Linda Bratcher has accepted the position of director of the Office of Graduate Medical Education. She began her new duties Feb. 4.

Bratcher had served for the past 5 years as associate director for accreditation of GME.

As director, Bratcher will oversee the graduate training programs to ensure they are in compliance with accreditation standards and university policies. IUSM maintains 75 accredited training programs at the school with more than 1,000 post-graduate medical trainees.

Previously, Bratcher served as an IRB compliance officer from 2001-2002 and from 1986 to 2000, she served as the graduate medical education program administrator for internal medicine and as the business manager and HR specialist in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology.

She succeeds Nancy Baxter, who served in that position for 26 years prior to her retirement at the end of January.

The IUSM-Creative Art Therapy through the Office Of Medical Student Learning needs your talent.

The student group is attempting to launch a IU School of Medicine symphonic orchestra, or a string and a wind ensemble, perhaps even a choral group – depending on interest. The group is open to faculty, staff, and students  at IUSM and will be conducted by a local music educator.

The group will meet twice a month to rehearse and hopes to perform once a semester. If you are interested in contributing, whether it be with your talent or financial contribution, we would love to hear from you.  Please contact Suzie Field or Katy Dickerson or visit our website for more information.

The University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching Players will be on campus Tuesday, Feb. 16, for a presentation entitled “Three's A Crowd.”

This theatrical performance focuses on the difficulties of facilitating comfortable medical student-patient interactions by presenting a chronological series of clinical interactions between medical staff engaged with the student's learning. Music, multi-media, and nuanced performances prompt a workshop dialogue on clinical teaching and mentoring responsibilities following the theatre. Faculty, staff and residents are invited to attend.

The performance will be offered from 5-7 p.m. in Emerson Hall, room 304.  A light meal will be served at 5 p.m. This program is part of the Academy of Teaching Scholars and meets requirements for the Instructional Strategies competency.  Register at faculty.medicine.iu.edu/events.asp.

Questions? maquarle@iupui.edu

Bedside teaching is a critical component of medical education yet can be difficult for faculty who must simultaneously attend to the patient and to the learner. A special performance from the University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching will focus on how to create comfortable learner-patient interactions for improved bedside teaching. A series of clinical interactions will be presented as interactive theater to prompt a workshop dialogue on clinical teaching and role-modeling when patients are in the room.

The performance will be offered Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. in Emerson Hall, room 304.  A light meal will be served at 5 p.m. This program is part of the Academy of Teaching Scholars and meets requirements for the Instructional Strategies competency.

Register at faculty.medicine.iu.edu/events.asp. Questions? maquarle@iupui.edu

The Stepping Stones of Women in Leadership series is intended to create a forum where all faculty and students can learn about professional development through hearing the personal career journeys of successful women.

Join us for lunch and conversation with Mary L. Fisher, PhD, RN, on Monday, Feb. 22, from  11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. in Fairbanks Hall, room 5005. Dr. Fisher is professor of nursing administration at the Indiana University School of Nursing, and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at IUPUI. 

The series is sponsored by the IUSM Women's Advisory Council and the IUSM Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development.

Come join the celebration of the opening of the new IUSM Learning Center in the IUSM Medical Library from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. Remarks will be presented at 2:30 p.m. in the dean’s tower of the medical library. Light refreshments will be served. 

The second and third floors of the medical library have been transformed into a team-based learning classroom, four computer labs for classroom and testing use, and 10 small group study rooms. New study carrels and enhanced wireless access have been added throughout the building and a new 24-hour study area for IUSM students has been added on the second floor.

Self-guided tours with information will be available, as well as hands-on demonstrations in some of the rooms.

The Steven C. Beering Award honors an internationally recognized individual for outstanding research contributions to the advancement of biomedical or clinical science. The award, a tribute to a former IUSM dean, is presented annually and consists of a prize of $25,000.

The recipient is asked to present one major lecture to the medical community at the time the award is bestowed and to spend about three days at IUSM delivering one or two additional lectures to smaller groups.

Bert W. O’Malley, MD, Thomas C. Thompson Professor and chairman of molecular and cellular biology and director of the Baylor Center for Reproductive Biology, was the 2009 recipient of the Beering Award. His research group has made fundamental discoveries in characterizing the intracellular mechanisms by which steroid hormones exert their actions through nuclear receptors. His work has been recognized by his receipt of more than 45 honors and awards, and most recently, the National Medal of Science, our nation’s highest award in science. Five of the past Beering Award recipients have become Nobel laureates, either before or after receipt of this award.

