Holiday 2016 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 4 NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE Holiday 2016 1 www.ndmedicine.org 2 NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE FallHoliday 2016 2016 FEATURES Triple Threat Research 10 The unique work of three scientists has one goal: 10 healthier North Dakotans. Cradle of Knowledge 14 Researcher seeks evidence-based interventions to save babies. 14 From Volume to Value 20 Shift in focus enables rural healthcare organizations to provide high-quality care. 20 DEPARTMENTS Dean’s Letter 4 News Briefs 6 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA Student Writing & Art 16 SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES - Champions Summer Floor Hockey League MARK KENNEDY, President, University of North Dakota - Epistemology - Physicians for Human Rights JOSHUA WYNNE, Vice President for Health Affairs and Workforce 18 Dean, School of Medicine and Health Sciences Student Profile—Janet Julson 22 EDITOR Denis MacLeod Alumni Profile—Whitney Thompson and Jared Marquardt 24 WRITERS Stacy Kusler, Denis MacLeod, Alumni Notes 26 Nikki Massmann, Dave Miedema, In Memoriam 29 Debra Sorvig Pedraza, Juan Pedraza, Philanthropy 30 Jessica Sobolik CONTRIBUTORS Kristen Peterson Grand Opening & Gala 32 GRAPHIC DESIGN Laura Cory, John Lee, Victoria Swift Parting Shots 35 PHOTOGRAPHY Shawna Noel Schill, Wanda Weber COVER ART Detail of painting by Marcus Geffre www.ndmedicine.org WEBMASTER Eric Walter NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE (ISSN 0888-1456; USPS 077-680) is published four times a year (March, June, September, December) by the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Room W103, 1301 N. Columbia Road Stop 9037, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037. Periodical postage paid at Grand Forks, ND. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: Printed at Forum Communications Printing, Fargo, ND. ND Medicine Address Correction UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences All articles published in NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE, Office of Alumni and Community Relations, Attn: Kristen Peterson excluding photographs and copy concerning patients, 1301 North Columbia Rd. Stop 9037, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037 can be reproduced without prior permission from the editor. e-mail: [email protected] Want more NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE? phone: 701-777-4305 Look for this symbol, and check out our WEB EXCLUSIVES site: www.ndmedicine.org NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE is available online at www.ndmedicine.org NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE Holiday 2016 3 DEAN’S LETTER The Power of Community October 14, 2016, marked one of the more learning experience. We believe that the noteworthy events in the history of the active and interprofessional education that University of North Dakota, the School of is occurring in these learning communities Medicine and Health Sciences, and North will better prepare our graduates for the Dakota with the official opening of the rapidly changing world of clinical new building, a nearly $124 million healthcare delivery that stresses team educational and research facility that was approaches to healthcare; obvious completed on time and on budget. The examples include accountable care ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open organizations and medical homes that are the new building occurred on that becoming increasingly commonplace in afternoon, and it was a truly memorable the healthcare delivery enterprise. event. There was a standing-room only A second critically important crowd of around 350 people present for the community for the School is composed of ribbon-cutting ceremony, and almost 400 graduates and other concerned signed up for the gala celebration later that practitioners who through their dedication evening. The special guest speaker at the and altruism give back to the School and evening celebration was Dr. Darrell Kirch, the healthcare enterprise by being president and CEO of the Association of voluntary clinical faculty members who American Medical Colleges that represents teach our students for little or no all 147 medical schools in the United remuneration—a community of people States. He presented a thoughtful address who care. North Dakota leads the nation about the “Power of Community” that was in the fraction of physicians who are on especially appropriate in this time of the voluntary clinical faculty roster of a national political discord. Dr. Kirch local medical school—in our state, two out posited the notion that local of three of all physicians in the state are communities—of learners, donors, and faculty members. It would be impossible to people who care—have the power to train our students without their help and advance projects (like healthcare support—that’s for sure! workforce development for North Dakota) And the last vitally important that are too big and complicated for community in support of the SMHS is that individuals to accomplish, and are not the composed of donors. Why are private focus or province of national agencies. donations so important? They are needed The School has long promoted the to improve the student