Pulse

Employee Recognition: The 2017 Dr. Deckers Award Goes To…

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Inspiration, celebration, and comradery were at the center of this year’s employee recognition ceremony, which honored milestone years of service and announced Kirsten Shea from Correctional Managed Health Care as the winner of the ninth annual Dr. Peter J. Deckers Employee Appreciation Award.

Kirsten Shea accepts the 2017 Dr. Peter J. Deckers Employee Appreciation Award from Dr. Peter Deckers (left) and Dr. Andrew Agwunobi. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

The Dr. Deckers Award is given to an outstanding employee who consistently demonstrates commitment and passion, strong leadership, exemplary professional skills, and commendable personal attributes, all in support of the UConn Health mission.  Kirsten is an information technology administrator, nominated by CMHC Information Technology Director Michael Vasquenza.

“I work with the most amazing, dedicated, and talented people,” Kirsten says. “To be singled out and recognized for my contribution is truly humbling.”

The 2017 Dr. Peter J Deckers Employee Appreciation Award Nominees

The 2017 Employee Recognition Celebration was held in the Academic Rotunda at UConn Health on November 21, 2017. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

The Nov. 21 ceremony, hosted by Dr. Andy Agwunobi and presented by Organization and Staff Development, also recognized 731 UConn Health employees achieving milestones of five, 10, 15 or 20 years of service.

“This is an opportunity to spotlight and appreciate the amazing work done every day at UConn Health,” says Cindy Molin, director of Organization and Staff Development.

First Stroke Thrombectomy Alert

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Neurosurgery Chief Dr. Ketan Bulsara performing a surgical procedure at UConn Health. (Ethan Giorgetti/UConn Health)

UConn John Dempsey Hospital’s Stroke Center directed by Dr. Sanjay Mittal, successfully performed its first-ever mechanical thrombectomy procedure on a patient presenting with advanced stroke symptoms in the Emergency Department last week.

The Stroke Center’s first “Stroke Thrombectomy Alert” quickly activated the Cath Lab and Anesthesia teams to prepare for Neurosurgery Chief Dr. Ketan Bulsara’s emergency thrombectomy intervention. The procedure was guided by the Radiology Department Chair Dr. Leo Wolansky and his team’s new neuroimaging CT perfusion imaging technique using RAPID software to successfully remove the stroke patient’s life-threatening clot and restore proper blood flow to the brain.

The multidisciplinary team effort included Dr. Electra Kaloudis, Dr. Gracia Mui, Dr. Ronald Burt, Dr. Brian Bullard, Ellen Benson, Jennifer Sposito, Kerri King, Kari Kriqui, Liz Drotar, Sally Briley, Mike Castagna, Dan Hannon and Elizabeth Bozzuto, along with the hospital’s ICU and second-floor care teams.

Thanks to excellent team work this patient’s life was saved from a basilar artery thrombus which has up to a 90 percent risk of mortality.

The addition of on-site thrombectomy capabilities is part of an institutional-wide initiative to improve neurological patient outcomes for complex conditions, such as stroke, by growing our team of experts, services, and cutting-edge technology.

 

Congratulations PAWS Award Recipients Nov. 2017

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PAWS and Husky Hero Award recipients with Dr. Andy Agwunobi. November 16, 2017. (Kristin Wallace/UConn Health photo)

Human Resources is pleased to announce the November 2017 PAWS award recipients – employees who consistently perform above and beyond the expectations of their job and exhibit the following attributes:  Part of a team | Awesome attitude | Wonderful work ethic | Superior Service

  • James Castro – HUSKY HERO, CMHC – MacDougal/Walker – MH
  • Joaquin Cedeno, Housekeeping
  • Tasha Hamm-Busha, CMHC – Osborn – MH
  • Aaron Greenblatt, IT Customer Support Service
  • Marsha Krolikowski, UMG – Internal Medicine/Canton
  • Jessica Loss, CMHC – York – MH
  • Lindsay Osborne, UMG – IMA/Southington
  • Dr. Lalitha Pieri, CMHC – Garner – MH
  • Dr. Benjamin Ristau, General Surgery
  • Wendy Thibodeau, Neag Cancer Center Unit
  • Kathleen Thomas, Prosthodontics and Operative Dental
  • Eric Watts, CMHC – MacDougal/Walker – MH
  • Melissa Winiarz, CMHC – Willard/Cybuski – MH

Congratulations to all!

