2018 Resident and Fellow Commencement

On Tuesday, June 5, 2018, we celebrated a group of 64 extraordinary residents and fellows at the University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health’s annual commencement. Held at McNamara Alumni Center on a warm summer evening, the ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to honor the graduating class as they embark on the careers ahead of them.

Department Head James Pacala, MD, MS, addresses graduates

This year’s graduating class included:

• 52 family medicine residents from our eight programs 
• 3 pharmacy residents
• 1 primary care behavioral health fellow 
• 3 hospice and palliative medicine fellows 
• 3 human sexuality fellows 
• 2 sports medicine fellows 
• 16 faculty and fellows who completed Teaching, Evaluation, and Curriculum for Healthcare Professionals, also known as TEACH 
• 7 faculty who completed the Collaboration and Scholarship Intensive for Family Medicine (CSI-FM) program 

For a taste of what the evening was like, read our live tweets from the ceremony using the hashtag #umnfamilymedgrad on Twitter and view photos on Facebook.

Resident and Faculty Awards

After opening remarks by Department Head James Pacala, MD, MS, in which he encouraged graduates to consider their “role as an ambassador for an almost 50-year legacy of excellence,” several graduates and faculty were honored for excellence in teaching, research, and service.



Excellence in Research Award


The Excellence in Research Award was presented to Mankato’s graduating resident Andrew R. Bader, DO, for his impressive commitment to clinical scholarship. Dr. Bader was unanimously nominated by his program’s faculty, who described him as the “embodiment of the scientist-practitioner model.” What’s more, Dr. Bader amassed an impressive six peer-reviewed publications during his three-year residency - the highest publication rate of all residents across the department’s 8 programs.

[Dr. Bader] clearly recognizes that the practice of medicine becomes stagnant if not for ongoing clinical inquiry and scholarly investigation.
- award nominator

Leonard P. Burke, MD, Memorial Award

Graduating St. Joseph’s resident Thuy Duong Nguyen-Tran, MD, was presented this year’s Leonard P. Burke, MD, Memorial Award in honor of her unique service contributions to family medicine. Dr. Nguyen-Tran has been involved in several important projects at Bethesda Clinic that focus on increased community engagement and access to care for patients, especially Karen patients. In addition to serving as co-chief resident, she demonstrated excellent leadership and initiative in helping the clinic provide culturally competent care and develop multiple community partnerships.

[Dr. Nguyen-Tran] is hard working, enthusiastic, and welcoming, and she highlights the positive in every situation.
- award nominator

Faculty Awards

This year’s Affiliate Faculty Teacher of the Year went to Sandra Coffin, MD, (pictured below left) from St. Joseph’s. Nominees described Dr. Coffin’s passion and commitment to teaching, saying, “Often times, Friday afternoons can be one of the more challenging clinic days, but St. Joseph’s family medicine residents look forward to Fridays because they know Dr. Sandra Coffin will be precepting.”

Mankato faculty Erin Westfall, DO, (pictured below right) accepted the Faculty Teacher of the Year Award. As one nominee said, “Dr. Westfall has also taught me about the social responsibilities a great physician demonstrates…Dr. Westfall’s efforts show that it isn’t just about health in our clinic building – it’s about the health of our entire community that truly matters.”

STFM Resident Teacher Awards

Ten residents received the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Resident Teacher Award for demonstrated interest, ability, and commitment to family medicine. Awardees include Duluth residency graduate Charles S. Hackett, MD; Mankato residency graduates William Bensen, DO and Andrew R. Bader, DO; Methodist residency graduate Joshua Edward Scheck, MD; North Memorial residency graduate Melissa Pavek, MD; St. Cloud residency graduate Elina Lipovskiy, DO; St. John’s residency graduate Jennifer Svendsen, MD; St. Joseph’s residency graduates Daniel Smith, DO and Thuy D. Nguyen-Tran, MD; and University of Minnesota Medical Center residency graduate Alexandra Tsvilina, MD, PhD.

Congratulations to all graduates and award recipients!

Save the date for next year’s commencement: June 4, 2019

2017 UMN Family Medicine Residency Grads: By the Numbers

In 2017, 57 medical residents graduated from University of Minnesota family medicine residency programs. An update on where those graduates are practicing or pursuing additional training follows.


Practice/Training Locations

Our graduates are currently practicing or pursuing additional training in the following locations.