Nominations are sought for the 2010 award and each should be accompanied by a summary statement emphasizing the most important academic accomplishment(s) of the nominee, importance to biomedical or clinical science, and why you believe he/she is deserving of this honor. Please include a curriculum vitae and a list of key publications.

Please send information no later than Monday, March 1, to the attention of Iona Sewell, Indiana University School of Medicine Dean’s Office, 340 West 10th Street, Fairbanks Hall 6200, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3082.

Nominations are being sought for the 2010 Mark Brothers of South Bend Lecture.

Dr. and Mrs. Guey C. Mark created the endowed Mark Brothers Lectureship to recognize nationally and internationally renowned medical scientists of Asian descent. The recipient is asked to present two lectures, one clinical and one research, to the medical community, and to spend about two days on campus, during which one or two additional lectures to smaller groups are planned. The recipient will receive a plaque and a check in the amount of $4,000.

Nominations should be accompanied by a summary statement emphasizing the most important academic accomplishments of the nominee, importance to biomedical or clinical science, and information on why he/she is deserving of this honor. Also include a curriculum vitae and a list of key publications. Suggestions are appreciated.

Send information no later than Wednesday, Feb. 17, to the attention of Iona Sewell, IUSM Dean’s Office, 340 West 10th Street, Fairbanks Hall 6200, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3082.

The Mark Brothers Lectureship has been awarded for outstanding biomedical and clinical research since its origin in 1999.  The winners have had long, distinguished careers, many holding endowed chairs. Several have had significant leadership roles in their medical schools and departments, or directed research institutes such as those at the NIH or major universities.

The selection committee is therefore interested in nominations from the top tier of medical researchers.

The IU School of Medicine Alumni Association is seeking nominations for its 2010 distinguished alumni and faculty awards. Given annually, these awards recognize the best and the brightest from IUSM in three categories:

• Distinguished Alumni
• Glenn W. Irwin, Jr. M.D. Distinguished Faculty
• Early Career Achievement

Awards will be presented at the 63rd Annual Strawberry Shortcake Alumni Awards Luncheon during reunion weekend, Saturday, May 22. Nomination packets and additional details about each award can be found online at www.alumni.iupui.edu/medicine.  Please note that the deadline for consideration for this year’s awards is Friday, Feb. 12.  All nominations should be returned to Jayme Little in the Alumni Relations office at IUPUI.

Please consider nominating one or more alumni or faculty members for these awards of distinction.  Should you have any questions, call Little at 274-1345 or email jtlittle@iupui.edu.

For the 17th consecutive year, IUSM will recognize outstanding teaching by faculty with the IUSM Faculty Teaching Awards.  Two awards of $1,000 each will be presented at the Spring Faculty Meeting.

The award is given in recognition of demonstrated excellence in teaching (approximately five years of service).  All IUSM full-time and part-time faculty and librarians within the statewide system for medical education are eligible.

Please submit the names of faculty you would like to nominate for this prestigious award at meded.iusm.iu.edu/tan  by Friday, Feb. 19.

Nomination of previous recipients of the Faculty Teaching Award or Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching is discouraged. Serious consideration will be given not only to faculty who teach in the traditional lecture setting but also to faculty who excel as leaders of small groups. Nomination of previous Trustee Teaching Award nominees and recipients is encouraged.

Nominees will be notified by the Dean’s Office for Medical Education and Curricular Affairs with an invitation to submit a dossier for consideration.

In order to give the committee on Faculty Teaching Awards time to consider nominees and make final selections, dossier materials should be submitted via ANGEL on or before Friday, March 19.

Additional information and submission criteria can be found at meca.iusm.iu.edu/Awards/FTA. Please direct any questions to Alison Loftus at aloftus@iupui.edu or 317-278-1428.

The IU Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research offer a weekly digest containing information about funding opportunities including those that limit the number of allowable pre-proposal or proposal submissions. Digests are published on Wednesdays but may be sent more frequently if deadlines are urgent. 

View the current Research Funding Update.

The following list includes new and competing Research awards received during the month (excluding commercial projects). Amount shown is based on the first budget period/year.

Tuesday, Jan. 26, was the one-year anniversary of the Indiana Clinic and a lot has changed over the past 12 months.

