Education

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Symposium

Posted on June 10, 2015June 10, 2015 by Carolyn Pennington

Third-year medical students who won first place for "Instituting low dose CT screening for qualified individuals at the Brownstone APC clinic." From left, Corey Dwyer, Melissa Argraves, Monica Townsend, Ethan Talbot, Adarsha Selvachandran, Patrick Field, Charles Ma, and Christopher Hammel. — Third-year medical students who won first place for “Instituting low dose CT screening for qualified individuals at the Brownstone APC clinic.” From left, Corey Dwyer, Melissa Argraves, Monica Townsend, Ethan Talbot, Adarsha Selvachandran, Patrick Field, Charles Ma, and Christopher Hammel.

The 11th Annual Symposium for Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (CQI) was held June 8 and attended by approximately 100 medical students, residents, faculty and UConn Health community members.

Sponsored by the Connecticut Area Health Education Center Program (CT AHEC) and the UConn School of Medicine, the CQI Symposium is the culmination of the quality improvement curriculum for the third-year medical students. During their internal medicine ambulatory experience, all students participate in designing, implementing and evaluating a quality improvement intervention targeting an opportunity for improvement identified at their site.

A total of 15 student and resident posters were featured. Judges for the CQI projects included representatives from John Dempsey’s Center for Bronchiectasis Care, epidemiology and infection control, quality program departments, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Center for Public Health and Health Policy/Correctional Managed Health Care, as well as the Department of Family Medicine.

The keynote speaker for the symposium was Dr. Robert Zavoski, a pediatrician and the medical director of medicaid programs for the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Zavoski utilized humor and practical examples to discuss the important role of quality improvement in practice, health policy and public health. Zavoski applauded all student and resident participants at the Symposium for their commitment to excellence and quality improvement.

First place award for resident poster:
“Reducing Readmissions in Patients with LACE Score ≥ 10 : Comparing Different Strategies “ (St. Francis/UConn Health); Bhavtosh Dedania, Arushi Khurana, Gurukripa Kowlgi, Nikhil Kapila, Victoria Forbes, Ausia Iqbal, Shaina Lynch, Khushboo Sheth, Joseph Fusco, Donna Pepito, Kaitlyn Guardino, Karen Zanoria, Anthony Yoder, Henry Igid, Amanda Kost, Kelly Mazurek, Dipen Khanapara, Amrita Panwala, Mamta Shah, Edgar Naut.

First place award for medical student poster:
“Instituting low dose CT screening for qualified individuals at the Brownstone APC clinic” (Hartford Hospital); Adarsha Selvachandran, Monica Townsend, Melissa Argraves, Christopher Hammel, Charles Ma, Ethan Talbot, Patrick Field, Corey Dwyer.

HCOP Recognition Ceremony

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Carolyn Pennington

Graduates of the Senior Doctors Academy during closing ceremonies on May 20, 2015.

The Health Career Opportunity Programs held its Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative Doctors Academy Annual Academic Year Program Closing and Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, May 20. The event marked the culmination of a successful academic year for 114 participants of the Great Explorations Program, Jumpstart Program, Junior Doctors Academy, and Senior Doctors Academy by increasing the number of underrepresented students from the Hartford area interested in the health professions.

Keynote speaker for closing ceremonies Hartford State Representative Douglas McCrory and Associate Dean of the Health Career Opportunity Programs Dr. Marja Hurley.

The highlight of the evening for the participants and parents was watching the 20 students in the Seniors Doctors Academy receive white coats as part of their graduation from the program before embarking on their journey to college. Two of these recipients, Anika Bennett and I’Jaaz Muhammad, were awarded the John and Valerie Rowe Scholarship and will be entering the University of Connecticut as Rowe Honors Scholars. Also among this group, 12 will be matriculating at the University of Connecticut, six will be matriculating at other universities in Connecticut, and two will be attending universities out of state. The keynote speaker for the evening was State Representative Douglas McCrory, Deputy Majority Leader, ^7th Assembly District of Hartford.

International Leader in Endodontology Receives Faculty Recognition Award

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Carolyn Pennington

Dr. Kamran E. Safavi, professor and chair, Division of Endodontology and 2015 Board of Director's Faculty Recognition Award winner. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Photo) — Dr. Kamran E. Safavi, professor and chair, Division of Endodontology and 2015 Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award winner. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Photo)

Dr. Kamran Safavi, an international leader in the field of endodontology, is this year’s recipient of the UConn Health Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award. The award has been presented annually at Commencement since 2003 and recognizes academic, administrative, and clinical excellence.

