Around BIDMC

BIDMC, Milton Affiliation Expands

BIDMC and Milton Hospital have signed a new agreement that will further expand services to South Shore residents. Milton Hospital will be designated an Affiliate of BIDMC, incorporating this in their signage, logo and other materials.

At the center of the expanded affiliation is jointly recruited Vice President of Medical Affairs Joseph Raduazzo, MD, who will direct quality assurance efforts, and work with BIDMC’s and Milton medical staff leadership to develop clinical programs using both hospitals’ resources. BIDMC will appoint two representatives to Milton’s Board of Trustees, and all Milton chiefs of service, as well as the chair of Milton’s Quality Improvement Committee, will be credentialed by BIDMC. Many Milton Hospital physicians will also join the Beth Israel Deaconess Physicians Organization (BIDPO), which handles provider relations services.

Already, preparations for the affiliation have resulted in new joint hand surgery and ob/gyn programs at Milton Hospital, staffed by Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC. The agreement builds on a relationship that began in 2003 with a joint geriatrics program, a cardiac rapid transport service and a prostate seed program to treat patients with prostate cancer.

Getting the “Point”

BIDMC caregivers now have handy tools online to help them communicate at the bedside of limited-English-speaking patients.

“Common Questions Translated for Healthcare Providers” contains common questions in English and nine other languages side-by-side, such as “Do you have pain?” Patients point to a “yes” or “no” answer. “Communication Phrases for Patients” helps literate patients express basic needs by using side-by-side English and other language phrases, including “I am thirsty.”

Caregivers can print both from the clinical portal > patient care services > translated questions and phrases. While not intended for medical conversations or to substitute for a trained interpreter, “these tools help facilitate communication and complement our 24/7 interpreter services,”says Shari Gold-Gomez, director of interpreter services, who worked on the project with physicians, health care quality and community benefits.

Development Update

BIDMC had another remarkable year of fundraising growth. The office of development reports that the number of gifts to BIDMC increased 20 percent. The average gift amount also increased, exceeding BIDMC’s FY ’05 giving goal with more than $22 million raised – a $4 million increase over last year. Recent gifts include $2.8 million from the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation to support research into the genetic basis of autism, under the direction of BIDMC researcher Christopher Walsh, MD, PhD, neurology; and $1.2 million from Harriet and Alan Lewis – $1 million to support BIDMC’s oncology molecular imaging effort, under the direction of BIDMC researchers Lewis Cantley, PhD, signal transduction, Robert Lenkinski, PhD, radiology, and John Frangioni, MD, PhD, hematology/oncology; and $200,000 for multiple system atrophy (MSA) research directed by Roy Freeman, MD, neurology.

Schweitzer Fellowship Receives Grant

The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF), headquartered at BIDMC, will double its U.S. community service fellowships and program sites over the next three years thanks to a $1 million grant from The Merck Company Foundation. Founded in 1940 to support Albert Schweitzer's medical work in Africa during World War II, ASF provides direct assistance to the Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, which named BIDMC its sister hospital in 2004. Since 1992, ASF has also supported more than 1,250 U.S. Schweitzer Fellows -- graduate students in health-related fields who work through community-based organizations to improve health care access for underserved populations.

“We are delighted by Merck's generous support for our U.S. Schweitzer Fellows, who embody Dr. Schweitzer's ethic of Reverence for Life in their own lives of service to local communities in need,” says Lachlan Forrow, MD, director of BIDMC's ethics support services (above), who serves as the ASF's president.

Spanish Language Parkinson's
Disease Symposium

BIDMC's Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center in Neurology, a National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) Center of Excellence, recently held a Spanish language symposium on Parkinson's Disease for patients, their families and caregivers from the Latino/Hispanic community. Several Longwood Medical Area physicians and health care workers also attended. The event was hosted by BIDMC neurologists Luz Jacqueline Ruiz, MD, and Daniel Tarsy, MD, and featured talks by Ruiz, behavioral neurologists Antonio Bullon, MD and Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, and Chief of Behavioral Neurology Albert Galaburda, MD. Attendees obtained a more complete picture of how Parkinson's disease affects a patient's daily life, as well as an overview concerning causes and treatment options ranging from medication management, to deep brain stimulation surgery. During the symposium, BIDMC's neurology staff distributed NPF Spanish language literature concerning Parkinson's disease to patients. The symposium was covered by Hispanic radio 1600 AM, "Tu Opinion Cuenta" hosted by William Pena Lopera on Channel 9 BNN in Boston, and the local television channel Cuenca Vision, which will replay video clips from the event in order to promote awareness and knowledge of Parkinson's Disease.

What “That Barry Girl” Wishes
You Knew

When Fanny Barry was diagnosed with breast cancer, she quickly learned how important the support of family, friends and loved ones could be. “I had a wonderful support network,” the BIDMC patient recalls. “I don't know how anyone could go through such an experience without one.”

