical students. As a family her professional growth and success. An MU alum – BGS ’75, MD ’79, residency medicine educator, I see them at the “My membership in STFM – like my ca- ’82, MSPH ‘88, Dr. Garrett joined the Family start of medical school and then later reer in medicine – has provided me many and Community Medicine faculty nearly during their third year. I see them again if opportunities to contribute, to develop 15 years ago, while completing her fellow- they do residency here, and I also work meaningful relationships, and to involve ship training. Jack Colwill, MD, professor with them as family physicians, if they be- myself in activities that benefit people,” emeritus and former chair, hired Dr. Gar- come preceptors later on in their career. she says proudly. One of her most recent rett, confident that her vitality, creativity, It’s exciting to see so many of them learn contributions was serving as STFM presi- and commitment to teaching medical and grow.” dent this past year. students would impact the department Dr. Garrett credits the Society of “I’ve never wanted to be a chair, resi- as well as the institution. Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), espe- dency director, or dean,” she says. “But I’ve Dr. Colwill’s instincts were right; Dr. cially her STFM colleagues involved in pre- always thought that if there were one Garrett has indeed impacted medical ed- doctoral education, for helping her suc- role I’d consider it an honor to serve, it ucation at MU. She directs predoctoral ceed as an educator. STFM is a multidisci- would be president of STFM.” education and the family practice clerk- plinary organization whose membership Leading STFM was a dream come true ship for the department, and through the includes 5,000+ physician and non-physi- for her. In an e-mail message she sent the years she’s been cian teachers from all across the country. STFM membership this May, a proud and appointed to Dr. Garrett joined STFM in 1985 while serv- emotional Dr. Garrett described her year various com- ing as an adjunct clinical professor at as “truly incredible” and thanked her mittees Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH. friends and colleagues for their support, whose work During the mid-‘80s, Dartmouth initi- trust, and confidence. has involved ated plans to start a residency program Focused on the future, Dr. Garrett is revising key and recruited Dr. Garrett to assist in their eager and optimistic as she thinks about elements of efforts. So for three years, she practiced what’s next. Her goal – to make a differ- the medical in Lebanon, a town just 10 miles from the ence in the lives of patients, students, col- school college, at a clinic that was to later serve leagues, family, and friends – is as strong as a community-based training site for for her today as it was 20 years ago, and the new residency. Dr. Garrett speaks she expresses it well in an editorial she highly of her Lebanon experience. wrote last year for Family Medicine: “It was a wonderful first practice op- “There is no better time to be in family portunity, providing me with diverse and medicine. There is no better time to be people powerful lessons in patient care,” she ex- of passion, commitment, and high ideals. plains. “Teaching medical students at We have been given a critical time in history ELIZABETH GARRETT, MD, MSPH Dartmouth was a joy, too. I realized then and a wonderful chance to truly do what we Professor: Family and Community Medicine that a career focused on predoctural edu- said wanted to do – to make a difference cation would be a good fit for me.” in the world and lives around us.“ To learn more about family medicine education at MU, please e-mail Dr. Garrett at [email protected] C hairs Message FAMILY MEDICINE FACULTY FOCUS WARM GREETINGS FROM MISSOURI. E. CAREY WATERS IV, MD has joined the family medicine faculty On behalf of everyone at MU Family and now serves as an assistant professor. After graduating from Medicine, I’m pleased to present the MU’s School of Medicine and its Family Practice Residency Program, summer issue of our department news- he practiced two years at MU Health Care’s primary care clinic in letter. Featured in this issue are several Boonville, MO. In his new role, he is seeing patients at Columbia Re- faculty and alums who have touched gional Associates, a family practice clinic in northeast Columbia. He our department in special ways. We are is also teaching medical students from the University. proud to tell their stories. Dr. Waters is glad he had the opportunity to return to MU Family Medicine. He enjoys his job and values the relationships he has de- We’re especially proud to tell Sherwood veloped with patients, students, and colleagues in the department. Baker’s story. As the father of family medicine at MU, his early leadership MD has recently joined our faculty as a clinical provided a strong foundation for our de- KELLY HAYDAY, instructor of family medicine. Dr. Hayday completed medical partment. There are other faculty mem- school and her family practice residency at MU. This July, she began bers who played a significant role in es- working at Green Meadows Family Practice Center, a primary care tablishing family medicine at MU, and clinic located just minutes from the University, where she teaches we plan to tell their stories in future and practices family medicine. newsletters. Dr. Hayday is excited about her new job. “I look forward to ex- In May, we had the honor of sponsoring panding my patient population and to working with the terrific our 26th Annual Family Practice Update. faculty in MU’s family medicine department,” she says. “These faculty The Update is a two-day conference have been wonderful role models for me throughout my residency.” that explores new and important devel- opments in family medicine. Usually HEATHER PIERCE, MD will be joining our faculty to serve as a held in the spring, this conference at- clinical instructor of family medicine. Dr. Pierce, a University of tracts health care providers from across Missouri School of Medicine graduate, just completed her family the state. practice residency at MU. Later this summer, she will start practic- ing at Callaway Physicians, MU’s family medicine clinic in Fulton. Attendance reached an all-time high at Fulton, located 25 miles east of Columbia, is a rural community of this year’s Update, with our own family approximately 10,000. practice alumni representing a high per- “I am looking forward to providing educational opportunities centage of attendees. It was great to for medical students and residents.,” says Dr. Pierce. “I’m also excited see so many graduates back in town. to become part of Fulton and serve the patients in this community.” A number of them even came from out-of-state and deserve special recog- nition for their efforts to keep connect- The Results of Research Conducted by The Results of Research Conducted by ed with our department. Returning PROFESSOR DAN VINSON, MD, MSPH PROFESSOR SHANNA SWAN, PhD from Illinois were Scott Kimber (‘98) and have been published in the May 2003 issue have been published online by Environ- Samantha Sattler (‘01); David Ringdahl of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol. Dr. Vin- mental Health Perspectives (ehponline.org/press). (‘88) came from Wisconsin, and Micha- son’s study, which used the case-crossover Following an earlier study that found that el Blood (‘84) drove in from Indiana. method, provides important information men in rural mid-Missouri had lower And traveling the farthest - flying in all about alcohol and how it boosts the risk sperm counts and quality than their peers the way from Pennsylvania with his of injury. After collecting data from 2,517 in urban centers, Dr. Swan has identified wife, Sylvia - was Kevin Hepler (‘83). ER patients treated for injuries, Dr. Vinson and linked three agricultural chemicals to We’ve already started planning next was able to create a graph that shows the problem. Higher concentrations of year’s Update and will tell you more how the risk of injury increases exponen- alachlor, diazinon, and atrazine were about it in our fall newsletter. Until then, tially by the number of drinks consumed. found in urine samples of these men. have a safe and enjoyable summer.