Safavi is currently chair of the School of Dental Medicine’s Division of Endodontology in the Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences and director of the Advanced Education Residency Program in Endodontology.

During his 37 years at UConn Health, Safavi has established himself as a world-renowned expert in endodontology, which is the study of dental pulp and tissues surrounding the root of a tooth. Endodontic treatment is needed when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected.

Safavi’s research focuses on better understanding of pulpal inflammation and pulpal-origin infection and has resulted in over 100 published manuscripts or abstracts and more than 50 scholarly presentations. The residency program which he leads is recognized as one of the strongest in the country and has produced many leaders in dental education, research, and clinical dentistry.

“Beyond these academic accomplishments, Safavi is perhaps best known for his kind and calming demeanor, his compassionate approach to patient care, his deep interest in those he mentors, and for his affection for and dedication to UConn Health which has been his academic home for his entire professional career,” says Dr. R. Lamont MacNeil, dean of the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine.

“I am very proud to be a UConn Health faculty member and humbled to win this award,” says Safavi.

Dr. Safavi received a DMD degree from the University of Tehran in 1966, a Certificate in restorative dentistry from the University of London in 1971, and a Master in Education degree and certificate in Endodontology from the Medical College of Virginia in 1978. He then joined the School of Dental Medicine as director of Advanced Education Residency Program in Endodontology, a position he has held continuously over the past 37 years. He became a diplomat of the American Board of Endodontics in 1984 and was named chair of the Division of Endodontology in 2005.

In 2010, based on nomination by his faculty peers and staff, he was recognized for his dedication to excellence and collaboration in being named a recipient of UConn Health’s Doctor’s Day Award.

UConn Med Students Cycling for 10th Coast to Coast for a Cure

Posted on May 27, 2015August 4, 2015 by Chris DeFrancesco

From left: Alex Tansey, Alex Blanchette, Carolyn Tusa, David Lam, Erin Gambos, and Thomas Presti make up 10th Coast to Coast for a Cure cycling team. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Photo)

A cross-country bicycle tour to raise money for leukemia research that turned into an annual tradition for rising second-year students at the UConn School of Medicine is now in its 10th year.

Coast to Coast for a Cure started in 2006 with a summer dream to ride across the country and grew into a heartwarming dedication to help a cause. Then-first-year medical students Jeremiah Tracy and Benjamin Ristau teamed up with the Hartford nonprofit Lea’s Foundation for Leukemia Research. Their journey aimed to raise $50,000 for leukemia and lymphoma research in honor of Tracy’s mother, Elizabeth Herman Tracy, who was diagnosed with chronic lymphomacytic leukemia and later passed away from secondary illnesses caused by the treatments. Throughout the years, Coast to Coast for a Cure has raised more than $250,000.

This year, six UConn medical students are riding nearly 3,800 miles, starting in Seattle June 9 and ending on the shores of Connecticut, helping to raise another $50,000 as well as awareness.

Alex Blanchette	Erin Gombos	David Lam
Thomas Presti	Alex Tansey	Carolyn Tusa

Throughout the trip, the riders will post updates and photos on their blog, coast2coastforacure.wordpress.com.

Proceeds from the 10th annual Coast to Coast for a Cure will aid patients and their families as well as help support clinical trials for leukemia patients. Those wishing to make a pledge can do so at leasfoundation.org,

Lea’s Foundation for Leukemia Research was formed in 1998 to honor the memory of Lea Michele Economos, who lost her battle with leukemia at age 28 after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant. Since the inception of Lea’s Foundation, millions of dollars have been raised to help others celebrate life and to raise money for those suffering from leukemia and other blood‐related disorders. Additionally, the Foundation seeks to increase public awareness of these cancers and to provide patients and their families with limited direct financial assistance.

In 2007, the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at UConn Health dedicated the Lea’s Foundation Center for Hematologic Disorders, made possible by a $1.25 million pledge from Lea’s Foundation.

Jaime Trajcevski contributed to this story.

AMA Honor for UConn Medical Student

Posted on May 20, 2015April 30, 2018 by Chris DeFrancesco

Harrison Hayward, UConn School of Medicine Class of 2017, is a recipient of the American Medical Association Foundation Excellence in Medical Leadership Award. (Janine Gelineau/UConn Health)

The American Medical Association Foundation has presented one of its 2015 Excellence in Medicine Leadership Awards to Harrison Hayward, a second-year student at the UConn School of Medicine.

