Internal Medicine Education Foundation, Inc.

December, 2007: Transitional Year and Internal Medicine Residents Share Their Care

The COMC transitional year residency program has a great history of community service and philanthropy; this year was no exception.

The transitional year residents supported the Susan G. Komen Foundation which focuses on breast cancer awareness and early screening. The residents raised money to fight breast cancer and ran in the Race for the Cure. Thanksgiving brought another opportunity to give back to the community. The residents provided a family in economic hardship a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Over the past few weeks they have been collecting canned food for the Chattanooga Second Harvest food bank. They have also adopted a family this holiday season

Transitional year residents teamed up with the internal medicine residents for their biggest event of the year, the annual domestic violence fundraiser and awareness bench press competition. The somewhat humorous interdepartmental competition, Press Out Domestic Violence, donated all procees to the Partnership for Families.

Internal medicine residents were involved in other various community activities. Dr. Mandy Cincere participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, raising $500. Dr. Cooley organized a Thank-A-Thon to all the donors for the Erlanger Baroness Foundation. She also joined cardiologist Dr. Mitch Mutter on a medical mission trip to Haiti and is hoping to participate in a larger scale childhood nutrition project there later in the year. Residents also participated in this years Minority Health Fair.

If you would like to contribute to any of these events in the future, please feel free to contact Joyce Poke, the transitional year program coordinator or Deborah Fuller, the internal medicine program coordinator.

November, 2007: Department of Internal Medicine

The Department of Internal Medicine was very well represented at the regional meeting of the American College of Physicians. Mukta Panda, MD was a member of the scientific planning committee and was re-elected to the council. Excellent workshop presentations were delivered by Jon Cohen, MD and J. Boldt, MD.

Internal medicine residents were well-represnted at the 2007 Tennessee Chapter meeting of the ACP. Representing Internal Medicine in the poster and oral presentations were Drs. Kumar Gaurav, Sushma Bhat-Pa, Arsdeep Tindni, Aparna Chowdhury, Gautam Dutta, Brian Humble, and Dawn Meadows.

Also UT COMC Internal Medicine Team won the Tennessee Chapter ACP jeopardy session and will compete in the national ACP to be held in Washington, DC in May 2008.

October, 2007: Mukta Panda, MD

Dr. Mukta Panda is one of ten program directors honored by The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for their dedication to teaching new physicians.

The award, given annually since 2001, is given to distinguished program directors, nominated by faculty and residents, in recognition of their commitment to teaching and development of innovative and effective residency programs. The award is named after Parker J. Palmer, PhD, a senior adviser at the Fetzer Institute and the author of The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teachers Life.

Parker Palmer reports that we do not teach what we are, but instead teach who we are. It is especially important at this time that the teachers of medicine live the values of medicine, noted David C. Leach, MD, CEO and executive director of the ACGME. The ACGME is very pleased to be able to identify and honor program directors who lived divided no more, who demonstrate on the outside the deeply held and authentic truths on the inside.

The recipients, their specialties, and the institutions sponsoring their programs are:

Robert Brown, MD, nephrology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA

Steve Galetta, MD, neurology, Univesity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Kalpalatha Guntupalli, MD, pulmonary/critical care, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Karen Horvath, MD, general surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Richard Lackman, MD, orthopaedic surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

John Jane, MD, neurosurgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Mukta Panda, MD, transitional year, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga, TN

Susan Promes, MD, emergency medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC

Richard Shugarman, MD, pediatrics, University of Washington, Seatlle, WA

William Sonis, MD, child and adolescent psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Friends Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Panda acknowledges that her career in medicine and teaching would not be possible without the leadership and generous support of her husband, Dr. Nil Panda, and her family. Dr. Nil Panda is also a clinical faculty member in the UT COMC Department of Medicine and practices in Dayton, TN. She states that she dedicates this award to Nil since he is the teacher she most tries to emulate.

August 22, 2007: John Morgan, MD

Dr. John Morgan stepped down as Chair of the EHS/UT Institutional Review Board as of the August 22nd meeting. Dr. BW. Ruffner has been appointed as new IRB Chair.

Dr. Morgan served in this position for over ten years, reviewing hundreds of protocols and counseling research nurses, medical students, residents, staff and community physicians, and faculty both from the College of Medicine and the UTC campus. We are very grateful for his patience and leadership. Dr. Morgan will stay on the Board as a voting member.

July, 2007: Mukta Panda, MD

Dr. Mukta Panda has been named Interim Chair of Internal Medicine. Dr. Panda joined the UT COMC faculty in 1998 after she completed her residency here.

