Office of Medical Education

JUly 06 - 19, 2020 (summer Schedule)

The WeeklyWire is an official communication tool of the Larner College of Medicine. Student feedback led to its development and continues to inform iterative improvements. All non-curriculum-related email communications are directed through the Wire to help support manageable email inboxes for our students; it's your one-stop-shop for all med school happenings outside of the classroom! Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Medical Student Education with any questions.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Weekly Wire Archives

 * = All postings flagged with an asterisk are not UVM-sponsored/endorse

CLASS INFORMATION

Class of 2021

• THESE TWO WEEKS - Visiting Clerkship Program (VCP) Presents "Harvard Affiliated Pediatrics Residency Programs" Free Webinar*: 07/02 @12pm. Harvard Medical School, Office for Diversity and Community Partnership is hosting webinar on “Harvard Affiliated Pediatrics Residency Programs”...
• THESE TWO WEEKS - "Effectively Utilizing ERAS" Free Webinar*: 07/07, at 2pm ET. Following the presentation, applicants are encouraged to ask ERAS staff questions...
• Student Financial Services Updates: 07/02 email regarding fall financial aid timing, billing date, etc...
• The Residency Explorer tool has launched! Applying to residency? The Residency Explorer tool can help...

Back to top

Class of 2022

• Student Financial Services Updates: 07/02 email regarding fall financial aid timing, billing date, etc...
• Message from Your Wellness Representatives: Please review this June 26th message from your Wellness Representatives, which includes resources, contact information, and support (MED credentials used to access the message to protect student contact information)...
  
• Message from Your Clerkship Level Director: 06/25 email outreach & support email from Dr. Everett...
• Mildred Reardon Medical Student Scholarship Open for Applications* (re-posted): 08/09 application deadline. Do you dream of becoming a Vermont doctor? Apply for a $10,000 scholarship for a rising 3rd year student committed to practicing medicine in Vermont...

Back to top

Class of 2023

• THESE TWO WEEKS - SURVEY DEADLINE - Big Sib/Little Sib Match: 07/10 form submission deadline. The Big/Little Sib Program pairs M2s with incoming M1s, providing new students with a potential mentor and resource for answering questions. Complete your survey ASAP to help us connect students with similar interests and backgrounds...
  
• Information for USMLE Step 1 Accommodation Requests: If you plan to apply for USMLE Step 1 accommodations, please contact Student Accessibility Services and refer to the USMLE information posted on the Student Services SAS-LCOM page...
  • In addition students can visit the USMLE Test Accommodations page.
  • To ensure adequate time to compile application materials, interested students are encouraged to reach out to Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible and speak with an accessibility specialist. 
• Summer Researchers - Merit Award Opportunity: 09/14 submission deadline. All LarnerCOM Summer Research Fellowship student participants are required to submit a final research report as part of their funding agreement, however, all medical students are invited to submit a final report to be eligible for a $500 Summer Research Merit Award...
  

Back to top

Class of 2024

• THESE TWO WEEKS - SURVEY DEADLINE - Little Sib Survey: 07/17 submission deadline. Please complete our “Little Sib Survey” ASAP (if you haven't done so already and you are interested in the program); the info helps your Student Council match you with an M2 "Big Sib" student (a peer mentor & resource who helps you get acquainted with our community).
• Internet Availability and Pricing: We here at COMIS wanted to provide a breakdown of the recommended internet providers and internet speed in the local area. These recommendations are put in place to make your remote learning experience as seamless as possible...
• 2020 AAMC Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ): As of June 30, almost 40% of you had completed your MSQ, placing us ahead of 99 out of 155 participating schools; that's amazing! This important survey was sent to accepted students on Thursday, June 1. The survey is not mandatory, however, your feedback is incredibly valuable to us...
• Think you may have missed something in the WeeklyWire? Don't you worry... we have all of our archived issues available online and we post any announcements to our incoming students under your OASIS Notices (the system under which you are completing your matriculation requirements).

