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In this Issue:
- GREETINGS FROM THE GOVERNOR
- HEALTH AND PUBLIC POLICY
- STUDENTS, RESIDENT & FELLOWS
- SAVE THE DATE: 2020 Utah Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting
- HOT TOPICS
Mary H. Parsons, MD, FACP, ACP Governor
GREETINGS FROM THE GOVERNOR
As fall is leading to winter and the days are getting shorter, it is time to review the year and think about what we have to be thankful for. First of all, I am thankful for all the dedicated internists who are members of our Utah Chapter of ACP. This year has been a proving ground for your knowledge, skills, caring and dedication to our patients. I am grateful that we were able to meet in person for our Annual Chapter meeting in March, before in-person meetings were suspended. I am amazed at what we can do with technology, as we pivoted quickly to video visits for virtual care and to Zoom and other platforms for our meetings.
The fall meeting of the Board of Governors took place on-line October 1-3 this year. We had excellent presentations on advocacy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a session called “COVID Silver Linings” highlighting some of the chapters who were able to put together remote chapter meetings for the fall. We also had robust discussion of the resolutions before us.
I am also thankful for our leadership council and committees who have been busy with the work of our chapter. We have had several new fellowships awarded, and thanks to our membership committee (Dr. Sonny Winn, Dr. Jennifer Scott and Dr. Yaw Boateng) for their work on this.
We had an excellent clinical vignette competition presented at Grand Rounds October 8 at the University of Utah. The cases were very interesting and the enthusiasm of our residents and medical students was very inspiring. Thank you to Dr. Emily Signor and the whole resident/fellow committee for this successful event.
The fall meeting of the Utah Medical Association September 11-12 was virtual as well this year. Thank you to our Health and Policy committee chair, Dr. Matthew Mulligan, who was one of our representatives to this meeting. This has been a successful collaboration for us on local advocacy issues, and has allowed us to partner with other primary care groups such as the Utah Chapter of the AAFP.
Our governor-elect, Dr. Scott Woller, has been very engaged in his transition year. Last but certainly not least, our executive staff Selma Lopez is such an asset to our chapter. She is thorough, tireless, helpful and patient. It is my honor to serve our chapter with such an excellent team.
Please feel free to reach out if you have questions or suggestions. I wish you a thankful and peaceful holiday season.
Sincerely,
Mary Parsons, MD, FACP
HEALTH AND PUBLIC POLICY
COVID-19 has continued to plague Utah. Back in July, in response to rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Utah, the Utah Chapter of ACP submitted a letter to Governor Herbert and Lt. Governor Cox calling on evidence-based policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and a implementation of statewide mask mandate. While these recommendations were not initially carried out, as happens with advocacy, with consistent messaging from physicians and public health leaders, and unfortunately, continued rise in cases and hospitalizations, a mask mandate was implemented on November 8th. We hope that the recent mandate will be a step in the right direction for slowing down the rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases here in Utah.
We want to thank the many internists, other members of the healthcare team, public health experts, and many others who have long advocated for strategies to slow down this virus. We want to recognize and thank the many internists and healthcare professionals who have served, and continue to serve, on the frontline for this pandemic. The care you provide for Utahan's is so incredibly important.
As with most events this year, the 2020 Utah Medical Association House of Delegates meeting looked a little different as it was conducted virtually. Despite the challenges, the Utah Medical association did a great job with the new format, and the house of Delegates Meeting continued to serve as an important venue for Utah physicians to propose and debate important health policies. Issues and policies discussed including decreasing racism, improving interoperability of the DOPL controlled substance database, supporting a POLST registry, and other COVID related policies like a statewide mask mandate. Thank you to Kirsten Ries MD, Mary Parsons MD, Matt Mulligan MD, Tony Musci MD, and Winston Bokor, MD who represented ACP in House of Delegates.
Best,
Matt Mulligan, MD
Chair - Utah ACP Health and Public Policy Committee
STUDENTS, RESIDENT & FELLOWS
2020 Clinical Vignette Competition
October 8, 2020 | Salt Lake City, UT | U of U Grand Rounds
The clinical vignette competition was held virtually on Thursday, October 8, 2020. Fourteen clinical vignettes highlighting fascinating cases observed at University Hospital, VA Medical Center, and Intermountain Medical Center were submitted.
