welcome to the family!

Gerardo and his wife have a new baby boy in their family! 9#!! Congratulations to their family.

other resident research

Gerardo, Pompeyo and Clarence -- I know you all recently presented at the STFM Annual Conference... I need photos and info to post on the blog!

congrats to Dr. Garcia Gallegos

Gerardo recently presented his poster "Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion in An Elderly Patient - A Case Report" at the American Geriatric Society annual meeting.

Good work, Gerardo!

Podcast delivery of residency education

One of my colleagues and friends, Dr. Ron Cook, PD at Texas Tech UHSC Family Medicine Residency, recently filled me in on an exciting project of theirs... they are developing podcasts to cover some of their didactic curriculum.

The residents seem to really like the format, and they have been able to demonstrate improvements in some quality indicators in their Family Medicine Clinic, which they attribute to the podcast material.

I encourage everyone who is interested to try them out. Instructions follow:

1. Download iTunes from www.apple.com and install it on your computer.
2. Find the MedCast by searching the Music Store with search term Texas Tech MedCast.
3. SUBSCRIBE to the Texas Tech MedCast and GET previous episodes.
4. Load episodes onto an MP3 player or listen on a computer with speakers.
5. You can also listen to episodes and read episode fact sheets at Texas Tech MedCast.

If you try them, let me know what you think!

didactics curriculum and other stuff

Jaime (Resident Didactic Curriculum Coordinator, R2) has been hard at work seeking out input from the other residents and support from faculty to put together the didactic curriculum for AY07-08. The list looks fairly comprehensive to cover a broad range of common FM topics. I'd like to thank Jaime for his hard work... the didactic curriculum seems to be always a "work in progress" but it looks like this upcoming year should see another great leap forward.

We're looking forward to significantly enhancing our Board Prep activities this year, with Dr. Houser's input and leadership.

***

We are half-way through our spring Sports Physicals activity, with the two major high school sessions behind us. Today we will be at Boliver and Central Middle School. It's gone well and everyone has had a good time, with good learning opportunities and a fun atmosphere, being out in the community. Thanks to Dr. Cass and our colleagues at the GISD Athletic Department for your organization and leadership.

***

I'm very pleased to welcome Dr. Jamal Islam, who is transferring from the Research Division in our department to the Residency Program. Dr. Islam has been very involved with residency education even during his time in the Research division, and it's wonderful that we will now have more of his time. Dr. Islam leads the Journal Club and co-leads the CQI curriculum with Dr. Kunchar every year. He has presented numerous lectures to the residents and mentored resident research efforts. He will lead the Resident Research effort as part of his duties with the transfer to Residency.

new curriculum

In response to campus and rotation changes, RRC revisions and input from our current residents, the following block curriculum revision has been submitted to the RRC-FM and will be in place for our incoming class this year:

Post-Graduate Year 1
Essential Skills in Family Medicine
Family Medicine Hospital Service 1
Family Medicine Hospital Service 2
Family Medicine Hospital Service 3
MICU
Surgery 1
Obstetrics 1
Obstetrics 2
Adult Emergency Medicine
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Newborn Nursery
Ambulatory Pediatrics 1
Principles of Family Medicine

Post-graduate Year 2
Community Medicine 1
Community Medicine 2
Pediatric Inpatient
Gyn/Colpo
Collaborative Health Care
FM Procedures
Orthopedics 1
Family Medicine Hospital Service 4
Family Medicine Hospital Service 5
Family Medicine Hospital Service 6
CCU
Elective 1
Elective 2

Post-Graduate Year 3
Surgical Sub-specialties
Neurology
Ortho 2 / Sports Medicine
Ambulatory Family Medicine
Surgery 2
Ambulatory Pediatrics 2
Family Medicine Hospital Service 7
Family Medicine Hospital Service 8
Adult Medicine Sub-specialty
Elective 3
Elective 4
Elective 5
Elective 6

Areas of Concentration

Residents: Areas of Concentration will be offered in the 2007-08 academic year. Residents may choose to complete ONE formal area of concentration. Guidelines are below. The AOC draft document for Advanced Obstetrics is available for individual customization and was distributed by email. You may email me for additional copies. Additionally, you may use that document as a template for designing AOCs in other curricular areas. Options may include (but are not limited to): Integrative Medicine, International Health, Academic Family Medicine/Research, Sports Medicine, Geriatrics, etc.

Please contact me if you would like to discuss or have any further questions. I hope that some of you will choose to complete AOCs this upcoming year.

***

The Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors recommend individual Areas of Concentration (AOC) to provide a common framework around which residents, program directors, and faculty may design additional, optional training for an individual resident that is above and beyond the core training in family medicine.

Guidelines for Individual Areas of Concentration

A. Written program of study including competency-based goals and objectives. Evaluation measures should be included.
B. Faculty mentor is to be identified and the resident will review their progress periodically with their faculty mentor.
C. Suggested time frame is 4 to 8 months duration. Focused blocks of time (4 week block electives) and/or longitudinal components are possible formats. Specific time frames will vary based on goals and objectives as chosen by the resident.
D. Scholarly Project – must be presented at least locally, although presentation at the state or national level is encouraged. (Resident is responsible for funding travel and other related expenses. Use of discretionary funds is allowed.)
E. Resident will attend a CME meeting in the AOC. (Resident is responsible for funding travel and other related expenses. Use of discretionary funds is allowed.)
F. Resident will present a critical appraisal of a current journal article in their AOC.
G. Quality outcomes should be demonstrated and documented in the AOC with case logs, patient outcome data and faculty reviews of resident competency, as appropriate to the AOC goals and objectives.
H. A letter summarizing the training completed will be written by the Program Director for placement in the resident’s portfolio and attached to the final residency completion letter.