Back to top

WEEKLY UVMLarnerMed FYIs

• THESE TWO WEEKS - SURVEY DEADLINE for Student Leaders - Report Projected 2020-2021 Finance Needs: 07/12 survey submission deadline. We are currently working to accurately map existing finance needs for our active SIG's and student leadership groups (SEG, SJC, Wellness, AAMC OSRs, and Student Council); please help us in this important current endeavor...
• THESE TWO WEEKS - Temporary Summer WeeklyWire Schedule: During the summer, the WeeklyWire becomes the "Bi-WeeklyWire" and is issued every other week for the June 22 - August 02 issues. Please note the following submission deadline schedule for their associated summer issues:
  • 7 a.m. EDT, Friday, July 17 (for Jul 20 - Aug 02 issue)
  • 7 a.m. EDT, Friday, July 31 - returns to weekly schedule (for Aug 03 - Aug 09 issue)
• Implementing SAS-Approved Accommodation Letters: Please contact the Director of Academic Achievement if you have received an accommodation letter from SAS and wish to implement it in the pre-clinical or clinical levels. For more information on Student Accessibility Services, please visit our OMSE/SAS page. Students can email new or updated accommodation letters the Director of Academic Achievement.
• Medical Transition in Admissions Leadership: 07/01 email announcing Dr. Gallant's retirement and welcoming Dr. Feldman as the Interim Associate Dean for Admissions...
• Transition in CMIE Leadership: 07/01 email announcing new appointment for the Associate Dean for Continuing Medical and Interprofessional Education (CMIE)...
• New Larner Medicine Issue! The July 02, 2020 issue (Volume II, Issue 13) of Larner Medicine just hit the shelves; check it out...
• New Medical Student Handbook Policy -  Policy 2565.45   Graduation Degree Requirements (Temporary Addendum): On June 26, medical students were notified via email regarding the new addition of Policy 2565.45 to the Medical Student Handbook...
• Our College Mourns Passing of Collins Oguejiofor '22: We all continue to extend thoughts of care and comfort to the Oguejiofor family, as well as to the friends, fellow medical students, staff, and faculty who knew Collins...
• Message from Dean Rick Page - Juneteenth: 06/19 email from Dean Page, Dean of the Larner College of Medicine...
  
• GreenUVM Issue: The June 2020 GreenUVM issue is now available; check out the most recent issue of the UVM Campus Sustainability newsletter...
• Larner Medicine Issue: The June 18, 2020 issue (Volume II, Issue 12).
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Related Special Reports/Information: 
  • Wednesday Weekly Wonders: 07/01 email - Review Dean Zehle's latest issue of the "Wednesday Weekly Wonders" for some of the latest updates regarding our UVMLarnerMed Community and medical education...
  • Wednesday Weekly Wonders [on Thursday]: 06/25 email.
  • Wednesday Weekly Wonders: 06/17 email.
  • President Garimella unveils Fall 2020 return-to-campus plans: A series of Teams Live events for the UVM community regarding Fall 2020 return-to-campus plans will launch soon. 
  • Wednesday Weekly Wonders: 06/10 email.

Back to top

COMMUNITY WELLNESS

Welcome to the new "Community Wellness" section of the WeeklyWire! Be sure to review this section for any announcements regarding student wellness! If you ever have any questions about this section, it's postings, or any wellness topics, please do not hesitate to contact our Director of Student Well-being, Dr. Lee Rosen.