Festival of Trees and Winter Faire

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Kick off the holiday season by attending the Festival of Trees and Winter Faire, Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., University Tower Main level. Hosted by the UConn Health Auxiliary, the event serves as its main fundraiser with proceeds to benefit the UConn Health Patient Assistance Fund.

The Festival replaces the Auxiliary’s longstanding holiday bazaar. “Although the bazaar has always been well attended, we felt it was time to try something different and start a new tradition,” say Auxiliary Facilitator Irene Engel.

The event will incorporate some of the elements of the Holiday Bazaar. Instead of offering one day of shopping, the Festival will feature a variety of different local craftsman each day giving individuals more opportunities to shop and attend the event.

Also returning are the holiday baskets donated by the UConn Health community. “The holiday basket drawing is a fan favorite and every year departments are very generous in their donations,” adds Engel.

A sparkling display of trees decorated by Auxiliary members and UConn staff, students, and volunteers will be the main feature of the Festival. “This is a fun way for departments to get into the holiday spirit and show off their creativity,” says event co-chair Chris Kaminski. “Best of all, every beautifully decorated tree will go home with a lucky winner through the Festival of Trees and Winter Faire drawing,” adds Kaminski.

“As in past years, we hope the UConn Health community will support us by decorating and donating a tree and/or holiday basket and by attending the event,” says Engel.

Interested in decorating a tree or donating a holiday basket? Visit the Auxiliary website for tree decorating guidelines and registration information.

Looking at Us: Dr. Bradford Whitcomb

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Dr. Bradford Whitcomb

Looking at Us: Army Veteran Dr. Bradford Whitcomb, Lieutenant Colonel, Retired, Gynecologic Oncologist at UConn Health, discusses what Veterans Day means to him.

When did you serve and in what branch of the service?
I served in the Army Medical Department for more than 25 years. I deployed in 2008 to Baghdad for three months and I deployed in 2012 and 2013 to Afghanistan for seven months. The first time was as an assistant to a surgical team and an Ob/Gyn. And in the second deployment I was part of a combat research team in Afghanistan and also served as the regional Ob/Gyn consultant.

Why did you want to serve in the Army?
Patriotic reasons, of course, but it was also a conduit for me to attend medical school and college. I was on scholarship through the ROTC and I went to medical school at the  military medical school in Bethesda, Maryland (USUHS).

What did you get out of serving?
It was very humbling to take care of not only people who were injured or sick while I was deployed but also to take care of active duty service members, dependents and retirees and family members of retirees when I was back at home.

What does Veterans Day mean to you?
I think of my dad who served during the Korean War. I also think of the people who were more in harm’s way than I was in those deployed settings, and who are currently there away from their families which is one of the hardest things. I think of the families because it was very difficult on my family for one of us to be away. I think it was actually harder on my spouse than it was on me to take care of the kids and to have many responsibilities at home by herself. I think about those who are gone now and who will continue to go. They enjoy their job, dedicated, but leave behind a family that sometimes is in a very challenging situation.

Do you think veterans receive enough recognition and appreciation?
I think it has been very positive overall since 9/11. I think the population has been very welcoming and very helpful. However, as time has gone on in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East, I think people have become less attuned to it because it is a chronic problem. . I worry that we may not pay as much attention as we did right after 9/11. It’s horrible that something bad had to happen for veterans to get more recognition , but we need to keep these heroes on our minds. We need to remember that people go away for a long time to serve their country and they’re away from their families, which is extremely difficult.

Husky Heroes Help ‘Making Strides’ a Success

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A little rain did not deter more than 3000 participants from helping to save lives and celebrate survivors at the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides event last Sunday in Hartford’s Bushnell Park. The UConn Health Husky Heroes exceeded their fundraising goal with $1780 raised and were ranked 20th out of 368 teams. In addition, they successfully hosted breast cancer survivors and their caregivers at the (dry!) Survivors and Caregivers Area tent.

 

 

Exclusive Preview of UConn HealthONE

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UConn HealthONE Workflow Walkthrough Schedule for Nov. 9 (Click image for larger view)

The hypothetical story of a marathon runner named Honey Bewell will illustrate the different processes of a patient encounter using UConn HealthONE, the new electronic medical record system UConn Health is introducing in the spring.

The role-play scenario, titled “Marathon Misadventures,” is the main event that precedes a series of breakout sessions on Thursday, Nov. 9, collectively known as the Workflow Walkthrough.

