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Showing posts from November, 2014

Thanksgiving Trivia


Hope everyone gets a chance to relax and have a chance to be with friends and family.  To help pass the time while you wait for your feast, below is a fun Thanksgiving trivia (answers at the bottom).  Also at the  bottom is the MedStar Thanksgiving ad that will be printed in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post.  Enjoy!

 
1) What is a male turkey called?
a) Turk He   b) Tom Turkey   c) Sir Turkey
 
2) What is the likely reason that many people get sleepy after eating Thanksgiving dinner?
a)   The tryptophan in the turkey   b) Too much food with too many calories   c) Gravy
 
3) The first department store to hold a Thanksgiving parade was:
a) Montgomery Wards   b) J.C. Penney's  c) Gimbel's   d) Macy's   e) None of the above
 
4)  Butterball says the best place to put the meat thermometer in the turkey is:
a) Breast   b) Thigh   c) Top of leg   d) At an angle so it hits both the meat & stuffing
 
5) Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday.  But, before he did, when was Thanksgiving celebrated?
a) Whenever people felt like it   b) The first full moon of November   c) Whenever the Governor of a State said so.
 
6) The first Thanksgiving football game was started in 1934 by which team?
a) Pittsburgh Steelers   b) Kansas City Chiefs   c) Detroit Lions
 
7) All Turkeys gobble.  True or False?
   
   
 
 
Trivia Answers:
 

1)  b.  A male turkey is actually called a tom while a female turkey is called a hen.
 
2)  b.  Scientists agree that tryptophan is responsible for inducing sleep, but the amount of the chemical in turkey is not enough to really have an effect on someone. In fact, according to National Geographic News, turkey has just as much tryptophan than other foods like beef or soybeans.  The likely culprit of that groggy post-Thanksgiving dinner feeling is in fact a hefty meal with a high calorie count, or the drinking of alcohol with the meal.
 
3)   c.  Gimbel's department store in Philadelphia, 1920
 
4)   b.  Thigh
 
5)   c.  The governor of each state set the date.
 
6)   c.  Detroit Lions.  They started it to help boost attendance.  They played the Chicago Bears in that first game.
 
7)   False.  Male turkeys gobble to announce their presence to females and competing males. Hens "yelp" to let gobblers know their location.
 


Thanksgiving Becomes an International Affair at MHRI

Guest Blogger, Alton Henry, Cardiovascular Core Laboratory

On Wednesday, November 19, the Cardiovascular Core Lab celebrated this great holiday by doing an International Pot Luck-- what a great idea!  

We have a very diverse group of associates from around the world and what better way to be introduced to each other countries than by sharing our favorite dishes?  

Dishes included favorites from:  The Philippines, Russia, Argentina, Jamaica, Vietnam, Ecuador, Albania, China, USA, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Israel.   

Below are some pictures of how the entrees were identified and some ways to say  'Thank You' in various languages (Can anyone guess them)? 


Thanksgiving Celebrations Begin

Can you believe the Thanksgiving holiday is next week? Around the system, associates are starting to celebrate in creative ways that bring the research team together.


Today, MedStar Health Research Institute associates at University Town Center (UTC) participated in a holiday potluck luncheon by bringing in their favorite holiday dishes. UTC associates also hosted their annual canned food drive for the Capital Area Food Bank.

Please post comments and pictures below to share how your office celebrated the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!


Task Force for Sports Injuries in High School Female Athletes

Andrew Lincoln, ScD, MS, Director of MedStar Sports Medicine Research Center, has been asked to testify in support of HB 1332 in the last Maryland legislative session and attended the signing along with high school athletes, area coaches, and a World Cup champion/Olympic gold medalist. 

The goals of the Task Force are to: 1) review the medical literature, 2) identify effective methods of reducing sports injuries incurred by high school female athletes, 3) determine whether the Maryland Department of Education should develop requirements for high school female athletic programs for the prevention of injuries, and 4) make policy recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly. Andy helped promote the research findings from the MedStar Sports Medicine Research Center which will contribute to the efforts of the Task Force and advance the health of high school female athletes.

Andy was invited to serve on the Task Force as an epidemiologist with expertise in adolescent female sports injuries in collaboration with clinicians, legislators, coaches, educators, and high school athletes. This is a great example of how our research furthers our recognition as experts that help translate research into results in our community.  Congratulations Andy!

Philanthropy for Research at Moffitt


Yesterday, Bruce Bartoo (the Chief Philanthropy Officer at MedStar Health) and I spent the day at Moffitt Cancer Center to learn more about their efforts to increase philanthropic investment in research. 

Moffitt is the only National Cancer Institute (NIH) designated comprehensive cancer center in the state of Florida.It is a beautiful facility - a dedicated hospital for cancer care in southwest Florida. Immediately adjacent to the hospital is the Sabile Research Building (see picture with glass atrium).  They have approximately 75 PhD's and several clinical investigators who are proud of how they translate research research in the lab to the clinic.

Our focus for the day was philanthropy and how grateful patients are given a chance to 'invest' in the future care and cures for cancer.  This workshop was how investigators' can learn about the donors' perspective and how they can communicate with potential donors in a way that is understandable and attractive. As investigators, we know that our work is so very important and meaningful; we get excited about its potential to change the future of healthcare - there is no reason we should be the only ones to contribute to making this a reality and that is what philanthropic investments is all about.

One of the things I noticed was how many of their buildings and programs are endowed in the name of the donor.  Their motto also lends to this giving culture (see picture of motto on wall): " .. to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer." 

Over the next few weeks, Bruce and I will be following up to bring this workshop to MedStar investigators and philanthropic officers across the system.


MedStar PromptCare opens in Alexandria


Last night I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of MedStar's 10th MedStar PromptCare site in Alexandria, VA which also includes a MMG Primary Care Office.  I was excited because this is located close to my home and represents a greater presence in northern Virginia.  It was a great event, with the mayor of Alexandria saying a few words and many MedStar investigators, physicians and staff (who live in the  area) came out to welcome this new addition to the neighborhood. 

MedStar PromptCare, an urgent care center, is designed as a walk in service (no appointments) for most injuries, illnesses, school sports physicals and pre-employment physicals and flu shots. Unlike some other urgent care facilities, there is a physician on site at all MedStar PromptCares and they are typically open late (one in Alexandria is open 8 am to 8 pm). They are located throughout Baltimore and Washington (see this link for locations), furthering our MedStar 2020 strategy to be a distributed care network.The nice thing about the care you get at these sites is that it is coordinated (through the use of the same electronic medical record) with the  rest of your care at MedStar. I think all our patients will appreciate the convenience of MedStar PromptCare and it will play an important part in the 'portfolio' of medical services we offer.


What's For Lunch?

Recently, some team members from the MedStar Health Research Institute hosted a "salad day" at UTC location where associates brought in a different salad ingredient to share. What a great idea!

Our salad day was also featured on MedStar Health's Facebook page today. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/MedStarHealth


StarPort is getting a new look!

A system-wide StarPort facelift has finally made its way to MHRI! The new page, debuting Tuesday, November 11, will be more aesthetically appealing, easier to navigate, and will serve as an even better resource for our associates.

MedStar has slowly been introducing new StarPort pages one entity at a time, and next week, MHRI will reveal its new look.

The new look will offer many tools and resources such as quick links, an upcoming event calendar, an associate engagement section, and easy access to what you look for most.

Please take the time this week to update your personal information on the current StarPort page to ensure it is up-to-date. Go to your name in the top right corner, click on "my settings" in the drop down menu to review and update your information.