• Confidential Support Resources:
  • UVM Counseling & Psychiatry Services: (802) 656-3340
  • UVM Student Health Center: (802) 656-3350
• Non-Confidential UVM Support Resources:
  • Secure a Drop-in with the Director of Student Well-being
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UVM – Dr. Margaret Tandoh and Tiffany Delaney
  • UVM Dean of Students Office: (802) 656-3380
  • The Mosaic Center for Students of Color: (802) 656-3819
  • Interfaith Center: (802) 656-4703 Dr. Laura Engelken
• Campus Rec has a great list of outdoor trails and running paths; check them out...
• Campus Rec has an library of fitness and nutrition on IGTV; check them out...
• For Families - Storytelling School with The Moth: Twice a week, The Moth’s Education Program will release a fun storytelling activity for parents and kids to do together. Each activity includes fun educational experiences like how to write or tell your own story, journal prompts, word searches and reflection questions. 
• In the Spirit of Summervale Livestream Concerts: Join the Intervale Center for a revised version of your favorite community food and music festival. The Spirit of Summervale concert series keeps the good tunes flowing and brings together friends, local food, and family in a fun and safe way. The Intervale will go live on their Facebook and Instagram pages every Thursday from July 9th - August 27th from 6:30 - 8PM.
• Burlington City Arts will have two new exhibitions beginning July 22nd: One featuring paintings by Joanne Carson, and one called STAY HOME / STAY SAFE [EXECUTIVE ORDER 01-20], featuring 30 Vermont artists with new work created in response to the theme of ‘home’ and the Vermont Governor’s Executive Orders.
• The BCA Summer Artist Market is going ahead with its summer dates, adhering to State safety guidelines. The upcoming markets will take place at 339 Pine Street from 8:30-2 on the following dates: July 4, 11, 18, & 25, August 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, September 5, 12, 19, & 26, and October 3, 10, & 17.
• Check out Music from the Green, a set of playlists put together by Shelburne Museum of music inspired by their exhibitions and Concerts on the Green. 
• The Helen Day Art Center in Stowe is curating a significant online presence during the pandemic, including virtual gallery visits and features such as a poetry reading by Rajnii Eddins, a personal essay by Rashid Johnson, studio visits, and more.
• Try your hand at a fun origami tutorial.
• Check out livestreams from across the state - like outside general stores, or looking out onto Lake Champlain, the Mad River Valley, and the Waitsfield Covered Bridge.

Back to top

LCOMcares: VOLUNTEER/SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Recently added to our ongoing LCOMcares Service Corps COVID-19 Initiative Resource Document:

• Donate to Fork Over, which directly funds service industry workers who are struggling right now. All you need is an account with Venmo. 
• Donate to the National Domestic Workers Alliance's Coronavirus Care Fund, which will provide support for domestic workers.
• Donate to Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington: Their vision is "to see the greater Burlington area transformed into a place where all Black people thrive bodily, socially, and economically."
• Donate $20 to Barrio Bakery VT to help them deliver bread and baked goods to local organizations in need: Most recently, donations have gone to Heineberg Senior Center, distributing food to seniors around the city, and to Food Not Bombs of Burlington, feeding families in need.
  

Messages of Solidarity - We Stand with the LGBTQ Community: Outreach was incredible last week; the love and support for the LGBTQ community was truly witnessed as we reviewed emails and resources sent our way over the weekend and on Monday morning, in response to a Wire-post advertising JK Rowling's newest children's book. Thank you, our incredible medical students, for all you do for our Larner community and beyond. If you missed it, please review our follow-up (including some links to helpful resources)...

• Larner College of Medicine Solidarity: This message is a video from your faculty and staff at the Office of Medical Student Education to you, our incredible medical students; thank you for everything you are and everything you do...

COVID-19 Disproportionately Impacts Racial & Ethnic Minorities: The impact of COVID-19 on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) continues to be much greater than on other groups. Racism is a risk factor for dying of COVID-19.

• Here are some more great resources, gleaned this week from an Anti-Racist and Racial Justice Community Resources email from the Mosaic Center for Students of Color:
  • The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has put together a reading list.
  • Here are some tips on how to protest police brutality safely and effectively.
  • Here is a resource list compiled for the purpose of providing a starting place for individuals trying to become better allies.
    
