3/31/23
Letter From the Chair
 
Ruth O'Regan

March 17 was a big day, and not just because I'm Irish and it was St. Patrick's Day! It was also the momentous occasion when fourth-year medical students celebrate Match Day. Our Internal Medicine program and Med-Peds program will welcome a total of 41 new residents. Be sure to read the news below to learn more about them (and who is staying with us from SMD!)

In other news, we are prepared to start hosting Leadership Lunches. These are informal lunches with small groups of you to meet and mingle with DOM leadership. We have a large department, and I would love the opportunity for all of us to get to know each other better, especially when our professional paths don't cross as often. If you are interested, reach out to Jess Syposs and she will help coordinate.

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

 
 
 
    Top Stories  
 
 
Rob Horowitz Stepping Down as Division Chief of Palliative Care
 

After eight years of distinguished leadership, Rob Horowitz, MD, will step down as chief on July 1. He has been instrumental in the expansion of Palliative Care in terms of physicians, patients, and services. He will continue to treat patients and teach our learners. Erin Denney-Koelsch, MD, will rise as the interim chief. Thank you, Rob, for your incredible years of service.

 
 
 
Division of Geriatrics & Aging Lead Sessions at AMDA PALTC Conference
 

Faculty from the division participated in the American Medical Director's Association (AMDA) Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) annual meeting. Follow the link for a full list of presenters and their session names. One highlight was Suzanne Gillespie, MD, who gave the Outgoing President's Address as her term came to a close.

 
 
 
Division of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology Highlight Work at AAAAI 23 Meeting
 

Several Allergy faculty and a fellow shared their work at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual meeting. They hosted Q&A sessions and were featured speakers on specialty topics. Check out the news item for a full list of presenters and their work.

 
 
 
Match Day Follow-up: DOM Announces Incoming Residents
 

The Internal Medicine program has accepted 30 incoming residents, and will also host eight neurology interns. The Medicine/Pediatrics program has accepted eight incoming residents. Seven of these new residents are graduates from UR SMD! Program directors Amy Blatt, MD, and Brett Robbins, MD, are excited to introduce the new class.

 
 
 
    Special Announcements  
 
 

Honors: Jennifer Readlynn, MD, from Hospital Medicine, was named Deputy Editor for Digital Media at the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Awards: Jing (Jason) Wu, PhD, from Nephrology, was awarded funding through the UR Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) Pilot Project Program for his project "Roles of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Hypertension and Chronic Kidney Disease." He shared his expertise on PFAS in a recent URMC article – PFAS: What You Need to Know.

Publication: Saadia Sherazi, MBBS, MS, from Highland Hospital, Scott McNitt, MS, and Ilan Goldenberg, MD, from Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center (CCRC), Carla Casulo, MD, Arpan Patel, MD, and Clive Zent, MD, from Hematology/Oncology, and Mehmet Aktas, MD, from Cardiology, are co-authors of "Arrhythmogenic Cardiotoxicity Associated With Contemporary Treatments of Lymphoproliferative Disorders," published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Publication: Shifan Li, MD, an IM resident, Elliot Graziano, MD, a Gastroenterology fellow, and Gopal Ramaraju, MD, from Gastroenterology & Hepatology, are co-authors of "A Case of a Beta-Catenin-Activated Hepatic Adenoma in a Male Patient With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis," published in ACG Case Reports Journal.

Publication: Brian McGarry, PhD, from Geriatrics & Aging, is the lead author of "Covid-19 Surveillance Testing and Resident Outcomes in Nursing Homes," published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Key takeaways were shared in the article - Frequent COVID Testing of Nursing Home Staff Protected Residents, Saved Lives.

In the News: Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH, from Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, is featured as an expert in the article "More Than Skin Deep: How Psoriasis Can Affect Bones," published in Everyday Health.

 
 
 
    Department Bulletin Board  
 
 

Reminder: Atul Butte Will Deliver Next Dean’s Lecture on Data-Driven Medicine

Join us on Monday, April 10, for the lecture "Precisely Practicing Medicine From 700 Trillion Points of Data," from University of California's Atul Butte, MD, PhD. Butte will highlight his work in taking data points from eight million patients across the University's system and applying it to how he practices medicine. SMD Dean Mark Taubman, MD, and Thomas Mariani, PhD, will welcome and introduce Butte.

Monday, April 10 from 2:15 – 3:15 p.m., Class of 62 Auditorium (G-9425)
Add to Outlook calendar.

 
 
 
    Off the Clock  
 
 
Life for Mary Vetter, NP, from GI/Hepatology, is a mixture of family (four children and seven grandchildren), wellness, and travel. Fitness and gratitude journaling are daily strategies she uses to maintain balance. She is passionate about finding joy in everyday activities, and encourages others to join in this practice. Planning excursions that involve family and adventure is a favorite pastime that can include hiking, kayaking, backpacking, or just getting lost exploring a new city. A rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike took months of preparation, but with hard work, positivity, and balance, an epic journey was made! When planning with family begins for a new journey, she reminds them that "all things are possible."
 
 
 
    Featured Tweet  
 
 
 
 
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