Division of Education

Patient-Centered Medicine 1 & 2
Clinical interviewing and physical diagnosis skills are now incorporated within the interdisciplinary M1 & M2 Patient-Centered Medicine course. Dr. Walker serves as Site Director at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and faculty from each clinical Division serve as preceptors. In addition, Dr. Brain Gable serves as a Facilitator in both PCM 1 & 2.

Clinical Pathophysiology
Dr. Laura Willett (Division of General Internal Medicine) continues her Directorship of this course, which provided over 160 hours of instructional time taught by both full-time and volunteer faculty in lecture and small-group formats. A major revision of this course is anticipated over the next two academic years as part of the medical school’s comprehensive review and integration of the pre-clerkship curriculum.

M3/M4 Clerkships
Following the closure of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center, a revised student assignment schedule for the 2008-09 academic year was formulated and all students were accommodated successfully for both the M3 Clerkship and the Medicine Subinternship at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, University Medical Center at Princeton, and Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

The ambulatory component of the M3 Clerkship was continued and will be evaluated by the Curriculum Committee in the context of the Patient-Centered Medicine 3 course’s Continuity Clinic experience. Dr. Walker and Dr. Brian Gable also serve as Seminar speakers within the PCM 3 course. The Clerkship in Critical Care continues under the co-directorship of Dr. Jagadeeshan Sunderram (Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine) and Dr. Gary Nackman (Department of  Surgery).

The department-sponsored weekly Grand Rounds from September through June; 40 such programs were held and 156 attendees received CME credits for this activity. In collaboration with the medical school’s Office of Education and the Division of Education in the Department of Medicine, programs with a focus on medical education were conducted on the following topics:

• Medical Education: Giving Effective Feedback - Frank T. Stritter, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
• National Health Reform – Oliver Fein, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine & Clinical Public Health, Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
• Hadley L. Conn Jr., M.D. Memorial Lecture in Medical Education: The Physical Examination: Has it ”Gone to the Dog”’? -John A. Walker, MD, Professor of Medicine; Chief, Division of Education, UMDNJ-RWJMS.
• Robert S. Pinals, M.D. Annual Lecture on Humanism & Professionalism in Medicine: Consequences of Unprofessional Behavior in Trainees -Maxine Papadakis, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine; Associate Dean for Student Affairs, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco.
• Disclosing Medical Errors -Walter Baile, MD, Professor of Medicine; Chief, Psychiatry Section, The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston

The Department also supported the Seventh annual Update in Internal Medicine course, chaired by Dr. John Walker. The program targeted primary care providers throughout New Jersey, New York City, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware.  This year’s program was held in New Brunswick and included topics in Gastroenterology, Hypertension, Oncology, Anesthesiology, Endocrinology, Allergic Diseases, and Multicultural Healthcare.

Distinguished Speakers

• Frank T. Stritter, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine – “Medical Education: Giving Effective Feedback”
• John A. Walker, MD, Professor of Medicine; Chief, Division of Education, UMDNJ-RWJMS – “The Physical Examination: Has it ‘Gone to the Dogs’?”
• Maxine Papadakis, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine; Associate Dean for Student Affairs, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco – “Consequences of Unprofessional Behavior in Trainees”
• Walter Baile, MD, Professor of Medicine; Chief, Psychiatry Section, The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston – “Disclosing Medical Errors”

Honors

• The 10th Annual Residency and Fellowship Research Day was held on May 6, 2009. Stephen F. Vatner, MD, Professor and Chairman, Dept. of Cell Biology & Molecular Medicine, New Jersey Medical School was the keynote speaker. Four abstracts were selected for oral presentations at Grand Rounds and 27 posters were displayed.
• The PGY 3 resident team won the N.J. ACP State Challenge Bowl Championship competition. Our team members included: Katie Kunamneni, Jacob Mathew and Anil Nair.
• February, 2009 NJ ACP Meeting – From our research submissions, 4 abstracts were presented as posters and one was selected for oral presentation. Daphne Dadzie, MD, MPH (PGY 2) was selected as oral presenter at our state ACP Scientific Meeting.  Her talk was titled “Characterization of Postoperative Subclinical Primary Hyperparathyroidism and Associated Dyslipidemia.

Publications

• Dr. Mark Saxena (PGY 3) – “Lost in Translation” Annals of Internal Medicine 2009;150:419-420.
• Drs. Amay Parikh & Arshia Abbasi – “Fever, Rash and Positive Ehrlichia Antibodies”  Kidney International 2009; 75:341-342.

An active resident-run Community Service Program is now in its eleventh year. Residents participated in community health fairs, served on the speaker’s bureau, and delivered educational material to the community at large totaling 91 hours. The Humanism and Professionalism Council, under the leadership of Dr. Brian Gable (Assistant Program Director), continues to expand its curriculum and holds monthly interactive sessions at both hospitals for residents and fellows.