PLEASE STOP!!

International graduates: WE HAVE NO OPEN POSITIONS AT ANY LEVEL AT THIS TIME

PLEASE STOP sending me application packets with large attachments!! You are clogging up my email box. And we do not accept applications via email in any case. We accept applications only through ERAS.

Thank you.

brief PD absence upcoming

Just wanted to let you all know that FINALLY my adoption plans are moving forward! I will be in Russia the week of 4/23 (exact travel plans yet to be determined).

The Residency Team - Dr. Shepherd, Ron Williams, Linda Hubbell, etc. - will be managing the program in my absence, which is expected to be approximately 7 to 10 days. There should be no interruption in the usual function of the program. If anyone has paperwork they need me to sign (license applications, etc.), please bring that by ASAP. Dr. Shepherd can also sign those things in my absence.

a few announcements

2007-2008 FM Chief Residents: Jerome Alonso & Carlos Montiel

Class of 2009 Rural Training Track residents: Jaime Ruiz-Perez and Rene Melendez

Additional member of the Class of 2010: Sandra Pedraza, Colombia

Congratulations to all!

published in Texas Medicine 3/07

Diabetes risk factors and testing in a Texas family medicine clinic - Dallo FJ, Weller, SC, Cass AR

Congratulations to Dr. Cass and colleagues!

Alumni news

Announcement from Dr. Mark Guidry:

Appointment
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Cassandra Arceneaux to the executive manager position of Director of Community Health Services effective April 1, 2007. Dr. Arceneaux is a board certified family physician and a preventive medicine resident. She has served as a Ready Provider in the 4C's clinic, provided over 4 months of learning and volunteer service as a resident assigned to the Health District. During her time at the Health District, Dr. Arceneaux reviewed teen pregnancy data, organized outreach Head Start physicals, studied 4C's utilization data and presented her findings to the Governing Board, and assisted in EMS recruitment efforts.

Beginning in April, Dr. Arceneaux will oversee all community health services and programs (public health nursing, breast cancer screening, senior outreach, immunizations, HIV/STD, TB, WIC, etc). She will organize comprehensive community outreach events; will medically supervise public health programs requiring standing delegation orders (e.g., immunizations, TB, HIV/STD, breast cancer screening, etc), will provide clinical preventive healthcare, will serve as deputy health authority, and will participate in public health preparedness activities and outbreak investigations.

Please welcome and congratulate Dr. Arceneaux. On April 2nd, she may be reached at 409-938-2457.


Harlan "Mark" Guidry, MD, MPH
Chief Executive Officer & Health Authority
Galveston County Health District
409-938-2401; Pisa Lewis, Asst.
www.gchd.org

news just in from ABFM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2007

American Board of Family Medicine Sleep Medicine CAQ Approved by the ABMS

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) approved the American Board of Family Medicine’s (ABFM) application to provide a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Sleep Medicine today at its Annual Meeting. ABFM Diplomates will be able to sit for the first Sleep Medicine examination in November of this year. The Board of Directors of the ABFM made the decision at its Interim Meeting last October to seek approval from the ABMS for the ABFM’s co-sponsorship of a CAQ in Sleep Medicine along with the ABMS Boards of Internal Medicine (ABIM), Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Neurology, and Otolaryngology. The ABFM has begun to work closely with ABIM, who will administer the exam. When the application process is finalized, details will be announced on the ABFM website, www.theabfm.org.

***

As many of you may know, our own Dr. Jerome Alonso (R2) was instrumental in this process. Good work Jerome! It's wonderful to see your efforts and hard work pay off in such a big way!

More big CONGRATULATIONS

to Dr. Carlos Montiel and his wife, who are the proud new parents of a healthy baby girl!!

Big CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Simmons!

On March 3, 2007, at the TAFP Texas Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Students Session during the Section on Resident Physicians, Donna Simmons was elected Alternate Delegate to the National Conference in St. Louis in August. She will represent the TAFP resident physicians and assist the delegate in reporting TAFP resident ideas at the annual session meeting.

Next year Dr. Simmons will fill the role of Delegate to the National Conference.

WAY TO GO!!

Introducing... UTMB FMR Class of 2010!!

From the top, left to right:
Tran Quan - Des Moines University, Osteopathic Medical Center
Thien-An (Ann) Nguyen - UT Houston
Obi Uzowulu - University of Szeged, Medical and Medical Sciences Centre (Hungary)
Martha Molina - UT Houston
























Sashi Braga - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (Brazil)
Ruthie Darg - Universidad San Martin de Porres (Peru)
Anwar Monroy - Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua (Mexico)
Lorena Salvatori - (Argentina)

WELCOME!!

We know who you are!!

and we're very happy! :-)

Stay tuned for the announcement TOMORROW about who is joining our program this summer.

Dr. Triana in UTMB Magazine

Read the story here.

Persistence pays off

FINALLY! The Ropes Course 2007 video. Thanks to Oscar, who produced the video!

Match 2007!!

WE FILLED IN THE MATCH!!!

We are so looking forward to finding out tomorrow WHO will be joining us, but plan to enjoy celebrating today that we filled.

Thank you to all our applicants and we hope all found positions in programs that you are excited about.