The Levy Letter

6/7/24

Meet the 2024 Rising Chief Residents!

Get to know our new Chief Residents and discover what they're excited about. Then gain insight from the exiting chiefs' parting words of wisdom, and find out what they're up to next.



		Top Stories

Congrats to the Education, Clinical, and Research Pilot Grant Recipients!

These awardees will use the funds to work on a project that results in a grant application, peer-reviewed article, or other academic work that will be showcased in a future department Grand Rounds. Congrats to Jason Wu, PhD, Rickinder Grewal, MD, from Nephrology, Maria McGreevy, MD, and Rachel Rodenbach, MD, from Hematology/Oncology.

Gastroenterology Showcases Expertise at Digestive Diseases Week

Many members of the division made a significant impact at this annual conference by presenting their research and leading insightful lectures. Dive into the full article for a look at the complete list of presenters and their work. Be sure to check out the full posters!

Demystifying Penicillin Allergy Delabeling

Jessica Stern, MD, MS, from Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, is on a quest to educate people about Penicillin allergy. Studies show that up to 90 percent of patients who are labeled allergic to it can actually safely tolerate the medicine. Learn why the discrepancy exists, and what you can do to help! Take this quick survey by July 10 to help Stern and her colleagues understand the perceptions of Penicillin allergy at URMC.



		Special Announcements

Honors: Melissa Loh, BMedSci, MBBCh, from Hematology/Oncology, was selected for the 40 Under 40 in Cancer award. Check out these Twitter photos from the event, courtesy of Michelle Janelsins, PhD, MPH.

Honors: Frank Passero, MD, from Hematology/Oncology, was selected as an American Society of Hematology (ASH) Ambassador as a faculty advisor for its Student Interest Group.

Awards: Danielle Wallace, MD, from Hematology/Oncology, received a physician-scientist fellowship award from the Wilmot Foundation. Her project is "ctDNA-
Guided Mosunetuzumab Consolidation in Older Patients with DLBCL Following Pola-R-mini-CHP."

Publication: Amulya Penmetsa, MD, Gopal Ramaraju, MD, and Marie Laryea, BSc, MDCM, from Gastroenterology & Hepatology, are co-authors of "Clinical Overview of Sarcopenia, Frailty, and Malnutrition in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis," published in Gastroenterology Research.

Publication: Andrei Seluanov, PhD, and Vera Gorbunova, PhD, from Geriatrics & Aging, are co-authors of "Invariant γδTCR natural killer-like effector T cells in the naked mole-rat," published in Nature Communications.

Publication: Danielle Marino, MD, from Gastroenterology & Hepatology, is co-author of "Intervention to increase colorectal cancer screening among emergency department patients: results from a randomised pilot study," published in Emergency Medicine Journal.



		Department News

Explore the New DOM Medical Education Research and Scholarship Website

Discover valuable resources to enhance your research and scholarship in medical education through the new website hosted by the Miner Library. The site offers comprehensive literature reviews, tools for program evaluation, writing and dissemination tips, and much more. Developed by Valerie Lang, MD, MHPE, from Hospital Medicine, our associate chair for Medical Education, Research, & Scholarship, and Kelsey Sherman, EdD, research assistant professor, with support from Lorraine Porcello, lead librarian for Health Sciences, this platform is designed to support your academic endeavors and professional growth.

UR Aging Institute Hosted Aging Research Day Conference

Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD, the scientific director for the National Institute on Aging, joined the UR Aging Institute to discuss the importance of slowing the progression of aging, to provide more preventive and therapeutic interventions to improve our patients' quality of life. "It's what physicians, scientists, and clinical educators do," said Annie Medina-Walpole, MD, chief of Geriatrics & Aging and director of the URAI. Watch the event recap video to view his comments along with updates on our colleagues' work.



		DOM Photo Album

Nephrology and PUSH Physical Theatre teamed up to create performances for middle school children, teaching them about kidney health in a fun and engaging way. This year, the partnership brought ten more performances to Monroe County schools. Each performacne was attended by a nephrologist: chief Thu Le, MD, Fahad Saeed, MBBS, TramAnh Phan, MD, Katie Moore, MD, Marc Lande, MD, MPH, Janany Sabescumar, MD, and Rickinder Grewal, MD. Phan said, "It was a lot of fun to hang out with the kiddos and answer their questions." (Read the original story here.)

Sara Gianfagna, DO, MSMEd, and Melissa Mroz, MD, presented their poster about creating enhancements to the Strong Internal Medicine rooming process (like moving to an electronic process and utilizing patient care techs to improve efficiency) that led to decreased wait times and increased provider satisfaction. The poster was shared at the Society of General Internal Medicine conference. While in Boston, they took in a Red Sox game with Mahala Schlagman, MD, and Jared Walsh, a former faculty member. (View the pictures.)



		Department Bulletin Board

DOM Members Receive University Research Awards

These annual awards provide seed money for innovative research projects that are likely to receive further, external support. Congratulations to Benjamin Korman, MD, and Maria De La Luz Garcia-Hernandez, PhD, from Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology for their project "Development and Characterization of a Humanized Model of Systemic Sclerosis." And congrats to Ajay Dhakal, MBBS, from Hematology/Oncology for his project "Development of Integrated Diffuse Optical and Ultrasound Imaging System for Breast Cancer Therapy."

UR Stars Launches June 10 – Shout Out Your DOM Colleagues!

The new, University-wide recognition system, is coming soon. It's a user-friendly digital platform that also comes in a convenient mobile app. Visit the UR Stars Program website for detailed information, virtual training sessions, and a collection of "how-to" videos. We can't wait to show gratitude for all that you do!



		Off the Clock

Fatima Shahid, MD, from Hospital Medicine, volunteers for Homesteads for Hope (H4H), a non-profit community farm, so she can connect with nature and give back to her community. She's helped donate produce to the UR Food Pantry. H4H hosts the Community Supported Agriculture program, and URMC employees can sign up for weekly pickups of fresh, organic produce from local farmers! View the flyer for details. (Shahid is far left in the photo.)



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