Family Medicine Moments

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/51178

ABOUT THIS COLLECTION

Family Medicine Moments (formerly Thursday Morning Memo) is a weekly distribution list that shares stories from the Family Medicine and Community Health community at UMass Chan Medical School that includes Fitchburg, Barre, Worcester, Lawrence and also community docs, students, residents, scribes, and graduates of our program and school. Curated by Hugh Silk, MD and Linda Cragin, MS, it is a forum to share clinical success stories, dilemmas and interesting encounters. Dr. Silk provides an introduction for each piece. This site, established in October 2022, is a collection of Family Medicine Moments submissions. Submissions from 2014-2020 are currently available in a separate archive.

Authors of works posted in this archive agree to the terms of the eScholarship@UMassChan Non-Exclusive Deposit License. Original works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 (CC BY-NC) license, which permits re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and the material is not used for commercial purposes.

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One more tribute to Jim - in his own words
(UMass Chan Medical School, 2024-10-10) Ledwith, James; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: Last Friday evening we had a memorial for our colleague, friend, and mentor, Jim Ledwith. It was a moving service thanks to speakers like Liam Burke, Beth Mazyck, Eric Rosenthal, Phil Fournier, and Abigail Gyamfi. The entire night was made possible due to the hard work of Karen Rayla (and her friend Jackie), Pam Tero, Linda Hollis, Heather Garron, and Linda Cragin - thank you. One of the moving moments of the night was the reading of Jim Ledwith's letter of acceptance when he took over as the Medical Director of the Epworth Free Clinic in 2011. Below we share with you what Jim wrote all those years ago - the words speak volumes to who he was. Also, one of the rooms at the Epworth Free Clinic was dedicated in his name. We have included a photo of the plaque that now hangs in the room. We miss you, Jim. You were the best of us.
Aging in America
(Pulse - Voices from the Heart of Medicine, Inc., 2024-10-03) Adelstein, Pamela; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: After my piece last week about writing a letter to my past self - I received an email from a former UMass Chan student who was in the FMIG and mentee of mine. She said the piece had motivated her to write a letter to herself on literally her first day of practice after completing residency. I love that. We hand one another along... This week, in the spirit of sharing writing from alumni, I have a piece for you from Dr. Pam Adelstein. She is a long-time writer for FMM, a former resident at Family Health Center of Worcester, the current Director of Family Medicine for Fenway Clinic in Boston, and next week's Putterman Visiting Professor. And also, a great example of a clinician who has continued to reflect on many topics and is often published in Pulse (an online journal where you can experience poetry, prose, haiku, photos, artwork and now podcasts). As Donald Schön wrote: “The reflective practitioner allows [themself] to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation which they find uncertain or unique. They reflect on the phenomenon before them, and on the prior understandings which have been implicit in their behaviour. They carry out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomenon and a change in the situation.” Amen. (Note: This piece was previously published on Pulse. The prompt was Palliative and Hospice Care. You can view the original here.)
Letter to Myself on My First Day After Residency
(UMass Chan Medical School, 2024-09-26) Silk, Hugh; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I share with you my entry for the Family Medicine Education Consortium Poetry and Prose contest that won second place last week. Hoping this gets you to think back to your first day in practice or something else from your past medical career. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary as a department, it is a good time to look back at our history and our careers. If you have a moment like this - please share this with us through the FMM. For me - it was a chance to think about what I predicted and did not predict, as well as a chance to think about how I might advise someone starting out today.
Selfless Leader - for P.O.F.
(UMass Chan Medical School, 2024-09-19) Perry, Robert Eugene; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: I am following up from last week's FMM written by Phil Fournier. He was writing his "swan song" reflection. A patient of his has written a poem about Phil that I think also captures the essence of Phil and of so many family physicians and practitioners. The poem is written by Robert Eugene Perry who will include this poem in his upcoming book. You can read more of his material at https://roberteugeneperry.myportfolio.com/. In just four stanzas, a lifetime of care is captured. Enjoy.
Saying goodbye is both complicated and comforting
(UMass Chan Medical School, 2024-09-12) Fournier, Phillip O.; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: Welcome back to this academic year of the Family Medicine Moments (FMM). And a big welcome to newcomers like students, interns, fellows and new faculty/staff. The FMM is a weekly listserv in our department that was created to honour all the things we do as family physicians and members of the family medicine/community health team. Beyond the grants, presentations, and papers – the stories of our highs and lows and little successes clinically, educationally, spiritually need to be celebrated. The FMM works because you all write down your reflections. This is our 16th year of these stories, haikus, poems, 55-word stories, songs, images!! Please – keep sharing. In this our 50th year as a department – we want to encourage alumni of all types - students, residents, faculty, staff - to write and share their experiences from UMass Family Medicine & Community Health and beyond. For this first week of 2024-25, I share with you an important reflection from Phil Fournier about his retirement. Phil has been with the department for over three decades as a clinician in the Benedict Family Medicine practice, an educator, a mentor, the med school student health director, and the list goes on. I am in awe of Phil – sure I respect his care and his teaching and his writing for the FMM. But more so, I am in awe of who he is. I once was walking behind him in the hospital and he stopped to talk to every person who worked there – the secretary, the janitor, the cafeteria staff – and then he bought them all coffees! His musings below capture this about him. Atul Gawande once challenged medical graduates to “Ask unscripted questions” to get to know others. Phil has asked unscripted questions of unscripted people for decades – and he is a better person for it. We can be better too by following in his footsteps. Thanks, Phil, for your service, your collegiality, your friendship, your mentorship, and your example. And for these words below.
