Faculty Dwenda Gjerdingen, MD, MS, Retires From the U of M Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

After more than 34 years of service, department faculty Dwenda Gjerdingen, MD, MS, retired on January 8, 2016. She was faculty in the University of Minnesota St. Joseph's Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. Her primary interest was women’s health, and she had been active in postpartum research for more than 25 years.

The following post is a Q&A with Gjerdingen, reflecting on her time as a family medicine physician, researcher, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota. 

What roles have you held during your time here in family medicine?

• Associate and interim director of St. Joseph’s residency, 1982-1999

• Director of the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) course

• Research fellow (completed MS in clinical research in 2011)

• Researcher of women’s postpartum health 

• Member and former chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee

• Educator of family medicine residents and medical students

Will you share some highlights of your research in postpartum depression?

I had the privilege of working with a great team of investigators from the UMN School of Public Health, Department of Psychiatry, and other academic and clinical institutions. We conducted a series of studies, looking at:

• The nature and duration of postpartum recovery

• The correlation of postpartum mental health with other variables (health, social, employment). Our research was the first to show a direct relationship between women’s postpartum mental health and their length of maternity leave.

• The impact of stepped collaborative care on postpartum depression outcomes.

• Validity tests of the two-question screen and PHQ-9 for postpartum depression.

• The feasibility of screening for postpartum depression during well-child visits. 

It is exciting to see others furthering this line of research for the benefit of mothers and their families. 

What do you enjoy most about teaching residents?

Our residents are fantastic to work with—they are sharp, kind, hard-working, care about their patients, and are just nice people. What more could you want?

What are your favorite memories from your time here in family medicine?

Years (no, decades) ago, our residents used to go Christmas caroling in the hospital. Sometimes, the hospital staff would join us, and it was a very uplifting, delightful experience, enjoyed by all. I suppose there are all kinds of rules against this today, but the shared music really seemed to build good will, and the harmonies were beautiful!

My more recent favorite memories are the conversations that we have in our precepting room at the clinic. Everyone chimes in—medical students, residents, faculty, PharmDs, psychotherapists—and, it is not uncommon for the entire room to end up laughing together over some silly story.

What are your plans for retirement?

I hope to spend more time with my husband and family, perhaps travel, enjoy walking, reading, cooking, playing piano, volunteering at church. I have a special interest in wellness (nutrition and exercise), so I am hoping that I might contribute to some community wellness initiative. 

Do you have anything else you would like to share?

I will greatly miss the people I’ve had a chance to work with, those at our residency program, in other affiliated programs, and within our central department. Wow, I have so many good memories. Thanks everyone!

Gjerdingen, (front row, far right) with a group of
family medicine residents from the 1970s

Beginning Your Story in Family Medicine at the U of M

U of M, Class of 2018

The following message is from University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health department head Macaran Baird, MD, MS, to our incoming class of residents, the class of 2018. 

This July will be the start of my fourteenth year leading this department. It's been an incredible journey.

Every day I have the privilege of working alongside talented, dedicated colleagues, such as yourselves, who truly believe that the specialty of family medicine can transform our nation's healthcare system.
 

And, each year, I am encouraged by the residents that join our ranks. I'm encouraged by your passion, by your dedication, by your talent. 



It's no secret that family medicine is NOT for the faint of heart. You're entering residency at a time when the landscape of healthcare is not only challenging but ever changing—sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. You chose this field not because it would be easy, but because you care—you care about people, you care about relationships, you care about transformation. 


Some of you may already know this, but we were among the first family medicine departments and residencies in the nation. We believed then, as we believe now, that caring for the whole person, across the lifespan, is preventive medicine at its best.

Each of our eight residency programs—Duluth, Mankato, Methodist, North Memorial, St. Cloud, St. John's, St. Joseph's, University of Minnesota Medical Center—shares in the commitment to full spectrum family medicine training. Each program will prepare you to provide comprehensive, personalized care for the whole person in ANY setting: urban, rural, global. But each program is also distinguished by its community, unique feel, and curricular strengths. 


You are part of your residency program, but you are also part of a greater whole. You are part of this department, part of this University. You’re part of our mission to transform and renew family medicine through education, research, and patient care.  



This is an exciting time to be joining our ranks. Why? Because, we're energized, we're excited. We want to see reform in payment models. We want to see reform in healthcare delivery. We want to knock down barriers to care. We have a vision for family medicine—a vision for change, for transformation. We want to make individuals healthier, families healthier, communities healthier. This fall, we'll be sharing more about that vision, and we couldn't be happier to have you on our team. 


Our desire, though, is that you’re an advocate for family medicine beyond the walls of your clinic, this department, this institution. Family medicine is in the fight of its life. I would encourage you to get involved in professional organizations, both on the local and national level; be part of a national movement for change. Get connected to organizations like Primary Care Progress, Family Medicine for America’s Health, MAFP, AAFP, and STFM.

Stand up for your patients. Stand up for patients who have no one standing up for them. Stand up for your training. Stand up for your future practice. Stand up for our specialty. In doing so, remember you’re a professional and a representative of this department, this University. You’re accountable for your behavior, your words, your actions.

Residency is the start of a new chapter in your lives. These next three years will be challenging, rewarding, and fun. As a University of Minnesota alum, I can tell you that your time here will be a great way to begin your story in family medicine.

