March is Women's History Month, and I would like to take a moment to honor all of the incredible women in our department who are making their own history through innovative research and inspired teaching, and by providing the highest quality of care to our patients. Throughout the month, visit URMC Celebrates to learn about a different woman every day who made medical history. This year's theme from the National Women's History Alliance is "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." The theme is in response to the tireless efforts of frontline workers, and honors the long history of women as healers. As you carry on that tradition, I want to thank you for all that you do.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has tracked the number of women physicians in the workforce, and it has steadily risen from 28% in 2007 up to 36% in 2019, which was the first year that the majority of US medical students (50.5%) were women. According to the US Census, women made gains in the broader STEM workforce: women represented 8% of STEM workers in 1970, and grew to 27% in 2019.

I'm extremely proud to be the first woman chair of the department of Medicine here at URMC. In our department, we have more than 300 women with faculty appointments. Additionally, more than half of our leadership team members are women. It is an honor and a privilege to have you all here.

On an entirely different topic, later this month is St. Patricks' Day, and as an Irish woman I wish that all your days are touched by some Irish luck! Wear green, have a pint of Guinness, and I'll leave you with an Irish saying: May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

Be well,
Ruth O'Regan, M.D.

Grants: Hima Vidula, M.D., M.S., from the division of Cardiology, has received funding from the American College of Cardiology to develop a program titled "Microaggressions, Bias, and Toxicity: Navigating Difficult Interactions in Cardiology."

Awards: Carol Lustig, N.P., assistant clinical director for Wilmot's Hereditary Cancer Screening and Risk Reduction Program, received the Oncology Nursing Society Excellence in Advanced Clinical Practice Award for 2022. Lustig will be recognized with this national award at the ONS Annual Congress in spring 2022.

Research: Supriya Mohile, M.D., M.S., and Melissa Loh, M.D., M.S., both from the division of Hematology/Oncology, contributed to the article "'You have to be sure that the patient has the full picture': Adaptation of the Best Case/Worst Case communication tool for geriatric oncology" in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology.

Perspective: Fahad Saeed, M.B., B.S., from the division of Nephrology, co-authored the article "Enabling Patient Choice: The 'Deciding Not to Decide' Option for Older Adults Facing Dialysis Decisions" in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Publication: Susan Friedman, M.D., M.P.H., from the division of Geriatrics & Aging, contributed to a supplement titled "A Family Physician's Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine" in the Journal of Family Practice. Her article, "A Framework for Culture Change in a Metropolitan Community," can be found on page 112 of the supplement.

DOM Updates Twitter Handle
With the goal of distinguishing between our department and the main UR Medicine account for the public, we have updated our Twitter handle to @URMC_DeptMed. If you already follow us, you will continue to see our posts, but if you would like to tag us, please start using this new handle.

If you are active on Twitter, we encourage you to follow the account, and tag us when you have relevant news to share. You can also add the account to your email signature!

Funding Available for Aging-Related Research Projects
The University of Rochester Aging Institute (URAI) is soliciting grant applications to support up to three aging research projects. One of these awards will be co-sponsored by the Wilmot Cancer Institute and focus on cancer and aging, and two are sponsored by the URAI with a focus on other basic, translational or clinical aging research topics. The award level is up to $50,000 for one year per award. Learn more here. Letters of intent are due by March 21.

Deans Lectureship Series Returns March 14 with Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp
The professor of Biology and member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT will share new insights about the role of RNA in regulation of transcription and gene expression. The talk is the second in a series of lectures featuring international experts and the best that SMD has to offer on a broad range of timely and interesting topics. Sharp, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993, will present on Monday, March 14, 2021 at 4:00 pm in the Class of '62 Auditorium. Read more about the lectures series here and add the event to your calendar.