UMN Family Medicine Resident and Fellow Commencement

McNamara Alumni Center

University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health held its annual resident and fellow commencement on June 5, 2014, at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis.

The event was catered by D'Amico & Sons, and music was provided by the Daddy Squeeze Trio.

Fifty-eight residents graduated from across our eight family medicine residency programs, along with fellows in sports medicine (two graduates), hospice and palliative medicine (three graduates), human sexuality (one graduate), and behavioral health (one graduate).

Seventeen junior faculty and fellows also completed faculty development training in curriculum design, evaluation, and teaching skills.

A number of family medicine residents and faculty were honored for excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Excellence in Research Award

The Excellence in Research Award was presented to Mankato graduating resident Joanne Genewick, DO, for her study of advance directives.

While working on hospital service, Genewick routinely saw patients who had not taken action to direct their care at end-of-life. A 2013 study from the American Journal of Public Health revealed that "more than 60% of adult participants wanted their end-of-life wishes to be respected; yet, only a third had completed advance directives." As Genewick found, this gap is not uncommon.

To understand the gap, Genewick studied patients who completed advance directives to gain a better understanding of what motivated them to take action.

Among her findings, she discovered:

• Language mattered—how physicians approached the conversation of end-of-life care impacted patient action.
• Targeting various age groups based on readiness to listen showed a direct correlation to patient action.
• Individual patient factors, like education level, had an impact on patient action. 

Joanne Genewick, DO

Faculty Awards

Two faculty were recognized for excellence in education of residents, medical students, and other health professionals: Deanna Bass, MD, Affiliate Faculty Teacher of the Year, and Andrew Slattengren, DO, Faculty Teacher of the Year.

Bass is affiliate faculty, teaching and providing integrated psychiatry services at three of our family medicine residency programs: St. John's Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, and University of Minnesota Medical Center. She was honored for her innovative teaching methods and development of unique tools like the Rapid Interview for Psychiatry model and 50 smart phrases for primary care providers (to improve diagnostic and treatment planning skills). Bass has been a valued member of our teaching team for nearly two decades. She is an advocate for primary care and integrated behavioral medicine.

Deanna Bass, MD

Slattengren is faculty at our North Memorial Family Medicine Residency and currently chairs the planning committee for the 2014 Family Medicine Midwest Conference. He was recognized for his passionate, innovative teaching; commitment to scholarship; and patient care delivery. In their nomination letter, North Memorial residents wrote, "Slattengren created an environment where inquisitive learning is supported and valued."

Andrew Slattengren, DO

Community Service Award

The Leonard P. Burke, MD, Memorial Award is given to the graduating resident whose family medicine training has resulted in a unique service contribution. North Memorial's Keri Bergeson, MD, was honored for building a partnership between North Memorial residency and Exodus House, a homeless shelter in Minneapolis. More specifically, she designed a longitudinal rotation for residents in North Memorial's underserved medicine pathway to provide clinical care at Exodus House once/week.

Throughout her medical training, Bergeson has demonstrated a passion for underserved medicine and a commitment to community service. The director of health services for Catholic Charities, which operates Exodus House, said, "Keri Bergeson, MD, has both head and heart, which is the best combination for a physician."

Her community outreach and service extends beyond this noteworthy project; she has also been actively involved with the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, a free clinic in Minneapolis, and the Interprofessional Street Outreach Program.

Keri Bergeson, MD

STFM Resident Teacher Award

Nine residents from across our eight residency programs were presented the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Resident Teacher Award for demonstrated interest, ability, and commitment to family medicine.

Awardees included Eli Horn, MD, Joanne Genewick, DO, Elizabeth Meichsner, MD, Maiken Strohm, MD, Susan Pleasants, MD, Natalya Lyadova, MD, Kate Brown, MD, Brittany Kalmi, MD, and Gaurav Nigam, MBBS.

MORE

• Check out Storify to read tweets from the event. 
• Visit our Facebook page to see an event photo album. 

A fun shot with our UMMC residency grads and faculty