Levy Letter

05/15/26

DOM Expertise on Display at SGIM Meeting

DOM faculty and residents in National Harbor, MD, for the Society of General Internal Medicine annual meeting.

Faculty and trainees from across the DOM presented work on a wide range of topics—from colon cancer screening to spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome—at the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) annual meeting, held May 6-9. Between educational sessions, they took in the sights of National Harbor, MD, including the famous Capital Wheel, which rises 180 feet above the Potomac River.

See Full List of Presentations >>

Bulletin Board

Geriatric Medicine Community-Wide Grand Rounds: Join us at 8 a.m. on the next two Wednesdays to learn about Hospital Acquired Disability (May 20) and Intergenerational Community Connections (May 27).

UR Pride Alliance Social: Join the Pride Alliance from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at FLORA, 190 Monroe Ave., to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities and the work of Wilmot Cancer Institute faculty and staff. All are welcome, and registration is encouraged.

Health Care Innovation Pilot Awards: The Quality Institute is offering grant funding to support innovative approaches to health care delivery that improve efficiency and quality of care and promote outcomes research. Letters of intent are due Friday, May 29.

GI & Liver Update: Join this interdisciplinary, full-day event on Saturday, May 30, in Helen Wood Hall, for an overview of key topics and emerging advances in gastroenterology and hepatology.

New Data Management and Sharing Plan Format: NIH has revised the DMS Plan format to simplify the required elements, reduce narrative burden, and clarify common areas of confusion. The new format is required for NIH applications with due dates on or after Monday, May 25.

Connecting Through Dialogue Workshops: Explore the difference between productive discussion and contentious debate. Examine the barriers to real dialogue and leave with practical skills—deep listening, curiosity, and centering connection—that make a difference in any conversation. Four sessions will be held throughout June on the Health Sciences and River Campuses.

In Memoriam

Remembering Karen O’Shea

We mourn the loss of Karen O'Shea, NP, of Primary Care, who died April 10 at the age of 67. O’Shea met every patient with warmth, unwavering patience, and a genuine willingness to help. She made both patients and colleagues feel not just cared for, but deeply cherished. She will be greatly missed.

View Obituary >>

Off the Clock

Erica Miller and Emily Salib pose in swimsuits, caps, and goggles with a 35th-floor view of Seattle behind them.

Erica Miller, MD, of Cardiology, and Emily Salib, MD, of Internal Medicine, are leading the Highland ROC triathlon team that will swim, bike, and run together at the August 22 competition. At the recent Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine conference in Seattle, the pair squeezed in a training session in the 35th-floor pool, with views of the city and mountains, before heading off to sessions.

Special Announcements

Recognition: Heather Lander, MD, of Geriatrics & Aging, was named the Early Career Perioperative Physician of the Year by the Society of Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement.

Recognition: Amole Ojo, MD, of Cardiology, was named chair of the Core Concepts in EP Committee of the Heart Rhythm Society. This is a well-deserved recognition for Ojo, who has been actively involved in educating electrophysiology fellows at the local and national levels.

Recognition: Alexandra Yamshchikov, MD, of Infectious Diseases, was named system director of our recently expanded Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.

In the News: David Dobrzynski, MD, of Infectious Diseases, spoke to Rochester First about the potential for a Lyme disease vaccine.

Publication: Eric Small, PhD, of the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute, led the study “Transient Sprr1a Expression Defines a Population of Border Zone Cardiomyocytes That Survive Ischemic Injury,” published in Circulation.

Publication: David Nagel, MD, PhD, of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, led the study “Elastokines are Potentially Associated with a Poor Prognosis in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis,” published in Scientific Reports.

Publication: Jennifer Readlynn, MD, of Hospital Medicine, was lead author of “#JMHWrapped 2025,” a perspective article published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, highlighting the most impactful articles of 2025.

Publication: Augusto Litonjua, MD, MPH, of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, authored “Maternal and Perinatal Nutritional Programming of Lung Health and Disease in Childhood and Early Adulthood: Research Gaps and Opportunities; NHLBI/NIH Workshop Report” in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Publications: Chris Ritchlin, MD, MPH, of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, led the study “Effects of Guselkumab on Structural Damage Progression in Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis,” published in Advances in Therapy.

Publications: Kah Poh Loh, BMedSci, MBBCh, of Hematology & Oncology, led the study “Gait Changes After a Mobile Health Exercise Intervention in Older Adults With Myeloid Neoplasms: Single-Arm Pilot Trial,” published in JMIR Cancer.

Publication: Carla Casulo, MD, of Hematology & Oncology, was lead author of “Paraneoplastic Motor Neuropathy in Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Case Report,” published in Case Reports in Hematology.

Social Spotlight

X post by Jonathan Friedberg (@DrJFriedberg) that says " Passed the @SWOG lymphoma committee gavel to friend and colleague Dr Sonali Smith today. The committee is in fantastic hands." with a photo of Dr. Friedberg posing with Dr. Smith, who is holding a gavel.

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