SGIM Forum Template
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Society of General Internal Medicine SGIM TO PROMOTE IMPROVED PATIENT CARE, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION IN PRIMARY CARE AND FORUM GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE Volume 26 • Number 3 • March 2003 ANNUAL MEETING PRECOURSES OFFER EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES Eric Whitaker, MD his year’s precourses represent a and “The Immigrant Experience: Caring range of topics that we hope will fill for Patients New to this Country.” Each Tthe needs and interests of many new represents an example of how primary care and veteran SGIM members. Out of a physicians can be on the forefront of our record number of 55 submissions, 35 half- changing world of medicine. and full-day precourses were accepted for On the clinical front, precourses in presentation in Vancouver. The excep- this year’s program include “See One, Do tional quality of the submissions made this One, Teach One: A Practical Approach a challenging task for the committee. We to the Medical Orthopedic Exam for the are grateful to the efforts of all of those Academic Internist,” “Update on Anti- who submitted precourse proposals. The coagulation and Thromboembolism” or results are a remarkable range of content “Controversies in Chronic Pain Manage- and teaching approaches. ment” and “Sports Medicine.” We also thank the committee of ten For those interested in learning more Contents SGIM members, from a range of back- about certain research methods, courses grounds, who put in their time and ex- such as “HCUP: Data to Generate Evi- 1 Annual Meeting Precourses Offer pertise to review and select this year’s dence for Change,” “Meta-Analysis” and Exciting Opportunities precourses. Our strategy in selecting “QI Research: Where Reality Meets precourses was to include possibilities that Academia” are scheduled. 2 On Balance would appeal to the full range of interests We recognize that virtually all SGIM of SGIM members. To that end, we have members have formal or informal teach- included courses that emphasize clinical ing responsibilities in a variety of settings. 3 President’s Column topics, research methods, educational ap- Therefore, the precourses in education in- proaches, communication issues, and fi- clude ones targeted at students, residents 4 Let Your Voice for Peace Be Heard nally, advocacy and policy. All of the and attending physicians, such as “Teach- courses have large numbers of faculty— ing Evidence-Based Medicine to Resi- 4 Evidence Based Medicine Task Force meaning the opportunity for interactive dents—The PRIME Curriculum,” Report learning is high. “Teaching Effective Behavior Change In keeping with theme of this year’s Strategies to Medical Providers,” and “A 5 Research Funding Corner meeting, Generalist Physicians as Agents Curriculum for Medical Errors.” of Change, there are several courses in the Communication skills is another im- 5 UpToDate Goes Mobile policy and advocacy arena including: portant topic in many different settings “The Uninsured: Preparing Internists to and this year’s precourses reflect this. Ex- 6 ACGIM Column Contribute to Change,” “Effective Health amples of precourses that focus on com- Policy Advocacy for the General Inter- munication will include: “Informed De- 11 Classified Ads nist,” “Minority Generalist Career Devel- cision-Making and Controversial Preven- opment: Becoming an Agent for Change,” continued on page 8 SGIM FORUM SOCIETY OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE ON BALANCE OFFICERS 2 PRESIDENT MD Martin F. Shapiro, MD, PhD • Los Angeles, CA [email protected] • (310) 794-2284 Hilit F. Mechaber, MD and Alex J. Mechaber, MD PRESIDENT-ELECT JudyAnn Bigby, MD • Boston, MA Editor’s Note—This is the first article in set limits accordingly. Playing an active [email protected] • (617) 732-5759 our new regular column highlighting the role in raising our daughter has become IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT challenges of balancing personal and our essential priority. When our Kurt Kroenke, MD • Indianapolis, IN professional lives. Submissions and daughter was born, we decided individu- [email protected] • (317) 630-7447 comments are welcome. ally and together that Hilit would cut back to working part-time in academia. TREASURER Eliseo Pérez-Stable, MD • San Francisco, CA t was the night before my last day of Hilit was fortunate to be able to [email protected] • (415) 476-5369 work prior to maternity leave. A day negotiate a job description that allowed I was quite looking forward to. her to continue the portions of her job SECRETARY I Winding down, bidding a temporary that were more structured and that were Ann B. Nattinger, MD, MPH • Milwaukee, WI [email protected] • (414) 456-6860 farewell to patients and staff, and the most rewarding, her clinical practice preparing to spend two weeks at home and teaching. She had to withdraw from SECRETARY-ELECT with our two-year-old daughter as her the responsibilities of our faculty William Branch, MD • Atlanta, GA [email protected] • (404) 616-6627 day care closed for the holidays. I had practice and the on-call responsibilities. 