In addition to clinical responsibilities, she has served as Transitional Year Program Director, Vice Chief of the Erlanger Medical Quality Improvement Committee, and has served on many EHS and UT COMC committees. She has received Outstanding Teacher Awards both in Internal Medicine and the Transitional Year Program. Dr. Panda serves on several national boards and is a champion of resident research and presentations. She will continue to serve as Transitional Year Program Director.

May 31, 2007: "Press Out Domestic Violence"

Transitional Year Program Hosts the Second Annual Press Out Domestic Violence Fundraiser.

A weight lifting competition was held in the Erlanger Medical Mall on May 31st to benefit the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, as well as other hospital charities. This is an annual event and all of our health care friends are encouraged to start working out now so youll be ready to compete next year and challenge the Surgery Departments success (they have won the Department title both years of this event).

The primary winner of the day was the Partnership for Families, but awards were also given to the following:

Total Bench Pressed by Department: Department of Surgery

Strongest Man: Phillip Smith, MD (Surgery)

Strongest Woman: Natalie Strelnikova, MD (Transitional Year Program)

Lift/Body Weight: Paul Apyan, MD (Orthopaedic Surgery)

Lift/Body Weight: Rozmond Lewis, MD (Family Medicine)

Endurance Lift: Andy Wilson, MD (Graduate, Transitional Year Program)

Endurance Lift: Mukta Panda, MD (Transitional Year Program Director)

April 9, 2007: Christy Westmoreland

Christy Westmoreland will be joining the University Surgical Associates beginning April 9, 2007 as the Administrative Manager of Clinical Research. She will be managing primarily the business aspects of the research department, including compliance, budgets, and contracts. She joins Pat Lewis, Karen Reed, and Emily Kirk in the UT office. Christy worked in the UT office as a research nurse from 2000 through 2003. We are looking forward to her return.

March 27, 2007: Harsha Vardhana, MD

Dr. Harsha Vardhana (formerly Harsha Gadadhar) was selected by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to receive the prestigious Young Investigator Award, an honor which includes a $50,000 research grant. He won the award in the category of Health Disparities.

During the coming months, Vardhana and his research team will interview patients and listen to their personal accounts of receiving a cancer diagnosis and the dialogue that subsequently results with their physician.

Dr. Vardhana was a resident in the Internal Medicine Program who graduated in 2006 and is now a hematology/oncology fellow at East Tennessee State Universitys James H. Quillen College of Medicine.

[from East Tennessee State University website News and Events, 3/27/07]

March, 2007: Ronald Goulet, PhD and T. Bain Ervin, BSE

Ronald U. Goulet, PhD, and T. Bain Ervin, BSE, recently joined the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga adjunct faculty. Each holds an appointment with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr. Goulet is an Associate Professor with the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He obtained his BS in Civil Engineering at Northwestern University and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He is an active member of the Research Committee of the Chattanooga Orthopaedic Education and Research Foundation. Dr. Goulet has co-authored a number of published articles on biomechanical research with the residents and faculty.

Mr. Ervin is the Director of the Basic Science Research Laboratory in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He obtained his BS in Engineering at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Mr. Ervin is a member of the Research Committee of the Chattanooga Orthopedic Education and Research Foundation and is actively involved in conducting biomechanical research projects with the residents and faculty. He also manages the arthroscopic skills laboratory and performs statistical analysis for the department.

February 8-10, 2007: Mukta Panda, MD

Mukta Panda, MD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, served as the CME Director for the Society of General Internal Medicine-Regional Chapter Meeting. The regional chapter is comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, and held a three day meeting, February 8-10, 2007 at the Hotel Inter-Continental in New Orleans, LA.

This meeting provided a stimulating forum to discuss and gain insight into a number of issues including recent medical advances, clinical evidence-based quality and safe patient care, local and national issues affecting the practice and teaching of internal medicine, and recent general internal medicine research. In addition, attendees were able to develop and broaden their network of colleagues in the area.

Among the high points of the program was the special pay for performance symposium that focused on the pay for performance (P4P) incentive programs at the Veterans Administration and other health systems that are impacting clinical and academic medicine. Participants learned about quality measures aimed at improving care quality and participated in multiple workshop sessions addressing practical questions encountered in daily medical practice relating to clinical care, education, faculty development, research and administration. The clinical vignette sessions by the associates provided an opportunity to discuss interesting and unusual cases. Medicine jeopardy was a new event that was fun and well represented by the residency programs in the region. Individuals participating in Panel Mentoring sessions were able to discuss their current situation with a panel of senior clinicians and develop ideas to further their careers. The chapter business meeting provided updates on council activities as well as those of chapter committees.