• 45 (79%) - Stayed in Minnesota
• 5 - Went West (Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Washington)
• 4 - Went to other Midwestern states (Indiana, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
• 1 - Went East (New Jersey) 
• 1 - Went South (Florida)
• 1 - Went to Canada

Of our 57 graduates, one went to a sports medicine fellowship and three went into academic/faculty positions.

All other graduates pursued roles that were in community health service, hospital-based or private practice with health systems, medical centers, and clinics.

2017 AAFP National Conference

This year’s American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students was held on July 27 through July 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference gives medical students an opportunity to attend workshops, network, and gain insights into family medicine.


Representatives speaking with medical students

Our faculty, residents, and staff went as exhibitors to promote our residency programs. We also sponsored scholarships for medical students to attend and learn more about family medicine.

Over 4,000 people from across the nation attended this year’s conference and over 500 medical students visited U of M Family Medicine in the Expo Hall. Below is a list of all U of M Family Medicine Residency Program representatives.

DULUTH

• Jamie Conniff, MD, faculty
• Elizabeth (Libby) Feist, MD, second-year resident
• Joshua Kropko, DO, second-year resident
• Jesse Susa, MD, second-year resident

Third-year St. Cloud resident
Jamie Finke, MD

MANKATO

• Ryan Brower, MD, second-year resident
• Bob Jeske, MD, faculty

METHODIST

• Seun Acquah, MD, second-year resident
• Allyson Hayward, MSW, faculty
• Chris Leonard, MD, second-year resident
• Josh Scheck, MD, third-year resident
• Jeremy Springer, MD, program director
• Mary Wagner, MD, associate program director

NORTH MEMORIAL

• Renée Crichlow, MD, associate program director and MAFP representative
• Mark Nelson, MD, second-year resident
• Melissa Pavek, MD, third-year resident
• Lauren Williams, MD, third-year resident and MAFP representative

UMMC faculty Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH (left),
and administrative coordinator
Raquel Van Norman (right)

ST. CLOUD

• Jamie Finke, MD, third-year resident
• Leesa Larson, MD, second-year resident
• Dennis Peterson, MD, faculty

ST. JOHN'S

• Kathryn Brown, MD, MS, faculty
• Tom Haroldson, MD, third-year resident
• Tony Nguyen, MD, second-year resident

ST. JOSEPH'S

• Paige Holmgren, MD, third-year resident
• Manuel Idrogo, MD, faculty
• Thuy Nguyen-Tran, MD, third-year resident

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL CENTER

Second-year Methodist resident
Suen Acquah, MD, presenting her poster

• Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH, associate program director
• Kriti Choudhary, MBBS, MPH, third-year resident
• Anna Larson, DO, third-year resident
• Sharon Toor, MD, second-year resident
• Raquel Van Norman, administrative staff

DEPARTMENT FACULTY & STAFF

• Karen Borchert, MD, Twin Cities campus FMIG advisor and UMN Medical Center faculty
• Laura Pham, residency programs admissions and recruitment coordinator
• Heidi Cerdas Monge, MBA, graduate medical education curriculum coordinator

St. Cloud faculty Dennis Peterson, MD,
demonstrating a procedure

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

• Second-year Methodist resident Oluwaseun (Seun) Acquah, MD, was selected to present her residency program's poster titled “Food Insecurity: Identification of an Effective Screening Process.”

• St. Cloud faculty Dennis Peterson, MD, assisted in the hands-on, skills-based point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) workshop. He demonstrated ultrasound scans on conference attendee volunteers, then assisted them as they performed scans on the volunteers.

• Third-year University of Minnesota Medical Center resident Andrea Larson, DO, presented a poster titled "A Toolbox for Trans Care," co-authored by University of Minnesota Medical Center faculty Carrie Link, MD.

• Third-year North Memorial resident Lauren Williams, MD, presented a poster titled "Advocacy 101," with Peter Meyers from United Family Medicine. 

View photos from the conference

SOCIAL MEDIA

The traveling Loon trophy

For the fourth year in a row, we held a friendly social media challenge between our eight residency programs. For the challenge, we specifically tracked Twitter usage using #aafpnc. The residency program and individual who tweeted the most using #aafpnc received prizes. 


This year’s winning team was our North Memorial program, with a grand total of 121 tweets. They will receive the traveling Loon trophy (our version of the Twitter bird.) This year's individual winner was third-year Methodist resident Josh Scheck, MD, with a total of 71 tweets. He wins a gift from the University of Minnesota Bookstore.