During this period, the executive team met with multiple physician groups to communicate the model and vision of the Indiana Clinic, and created the framework necessary to recruit and employ physicians and staff. As a result, more than 375 physicians from 14 specialties and 838 staff joined the Indiana Clinic in its first year. Significant physician groups that have joined in 2009 include:

University Neurology
Methodist Medical Group
Emergency Medicine (EMGI)
Clarian Rheumatologists
Clarian Diabetes and Endocrinology
Respiratory and Critical Care Consultants
Methodist Urology

In addition, several other large groups are poised to enter during the first few months of 2010.

The Indiana Clinic has also worked hard to develop the infrastructure that will enable physicians to provide preeminent levels of quality, safety and service. The Indiana Clinic has introduced quality and safety metrics across departments to measure physician performance and patient satisfaction; begun implementation of a single, system-wide electronic patient medical record; and established a consumer-friendly call center that is answering patient and physician calls, within the first three rings, 95 percent of the time.

“The Indiana Clinic is no longer just a concept. It is a reality. We are working hard to improve the care we provide to our patients each and every day,” said John Fitzgerald, MD, president and CEO of the Indiana Clinic, at a recent Indiana Clinic Leadership Breakfast. 

Dan Evans, president and CEO of Clarian said, “We are well on our way to meeting our goal of a network with more than 1,000 member physicians by the end of 2010.”

When asked how the Indiana Clinic model supports Clarian’s mission, Evans stated, “It supports Clarian’s mission of providing preeminent, patient-centered care in a safe and compassionate environment by allowing its physicians to concentrate on their patients while ‘the system’ handles issues like infrastructure, resources, support services and other administrative details.” He added, “From the patient’s perspective, this means he or she has a physician who is focused on his or her care and treatment and who is not distracted by operational or administrative demands.”

Craig Brater, MD, dean of the IU School of Medicine, mentioned the following regarding the progress the Indiana Clinic has made over the last year and the difficulty of change, “As with any new initiative, for those who have joined the Indiana Clinic in its first year, there have been some inevitable unanticipated bumps, however the good news is that they have been addressed as they have arisen.” He added, “The fact is no one likes change but once you make yourself do it, you find it is not only not so bad, but actually a good thing.”

All agree that the Indiana Clinic has made significant headway in the first year, but that the expectations will be even higher in 2010, and beyond, to realize the ultimate vision of becoming the preeminent physician practice group focused on patient-centered care.

For more information about the Indiana Clinic, go to the “preview” website at indianaclinic.org or submit a question to AskAQuestion@indianaclinic.org.

Directions for accessing recorded History of Medicine presentations:

Click the link below and follow these directions:

• A login (at the upper right hand corner) is not required
• Click the plus sign in front of the IUSM Events folder on the left
• Scroll down to the History of Medicine Society folder and click to open the archive of the History of Medicine seminars that have been recorded.

Link: medaudio.medicine.iu.edu/mediasite/catalog/pages/catalog.aspx?catalogId=9518c4a6-c5cf-4993-b21c-bd53e828a925

Tune in at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, or 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, to Sound Medicine, the award-winning weekly radio program co-produced by IUSM and WFYI Public Radio (90.1FM) in Indianapolis.

Listen to a new installment of “Sound Ethics” with bioethicist Eric Meslin, PhD, director of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics, who will be joined by Anantha Shekhar, MD, PhD, associate dean for translational research, and Scott Denne, MD, professor of pediatrics, both from the IU School of Medicine. They will discuss how biobanks work and issues with consent.

Ronald Kahn, MD, vice chairman of the Joslin Diabetes Center and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will explain his research about antioxidants and how they may interrupt the benefits of exercise for those with diabetes.

Michael Holick, PhD, MD, professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, and author of The Vitamin D Solution, will discuss his research conclusions that 70 percent of children don’t get enough vitamin D which puts them at risk of cardiovascular problems later in life.

Scott McLean, PhD, assistant professor of athletic training and movement science at the University of Michigan, will explain how ACL injuries can be prevented in young athletes.

In this week’s Sound Medicine “Checkup,” Jeremy Shere, PhD, will explore caffeinated alcoholic drinks and the Food and Drug Administration.

Archived editions of Sound Medicine as well as other helpful information can be found at www.soundmedicine.iu.edu.

Sound Medicine is underwritten by Clarian Health, IU Medical Group and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Primary care segments are underwritten by Wishard Health Services.