experience, largely concept of small-group learning through scholarship support to lower experiences, but we’ve advanced that idea student debt. Even though our educational considerably with the construction of eight costs are among the lowest in the region physical learning communities in the new and nation, our medical students in building that foster interprofessional and particular used to have above-normal team-based learning—in essence, a educational debt, reflecting the often lower community of learners. These learning financial resources our students have that communities are self-governing groups of require more borrowing. But through the about 100 students each composed of generosity of our donors, we have been trainees in all of the health disciplines able to reduce their cumulative debt from sponsored by the SMHS. So we have well above to well below the national physical and occupational therapy, medical average. This is a wonderful example of a laboratory science, sports medicine, highly effective public-private partnership; physician assistant, and medical students the Legislature has provided a marvelous all housed together for an integrated and functional new building and strong 4 NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE Holiday 2016 appropriated support for out programs, have helped propel the School forward. and private donors have joined that effort Thanks to all the caring, dedicated, and by endeavoring to reduce student debt. To forward-thinking people who have honor our especially generous donors, we brought us to where we are. The future have designated some three dozen named looks even brighter thanks to your efforts! spaces in the building to recognize and Don’t miss learning about the acknowledge these gifts. Four donors in inspiration for the art that is on the cover of particular should be recognized for their this issue, and please read the articles that extraordinary gifts to our students. The medical students submitted on pages 16 and first is Dr. Marlys Schuh, who is a surgical 17. The new section is the result of the work oncologist and whose generous donation by second-year medical student Houda supports medical student scholarships. Abdelrahman. She led the effort to promote The lobby on the first floor of the building medical students’ writing and creative work is named for her. The second is in honor of in the new section dedicated to publishing the late Dr. Charles H. Fee, a revered students’ contributions to the magazine. family medicine physician. The auditorium is named for him, and the supporting donation came from Dr. Fee’s daughter Carlen Goehring and her husband Charles. The next gift to highlight is from a long-standing member of the Joshua Wynne, MD, MBA, MPH UND family and former Associate Dean UND Vice President for Health Affairs for Student Affairs and Admissions Judy and Dean DeMers. That office is now named for her in honor of her generous donation in support of medical student scholarships. And the last donation is from Dr. David and Lola Monson, who endowed a chair currently held by Dr. Rick Van Eck. The Monsons’ extraordinarily generous gift supports student education, and their contribution will be remembered by the naming of one of our learning communities in their honor. The SMHS is one of 27 community- based medical schools in the United States, meaning that we don’t own or operate our own hospital or hospital system. Instead, we partner with all of the larger hospitals and many of the smaller hospitals and clinics in the communities throughout the state to educate our students. I like to say that we are a community-based medical— and health sciences—school, and our community is all of North Dakota. And it is the active participation of the three communities outlined above—learning, caring practitioners, and donors—that NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE Holiday 2016 5 NEWS BRIEFS NIH funds Basson’s study of treatment to UND scientists lead $3.6 million NIH alleviate effects from starvation or study of weight regain and depression intestinal surgery after weight-loss surgery When children or adults either undergo Researchers from the University of prolonged fasting or have much of their North Dakota are leading a study to small intestine removed because of identify problems experienced by disease, they are often initially unable to patients who have undergone bariatric eat enough to survive. Without sufficient surgery and regained weight. intestinal adaptation, they may be Research Assistant Professor Scott condemned to permanent intravenous Engel, PhD; and Chester Fritz feedings, with a substantial effect on Distinguished Professor and Associate quality and length of life, or require Chair Stephen Wonderlich, PhD, in the small bowel transplantation, which has its own complications. Scott Engel Department of Psychiatry and “Current medical treatment for this condition has limited Behavioral Science at the UND School efficacy,” said Marc D. Basson, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS, the associate of Medicine and Health Sciences are the dean for medicine and professor of surgery and of biomedical principal investigators for the study that sciences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and has received a $3.6 million, five-year Health Sciences.