Hayward is one of 10 medical students in the United States to receive the honor, which recognizes “strong, nonclinical leadership skills in advocacy, community service, public health and/or education.”

“I am endlessly grateful to the AMA for extending me this award, and to my family, friends, and medical school for all the support they’ve given me along the way,” Hayward says. “It’s an enormous honor to receive this recognition. I look forward to learning what I can from it and developing the right connections in order to be an even better physician in the future.”

The AMA Foundation recognized Hayward for founding a recreational support group for persons with disabilities and their families in the greater Hartford community, and for establishing himself as local Special Olympics program leader.

The award also acknowledges Hayward’s work abroad last summer. He was part of the Himalayan Health Exchange, a group that provided medical care to villagers in remote southern Himalayan settlements.

“We dealt with all sorts of things: infectious diseases, dermatological conditions, dental work, orthopedics, etc.,” he says. “The expedition really solidified my passion for global health initiatives and has been a potent motivator for my work ever since.”

Hayward also is a board member of the UConn School of Medicine Outreach Clinic at the South Park Inn, which provides free primary care medical services to the transient residents of the South Park Inn Shelter in Hartford.

Hayward is pursuing a career in surgery, and aspires to couple that with his interests in global health and care for the mentally disabled to be come a physician, educator, and leader in global health policy.

This year’s recipients of the AMA Foundation Excellence in Medical Leadership Award also included two residents, two early-career physicians, and one fellow.

Urban Service Track Alumni Excellence Award

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Carolyn Pennington

During the Urban Service Track’s Academic Year Closing Ceremony at UConn Health, six alumni representing distinct health professions were presented with the first annual Urban Service Track Alumni Excellence Award.

The award is presented to graduates “who have made a difference in guiding future health professionals to value interdisciplinary teamwork and serve our neediest communities.”

Award winners include: Kara Anastasiou, APRN; Graham Garber, DMD; Tianna Hill, MSW; Shawnet Jones, MD; Kimberly Tschetter, PA-C; and Danielle Wojtaszek, PharmD.

The Urban Service Track, soon to enter its 10th year, is a program designed to specially educate, train and mentor next-generation health care professionals to work with our state and nation’s urban underserved populations. The Urban Service Track is sponsored by the Connecticut Area Health Education Center Network (CT AHEC) located within the University of Connecticut’s Center for Public Health and Health Policy.

CAM Student Award Winners

Posted on May 12, 2015October 27, 2016 by Carolyn Pennington

The Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling (CCAM) at UConn Health held its an annual award ceremony May 4 for winners of the 67th annual Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair.

CCAM members with students award winners from left, Michael Blinov, John Carson, Shangda Xu from Cheshire High School, Ann Cowan, Archeta Rajagopalan from Choate Rosemary Hall, Sofya Borinskaya, Leslie Loew, and Ion Moraru.

The fair, held at Quinnipiac University in March, is a statewide annual event that features 500 pre-selected scientific projects performed by middle and high school students independently or in research labs. The Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling established a CAM award for the best research in Cell Analysis and Modeling – integrating experimental and computational approaches to analysis of events within a cell.

Several CCAM members were judges at the CSF fair and selected two winners for the CAM award: Shangda Xu from Cheshire High School for the project on “Development of a Prescient Warning Model for Cholera Utilizing an Epdemiological Identification of Risk Factors,” and Archeta Rajagopalan from Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford for the project on “The Effect of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor on Retinoic Acid Differentiated SH-SY5Y Cells: A Model for Striatal-Enriched Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase in Parkinson’s Disease.”

The winners were invited to visit CCAM, presented with certificates and monetary awards, and were given a tour of our state-of-the art building, featuring microscopy and computational facilities. The CCAM Director Boehringer Ingelheim Chair in Cell Sciences Leslie Loew and CAM graduate Program Director Dr. John Carson talked about research opportunities at CCAM, and faculty members Ann Cowan, Michael Blinov, Ion Moraru and a graduate student Sofya Borinskaya led students on a tour through the facility.

Commencement for UConn Health Classes of 2015

Posted on May 11, 2015April 4, 2018 by Chris DeFrancesco

Members of the UConn School of Medicine Class of 2015 cheer during commencement exercises. (John Atashian for UConn Health) Click on the photo above to see the UConn Health commencement photo gallery. — Members of the UConn School of Medicine Class of 2015 cheer during commencement exercises. (John Atashian for UConn Health)

On a day when expressions of gratitude for mentors and loved ones are commonplace, those awaiting their degrees at UConn Health’s commencement were advised to be thankful for someone else.