I look forward to watching your stories unfold and am so glad that you became part of our story as well.

U of M Family Medicine and Community Health
department head Macaran Baird, MD, MS

University of Minnesota at Family Medicine Midwest 2014

Family Medicine Midwest held its third annual conference last week in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The conference attracted 450 medical students, family medicine residents and faculty, and other health care professionals from across the Midwest.

What is Family Medicine Midwest?

The Family Medicine Midwest Foundation was designed to help identify and support Midwest students interested in family medicine.

Member organizations include Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota academies of family physicians as well as medical schools and family medicine residences from across the Midwest.

The foundation sponsors an annual conference, with the following aims:

• Showcase Midwest family medicine residencies
• Provide a forum for scholarly work and research presentations
• Highlight community-based practice and best practice sharing
• Promote cooperative and collaborative health care innovation

UMN Family Medicine at the Conference

PLANNING
University of Minnesota family medicine faculty Andrew Slattengren, DO, is vice chair of the Family Medicine Midwest Foundation. He also served as chair of the host/planning committee for the 2014 conference. The host committee included University of Minnesota family medicine faculty Patricia Adam, MD, MSPH, John McCabe, MD, Jacob Prunuske, MD, MSPH, and Angela Smithson, MD, MPH.

Andrew Slattengren, DO, left, addresses conference attendees.

PRE-CONFERENCE
Pre-conference events covered a variety of medical topics, including affordable medications and global health. University of Minnesota family medicine faculty Jody Lounsbery, PharmD, Jean Moon, PharmD, and Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH, were among pre-conference presenters.

OPENING PLENARY
The opening plenary was a Hippocrates Cafe performance, "The Essence of Family Medicine." Hippocrates Cafe productions use professional actors and musicians to explore complex health care topics through story and song. University of Minnesota family medicine faculty and Hippocrates Cafe creator Jon Hallberg, MD, hosts each show, providing context for performances.
(More about Hippocrates Cafe.)

Hippocrates Cafe performer T. Mychael Rambo sings.

AWARDS & HONORS
Awards were presented to faculty and students demonstrating significant achievement or noticeable impact in the field of family medicine.

The Mid-Career Faculty Achievement Award was given to University of Minnesota family medicine faculty Reneé Crichlow, MD, for her innovative teaching methods, community activism, and commitment to research. Of Crichlow's numerous contributions to the field, her unique health career mentorship program, which empowers underserved youth to see a career in health care as an attainable pursuit, is among the most inspiring.

Reneé Crichlow, MD

The Power to Change Our World Award was given to University of Minnesota medical student Melissa McCoy for her global approach to health care. McCoy has spent time locally and abroad caring for underserved communities and learning about international health.

Right, Melissa McCoy

The conference also gave out I3 (Inspiring, Innovative, or Invigorating) awards, which were "pop-up" awards; any conference attendee could nominate another attendee for something inspiring, innovative, and invigorating. Crichlow and University of Minnesota medical student Peter Meyers were among I3 awardees. Meyers is a clinical innovation fellow with the grassroots organization Primary Care Progress.

SPEED DATE THE SPECIALTY
The conference held a speed date the specialty lunch for student attendees to learn more about different aspects of family medicine. Topics included addiction medicine, global health, health policy, motivational interviewing, residency interviewing, transgender health, women's health, and beyond.

University of Minnesota family medicine faculty Jerica Berge, PhD, MPH, Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH, Reneé Crichlow, MD, Lauren Giammar, MD, Bob Levy, MD, Carrie Link, MD, John McCabe, MD, Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH, and Carolyn Torkelson, MD, MS, were among faculty  speed daters.

John McCabe, MD (in yellow), with student speed daters.

PRESENTATIONS/POSTERS
A number of University of Minnesota family medicine faculty and residents as well as University of Minnesota medical students presented on topics in family medicine and primary care.

Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH, discusses stigmas in family medicine.

Presenters included faculty Patricia Adam, MD, MSPH, Ben Baechler, MD, Nicole Chaisson, MD, MPH, Reneé Crichlow, MD, Alan Johns, MD, MEd, Bob Levy, MD, Carrie Link, MD, Diane Madlon-Kay, MD, MS, Laura Miller, MD, Tanner Nissly, DO, Jacob Prunuske MD, MPH, Andrew Slattengren, DO, and Ruth Westra, DO, MPH; and residents Naveen Anantha, MBBS, Camille DeLisi, DO, Rachel Franchi-Winters, DO, Betsy Gilbertson, MD, Amanda Hinrichs, DO, Andrew Houghton, MD, Timothy Kufahl, MD, MS, Kevin Manzel, DO, Kristina Schultz, DO, Adalberto Torres, MD, Cora Walsh, MD, Luke Widstrom, DO, and Sufian Zayed, MD.

Topics included childhood vaccinations, collaborative care, community engagement, end-of-life care, global health, mentorship, osteopathic manipulation, patient satisfaction, prenatal care, public health, stigma in family medicine, and beyond.

EXHIBIT HALL
All eight University of Minnesota family medicine residency programs exhibited at the conference.

University of Minnesota family medicine booth space.

PHOTOS
Check out our conference photo album at z.umn.edu/fmmidwestphotos14.

See You Next Year

Next year's conference will be  held October 9-11 in Rosemont, Illinois. Get details at www.iafp.com/fmm.