Barry poured her experiences into a series of three books entitled I Wish I Knew. The books offer emotional support to women in treatment, advice to family and friends on how to help them through treatment, and a life-affirming glimpse at how coming face-to-face with mortality can change an individual's life in a positive way.

Barry also started, and serves as president of, That Barry Girl Foundation, Thriving not just Surviving, which has partnered with BIDMC to distribute more than 40 sets of the I Wish I Knew books to women in treatment free-of-charge through the medical center's Patient to Patient, Heart to Heart program.

And on Dec. 28, BIDMC received the foundation's first cash grant for a patient in treatment for breast cancer. The $1,000 grant is the result of a month-long fundraising campaign at Fresh Eggs Inc. in Boston's South End. A portion of the proceeds from Fresh Egg's sales of the I Wish I Knew book series, pillowcase sets embroidered with That Barry Girl Foundation's bird logo, That Barry Girl Foundation t-shirts, and Barry's original artwork for the I Wish I Knew books went toward the grant, which will support a woman in treatment at BIDMC.

"This generous award will make a real difference in the life of one woman being treated for breast cancer. It is unusual to be able to give such a large grant, big enough to pay a month's rent, cover many bills or clear old debt," says Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW, chief of oncology social work at BIDMC.

“I am thrilled that the foundation can help women who are in treatment and proud that my books and the grants will ease some of their pain and help them make it through,” adds Barry, who notes that the foundation has planned fundraisers throughout next year to raise money for more grants and book distributions. She is also translating the books into Spanish, and has applied for a grant to write a fourth book.

For more information on the foundation, the I Wish I Knew books and upcoming events, visit www.thatbarrygirl.org .

EIC Committee Hits the
Five-Year Mark

On Dec. 1, the Employee Involvement Committee (EIC) - a group of staff from departments across BIDMC that meets monthly - celebrated half a decade. The EIC promotes workplace morale and highlights employee talent and diversity through such events as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, the annual Employee Barbecue and the Service Awards.

"Group members serve as a voice for employees by providing feedback to senior management on organizational issues," notes Organizational Development Specialist Maureen Twomey, who facilitates the EIC's monthly meetings. "We welcome BIDMC employees' ideas and invite them to participate on subcommittees to organize events.

To find out who represents your area or learn about serving on a subcommittee, call (63)2-9337.

Rabkin Fellowship in Medical Education

The Rabkin Fellowship in Medical Education is pleased to announce a Request for Applications (RFA) for one-year fellowships in medical education for the period of July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007.

The Rabkin Fellowship in Medical Education was established in 1998 to provide faculty with the opportunity to develop the expertise and skills needed to launch or advance academic careers in medical education and/or academic administration. The Rabkin Fellowship is open to faculty with a primary appointment at Harvard Medical School and who currently teach at a Harvard-affiliated institution. The goals of the fellowship are: to assist faculty in the development and further enhancement of their skills as medical educators; to provide faculty with the opportunity to conduct scholarly research in an area of interest and importance within medical education; to support the fellows as educational leaders and change agents within the academic medical center; and to create a community of medical-educators who continually strive to improve and enrich the field of medical education.

The deadline for receipt of applications is Fri., Feb. 3, at 5 p.m.

Application materials may be downloaded from the Shapiro Institute for Education and Research Web site at http://bidmc.harvard.edu/applicationrequest/ .

Inquiries may be directed to Lori Newman, assistant director of faculty programs, Shapiro Institute for Education, at (66)7-4742 or via e-mail at lnewman@bidmc.harvard.edu .

Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness -- July 5-Aug. 18, 2006

The Program in Clinical Effectiveness, a Joint Program of Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, is designed for clinicians seeking the quantitative and analytic skills needed for clinical research or who are interested in health care administration.

The Program begins with an intensive seven-week, 15-credit program of summer-long core courses in Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Participants also select two half-summer courses from offerings in Decision Analysis, Current Issues in Health Policy, Medical Informatics, Health Care Ethics, Quality Improvement in Health Care, Linear and Longitudinal Regression, Survey of Methods and Applications in Health Services Research, Implementing Prevention, and Using Large Databases for Research. Students with previous experience may enroll in second-level courses in Analytic Issues of Clinical Epidemiology, Principles of Clinical Trials, and Survival Methods in Clinical Research.

Students are limited to 15 credits for a single summer but can take additional courses in a second summer. Qualified students may apply to a degree-granting program at the Harvard School of Public Health, before or after completion of the summer program. Accepted students can apply their summer credits to either a Master of Science degree or a Master of Public Health degree.

The application deadline for the 2005 Program in Clinical Effectiveness is Feb. 1. Information and application: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/clineff or Barbara C. Rosen at 617-732-5648 or brosen@partners.org.