The suggestion came from Abraham Aron, student commencement speaker for the UConn School of Medicine Class of 2015.

“Every great discovery, every piece of data, every figure and table in a textbook is compilation of the journey of patients that we have never met,” Aron told the crowd at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. “The basis of the knowledge that we leave here with today is thanks to their collective experiences and unfortunate suffering. Thanks to their sacrifice, all of us in this room have benefitted.”

Aron, who heads next to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for a residency in internal medicine, left his 91 fellow graduating medical students and 44 graduates from the UConn School of Dental Medicine with this charge:

“We are the new generation of doctors. Every friend, every family member of a person suffering from an incurable disease now looks to us to find answers. Society has charged us with this sacred responsibility.”

In her commencement address as class speaker for the UConn Health Graduate School, Megan Miller urged the graduates to move forward with purpose and integrity.

“We leave here more prepared for whatever the future holds today than when we started this journey,” said Miller, who defended her thesis earlier this year and is doing postdoctoral work at Yale University.

Her Ph.D. is in biomedical science, with a concentration in neuroscience. Hers was one of 64 degrees conferred by the UConn Health Graduate School. Eight of them received a combined M.D./MPH degree.

Commencement speaker Anne Tanner, world-renowned scholar and researcher in dentistry and microbiology, also offered a forward-looking message:

Dr. Himank Gupa celebrates his graduation from the UConn School of Dental Medicine. (Chris DeFrancesco/UConn Health photo) “Follow your dream, even if it takes you through the rough patches,” Tanner said. “Whatever road you’ve taken here, it ain’t nothing compared to what’s ahead.”

Tanner, who has two oral bacteria named for her, is a senior member of the staff at the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Mass., and associate clinical professor of oral medicine, infection and immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. UConn conferred her with an honorary doctor of science.

The people who make up students’ support system still did get their due. Tanner also made a point of saying, “Thank your professors, thank your parents.”

And dental class speaker Christopher Gibson believes it was the people that made his education at UConn Health so special.

“We are tremendously fortunate to be in the position we’re in,” Gibson said. “It would not be possible without the love and support of family, friends, faculty and classmates. I truly hope that we all make a concerted effort to maintain those relationships that we have formed.”

Gibson is on his way to New York City for a pediatric dentistry residency at Columbia University.

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Delta Omega Inductions

Posted on May 8, 2015May 8, 2015 by Carolyn Pennington

The Beta Rho chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health at the University of Connecticut is pleased to announce this year’s inductees. Each year, Delta Omega elects new student, faculty, alumni and honorary members based on high academic standards and outstanding performance in scholarship, teaching, research and community service. Election of membership in Delta Omega is intended to not only recognize merit, but also to encourage and further excellence in and devotion to public health work.

Founded in 1924, Delta Omega is a national honor society existing to encourage research and scholarship among graduate students of public health and to recognize attainment and achievement in the field of public health. With over 80 active chapters worldwide, Delta Omega and its members are dedicated to ensuring the quality of the field of public health and to the protection and advancement of the health of all people.

This year’s Beta Rho inductees are:

Students
Anita Chandrasekaran, MD, MPH (Cand.)
Christopher Steele, MD, MPH (Cand.)
Ran Zhao, MD, MPH (Cand.)

Faculty
Stephen Schensul, PhD

Graduate Program in Public Health Alumni
Cyndi Billian Stern, MPH (2005)
Kathryn Johnson, MD, MPH (1990)
Jeffrey Shaw, MPH (2012)

Congratulations to these new members who were inducted on May 5th during the Graduate Program in Public Health Commencement Dinner.

Health Disparities Clinical Summer Research Fellowship Program

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Carolyn Pennington

UConn Health’s Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP) recently received an $80,000 grant from the Aetna Foundation to expand one of its summer programs focused on health disparities. The grant will allow an increase in the number of pre-medical and pre-dental college students in the summer program who are interested in health disparities and primary care.

The program is designed to provide a clinical research and enrichment experience and an introduction to health disparities, cross cultural issues, principles of clinical medicine and skills for public health research and interventions. It also will offer an overview of approaches to cultural definitions, public health issues, and discussion of specific techniques for working with diverse populations in community settings.

“I would like to thank the Aetna Foundation, whose continued support has been incalculable in our efforts to encourage urban youth to aspire to careers in the health professions,” says Dr. Marja Hurley, HCOP director.