• This is an excellent, informative, and enlightening 6-page document on how white supremacy culture shows up in organizations. Very helpfully, it also provides "antidotes" - tangible, actionable ways to change processes, systems, cultures, and mindsets in order to move toward being an antiracist organization. 
• The new app Your Black Friends Are Busy is a growing resource for learning about anti-racism and supporting the people & organizations doing important work for the Black Lives Matter movement.
• The UVM Center for Health and Wellbeing has put together a page on COVID-19 health equity.
• Message from Dean Rick Page - Juneteenth: 06/19 email from Dean Page, Dean of the Larner College of Medicine...
• On June 10, Wanda Heading-Grant, Ed.D., vice president of UVM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and other UVM leaders, students, faculty, staff, and community members presented an online event, titled “Amazing Grace: Finding Answers Together”...
• Doctors clarify why racism against Black Americans is a public health crisis: LCOM infectious disease specialist Dr. Tim Lahey and others on social structures breeding health inequities...
• Read a quote from Wanda Heading-Grant and review a brief selection of helpful anti-racist resources (shared via the UVM Staff Council COVID-19 resources newsletter)...
• Access a list of anti-racism self-education resources compiled by Class of 2023 medical student Krisandra Kneer...
• Antiracism reading resources: The UVM Libraries has compiled resources, books, articles, videos and more for those who may be interested in learning about antiracism at this moment, but are unable to acquire sought-after materials at this time.

Back to top

UNIVERSITY OPPORTUNITIES & UPCOMING EVENTS

UVM Events under COVID-19:
Events should be hosted remotely where and when possible to support our current shelter-in-place recommendations. UVM campus will limit any events/group gatherings to no more than 10 people, physical distancing should be practiced at all times (6 or more feet apart), and hosts should always provide a remote attendance option. 
Please be familiar with the UVM COVID-19 information & resources.

THESE TWO WEEKS:

• Choosing Wisely Recommendation of the Week(s) - Choose Wisely and WIN! Join the LCOM Choosing Wisely STARS in promoting high value care in medical education. Review this week's spotlight recommendation and enter our PRIZE RAFFLE...

• MON, July 06 - TUE, July 07: No UVM/UVMLarnerMed community events posted for these days.
• WED, July 08:
  • Pediatrics Grand Rounds - “Pediatric Advocacy Day”: 07/08, 8-9am, via Zoom.
• THU, July 09:
  • Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds - “Echo-Guided Resuscitation”: 07/09, 12-1pm, via zoom.
• TUE, July 14: No UVM/UVMLarnerMed community events posted for this day.
• WED, July 15:
  • APPLICATION DEADLINE - SNMA Membership/Committee Chair Positions: 07/15 application deadline. Are you interested in becoming a member or taking up leadership at LCOM Student National Medical Association (SNMA)? If you are interested in engaging with projects, initiatives, and outreach...
  • Pediatrics Grand Rounds - “Food for Thought: The Pediatrician’s Approach to Promoting Healthy Eating”: 07/15, 8-9am, via Zoom.
• THU, July 16: No UVM/UVMLarnerMed community events posted for this day. 
• FRI, July 17:
  • WeeklyWire Submission Deadline (summer schedule): 07/17, no later than 7am. Want to submit to the Wire? Submit your posting using our WeeklyWire Online Submission Form.
• SAT, July 18 - SUN, July 19: No UVM/UVMLarnerMed community events posted for these days.

UPCOMING:

• Medical Curriculum Committee Monthly Meeting: 07/21, 5-7pm, via zoom. 
• Pediatrics Grand Rounds - “Medical Education Post-Pandemic Across the Continuum”: 07/22, 8-9am, via Zoom.
• Pediatrics Grand Rounds - “Early Childhood Brain Development—Aligning for Impact”: 07/29, 8-9am, via Zoom.