Past winners

2016: Program winner: Methodist; Individual winner: Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, Methodist
2015: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Carrie Link, MD, University of Minnesota Medical Center
2014: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Renée Crichlow, MD, North Memorial

We look forward to next year’s conference, which will be held on Thursday, August 2 through Saturday, August 4, 2018 in Kansas City, MO.

2017 MAFP Spring Refresher

On April 20-21, the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health attended the 2017 Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) Spring Refresher at The Depot Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

Jon Hallberg, MD, left, presenting with
UMN medical student Nathan Ratner, right.

The MAFP Spring Refresher is an annual family medicine conference for family physicians, family medicine residents, medical students, and allied health professionals. The conference covers updates in medical knowledge, skills workshops, clinical practice improvements and innovations, and more. It's also a great opportunity for Minnesota-based family physicians to connect with colleagues from across the state.


A number of our residents and faculty were in attendance at this year's conference. Several gave presentations, including

• Patricia Adam, MD, MSPH
• Darin Brink, MD
• Emily Onello, MD with Kristin Raab, MPH, MLA
• Jon Hallberg, MD, with Nathan Ratner

Two papers from the 2017 MAFP Innovation and Research Forum were designated as “papers of greatest interest,” meaning they were invited to be presented at the Spring Refresher. Those papers were by Tim Ramer, MD, on work after clinic, and Mary Becker, PhD, on Naloxone and accidental opioid overdose.

Resident and Student Workshop

New this year was the Resident and Student Workshop. Activities included career and residency connections, MED talks, a loan repayment session, and procedure workshops.

The following people represented UMN Family Medicine:

• Oluwakemi Ajibade, MD 
• Nadar Ali, MD
• Karen Borchert, MD
• Judith Boylan, MD
• Kathryn Brown, MD, MS
• Jay Dirks, MD 
• Ashley Estrem, DO
• Charles Hackett, MD 
• Katie Hamilton
• Amanda Hinrichs, DO
• Katie Freeman, MD
• Robert Kagigebi, MD
• Jesse Klingelhoets, MD
• Clarice Konshok, MD
• Vince LaPorte, MD 
• Anna Larson, DO
• Tanner Nissly, DO 
• Arlene Rillo, MD 
• Tom Satre, MD 
• Andrew Slattengren, DO
• Ayman Srajeldin, MD, ND  
• Keith Stelter, MD, MMM
• Jesse Susa, MD 
• Charles Vang, MD

Pictured top right, left to right: Representatives from UMN Medical Center include Ayman Srajeldin, MD, ND; Oluwakemi Ajbade, MD; Katie Hamilton; Nadar Ali, MD; and Arlene Rillo, MD. 

Bottom right: Tom Satre, MD, St. Cloud program director, teaches students about knee injections during the procedure workshops.

Honors and Awards  

Congratulations to the following faculty who were honored at the conference for their contributions to family medicine education and research. See all 2017 award winners and nominees.

Educator of the Year

Renée Crichlow, MD, North Memorial associate program director, received multiple nominations. One of the nominations stated, “Renée mentors our residents and medical students on topics of research, resilience, and worklife balance. She is a fierce proponent for underrepresented minorities in health care, championing a diverse work force. She inspires fellow faculty members by insisting we ‘keep it real.’”

Innovation & Research Award

Macaran Baird, MD, MS, department head, “is, and always has been, an innovator,” according to Angela Buffington, PhD, MA, director of behavioral medicine at Mankato. “Early on in his training, he recognized that family medicine is a specialty that thrives when practiced via novel approaches that are groundbreaking, team-based, and inspiring. He subsequently devoted his career to challenging clinicians in multiple disciplines to collaborate in thinking about different ways to improve the health and well-being of patients.” View award tribute to Dr. Baird.

Congratulations to all who received an award!

Xperience Hall

At this year’s Spring Refresher, the exhibit hall was transformed into the "Xperience Hall" where all non-CME activities took place. Attendees explored a host of valuable resources for MN family docs as well as burnout-busting fun like mini-golf and ping pong.

We had a great time visiting with current and former faculty and residents, community physicians, and University of Minnesota medical students. We shared booth space with the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) and Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP).

We asked attendees to answer the following question—“where do you practice, precept, or train?”