WINNERS & RUNNERS-UP
The 5 individuals selected from a very competitive pool who presented their Clinical Vignette at Grand Rounds were:
- The Sunburn That Was Really Stevens-Johnson Syndrome | Blake McKinley, OMS3
- COVID-19 and Clots: Using Multimodality Imaging to Uncover Mechanisms of Myocardial Infarction | Joel Money, MD PGY3
- Tophaceous Gout: Red Herring or Real Herring | Bianca Rich, MS4
- An Unusual Cause of Encephalopathy in a Patient with Advanced Stage Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma | Bryan Still, MD PGY3 & Scott Rizzi, MD PGY1
All presenters received a cash prize. The winning presentation was submitted by Joel Money, MD, who presented the case COVID-19 and Clots: Using Multimodality Imaging to Uncover Mechanisms of Myocardial Infarction,
ABSTRACTS SUBMITTED BY RESIDENTS, FELLOWS AND MEDICAL STUDENTS
- Where is the Malar Rash? | Tyson Broadbent, MS4
- Bradycardia and syncope: An unusual presentation of a cannot miss diagnosis | Elise Brunsgaard, MD & Gina Allyn, MS3
- A Wolf Disguised as a B (SYMPTOM) | Anna Cassell, MS4
- Stranger than Pulp Fiction: the true case of a therapeutic needle to the heart | Jason Chen, MS4
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia Causing Acute Thrombosis of Coronary ARTERIES | Meganne Ferrel, MS3
- Diagnostic Splenic RUPTURE | Gibson Klapthor, MD
- Pancytopenia in a Middle-Aged Woman with Failure-to-Thrive | Ben Harris, MD
- Life is Not Always a BEACH | Beck Nelson OSMIV
- When In Doubt, Steroids Will Fix IT | Deema Sallout, MD
- Basal Cell C-aarrrrr-cinoma: A Common Cancer Presenting as Failure to Thrive and Scurvy| Michael Zou, MD
A copy of the Clinical Vignette Booklet can be found here. and finalist presentations can be viewed here.
Congratulations to all who submitted for the 2020 ACP Utah Chapter Clinical Vignette Competition and a special thanks to Drs. Sonny Win, Dani Babbel, Matt Mulligan and Roxanne Weiss for taking times out of their busy schedules to judge this event. Last but not least this event couldn't have be done without the time and leadership devoted each year by Residents and Fellow Committee: Dr. Emily Signor (Chair), Marja Anton, Eric Moore and Jon Harrison – Thank You!
SAVE THE DATE: 2020 Utah Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting
March 4-5, 2021| Salt Lake City, UT | Virtual Meeting
Mark your calendars for the 2021 Utah Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting, Thursday, March 4 through Friday, March 5, 2021. Due to the current circumstances the meeting will be mainly held virtually. Exact schedule and details will be released soon.
HOT TOPICS
Online Leadership Program Available
In partnership with the American Association for Physician Leadership, the ACP Leadership Academy offers a flexible, 18-month-long Certificate in Physician Leadership program with tracks in Hospital Medicine and Primary Care.
The program includes a combination of formal training through 49.5 hours of online coursework, online group discussions facilitated by leaders in internal medicine, and a capstone project that demonstrates successful mastery of leadership concepts.
Participants may apply online by December 1, 2020 to enroll in the cohorts that begin work in January 2021. We encourage you to promote this program to your chapter members.
This program offers exclusive training by leadership experts and important career-building skills. In addition, ACP provides participants with access to a number of professional development and membership engagement opportunities.
If you have any questions, please contact us at lead@acponline.org.
Resources on Vaccination Planning Now Available in COVID Physician’s Guide
COVID-19 vaccines may be available beginning in December 2020. Once a vaccine has received approval or authorization from the FDA, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will review clinical trial data to determine which populations should be recommended to receive the vaccine. Visit How CDC is Making Vaccine Recommendations for more information. Initial COVID-19 vaccine supply is anticipated to be limited. As such, the ACIP will provide recommendations for early COVID-19 vaccination in the event of limited supply.
ACP has developed resources to help clinical teams in their efforts to plan for and provide Covid-19 vaccinations. Visit the COVID-19: An ACP Physicians Guide to access the resources.
National Volunteer Opportunities Available for ACP Members
Through ACP's Member Engagement Program, the College currently has several volunteer opportunities available for ACP members. These include serving on the Capstone Review Board for the ACP Leadership Academy's Certificate in Physician Leadership Program and serving on the Abstracts Review Board for the virtual 2021 National Abstracts Competition.
More information, and applications to volunteer, may be found at https://getinvolved.acponline.org.
We encourage you to share this information with your chapter members. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Koger, Manager, Membership Programs, at skoger@acponline.org