Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Med School Minute January 2024

A Note from Dean Cohen

Executive Leadership

Two of our leaders, Dean Mark Cohen and Senior Associate Dean for Engagement Janet Jokela, have offered insights on the future of medicine and medical education in two recent publications. Dean Cohen’s predictions were featured by the Illinois Alumni Association in Future World 2067 (see also the Dean’s Note), while Jokela authored a President’s Message for the American College of Physicians’ January edition of IM Matters. The piece, called “Looking Ahead at the Past” described how ACP enhances the medical profession through relevance, opportunities for professional growth, and commitment to principles such as Health as a Human Right.

CI MED will re-launch the Outstanding Staff Award beginning in March to recognize our colleagues who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to CI MED’s mission, vision, strategic outcomes, and core values. Please submit your nominations by March 1, 2024. Watch your email for more details.

Academic Affairs

Grace Park has been named Interim Director of Educational Assessment. In this role, she will focus on the essential functions involved with medical student assessment and MD program evaluation. Jess Orban is the new Director of Curricular Operations. Sarah Adams has been named Interim Clerkship Manager as a search for a permanent Clerkship Manager gets underway soon.

Research & Innovation

 

<em>MD/PhD student <b>Al Smith</b> recently unveiled his research supporting a new Kinematic Navigation prototype to an international audience at the <a target="_blank" href="https://wfns.org/events/14/wfns-events/244/18th-world-congress-of-neurosurgery" rel="noopener">WFNS World Congress of Neurosurgery</a> conference in Cape Town, South Africa<strong>.</strong> The innovation is intended to enable medical personnel without neurosurgical training to install an external ventricular drain (EVD) to relieve fluid build-up inside the skull and trauma-induced intracranial pressure on the brain. Read the full article <a href="/news/navigating-neurosurgical-emergencies-ci-med-students-new-device-prototype-enters-the-world-stage">here</a>.</em>
MD/PhD student Al Smith recently unveiled his research supporting a new Kinematic Navigation prototype to an international audience at the WFNS World Congress of Neurosurgery conference in Cape Town, South Africa. The innovation is intended to enable medical personnel without neurosurgical training to install an external ventricular drain (EVD) to relieve fluid build-up inside the skull and trauma-induced intracranial pressure on the brain. Read the full article here.

 

Congratulations to teams LapSonix, NIRolytics, and INSite for placing first, second, and third respectively in the Fall ’23 Student Health Make-a-Thon in early December. LapSonix won top honors among eight teams competing, with their proposal for a self-cleaning, anti-fog lens that would provide surgeons with a clear view while performing laparoscopic procedures. Read more here.

  • Several CI MED teams are competing for funding through the Healthcare Track of the Cozad New Venture Challenge, offering up to $100,000 in cash and prizes to fuel new start-ups addressing patient needs in Rural Health, Sports Medicine, & Healthcare Innovation. Cozad Demo Day is set for April 11.
  • Health Innovation Research Day on April 5, 2024, at the I Hotel, will feature research projects by members of the CI MED community, including our partners at Carle Health.
  • Capstone Presentation Day on May 2, will highlight new solutions developed by the class of 2024 as their final deliverable prior to convocation ceremonies on May 4. 

Academic Departments

BMTS :

CI MED will soon launch a Research, Entrepreneurship, Design and Innovation (REDI) Faculty Mentors program. About a dozen BMTS faculty will serve as REDI Faculty Mentors to our students to support participation in REDI activities and to help students network with other mentors in these areas. REDI Faculty Mentors can provide short-term mentorship or develop longer-term mentorship on specific projects with the students. This effort is a collaboration between BMTS and the Office of Research and Innovation.

Roberto Galvez and a team of international researchers have published a systematic review examining the application Extended Reality technology in the primary care setting, revealing which applications have shown clinical benefit. The study found evidence of the effective application of these technologies for immunization and procedure anxiety, mental health, and potential benefits for health promotion. Read more here.

CI MED’s Synthesis and Summary course and its contributions to student wellness during preparation for the USMLE Step 1 exam are featured in a recent article authored by Jaya Yodh, Atif Jaleel, and Rob Wallon published in the journal Medical Science Educator. Read more about the team’s research findings here. 