A Tribute to a Family Physician
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-07-11) Ledwith, James; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: I have no words for the passing of our good friend and colleague Jim Ledwith. The words others have used about his commitment to students, the city's free clinics, those with substance use disorder and chronic pain, the Fitchburg residency, Learning Communities, MCSTAP (Massachusetts Consultation Service for the Treatment of Addiction and Pain), and more were saint, mensch, selfless, ... I am going to let Jim's words speak for themselves. Below are two pieces he wrote for the FMM (formerly TMM). The first is a reflection sadly and ironically about Jim helping someone to die with dignity. Jim knew that a good family physician cares for a patient right to the end, transitioning from curing to helping and caring. The story is a reminder to us all that there is always care we can provide. The second is a treatise on how wonderful it is to be a family physician. That is how I will choose to remember Jim - a man who embodied the spirit of family medicine and he was able to capture it below. I am crying as I write this. He gave and gave and gave and in his last moments on this planet he even gave his organs per his wishes so that others would still benefit from his selflessness. Jim - you will long be remembered. Long and well. We loved you and hope for all the best for your family. This will be the last edition of FMM for the academic year. We will start up again in September. For this upcoming year - our 50th anniversary as a department - we would very much enjoy hearing from alumni with your stories over the last 50 years. Thank you.
A Scribe's Tribute #2
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-06-27) Uchendu, Chidinma; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: Two weeks ago I shared a tribute from one of our scribes in our Scribe Fellowship. This week I am sharing the insights Chidinma Uchendu, an aspiring physician, learned from her scribing experience at Hahnemann. Chidinma was involved with MassAHEC’s high school pipeline program at the Boston AHEC, so she has a long-term interest in a career in medicine. She will be busy this summer preparing for her application to medical school and we wish her a successful outcome!
NexGen Eulogy
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-06-20) Sarkar, Amber; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week we have a poem again. This time from Dr. Amber Sarkar who is faculty at Family Health Center of Worcester. She is writing here about the transition from one EHR to another EHR. I think most of us have experienced this at least once - I have experienced 8 different EHRs so this really resonates with me. We come to spend more time with our EHR than we do our children! We form a warped bond with it. Like our phones, it gets a grasp on us. We talk about it like it is a living entity. And then sometimes we have to say goodbye. And hope the new one will be better than the old. Amber captures all of this well in her poem.
A Scribe's Tribute
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-06-13) Street, Ashley; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I have the pleasure of sharing the first of two letters prepared by this year’s Scribe Fellows. The scribes were asked to write a letter to a provider they really connected with, someone who inspired them and helped them think about their future physician-self. The scribes could also reflect on a patient who made an impact. As you will read, Ashley Street’s future physician-self was informed by what she learned this year scribing and witnessing patient care at Hahnemann. In August, she will join us as a member of the Class of 2028! I think we can all say we look forward to seeing her. Congratulations to Ashley and all who inspired her.
What Do You Know, and How Do You Know it?
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-05-30) Singer, Robert E; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I am thrilled to share with you a reflection of an alum who has written many FMMs over the years, Bob Singer. Bob was a resident in the UMass Family Practice Residency Program from 1978 to 1981 when the Family Health Center of Worcester was called the Family Health and Social Service Center. As we enter our 50th year celebration for the department, we welcome more stories, poems and reflections from alumni. In this piece, Bob offers some sage advice about giving advice.
Remembering Why We Became Family Physicians
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-05-23) Adler, Ronald N.; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: I have a special reflection this week. Dr. Ron Adler, a graduate of and long-time faculty member at Hahnemann Family Health Center has recently become the President of the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians. He joins an impressive list of former graduates and faculty of the UMass Chan Department of Family Medicine and Community Health including David Gilchrist, Dennis Dimitri, Bob Baldor, Randy Wertheimer, Neil Cannon, Fred Baker, Robert Babineau, Bill Damon and others. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our department and honour the ideas of Family Medicine Proud - Ron and others give us ample cause to hold our head high. Ron gave his Presidential address at the annual MAFP conference recently. It speaks to us to remember why we went into this profession and specialty - of course there are challenges all around us and the system is flawed - but we have overcome before because of who we are and what we believe in. His words are a clarion call for us all - our collective team in family medicine and community health - to accept the challenge and inspire our learners, colleagues, patients, staff and indeed ourselves. See what you think.
Original Scars