Attendees wrote their names on pieces of paper and pinned them to the corresponding locations on a large map of Minnesota. Attendees also pinned where they did their RPAP experience if they were an RPAP alumni. We were proud to show that Minnesota family physicians care for ALL communities across the state--rural and urban.

We also gave away many UMN alumni buttons, in which 20 people were able to wear all three as an alumni of the Medical School, family medicine residency, and RPAP.

Looking Ahead

The 2018 conference will be held at the St. Paul RiverCentre.
For more information, visit the MAFP website.

University of Minnesota Family Medicine Match Results 2017

Students discovering match results at the Match Day ceremony

On Friday, March 17, graduating University of Minnesota medical students gathered with family and friends at McNamara Alumni Center to find out where they will begin their residency.

Match Day is an important date shared by medical students across the country. Students receive an official letter from the National Residency Match Program (NRMP), letting them know which residency, and in what city, they will start their medical training.

We are proud to say that this year was a success for all U of M family medicine residency programs.

MATCH DAY HIGHLIGHTS

• All eight U of M Family Medicine residency programs filled. 
• Interest in family medicine continued its upward trend for the eighth consecutive year.
• The total number of medical students choosing family medicine was 3,237, up 132 from the 3,105 last year. (source: AAFP)

Below is a complete list of names of our new family medicine residents.

U of M FAMILY MEDICINE, CLASS OF 2020

DULUTH (9)

• Luke Albares - Albany Medical College

• Mark Bostrom - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Benjamin Dummer - University of Minnesota Medical School

• James Erickson - West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
• 
Allison Juba - Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine 
• Mindi Kvaal Anderson - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Alison Liewen - Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania 
• Charles Tabor - University of Minnesota Medical School

• Jessica Taylor - University of Minnesota Medical School 

MANKATO (6)

• Jeremiah Fairbanks - Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Daniel Olson - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Joshua Ostrue - A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
• Benjamin Paul - A.T. Still University of Health Sciences‐Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
• 
Jordan Schild - University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine
• Eric Valder - Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine

METHODIST (6)

• Katherine Baillon - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
• Amanda Honsvall - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Tyler Lacey - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Laura Murphy - University of Minnesota Medical School
• 
Emma Sieling - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Rebecca Siffring - University of Minnesota Medical School 

NORTH MEMORIAL (8)

• Lucas Boyle - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Nailah Cash‐O'Bannon - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Anne Doering - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Lee Haggenjos - Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
• 
Jennifer Lee - University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine
• Ebiere Okah - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Laura Robitschek - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University 
• Katherine Swanson - Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine

ST. CLOUD (5)

• Marlen Henning - Universität Hamburg Medizinische Fakultät
• Daniel O'Connor - St. George's University School of Medicine
• Adei Shaqra - Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Siri Shaqra - Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• 
Zareen Zaka - Army Medical College

ST. JOHN'S (6)

• Cameron Blegen - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Kayla Lange - Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Luke Leblanc - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Justin Meyers - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Benjamin Rosenstein - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Haley Stewart - Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

ST. JOSEPH'S (8)

• Abbie Bruning - A.T. Still University of Health Sciences‐Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Christopher Culhane - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Dennis Ea - University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Thomas Krumme - University of Minnesota Medical School
• 
Nadjeschda Nordquist - Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Betlehem Semahge - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Stephanie Vilendrer - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Christina Werman - A.T. Still University of Health Sciences‐Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL CENTER (6)

• Julie Amaon - American University of Antigua College of Medicine
• Kelsey Finn - Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Alysse Victoria Cruz - Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Joseph MacDonald - University of Minnesota Medical School
• Justin Penny - Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
• Elizabeth Rowe - Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

Congratulations to all. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for our incoming family medicine residents!

2016 UMN Family Medicine Residency Grads: By the Numbers

In 2016, 55 medical residents graduated from University of Minnesota family medicine residency programs. An update on where those graduates are practicing or pursuing additional training follows.

Practice/Training Locations

Our graduates are currently practicing or pursuing additional training in the following locations.

• 36 (65%) - Stayed in Minnesota
• 9 (16%) - Stayed in Midwest
• 4 - Went West (Colorado, Oregon, and Nevada)
• 3 - Went East (Ohio, South Carolina, and New Hampshire) 
• 2 - Went out of the country (Zambia and New Zealand)
• 1 - Went South (Texas)

Of our 55 graduates, four of them went into fellowship programs in sports medicine (2), hospice and palliative medicine (1), and sleep medicine (1).