Februrary, 2007: Southern Regional Meeting of the Society of General Interest Medicine

Internal Medicine residents of the UT COM Chattanooga were once again well represented at the 2007 Southern Regional Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Mukta Panda served as a co-author and faculty mentor for 24 presentations. Other faculty members included Drs. Staton, Holden, Gefter and Poole. Nine oral and sixteen poster presentations were included. Representing the department were: Shazia Amil MD, Shadi Ayyoub MD, Sushma Bhat MD, Mandy Cincere MD, Gautam Dutta MD, Kumar Gaurav MD, Chad Halford MD, Asma Khan MD, Manogna Maddineni MD, Supriya Mannepalli MD, Brindusa Mocanu MD, Arshdeep Tindni MD, and Umesh Yalavarthy MD, as well as Jason Hill MD and Olga Suarez MD, representing the Transitional Year program. Additionally, Drs. Ayyoub and Yalavarthy were awarded the Jeopardy Prize. Congratulations to all who presented.

March 11, 2004: Clifton Cleaveland, MD

Dr. Clif Cleaveland, Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, has published a book, Healers and Heroes: Ordinary People in Extraordinary Time. The book is a collection of true stories about ordinary men and women who, through courage and fortitude, exemplify what it means to love life. The book will be available in mid-April. Dr. Cleaveland is also the author of another book, Sacred Space.

Feb. 26, 2004: Lotika Pandit, MD

Dr. Lotika Pandit, Clinical Instructor in the Department of Medicine, has recently passed the Hospice and Palliative Medicine certification examination. Dr. Pandit is now certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Jan. 28, 2004: James Creel, MD

James Creel, MD, Chief of the Division of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, was recently certified in the subspecialty of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Dec. 19, 2003: Outstanding Teacher Award

Dr. John Gunter received the Award for Outstanding Teaching from the Internal Medicine Housestaff at the 2003 Annual House Staff Christmas Awards Banquet. Dr. Mukta Panda also received the Award for Oustanding Teaching from the Transitional House Staff at the Banquet. At the end of each medical student rotation, individual students vote for one faculty member who demonstrated excellent teaching skills and make a significant impact on the student's education.

Nov. 6, 2003: Research Presentations

Nine residents from the Department of Internal Medicine presented their research studies at the 97th Annual Scientific Assembly of the Southern Medical Association in Atlanta, Georgia. The Assembly, held from November 6-8, is considered to be a premier event whose mission it is to foster professional development. Drs. Lindsay Crawford, Vanessa Dixon, Deborah Duffield, Amir Kaki, Carl Narducci, Catherine Payne, Phillip Rayers, John Tapp, and Murad Salaita participated in oral and poster presentations during the three-day event. Faculty mentors for these residents included: Drs. Raymond Enzenauer, Roger Jones, Robert Magill, Mukta Panda, Ann Rybolt and Colleen Schmitt.

Sep. 1, 2003: Faculty Development Leadership Program

Leslie Herman, MD has been accepted to the Faculty Development Fellowship Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Herman is a member of the Division of Hospital Medicine and an Instructor in the Department of Medicine.

Aug. 1, 2003: Editorial Board

Dr. Norman A. Desbiens, Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the UT College of Medicine-Chattanooga Unit, has been recently asked to join the Editors Board of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Desbiens is also on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Medical Decision-Making.

July 1, 2003: Faculty Promotions

Congratulations to the following faculty members for their recent promotions in the Department of Medicine:
Mukta Panda, MD to Associate Professor of Medicine
Larry Nagle, MD to Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Larry Schlabach, MD to Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine

July 1, 2003: Publications

Dr. Francis Fesmire has had an article accepted for publication in the July issue of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, “Early use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in the ED treatment of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes: a local quality improvement initiative.” Dr. Fesmire is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Medical Director of the Heat-Stroke Center at Erlanger.

2002 graduate, Tye B. Young, DO and faculty members John Paty, MD; Mukta Panda, MD; and Raymond Enzenauer, MD published an article, "Takayasu's Arteritis: Isolated Aoritis", in the November 2003 issue of The Journal of Rheumatology.

"A Novel Use for the Word "Trend" in the Clinical Trial Literature" by Norman A. Desbiens, MD was published in the August 2003 issue of the American Journal of the Medical Sciences.