(Pulse - Voices from the Heart of Medicine, Inc., 2024-05-09) Adelstein, Pamela; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I share with you another piece by Dr. Pam Adelstein, former resident of the Family Health Center of Worcester, and now the Medical Director at Fenway Health. She recently wrote in Pulse about scars. I recall doing a writing session with family medicine residents years ago on this topic. They wrote about the most amazing and hard stories. Scars, as you know, come in all varieties - internally and externally, individually and collectively. Pam adds to the list with this reflection.
Choose One Word
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-05-02) Barnard, Katharine C.; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I am happy to announce that I am sharing with you a piece by Katharine Barnard (graduate of HFHC and current faculty member at HFHC and Hector Reyes House). Her reflection was recently awarded second place in the Annual STFM Poetry and Prose Writing Contest! Katharine captures how powerful and nuanced the clinician-patient relationship can be. So many thoughtful moments within.
Finding One's Tribe
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-04-25) Lo, Alex; Family Medicine and Community Health; T.H. Chan School of Medicine
Introduction: As a follow-up to last week's piece from a mentee of mine about feeling valued during clerkship, I offer you another piece. This time the reflection is very much about family medicine and the effect that our example in our department can have on learners. Alex Lo, UMass Chan '25, is also someone I am honoured to mentor in Blackstone House. He is a MassAHEC Urban Health Scholar and going into Family Medicine. He writes here about his time at Hahnemann Family Health Center and how his experience resonated with the same values he expressed when he applied to medical school. As a former member of the faculty at Hahnemann, it does not surprise me at all.
The Patients
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-04-18) Gupta, Suhasini; Family Medicine and Community Health; T.H. Chan School of Medicine
Introduction: I am grateful to my mentee Suhasini Gupta, UMass Chan MS '25, who agreed to have me share her recent reflection from a session we do annually with 3rd years. The prompt asks students to reflect at the end of their clerkships on a time when they felt they were valued or added value; as part of the exercise, they are asked to re-read their medical school application essay (we send it to them) and review last year's Class Oath to help them also comment on how medial school experiences are shaping their values. Suhasini plans to go into orthopedics. Clearly the values she exemplifies in this essay will make her a very special orthopod indeed. And her reflection was a reminder for me to revisit again - why did I go into this wonderful profession? Oh yes - the patients!
Endless Home Visit
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-03-28) Silk, Hugh; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: My turn again. I provide homeless outreach medical care in our city alongside a very dedicated outreach worker. We go where the people are. Until they are not. Our city continues to back a mandate to take town tents/homes displacing marginalized individuals and disrupting essential health and social service care. My experience is expressed here.
Celebrating and Congratulations!
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-03-21) Silk, Hugh; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I am celebrating, along with my colleagues, our very successful match into family medicine (and to our residencies)! With 14.02% of UMass Chan students matching into Family Medicine, we exceeded the national average of 12.7% (per AAFP). Family Medicine Proud! This quote from Dr. Victor Johnson, known as the founding father of the College of General Practitioners now the College of Family Physicians in Canada, summarizes their future impact. "I became convinced that the medical profession would be saved not by its organization but by the sum total of the common sense and humanity of its individual practicing members. General practitioners... are the doctors closest to [the] people. They heal more of the broken hearted, repair more of the injured and deprived, and live with the poor and dying who are without influence and hope. As Family Physicians, you are ideally positioned in the health care system to understand patients and their family and community context, and to provide for them a deep connection, compassion, and care." The picture below says it best. These individuals are way more than a statistic. They will make us proud in the way Victor Johnson wanted family doctors to be. Congratulations to these future family physicians and to all who taught, challenged, mentored, coached, consoled, and encouraged them. Take a moment and congratulate yourselves too! Be well.
Over Fartsgrensen
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-03-14) Gracey, Kristina; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I am grateful to Kristina Gracey, faculty at Barre Family Health Center, for her essay that is both personal and informative. She is an avid and successful runner. Which can be dangerous. She has been thinking about this element of risk and adds a public health perspective to her reflection that I personally admire. Food for thought for possible collective advocacy by us all on this topic.
Photos of Meaningful Things and Places
(eScholarship@UMassChan, 2024-03-07) Penumetcha, Venkata "Sai Sri"; Isaac, Tamika; Coderre, Danielle; Silk, Hugh; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I have a visual treat. Last week Sara Shields and I had a session with the PGY1s on the topic of medical humanities and one of the prompts was to go into the hospital and return with a photo of something that is meaningful to you - can be a piece, a thing, a person. The discussion that ensued from these photos was wonderful! I am sharing some of the photos here for you with their title. Enjoy.
The Greatest Health Care System in the World
(Pulse - Voices from the Heart of Medicine, Inc., 2024-02-22) Adelstein, Pamela; Family Medicine and Community Health
Introduction: This week I am sharing with you another piece from Pam Adelstein, a former resident of the Family Health Center of Worcester, and now the Medical Director at Fenway Health. Her piece was written as a reflection on the prompt “cold”. As you can see, she writes about way too many people being left out in the cold in our healthcare system.

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