All other graduates pursued roles that were either hospital-based or private practice with health systems, medical centers, and clinics.

Students Design Oberstar's Hip Injection Trainer

From left to right are project advisor Adam Choe, MS,
student Trevor Laughlin, project sponsor Jennifer Oberstar, MD,
students Nathan Stob, Daniel Sherman, and Rachael Brandt.

Jennifer Oberstar, MD, offered University of Minnesota senior mechanical engineering students to design a hip simulator as a way to teach learners how to do ultrasound-guided hip injections. The project was proposed in Fall 2016 to undergraduate students in the capstone senior engineering design course where teams of four to six students work for one semester on an engineering design project that’s sponsored by a local company or UMN researcher. Students then present their projects at the course’s Design Show at the end of the semester.

The students who worked on the hip simulator were Dan Sherman, Nathon Stob, Rachael Brandt, and Trevor Laughlin. Oberstar was the sponsor of the project, and Adam Choe, MS, from the University of Minnesota Medical Devices Center, was the project advisor.

“I thought the students produced an excellent prototype in the three months provided,” Oberstar said. “At the start of the project, the students were unfamiliar with the procedure and how to use ultrasound. They worked well as a team and were thoughtful with their design.”

The hip injection trainer project was offered to students because it required engineering knowledge and was an opportunity for a “real world” application. Projects with “real world” applications are more engaging for learners, and Oberstar also saw that this was an opportunity to collaborate across disciplines.

According to Oberstar, the prototype will now be introduced to experts performing ultrasound-guided hip injections. Further research will be conducted to validate the prototype. Adjustments to the current device may occur after input from faculty and learners.

The Hip Injection Trainer was funded by the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Discovery Fund. Oberstar received funding in 2016 to develop training for family medicine residents to further hone their skills in ultrasound-guided hip injections.

HOW IT WORKS

Injection site

The injection site was created with low-hardness silicone and tactile mutilator additives to create a medium that looks and feels like human tissue when injecting under ultrasound.

In addition, each injection site contains a conductive textile, which signals the boundary of the target injection area.

Body

The lower body of the hip injection trainer contains two injectable hips molded into moderately hardened silicone.

The upper body is composed of lower-hardness silicone with the same approximate density as human muscle tissue.

Feedback system

The electronic feedback system of the hip injection trainer contains a red light-emitting diode (LED) and green LED, signaling a failed or successful injection, respectively.

A learner injects the injection site, and when passing through the conductive textile located in the bottom of the injection site, a circuit is completed, signaling a successful injection. However, no LEDs are lit until the learner depresses the plunger on the needle, signaling a finished injection.

From left to right are students Trevor Laughlin, Rachael Brandt, Daniel Sherman, and Nathan Stob.

Family Medicine Midwest from a Medical Student's Perspective

The following piece was written by first-year University of Minnesota medical student Kyle Lau and describes his experience at the 2016 Family Medicine Midwest Conference.

First-year University of Minnesota
medical student Kyle Lau

Thank you for supporting my travel to the Midwest Family Medicine Conference. My experience in Indianapolis has strengthened my passion to pursue family medicine.

I was inspired by leaders like Dr. Clif Knight and Dr. Michael LeFevre who shared their perspectives and stories on family medicine. Also, I was able to connect with students from other medical schools and share ideas on how we can promote family medicine at each of our institutions.

Attending this conference was especially important for alleviating my concerns about entering family medicine. By understanding that my peers and predecessors have all had the same worries as me, it gave me a sense of unity and strength that I could draw from to overcome my challenges as a family physician.

Coming from a low socioeconomic background and continuing to work as I attend medical school, I became distracted by how other specialties could provide more financial support than family medicine. I was misguided on how other specialties receive the majority of the prestige and was measuring my success in ways that did not truly matter to me. I needed a reminder on why I went into medicine. A reminder on how I first fell in love with the service of medicine. I went into medicine because I could form long-lasting, trusting relationships with my patients and make a difference in my community. Coming to this conference allowed me to realign my values and pursue my vocation.

Another reason why I was worried about going into family medicine was because I cowered at the thought of being the only physician for my community. I am afraid that there will come times when I am not enough to serve the needs of my community. I am afraid I will not be able to provide adequate care because I do not have enough resources, enough bed space, enough knowledge, or worse, not enough compassion because I was working long hours.