RECURRING EVENTS:

• FRIDAYS:
  • Department of Medicine Grand Rounds: 8-9am, via Zoom.
• DROP-IN MEETINGS (Remote meetings only, until further notice):
  • Dean for Medical Education 
  • Deans for Students (preclinical, clinical, CT Campus) 
  • Director of Academic Achievement
  • Director of Learning Environment
  • Director of Student Wellbeing

Back to top

STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES

No SFS postings submitted for this issue.

Back to top

RESEARCH, LEADERSHIP & FELLOWSHIP

THESE TWO WEEKS:

• THESE TWO WEEKS - National MS Society is offering a Virtual MS Clinical Mentorship Program Free Didactic Webinars*: to raise awareness of the challenges experienced by people with MS and to generate interest in a career in MS care.
  • "Understanding MS: What It Is and What It Is Not": 07/14, 6-7:30pm.
  • "Disease Modification for Multiple Sclerosis": 07/16, 6-7:30pm.
  • "MS Across the Life Span": 07/21, 6-7:30pm.
  • "A Path Forward: Understanding Healthcare Disparities and Implicit Bias to Improve Health Outcomes": 07/23, 6-7:30pm.
• APPLICATION DEADLINE - SNMA Membership/Committee Chair Positions: 07/15 application deadline. Are you interested in becoming a member or taking up leadership at LCOM Student National Medical Association (SNMA)? If you are interested in engaging with projects, initiatives, and outreach...

UPCOMING:

• Voter Engagement Fellowship (PAID): 7/20 application deadline. Terms of fellowship August 17th - November 20th. UVM Civic Engagement is partnering with the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) to host a Voter Engagement Fellow for Fall 2020...
• Live Online Professional Grant Development Workshop*: 07/23-07/23, 10:30am - 6pm. Workshop Fee: $595.00. Rebate of $45.00 per person is given for two or more registrants from the same organization. Their ultimate goal is for you to walk away with a product specific to your interests, which includes the grant design, abstract and budget...
• ACP VT Call for Abstracts*: 08/16 submission deadline. Calling Vermont Medical Students! Submit your abstract for a clinical vignette or clinical research to the American College of Physicians Vermont State Meeting's Medical Student Poster Competition...
• Summer Researchers - Merit Award Opportunity: 09/14 submission deadline. All LarnerCOM Summer Research Fellowship student participants are required to submit a final research report as part of their funding agreement, however, all medical students are invited to submit a final report to be eligible for a $500 Summer Research Merit Award...

Back to top

ARTS & PUBLICATION

The Nocturnists - "Black Voices in Healthcare"*: New audio documentary series, Black Voices in Healthcare, is finally here (releasing new episodes each Tuesday)! So much to explore about what it means to be Black in healthcare, but for episode 1, "Again," The Nocturnists wanted to honor the grief of this historical moment...

New Green Mountain Medicine Episode Released - "The Power of Pulmonary Prehabilitation" (GMM Episode #10)*: Released 06/18. In this episode, Matt and Dylan interview Dr. Garth Garrison on the utility of pulmonary prehabilitation for patients undergoing elective surgery in a post-COVID19 world. Read more about this episode and/or contact one of the host's, Matt Tsai...

The Nocturnists - Stories from a Pandemic Finale (for now...)*: Recently released "Mourning," the season finale of Part 1 of their "Stories from a Pandemic" series; each clip from the episode has been added to our interactive story map, which shows the geographic breadth of your voices...

Back to top

YOU SAID, WE DID - YOUR WORDS IN ACTION

If you receive feedback from students and put that feedback into action, please let our student community know; submit postings/updates to Medical Student Services by 7am, on Fridays. Postings are reviewed by the Office of Medical Student Education Medical Education Leadership Team on Mondays for inclusion in an upcoming issue of the WeeklyWire. Community members can also view our database of current and past “You Said, We Did” submissions, in the Learning Commons.

Back to top

* = All postings flagged with an asterisk are not UVM-sponsored/endorsed

Subscribe to the WeeklyWire: