The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Book author: Rebecca Skloot

This was a book that a good friend gave me just before the trip to the ASA last year. I needed something to read during the long flight to the west coast and this seemed to fit the bill. The book was riveting and managed to keep me engaged, not just on the flight to the ASA, but also on my way back.

We are excited to present a new section for our newsletter. Grand cru is French for “superior grade wine”. Accordingly, this new feature highlights some of the best articles from recent medical education literature.

For our first offering, we have chosen to focus on the concept of Reflective Practice in Medical Education, considered an essential element of teaching and learning in medicine. Reflective practice is believed to facilitate development of critical thinking abilities, enhance professional growth, and promote life-long learning.

GOOD BEDTIME READS BOOK REVIEW
Quiet by Susan Cain
Published by Random House

We had a very good applicant season for the 2018/19 SEA-HVO Traveling Fellowships and received 34 applications for the general pool and 4 applications for the new Henry Ford scholarship. The Chair of Henry Ford Hospital has announced a fully funded Fellowship that will fund one resident from their program every year to receive a SEA-HVO fellowship. Due to the kindness of our donors, we were able to award nine other SEA/HVO Fellowships this year. The successful residents are as follows:

• Samuel Percy,  MD – University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle WA
  • Harry M Zutz Memorial Fellowship
• Praba Boominathan, MD – Yale University, New Haven, CT
  • Ronald L. Katz Memorial Fellowship
• Cara Ann Iorianni, MD – Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA
  • Gary Loyd Fellowship
• Onyechi Megafu, MBBS – Drexel University College of Medicine, PA
  • Christopher & Rebecca Dobson Fellowship
• Michael Do, MD, MBA – University of California, San Francisco, CA
  • Lisa Feintech Fellowship
• Brenton Alexander, MD – University of California, San Diego
  • SEA Fellowship
• Hassan Aboumerhi, MD – University of Chicago
  • Christopher & Rebecca Dobson Fellowship
• David Rudnick, MD – Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA
  • Jo Davies & Lena Dohlman Fellowship
• Andrew Rivera-Hober, MD – New York Presbyterian Hospital, NY
  • SEA Fellowship
• Jose Navas-Blanco, MD – Henry Ford, Detroit
  • Gaylord Alexander International Relief Fellowship

With incredible generosity, Dr. Lena Dohlman has announced a 2 for 1 matching donation up to a maximum of $50,000 for donations to the SEA-HVO traveling fellowship fund from SEA members. This will enable us to potentially fund an additional Fellowship each year for many years to come. A special “thank you” to Lena.

The SEA Spring meeting in Louisville, Kentucky was memorable, not only for the fantastic view of the annual “Thunder Over Louisville” airshow and fireworks from the top of the hotel, but also for the keynote address given by Dr. Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP, Chief Executive Officer, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). I must confess to being a little wary going into the presentation, as I wondered what new checkboxes he would have in store for us. I could not have been more wrong.

Dr. Nasca gave an engaging and scholarly account of the philosophical traditions underpinning the American conceptualization of both Medicine as a Profession, and Professionalism within the practice of medicine. At its heart, this involves a commitment to scientific and clinical competence and altruism. Dr. Nasca focused on Professional Identity Formation and the challenge of inculcating not only professional behavior, but internalizing a set of professional values in our trainees. This socialization into the profession is described in detail by Cruess and Cruess (Acad. Med. 2014), and results in the individual “thinking, acting, and feeling like a physician.”  He emphasized that this transformation can take place only in a healthy educational environment, and ended in a rousing call to arms:

A Career Opportunity for Anesthesia Educators

When we consider during our careers whether or not to pursue additional training, we may weigh benefits such as career advancement and professional gratification against the investment of time and money. I recently earned the Certificate for Professionals in Patient Safety (CPPS), offered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). In my estimation, the CPPS is a good investment, and I would like to share how it may help advance your professional goals.

The CPPS was created to help health care professionals achieve proficiency in patient safety through a common language and skills development. It is targeted not just to physicians of all specialties, but also to nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare executives. Since its creation, more than 2,000 healthcare professionals have obtained CPPS certification. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has recently endorsed the effort by partnering with the IHI/NPSF to offer ASA members a 10% discount on coursework and examination fees.