utnews.utoledo.edu OCT. 15, 2012 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 9 UTMC named one of nation’s 50 Top Physician wins national award for Cardiovascular Hospitals clerkship work By Jon Strunk By Casey Cheap he University of Toledo Medical see there are entire TCenter was named one of the nation’s states and regions of he University of Toledo and one of its 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven the country where Tfaculty members are being recognized Health Analytics. patients don’t have nationally for research and advising in the The only northwest Ohio hospital access to one of the Neurology Department. honored, UTMC joins institutions such top 50 cardiovascular Dr. Imran as the Mayo Clinic and the University of care hospitals,” Gold Ali, professor California San Diego Medical Center for said. “Those living of neurology, the 14th annual survey, which was first in northwest Ohio director published by Modern Healthcare. can be proud that at of student “This wonderful honor is a tribute to UTMC, our region’s clerkship, and the physicians, nurses and clinicians who patients get the most advanced heart and • Fewer complications; associate dean work every day to ensure UTMC remains on cardiovascular care available.” • Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital of clinical the leading edge of heart and cardiovascular In its study, Truven Health Analytics within 30 days; medical treatment,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, used data from 2010, 2011 and 2012 • Shorter hospital stays; and education, chancellor and executive vice president for from a variety of Medicare and Centers • Lower costs. professionalism biosciences and health affairs, and dean of for Medicare and Medicaid data sets “Patients have for a number of years and diversity, Ali the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. and identified the 50 Top Cardiovascular increasingly looked to the UT Medical recently “If you review the list of the Top 50 Hospitals as having: received an award from the American Cardiovascular Hospitals, you quickly • Better risk-adjusted survival rates; continued on p. 2 Academy of Neurology for his outstanding performance in neurology clerkship. “Imran is the consummate neurology clerkship director,” wrote Dr. Ralph Medical student participates in health-care Józefowicz, chair of the American Academy of Neurology Education Committee and professor of neurology at the University of policy internship in D.C. Rochester Medical Center in New York, who recommended Ali for the honor. By Samantha Watson “He has made The University of Toledo neurology clerkship arguably the best nstead of using her summer to intern in a research laboratory clinical clerkship at the University and one Ior community health clinic like most of her colleagues, of the highest rated neurology clerkships in second-year medical student Carolyn Payne decided to intern in the nation.” the heart of the nation’s capital. The American Academy of Neurology’s The native of Green, Ohio, spent eight weeks in Clerkship Director Teaching Award is Washington, D.C., learning about health-care policies, including given to one person every year based on a but not limited to the recently upheld Patient Protection and selective process through a committee that Affordable Care Act. She also met with legislators to speak asseses testimony. about policies that could affect her future career in medicine. In his nomination letter, Józefowicz “I wanted to use this summer to better understand the wrote, “63 percent of the graduating Toledo process of how health policy, particularly women’s reproductive medical students rated the neurology health policy, is made,” Payne said. “This is important to me clerkship as excellent, compared with the because as an obstetrician/gynecologist, it won’t matter what I national average of 33 percent, and Toledo learned in medical school if a policy prohibits me from using medical students have beat the national that knowledge.” mean on the shelf exam for the past five During her time in Washington, D.C., Payne also gained years.” some experience communicating with legislators and had Józefowicz also pointed out that Ali many opportunities to do so with a number of elected officials, has “made numerous improvements to including Speaker of the House John Boehner and House the clerkship program, from incorporating Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. POLITICKING: UT medical student Carolyn Payne met House Minority Leader the American Academy of Neurology continued on p. 2 Nancy Pelosi while interning at the American Congress of Obstetricians and core curriculum to assigning students to Gynecologists over the summer. continued on p. 2 OCT. 15, 2012 NEWS Voter ID, gerrymandering, Citizens United UTMC decision among Oct. 19 symposium topics continued from p. 1 By Rachel Phipps Center when it comes to heart and cardiovascular care,” said Norma s absentee and early voting ballots Citizens United and the later ruling in Tomlinson, acting executive director of Aare cast and Nov. 6 approaches, SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election UTMC. “As an academic medical center, election law experts will gather at Commission paved the way for it is our obligation and our responsibility The University of Toledo College of “super-PACs” and the record $3.98 to ensure we are setting the bar for health Law Friday, Oct. 19, to consider how billion spent by political parties and care in this community, and we are proud to the country’s elections are conducted, outside interest groups during the 2010 carry out that effort every day.” financed and monitored. elections — a sum that is sure to be Tomlinson pointed out that UTMC The free, public symposium, eclipsed by 2012 election spending. is the only hospital in northwest Ohio “Votes and Voices in 2012 — Issues “The issues addressed in this implanting left ventricular assist devices for Surrounding the November Election symposium could not be more those with congestive heart failure and has and Beyond,” is sponsored by the UT important,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, one of the fastest door-to-balloon times for Law Review and will be held from dean of the UT College of Law. “They patients arriving at UTMC during a heart 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the newly go to the heart of what it means to live attack. The latter metric measures how fast renovated McQuade Law Center in a democracy.” hospitals are able to reopen a blocked artery Auditorium. Panelists will include Michael to restore blood flow. Symposium panels are slated Boos, vice president and general In 2009, UTMC opened its Heart and to address topics that will include counsel for Citizens United, and Vascular Center, serving as the community’s political gerrymandering — the subject Cynthia Bauerly, commissioner of the first integrated location for patient care, of an Ohio ballot measure — and the Federal Election Commission. Ohio education and translational research in controversial voter identification laws Secretary of State Jon Husted will cardiac and vascular diseases. being rolled out across the country. deliver the keynote address at 11:45 Since that time, UTMC researchers, The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 a.m. physicians and patients have led and decision in Citizens United v. Federal For more information and participated in numerous studies and clinical Election Commission and campaign to register, visit law.utoledo.edu/ trials to advance cardiovascular care. finance reform also will be discussed. electionlaw or call 419.530.2962. Internship Physician wins continued from p. 1 continued from p. 1 Payne interned with the American we don’t know where to start and we do the best you can on your next exam so outpatient clinics to using technologies for Congress of Obstetricians and don’t know how to get involved, so we that you can be an excellent physician. teaching and assessment. Gynecologists so that she could become don’t,” Payne said. “This internship has Sometimes you don’t even know what’s “He also moved the clerkship from a more fluent in understanding the policies demonstrated to me that our representatives going on in the world outside of the four-week, fourth-year clerkship to a five- that affect physicians in this field. During want to hear from us. If you can’t visit them classroom.” week, third-year rotation two years ago, her internship, she attended congressional in Washington, it’s really easy to pick up the She said that she found it reassuring increasing the number of students interested briefings on Capitol Hill, lobbied phone, call their office, and tell them what to work with other medical students who in neurology from two to three per year to congressmen and senators, and gained you think.” appreciated the significance that policies eight to 10 per year,” Józefowicz wrote. a broader understanding of the major Payne’s internship was a part of the have on their future as physicians. She said “I am quite proud of [the award] policy issues of concern to the physician Government Relations Internship Program it suggests that the next generation of young and that The University of Toledo got community. sponsored by the American Medical physicians will continue to contribute to recognition as well. It is quite an honor When she met with Ohio’s Association. Application to the program is future health-care policy negotiations, in and a prestigious award. It is humbling and representatives, she was able to discuss open to students who are members of the addition to being excellent clinicians. makes one feel good about their work,” Ali different policies that affect the practice of association, and this year there were six Payne said this experience has inspired said. obstetrics and gynecology in the Buckeye recipients who completed a health policy- her to stay current in her understanding of State, as well as policies unique to medical related internship in Washington, D.C.