In the light-hearted portrayal, happening in the Massey Auditorium at 9:15 a.m. and then again at noon, Bewell shows up at the UConn Health Emergency Department complaining of abdominal pain after completing the Hartford Marathon. Her medical history already is in HealthONE and immediately available to the triage nurse. Subsequent providers can easily review a consolidated patient history as well as the new details from this visit.

“It’s meant to be fun. It’s silly on purpose,” says Stephanie Vospette, a consultant on the HealthONE project. “We’re portraying what a patient might experience here at UConn Health, and we encourage people to come and see it.”

The intended audience includes management team members, physicians, nurses, technicians, subject matter experts, and various HealthONE team leaders.

“This is a consolidated demonstration of Epic that reflects what we’re building for UConn Health,” Vospette says. “It’s really an opportunity to see what work’s been done with HealthONE, a high-level view offering another look at the system, with the intention of increasing engagement and even generating some excitement.”

Epic is the vendor providing the software platform on which UConn HealthONE will run.

“Marathon Misadventures” also will demonstrate the involvement of HealthONE throughout different phases of care, including a follow-up visit. The breakout sessions, which include smaller-group demonstrations and open houses, start at noon.

“The team is really excited to be showing the UConn Health version of Epic to those who will actually use the system,” says Christopher Carroll, the HealthONE project’s director of ancillary applications.

To date, all of the HealthONE module teams have been working with their specific departments, but the role-play sessions show the integrated solution and data sharing that will be live on April 28.

Anyone who has the opportunity to attend and wants to learn more about how UConn HealthONE will work—or what becomes of Honey Bewell—is welcome to attend.

Watch for additional HealthONE updates in Lifeline, in the Pulse, at uconnhealthexpress.uchc.edu/emr, and now on Twitter @UConnHealthONE.

Within One Week From Wellness Center

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It’s almost here! The Wellness Center opens Wednesday, Nov. 1, but you can come for a sneak peak Friday, Oct. 27, between 1 and 6 p.m. Membership fees for faculty and staff are $15 a month, through payroll deduction, with terms of six months and 12 months available. Student membership is included in student fees. The hours of operation will be 24-7 with badge access. Students will have priority access to equipment weekdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Classes held in the exercise rooms will be open to members and nonmembers and may have additional fees. See the Wellness Center Forms page on the Student Services website for the membership guidelines, registration form, waiver and liability form.

MacNeil Stepping Down as Dental Dean

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Following is an announcement from interim Provost Jeremy Teitelbaum:

Dr. Monty MacNeil, dean of the UConn School of Dental Medicine (Photo by Janine Gelineau)

Dean R. “Monty” MacNeil has informed me that he will step down from his position as Dean of UConn’s School of Dental Medicine on June 30, 2018, after 11 years of service in that role.  Starting July 1, 2018, he will return to research, clinical and educational work as a member of the school’s faculty.

Under his leadership, the School of Dental Medicine reached number 11, rising from 18, in its level of funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.  The School received the pre-eminent award for a U.S. or Canadian Dental School for contributions to oral health and dental education, the William J. Gies Award for Achievement in 2016. The school increased the diversity of its student body to levels far above national averages, and, in partnership with the Schools of Medicine and Engineering,  joined in the creation of a new cross-campus Biomedical Engineering Department.

The physical infrastructure of the school has been transformed under Dean MacNeil. The school has seen a new Dental Clinical Research Center; the Grasso Simulation Lab; the  Dental Arts Center;  and the new Orthodontics Center in the Outpatient Pavilion, as well as an expansion and renovation of its research infrastructure, classrooms, student work space, and administrative space. It also extended its community based programs, opening a new Pediatric Dental Clinic in West Hartford and a new practice in Storrs Center.  In early 2019, an extensively renovated and expanded Dental Care Center will be complete, marking an almost entire renewal of the School’s  infrastructure.

Dean MacNeil’s efforts also led to the establishment and growth of the Dental Medicine Alumni Association and to a major growth in philanthropic giving to the school.  His efforts led to the school receiving the single largest gift in its history.  He brought national recognition to the School through professional service and leadership activities, including his current service as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Dental Education Association.

These contributions to research, education, outreach, and advancement form a truly distinguished record of service.  On behalf of the entire university, and especially the faculty and staff of the School of Dental Medicine, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Dean MacNeil for his efforts over the past decade and, indeed, over the entire period of his career at UConn.

During the next weeks, we will make plans to conduct a search for the School’s next dean with the goal of a smooth transition next summer.