Notes from Neil

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Showing posts from August, 2020

Announcing New MedStar Health Mobile Unit

August 31, 2020

I am excited to share that the MedStar Health Mobile Unit has been delivered! This mobile unit is one way that MedStar Health is sharing our care and commitment for the community.

The mobile health center will service neighborhoods across South Baltimore, on behalf of MedStar Harbor Hospital and MedStar Sports Medicine. Our clinicians will offer primary care health services to the surrounding community by appointment or walk-ins may be accepted if there is availability.

In addition to providing care for the community, the mobile unit is also here to support community-based education and research activities. If you have any ideas for research activities/proposals that could benefit from this resource, particularly in terms of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurological, COVID-19 or health disparities studies, please contact Andrew Lincoln, Director of MedStar Sports Medicine Research Center (andrew.e.lincoln@medstar.net).

Let's continue to be innovative and make a difference in advancing the health of our community through research. Thank you to everyone that made this possible! Check out some photos below of the inside and outside of this amazing vehicle.

Change & Transformation: AHRQ Action IV Network

August 16, 2020

I am proud to share that MedStar Health was selected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to be a prime member of their research networked for the second time.

The network is known as ACTION IV: Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks. MedStar Health is just one of 14 organizations selected. The ACTION IV network is the result of three successful iterations of the ACTION network. ACTION IV is focused on the development, implementation, and dissemination of innovative interventions and strategies for improving the delivery of patient care nationwide through research.

As part of this network, MedStar Heath is eligible to become a direct contractor with the federal government to undertake research focused on these AHRQ’s priorities.

We are excited to be part of this group again. Earlier contracts with AHRQ have resulted in great work that impacts clinicians and patients across the nation. This contract has a maximum value up to $75M over five years dependent on which task orders MedStar applies for and are selected.

Learn more about this award here. If you are interested in participating in potential research contracts, please contact research@medstar.net.

Introducing MedStar Research A.I.D.E

August 11, 2020

Back in June, I hosted a series of conversations, open to all associates, to understand how we can address the impact of racial discrimination. A group of MHRI associates responded to the reckoning of social injustices happening across the nation with action and launched a working committee to develop actions to match our words.

The MedStar Research A.I.D.E work group focuses on Anti-racism, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity initiatives at MHRI. I am proud of these associates for stepping up to help MHRI be a leader for how we can make tangible change.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing guest posts from the founding members of AIDE , highlighting what the group will be working on in the future and what it means to them.

If you want to learn more about the group, or share your thoughts & ideas, or participate, you can reach them at MHRI-Diversity@medstar.net.

GHUCCTS Funds Six Pilot Projects for 2020-2021

August 06, 2020

GHUCCTS has selected 6 new pilot projects to be funded for 2020-2021. The Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies program (PTCS) is designed to bring about further advances that will improve the process of research throughout our CTSA hub and the national CTSA consortium.
Four of the six selected pilot projects will focus on COVID-19 and the current pandemic including one from our very own, Jason Umans, MD, PhD. Dr. Umans is a member of GHUCCTS, currently serving on our Executive Committee and as Co-PI for our KL2 Scholars Program, Translational Workforce Development team, and our TL1 Translational Biomedical Sciences Training Program.

Below are the selected principal investigators and their pilot projects.

Simina Boca, PhD - Assistant Professor, Departments of Oncology and Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics at the Georgetown University Medical Center
Study: “The impact of COVID-19 on Latina and African-American breast cancer survivors in the Washington DC area”

Sonia de Assis, PhD - Assistant Professor of Oncology at Georgetown University

Study: “Epigenetic Inheritance: The placenta as a mediator of paternal obesity effects on offspring’s health”

Jeseth Delgado Vela, PhD - Assistant Professor with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Architecture at Howard University
Study: “Evaluating disparities in COVID-19 diagnoses using a wastewater-based epidemiology approach”

Mary Ann Dutton, PhD - Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University
Study: “The Role of Stress and Resilience in the Link Between Social Connectedness and Health-Related Quality of Life for Low-Income, Predominately Minority Men and Women with Chronic Health Conditions”

Victoria Lai, MD - Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery at Georgetown University
Study: “Quality of life of endocrine surgery patients: a prospective study across time by ethnicity/race and social determinants of health”

Jason Umans, MD, PhD - Scientific Director of the Biomarker, Biochemistry, and Biorepository Core and of the Field Studies Division and Phoenix Field Office at MedStar Health Research Institute
Study: “Comparative impacts of COVID-19 on urban and reservation-dwelling American Indian communities”

Congratulations to our 2020-2021 GHUCCTS pilot award recipients!