24 hours to go, but her symptoms Our decision to do this did not COUNCIL couldn’t tell time. She was cranky, tired, come easily. It meant a loss of income Christopher Callahan, MD • Indianapolis, IN had no appetite, and finally felt quite and benefits for Hilit and our already [email protected] • (317) 630-7200 warm. Sure enough, the thermometer heavy debt load became even worse. Kenneth Covinsky, MD, MPH • San Francisco, CA gave us the bad news. It seemed simple Hilit also had to relinquish her aca- [email protected] • (415) 221-4810 enough. She would have to stay home demic title when she assumed her part- Susana R. Morales, MD • New York, NY the next day to fight off a likely viral time position. However, we believed in [email protected] • (212) 746-2909 infection. Yet, for us, the solution was our hearts that children only grow up Eileen E. Reynolds, MD • Boston, MA far from easy. once, and having more time to witness [email protected] • (617) 667-3001 What gives? As two general this outweighed the financial and career Gary E. Rosenthal, MD • Iowa City, IA internists we were faced with only one sacrifices. We also trusted the words of [email protected] • (319) 356-4241 of the many challenges dual-physician our mentors that these loans would Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH • Boston, MA families frequently encounter. Patients eventually be paid off. [email protected] • (617) 636-5009 rely on us to direct their health care, We have been challenged as a EX OFFICIO sometimes in life or death situations. couple, wanting to see both our careers Regional Coordinator While this type of reliance is one of the succeed. Over these past two years, Jane M. Geraci, MD, MPH • Houston, TX biggest privileges of doctoring, it can Alex has luckily had many opportuni- [email protected] • (713) 745-3084 simultaneously be viewed as a burden ties come his way to develop and grow Editor, Journal of General Internal Medicine that cannot always or easily be met. By as a clinician-educator. Though there Eric B. Bass, MD • Baltimore, MD placing our daughter’s health as our are times that Hilit has felt under [email protected] • (410) 955-9868 priority, how do we deal with the valued as a clinician-educator, she has Editor, SGIM Forum burden of guilt felt by canceling time set worked hard to keep herself visible and Melissa McNeil, MD, MPH • Pittsburgh, PA aside for our patients? Whose needs as involved as possible in our academic [email protected] • (412) 692-4886 become more important? Which of us community. The effort is quite worth- HEALTH POLICY CONSULTANT will stay at home? Though we have while. Hilit feels she made the right Robert E. Blaser • Washington, DC likely all chosen our profession at least choice in deciding to return to work [email protected] • (202) 261-4551 partially for altruistic reasons, this part-time. Her attitude towards her EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR constant conflict can easily test our work has improved by knowing that she David Karlson, PhD priorities. also has the time to be at home. She 2501 M Street, NW, Suite 575 Many of our biggest challenges can focus at work and feels like a better Washington, DC 20037 revolve around time and lack of doctor and teacher. She is also more [email protected] (800) 822-3060 flexibility. The delicate balancing of fulfilled both personally and profession- (202) 887-5150, 887-5405 FAX personal and professional time has ally, and only hopes that she will be able required us to evaluate our priorities and continued on page 8 2 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE Martin F. Shapiro, MD, PhD GIM has taken some very exciting The Council challenge. We must find steps this year. We have created a has been very other ways to raise funds to Snew task force to address issues in excited and continue SGIM’s key career development, with the goals of activated by all of programs, launch new strengthening divisions of general these initiatives. ones, and respond to future internal medicine throughout the We do, however, needs of our members. Our country, and of helping individual have some funding situation is very faculty find the mentorship that they challenges that tight right now. We are need and the collaborators that they we face as an doing everything we can to need, even when they are not to be organization, if eliminate expenditures found in their own medical schools. we are to sustain that are not essential. At The task force has initiated a program all of these new programs. The essence the same time, we will need additional of site visits to medical schools to help is money.