Yet attending this conference connected me with peers and mentors that share and have overcome these same concerns. Dr. LeFevre discussed the future of medicine and said that we will never have everything our communities need, but we are all they have.

And when we give our best efforts and put our patients first, everything else will fall into place. Throughout my medical journey, I need to hold onto that sacred trust between my patients and me and have faith that I will be able to make a difference in their lives as a family physician.

Thank you,
Kyle Lau

Minnesota Monthly Presents "Best Doctors" 2016

Minnesota Monthly has released its “Best Doctors” 2016 list comprised of 877 physicians in 51 categories. They asked 10,000 licensed Minnesota doctors who they would recommend if they or a loved one needed care. Their most frequent answers represent the list.

AAFP National Conference 2016 Recap

This year’s American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students was held on July 28 through July 30 in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference gives medical students an opportunity to attend workshops, network, and gain insights into family medicine.


Our faculty, residents, and staff went as exhibitors to promote our residency programs. We also sponsored scholarships for medical students to attend and learn more about family medicine.

This year’s conference drew a record number of attendees with 1,210 residents and 1,349 medical students from across the nation. From the University of Minnesota, 46 medical students attended the conference. Below is a list of all U of M family medicine residency program representatives.

Duluth

Mankato third-year resident Jared Colvert, DO and program director John McCabe, MD

• Kristin Comstock, MD, second-year resident
• Charles Hackett, MD, second-year resident
• E. Tolga Hanhan, MD, first-year resident
• John Wood, MD, associate program director

Mankato

• Jared Colvert, DO, third-year resident
• John McCabe, MD, program director

Methodist

• Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, second-year resident
• Josh Scheck, MD, second-year resident
• Stephen Schwartz, MD, second-year resident



Left to right: North Memorial faculty Laura Miller, MD, second-year resident
 Lauren Williams, MD, first-year resident Nat Fondell, MD, faculty Renee Crichlow, MD,
 and third-year resident Meredith Bourne, MD

• Jeremy Springer, MD, program director

North Memorial

• Meredith Bourne, MD, third-year resident
• Reneé Crichlow, MD, faculty 
• Nat Fondell, MD, first-year resident
• Laura Miller, MD, faculty
• Lauren Williams, MD, second-year resident (MAFP-sponsored)

St. Cloud

• Dennis Peterson, MD, faculty
• 
Noah Retka, MD, third-year resident

St. John’s

St. Cloud faculty Dennis Peterson, MD, and third-year resident Noah Retka, MD

• Bobby Kagigebi, MD, third-year resident

• Kaitlyn Schoeck, MD, third-year resident

• Angela Smithson, MD, MPH, program director
• 
Jennifer Svendsen, MD, second-year resident

St. Joseph’s

• Robert Hlavacek, DO, third-year resident

• Manuel Idrogo, MD, faculty

• Michael Nasenbeny, MD, third-year resident

• Margaret Perko, MD, third-year resident

University of Minnesota Medical Center


• Andrea Larson, DO, second-year resident

• Carrie Link, MD, faculty
• Raquel Van Norman, administrator

Department Staff

• Tanner Nissly, DO, faculty advisor for the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) on the Twin Cities campus and North Memorial faculty

• Laura Pham, residency programs coordinator

• Nkauj Shoua Vang, communications specialist

Social Media

The traveling Loon trophy

For the third year in a row, we held a friendly social media challenge between our eight residency programs. For the challenge, we specifically tracked Twitter usage using #aafpnc. The residency program and individual who tweeted the most using #aafpnc received prizes. 


This year’s winning team was our Methodist program, with a grand total of 359 tweets. They will receive the traveling Loon trophy (our version of the Twitter bird.) This year's individual winner was second-year Methodist resident Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, with a total of 189 tweets. He wins a $30.00 gift card to the University of Minnesota Bookstore.

Methodist program director Jeremy Springer, MD, with second-year residents Jesse Klingelhoets, MD, Josh Scheck, MD, and Steve Schwartz, MD.

Past winners:
2015: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Carrie link, MD, University of Minnesota Medical Center
2014: Program winner: North Memorial; Individual winner: Reneé Crichlow, MD, North Memorial

In addition to sponsoring a social media challenge on Twitter, we used the new Facebook Live feature to introduce our programs and encourage attendees to stop by program booths. Click here to see the videos. If you were unable to attend this year’s conference, you can view photos from our exhibit here.

We look forward to next year’s conference, which will be held on July 27 through July 29, 2017.