BMTS welcomed three new specialized faculty members this month, including Chester Brown, PhD; Cristina Medrano, MD; and Ann-Perry Witmer, PhD. All are teaching assistant professors, and their primary teaching role will be BiCEP medical education facilitation. 

Clinical Sciences:

Clinical faculty members Maria Grosse Perdekamp, Kimberly Cradock, and Sinisa Stanic and their team at Mills Breast Cancer Institute were honored in the recent News-Gazette’s 2023 Person of the Year series. “There are not enough words for me to ever fully express my gratitude for this remarkable group of professionals,” said patient Rhonda Houser, who nominated the team that helped in her  fight against breast cancer.

 

Student Affairs

 

<em>Alexa Lauinger</em>
Alexa Lauinger has been elected to serve as a national delegate to the AAMC Organization of Student Representatives’ Community and Diversity Committee, tasked with representing the student voice within the AAMC. Lauinger says this is an opportunity to make a national impact on key issues affecting the nation’s medical schools and teaching hospitals. Her term runs for one year, and she hopes to run for National Chair of OSR next year. Read more here.

 

Brittany Vill and Tracy Kao have been selected to attend AAMC’s national student leadership conference in Washington, DC on April 5-7. The RISE: Developing Future Leaders in Academic Medicine & Science for 4th Year Medical Students seminar is designed to equip graduating medical students with the leadership skills and knowledge to navigate the challenges and opportunities that await them in residency.

Rob Wallon has been promoted to Director of Academic Support. In this role, he will provide strategic oversight of Academic Support initiatives and will contribute to the leadership of Student Affairs.

Faculty Affairs

CI MED’s Second Annual Medical Education Experience (MEdX) was a great success, fostering stronger academic, clinical, and interdisciplinary research collaborations around medical education, innovation, and mentorship. This year’s program attracted our largest attendance (250 attendees) to date from both CI MED and our clinical partners at Carle Health. One of the take-home messages came from plenary speaker, Katie Ruger, EdD, of Michigan State University who challenged CI MED’s community of change-makers to consider how we ‘show up,’ in times of change and to approach change as an opportunity to advance excellence. Congratulations to the poster winners (below), and thanks to everyone who contributed to the growing success of MEdX as a catalyst to advance medical education.

  • 1st Place: JumpXR: A Case Study for Medical XR Simulation Curriculum Integration: Anthony Nepomuceno, Avinash Gupta, Caroline Cao
  • 2nd Place: An Adaptive Spaced Practice Approach to Blood Pressure Skill Acquisition: Caleb Bowman, Neddie Byron, Alexa Lauinger, Donald Greeley
  • 3rd Place: A Novel Approach to Social Determinants of Health Integration into MedicalA Novel Approach to Social Determinants of Health Integration into MedicalEducation: Insights on Faculty Development at Carle Illinois College of Medicine: Samar Hegazy and Kellie Mullany

Faculty Development Events:

  • Carle Foundation Hospital: Inclusive Leadership Forum on February 2, 2024, from 10 to 11 am
  • CI MED Monthly FacDev Mingle: Importance of EPOs in Curricular Management and Course Design on February 14, 2024, from noon to 1 pm
  • “Collaboration through Innovation” session on February 19, 2024, 1-3 PM at 4025 Campus Instructional Facility (1405 W. Springfield, Urbana).
  • CI MED Medical Education Research Journal Club on February 27, 2024, from noon to 1 pm
  • Carle Foundation Hospital: Health Equity Grand Rounds on February 29, 2024, from noon to 1 pm
  • Carle Foundation Hospital: Inclusive Leadership Forum on March 1, 2024, from 10 to 11 am
  • Title IX and Access and Equity on April 12, 2024, from 7-9 am at the Medical Science Building RM 274 OR Carle Pollard Auditorium. Breakfast and CME will be provided. Register here.