For more information about GHUCCTS funding opportunities, please visit http://www.georgetownhowardctsa.org/funding or email ghuccts@georgetown.edu

MedStar Pulse Survey: Your Opinion Matters!

August 06, 2020

The first MedStar Pulse Survey is underway, now through Aug. 16, 2020. The survey consists of 12 questions, including two open-ended questions for comments, focused on COVID-19.

From our past experience with the MedStar Associate Survey, we know the value of actionable feedback and strongly encourage YOU, our associates, to take the time to provide their invaluable input and perspectives.

While our MedStar Pulse Survey approach this FY is different, our associates and clinicians can expect the same commitment to outcomes from their feedback. The MedStar Pulse Survey results will help guide our immediate, near-term and future actions and priorities.

We can’t make changes unless we hear from you. Visit myHR from StarPort or myHRMedStar.net to complete the MedStar Pulse Survey, or check your email for your unique link. The survey is confidential and only takes a few minutes to complete.

Thank you for sharing your important feedback. For more information, visit StarPort.MedStar.net/go/MedStarPulseSurveys.

It's OK to not be OK

August 03, 2020

Below is my monthly message for the August 2020 edition of the MHRI newsletter, Focus. You can view Focus online at MedStarResearch.org/FOCUS.

Dear Friends and Colleagues –

“It's OK to not be OK.”

That is a quote by Michael Phelps, arguably the most successful Olympic athlete in the world (with 39 world records), from his documentary released this week, The Weight of Gold. In this moving story of the mental agony so many famous athletes endure, he shares a very personal perspective of his anguish. “I don’t think anyone jumped in to ask us if we were OK. As long as we were performing, I don’t think anything else really mattered.” The brave athletes featured are names we all know so well for their tenacity and their ability to overcome unfathomable odds. However, all were also fighting a silent battle with themselves which was stronger than anything they trained for in seeking Olympic gold.

I have the privilege of writing this month’s column with my good friend and colleague, Dr. Dan Marchalik, the Medical Director of Physician Well-being and Chair of the Frontline Associate Wellness Committee.

Though we may not have the weight of Olympic gold, we all share the weight of being on the front lines of a pandemic, while also navigating a financial crisis and the harsh realities of systemic racial injustice. Folded into this is constant change and unknowns, compounded by the knowledge that these unknowns will likely persist for the foreseeable future. It is impossible to be ‘ok’ under these circumstances, even if we have the mental fortitude of an Olympic athlete. And in these difficult moments, it must be ok to admit that we are not always ‘ok’.

The recent events have clearly placed a tremendous burden on every single provider and associate at MedStar Health. Like elite athletes, most people expect all of us in healthcare to be composed and unshakeable. We are the people that others look to for help and support when they are in trouble. This is the weight of our gold—the standard to which we are all held and that makes it so difficult to admit when we are struggling ourselves.

We are so proud that MedStar Health was an early advocate for associate wellness and has invested in so many resources to support our teams. Given the number of stressors, we have built our resources to respond. Found on Starport and medstarhealth.org/wellbeing, the resources are cataloged in four sections: 1) Wellness With Peers, 2) Wellness for You, 3) Wellness at Work, and 4) Wellness at Home. Although there are many important initiatives that can be found on the website (such as hotel accommodations, food and grocery delivery, and access to MedStar’s meditation series), today we highlight the resources designed to support your mental well-being when you need it most.

The initiatives below were launched to help break down the barriers to finding the support you need.

Our Care for the Caregiver Peer-to-Peer Support network is available by email at c4c@medstar.net or through our 24/7 hotline (866-MSH-WELL).
Virtual Support groups can be set up for individual or entire units/departments
Expedited mental health appointments for MSH associates are available within 1 business day by calling 202-944-5400 (option 2).
Through our partnership with BHS, our Employee Assistance Program has been greatly expanded and includes a variety of resources such as career coaching, coping strategies, and mental health support for you and your family members.

Please know that these resources are here for you anytime you need them, and don’t forget that to support ourselves and each other, we have to break down the culture in health care of never asking for help for ourselves. We are all human. Sometimes “it’s OK to not be OK.” And sometimes it’s important to put your needs first: ‘always put the oxygen on yourself before helping others with their mask’.

While we usually view research, teaching, and innovation as the prime drivers of advancing health, our own well-being is what’s truly at the core of advancing health. By staying well ourselves, we make it possible to advance the health of our community. So please, stay healthy and stay well!

Neil & Dan

Read Focus online at MedStarResearch.org/FOCUS.