Medical students visiting with our program representatives

Mpls. St.Paul Magazine 2016 Top Doctors

Mpls. St. Paul Magazine released its 20th annual list of Top Doctors in the Twin Cities this month. We are proud to announce that a number of University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health faculty were named in the specialties of family medicine, geriatrics, and sports medicine.

Metro area physicians and registered nurses were asked to nominate one or more doctors whom they would choose if they or a loved one were seeking medical care. Candidates who made the final list were grouped into 42 specialties and evaluated on a variety of factors, such as peer recognition, professional achievement, and disciplinary history. The highest scoring doctors were then invited to serve on a blue-ribbon panel and asked to evaluate candidates in their practice area. Physicians who acquired the highest total points from the survey, research, and blue-ribbon panel review were named to the Mpls. St.Paul Magazine 2016 Top Doctors list.

Congratulations to the following faculty who were named 2016 Top Doctors:

July cover of Mpls. St.Paul Magazine

Family Medicine

Patricia Adam, MD, MSPH
Sharon Allen, MD, PhD
Nancy Baker, MD
Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH
Jon Hallberg, MD
Kara Pacala, MD
Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH
Christopher Reif, MD, MPH
Jamie Santilli, MD
Jeremy Springer, MD
Carolyn Torkelson, MD, MS
Mary Wagner, MD

Geriatrics 

Michael Dunkinfield, MD
Teresa McCarthy, MD, MS
James Pacala, MD, MS

Sports Medicine

Robert Johnson, MD
David Olson, MD
Steven Stovitz, MD, MS

Click here to view
the complete list of Top Doctors.

2016 Resident and Fellow Commencement

Welcome, Class of 2019!

U of M, Class of 2019

On Friday, June 17, University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health department head Macaran Baird, MD, MS, welcomed 54 new residents at orientation. Below is a message to the class of 2019 from Dr. Baird.  

Welcome everyone,

We are thrilled that you are beginning your story in family medicine with us.

Our goal here at the University of Minnesota is to deliver on the promise of family medicine.

What does that mean? 

• We want to be a leader in training family physicians for Minnesota and beyond.

• We want to improve the health of underserved communities and populations.

• We want to drive research in health disparities and healthcare delivery.

• And, most importantly, we want to ensure quality care for the whole person.

This is a big promise, and it takes energetic, talented, dedicated people like you to make it happen. We are counting on you to help transform the field of family medicine. You are the future of this ever-changing field. A strong primary care workforce is a big part of the solution to America’s health problems, and you are leading the innovation and transformation in primary care.

Here at the U of M, you will work along side many talented people, not just family physicians. You will work with pharmacists, therapists of different kinds, social workers, medical assistants, care coordinators, and more. The teams that you will work with have many more components than they did some years ago. These teams need your passion, your energy, and your intellect.

We will also be learning from you. You raise questions and do things that teach us while we teach you. Because of your ideas and questions, faculty learn faster. If we are teachers, we need to learn at a faster rate than we would in traditional practice. Many of our faculty continue teaching because of you and the questions and ideas you bring.

Some of you may be familiar with the Triple Aim in primary care – enhancing patient experience, improving health, and reducing costs. Over the past few years, the Triple Aim has expanded to the Quadruple Aim, making the experience enjoyable for not only the patient, but also the provider—you.

We often forget about making the provider’s experience more enjoyable, but if you force someone to get things done, it doesn’t work. They become dispirited or dismayed about their work role and do not put forth their best ideas. They lose energy, not gain it, and the system gradually fails. It is important to take care of yourself and each other—the system works better if you are feeling reasonably managed, taken care of, and supported in your endeavors.

If you want to affirm the patient in front of you, help them feel capable enough to get through the next day despite the odds they are facing, you have to feel that way too.

On an easy day, you might be able to offer your smile, courtesy, or just decentness to a patient. But, on a tough day, feeling under supported, you might do something less accommodating to the patient, and you may walk away feeling worse, no matter the problem.

You can affirm people everyday by simply being the kind of person that you are now. Don’t let us take that part of you away. You’ve got it now, and if it starts to shrink, talk to us! Almost all of us hit the wall every now and then, but I want you to always remember that we are here for you. We support you. You matter to us.

Residency is the start of a new chapter in your lives. The next three years will be challenging, rewarding, and fun.
I look forward to watching you all grow as family physicians.

University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health department head Macaran Baird, MD, MS