Diversity & Inclusion

Black History Month, celebrated annually in February, honors the achievements and contributions of Black Americans. Each year since 1976, each president has endorsed a specific theme for Black History Month. The 2024 theme is “African Americans and the Arts.”  Below are resources/information about Black History Month and Black Americans as well as local/campus events:

Join other Illinois researchers whose work involves health equity at the Health Equity Research Collaboration Workshop, aimed at increasing interdisciplinary collaboration. It will feature a presentation on the national health equity funding landscape from government relations consulting firm Lewis-Burke Associates. The workshop is scheduled for Friday, February 16, 2024, from noon to 2 pm at the Illini Union, Room 210.

Other events

Faculty Workshop - Diversity and Equity in the Promotion and Tenure | February 27, 2024 – 8-10 am.  More information can be found here: 
Through the Faculty Ranks Series – Office of the Provost (illinois.edu)

Community Outreach

The Perry Initiative is currently seeking applicants for a one-day STEM outreach program in Champaign. Participants should be students who gender-identify as women or nonbinary in grades ten and up with an expressed interest in science, medicine, and/or engineering. Applicants should fill out our online application in advance of the February 23, 2024, deadline.

Marketing & Communications

We commonly use CI MED (all caps with a space) as the shorthand name for our college. So how is our ‘shorthand’ name pronounced? 

Here’s a simple guide:

CORRECT: ‘see-eye-med’
INCORRECT: ‘sigh-med’
  • For a quick reference on our brand guidelines, check our Intranet page here. 
  • You can also download branded resources including research poster templates here. 

You can update your professional bio on the CI MED website!  How?
Just point your browser at the Carle Illinois website, log into MyMedicine (upper right corner), access the Administrative Tools tab, and click BioData to update your professional profile. 

You will be able to:

  • Add your bio and contact information
  • List the courses you teach
  • List our honors and research publications
  • List your teaching statement
  • And a wide range of other professional activities, including conference presentations, etc.
  • Add your preferred professional photo to appear on the Faculty/Staff pages of the college website.

Alternatively, you can click ‘Allow Others to Update Your Profile’ to assign a ‘proxy’ to enter your BioData on your behalf.

Achievements

 

Insert caption here
Health Innovation Professor Brent Roberts has been awarded the esteemed Gutgsell Endowed Professorship in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field of psychology, his dedication to teaching and mentorship, and his commitment to advancing knowledge in the pursuit of excellence. The Gutgsell Professorship is a prestigious recognition highlighting Dr. Roberts' outstanding research, teaching, and service achievements. Read more here. An investiture ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14, at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center.

 

Health Innovation Professor Ujjal Mukherjee has been selected as a Fellow in the OSF Faculty Fellowship Program. The program will connect Mukherjee with a team of operational and clinical personnel at OSF HealthCare, who will act as mentors and provide guidance as he works on a research project focusing on healthcare. The fellowship runs from January 15 through August 1, 2024.

Mark Anastasio has been elevated to IEEE Fellow for his contributions to the field of computational imaging and in recognition of his groundbreaking work in medical imaging technologies. Read more here.

Paul Hergenrother has been selected for the 2023 National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA). The award recognizes the outstanding research performance of cancer researchers and provides investigators with significant financial support to advance promising current or future research programs. Hergenrother is the first UIUC researcher to receive this prestigious award.

 

Carle Illinois Spotlight

Angela Patrick

Administrative Aide to the Vice Dean

How long have you been at Carle Illinois, and where were you before?
I started at Carle Illinois on May 2, 2022. Before working at CI MED, I worked at Parkland College for 10 ½ years.  Over that time, I worked for Business Training, which is now Community Education, and then for 5 ½ years as the administrative assistant to the Dean of Students and the Dean of Enrollment Management. Before working in higher education, I worked at Monticello Christian Academy with roles in the office and teaching 4-year-olds. I also have a background in event planning and hotel management.

Tell me something interesting about yourself.
I have one of those cheesy stories about how I met my husband. Bought a car and married the salesman! Gary and I have been married for 28 years. I also tend to be a crafty soul, and love quilting and photography. I love listening to audio books daily, playing board/card games, and working on puzzles.

What do you like most about working at Carle Illinois?
I have met so many wonderful people who are so passionate about what they do here at CI MED.

