NEWS

Baystate Medical Center Part of Tufts University School of Medicine Award as NIH Expands National Consortium Dedicated to Transforming Clinical and Translational Research

Baystate Medical Center is a participating affiliate with Tufts University School of Medicine in the successful application to NIH for a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The Tufts CTSA spans 8 Tufts Schools and 8 Tufts-affiliated hospitals, including Baystate Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children, Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Lahey Clinic, New England Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, New England Baptist Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Caritas Carney Hospital. Also included are 12 community-based organizations and two heath plans (BlueCrossBlueShield of Massachusetts and Tufts Health Plan).

Tufts is one of 14 academic health centers in 11 states to become the latest members of the National Institutes of Health's CTSA consortium. The consortium is creating a unique network of medical research institutions across the nation to reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients and to engage communities in clinical research efforts. It also is fulfilling the critical need to train the next generation of clinical and translational researchers. The consortium is led by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the NIH.

These latest 14 academic health centers join 24 others announced in 2006 and 2007 who are receiving total funding of $533 million over five years. The 2008 CTSA grants expand state representation in the consortium to Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Utah. They also support pediatric research at 13 dedicated children's hospitals; expand research in genetics and genomics; enhance research in behavioral immunology and infection risk; and increase outreach into local communities.

For more information visit the CTSA consortium website at CTSAweb.org.

Baystate/Tufts University School of Medicine's Educational Innovations Project (EIP) Featured in Spring 2008 Journal of the Educational Innovations Project

Manager Model Created for Internal Medicine Residency is Project's "Centerpiece"

Centering its efforts around the core competencies, the Baystate/Tufts University School of Medicine Educational Innovations Project Team identified essential milestones in the development of an internal medicine physician, then redesigned their educational program, including programmatic re-structuring, curricular redesign, evaluation of residents, and faculty professional development, around them.

The result—the Baystate Manager Model—views the residency program as a 3-stage process; PGY1 is the Learner stage,PGY2 is the Manager stage, and PGY3 is the Teacher stage. Advantages of the model:

• PGY 2s take direct care of patient without the responsibility of teaching a PGY1.

• PGY 1s are all taught by PGY 3s who have more clinical experience.

• PGY 2s manage patients on their own, working one-on-one with attendings.

• PGY 3s focus on teaching skills.

The East Coast EIP Region, which created the Journal of the Educational Innovations Project as a mechanism to share best practices and increase collaboration and resource sharing among national EIP institutions, grew out of the EIP East Coast consortium established by Dr. Kevin HInchey, Program Director of Baystate's Internal Medicine Residency. Link to full article.

Tufts Simulation Curriculum Committee (TSCC) Plan Integrates Simulation into TUSM Curriculum

Acting in accordance with its mission to assist in the development and implementation of simulation-based education for Tufts University and all of its affiliated institutions, the Tufts Simulation Curriculum Committee (TSCC) has developed an Action Plan for Simulation Curriculum for the School of Medicine (TUSM).

Moving from the traditional curriculum toward an innovative transitional-type curriculum, Tufts University has adopted many changes—one of which is the use of simulation-based training to provide educational experiences and exposures in a variety of suitable curricular subject areas. Drs. Neal Seymour and Gladys Fernandez have played instrumental roles in leading and developing the new curriculum model that is planned for implantation by 2010 or so.

Dr Neal Seymour chairs the TSCC whose members are drawn from a variety of specialty areas and Tufts-affiliated teaching hospitals, as well as the office of educational affairs, including Gladys Fernandez, MD who is also a members of the Tufts Curriculum Committee and Tufts Educational Strategic Planning Committee.

The TSCC, which held its second meeting in April 2008, was created at the request of Dr. Scott Epstein during a visit to Baystate Medical Center during a TIMES Symposium (Tufts Innovation in Medical Education through Simulation) in May of 2007.

Starting Fall 2008, Baystate's Midwifery Education Program Will Offer Concurrent Master's Degree Study

Change is Needed to Comply with New American College of Nurse-Midwives Requirement

Effective 2010, the American College of Nurse-Midwives is requiring that all who enter the profession of nurse-midwifery must have a Master’s degree in nursing or other health-related field. Baystate's Midwifery Education Program (MEP) is collaborating with the Midwifery Institute of Philadelphia University (MIPU) to offer concurrent master's degree study within their new 5 semester curriculum.

MIPU, a relatively small university that prides itself on its innovative programs, has a longstanding and successful distance learning midwifery program as well as an existing master’s completion program for previous graduates of certificate programs.

By collaborating with MIPU, MEP can retain the benefits of a hospital program:

• all MEP faculty members are nurse-midwife clinicians

• a close working relationship with Ob-Gyn faculty

• student clinical experiences within a large midwifery service with a rich patient population.

In addition, students will be provided learning opportunities not available in a certificate program that will help them be more effective in an increasingly complex healthcare system:

• health policy

• more about service administration or teaching

• how to evaluate and develop research.

Baystate Emergency Medicine Residents and TUSM Medical Students Simulate a Disaster at Six Flags New England

On May 7, 2008 more than 100 first responders and health care professionals converged on Six Flags New England to take part in a simulated disaster situation. Coordinated by Ben Osborne, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, this is the third year the drill has been conducted at the park.

Third-year medical students and first-year Emergency Medicine residents played the part of victims of the incident while senior residents, Emergency Medical Technicians, and other first responders rushed in to care for them. Looking on were officials from fire departments and emergency management teams from Agawam, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Enfield and Springfield, as well as Western Massachusetts Emergency Medical Services, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, several ambulance companies, and Springfield College.

A debriefing session following the drill gave everyone an opportunity to reflect on the day, contemplate obstacles, and celebrate accomplishments. The exercise was a valuable learning experience for both participants and observers.

Baystate Residents Dominate National American Geriatric Society (AGS) Meeting

Baystate's Internal Medicine residents were by far the most visible residency program presence at the AGS meeting as evidenced by:

• More than a quarter of all posters in the Residents' Poster Session were authored by Baystate residents, and 3 of 5 prizes in this poster session were won by them.

• 40% of all residents on the Jeopardy teams were from Baystate.

• The current Residents' Section president and 2 of 3 of next year's leaders are from Baystate.

Residents Melina Irizarry-Acosta, Michal Sarah Wall and Chunmei Huang authored posters in the Presidential Honors Poster Session. Residents Michal Sarah Wall, Gina Luciano and Senthil Sivalingam won prizes in the Residents' Poster Session.

In addition, many Baystate residents and fellows assisted in a community outreach program at Union Station in Washington, DC that educated seniors about reducing falls and assessed their risk for falls.

Drs. Maura Brennan and Sandra Bellantonio, faculty in the Geriatrics Section of the General Medicine and Geriatrics Division, served as moderators or faculty for a number of skills workshops and plenary sessions, as well as co-convening the Residency Recruitment Subcommittee.