What are you looking forward to in the coming months?
Warmer weather! This year has great potential to reach some of my personal and professional goals. It is never a boring day, and it will be fun to see what we can accomplish.

Human Resources

Active Searches

  • Associate Dean for Research and Innovation
  • Assistant Dean for Accreditation
  • Academic Surgical Oncologist
  • Director of Educational Assessment
  • Associate Director of Student Success
  • Engineering and Innovation Curriculum Specialist 
  • Coordinator of Student Recruitment
  • Electives Coordinator
  • Student Records Associate
  • Academic Skills Specialist
  • Office Administrator, Faculty Affairs/DEI
  • Office Manager – Finance/Human Resources

Promotions, Reclassifications, and New Hires

  • Whitney Widick has accepted a new position with CI MED as Office Manager for Advancement/Marketing and Communications providing support to the Associate Dean for Advancement and the Director of Marketing and Communications.
  • Dani Swigart has moved from IUB to the Dean’s Office front desk reception. In addition to her front desk duties, she will continue to support Ruby Mendenhall and her staff.
[cr][lf]<p>Dr. Claudius Conrad – an internationally known surgical oncologist and expert in minimally invasive liver, pancreas, and biliary surgery – has accepted the position of Academic Surgical Oncologist with CI MED, in partnership with Carle Health and the Cancer Center at Illinois. Read more about Dr. Conrad in this month's <a href="https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/54/146820654.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dean's Note</a>.</p>[cr][lf]
Dr. Claudius Conrad – an internationally known surgical oncologist and expert in minimally invasive liver, pancreas, and biliary surgery – has accepted the position of Academic Surgical Oncologist with CI MED, in partnership with Carle Health and the Cancer Center at Illinois. Read more about Dr. Conrad in this month's Dean's Note.

Wellness

The Carle Illinois College of Medicine Well-being Group has created a Well-Being Passport that you can use as a tool to improve your well-being. The passport allows you to keep track daily of well-being activities that you participated in purposefully and intentionally. This may include physical activity, meditation, drinking your daily consumption of water, attending a concert, and so on. You can keep track of your monthly progress and yearly progress with goals that include:

  • Monthly Activity Challenge - Bronze - 10 days of activities; Silver - 15 days of activities; Gold - 20 days of activities
  • Yearly Activity Challenge: Bronze - 110 days of activities; Silver - 165 days of activities; Gold 220 days of activities     

February is American Heart Month. During this time, we can reflect and implement heart health actions/behaviors. This may include increasing your daily movement, wearing red on February 1st (National Wear Red Day) to raise awareness about heart disease, or increasing your knowledge about heart disease. For example, heart health disparities exist, especially for women, and widen when combined with race, ethnicity, and other social factors. More information including resources can be found here:

Events

Important upcoming events:

  • CI MED Town Hall -Thursday, Thursday, February 1, from noon to 1 pm at MSB Auditorium or via Zoom. RSVP here.
  • Innovation Grand Rounds with Fan Lam, PhD – Friday, February 9, 2024, at noon at MSB Auditorium. Zoom in here.
  • Match Day Class of 2024 – Friday, March 15, 2024, at the I-Hotel.
  • Health Innovation Research Day – April 5, 2024, from 10 am-6 pm at the I Hotel & Conference Center. Register here.
  • CI MED Class of 2024 Convocation Ceremony - Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Foellinger Auditorium for Ceremony with Reception at the Illini Union.

External Events:

  • 2024 NIH Grant Writing Series Registration Now Open – Every Tuesday between January 30 and March 5, 2024, from 3-4:30 pm Register for Zoom details.
  • Illinois Value Proposition Conversation Café scheduled for several dates throughout February offers a chance to share ideas about what unique benefits and rewards employees value at the University of Illinois. These in-person and remote sessions are open to all employees.  Register Here.
  • Health Equity Research Collaboration Workshop - Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, from noon to 2 pm at the Illini Union, Room 210.
  • Cozad Health Innovation Track Workshop – Wednesday, March 6, 2024, from 6-7:30 pm at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF).
  • Cozad New Venture Challenge Demo Day – Thursday, April 11, 2024, from 1-5 pm at the I Hotel and Conference Center.