Winter 2015 Newsletter DGIM

RACING TO A NEW BEGINNING
INSIDE THIS EDITION
VCU DGIM NEWSLETTER FALL-WINTER 2015
Photo Credit: Lena Rivera
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR 1
UPCOMING EVENTS 2
SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH UPDATES 3

DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS 8
NEW FACULTY 9
DIVISION UPDATES 10
SECTIONAL STATS IN DGIM 13
1
Have you presented at or attended the DGIM Grand Rounds?
Many thanks to the attendees and all the presenters: Drs. Bishop,
Call, Dow, Hemrajani, Huynh, Lee, McIntosh, Miller, Nutan, Sabo,
Wixted, and Darci Bowles, Allison Phillips, and Miao-Shan Yen. You
all covered excellent topics and demonstrated how grand rounds can
be engaging, informative and fun!
I understand Drs. Alan Dow and Dennis Wixted have been scouting
talent and we look forward to future Grand Rounds by: Drs. Acharya,
Brooks, Keiser, Kelley, Malik and Mishra.
So come and join your colleagues to - showcase your expertise,
learn together, share ideas, collaborate, and problem solve!
And when you see Dr. Stephanie Call, please thank her for her vision
and leadership so that we can all benefit from dedicated time to
improve clinical and teaching skills. Also a huge shout
out to Melinda Gills-Beck for coordinating these weekly meetings
that enable us to develop academic careers collaboratively!
--Dr. Shin-Ping Tu, Division Chair
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Building on the success of the November 2015
“Meet and Greet” between the Department of
Health Administration (HAD) and the Division
of General Internal Medicine (DGIM), we are
launching a monthly reading group covering
short articles for professional and personal
development. The articles will be broad enough
in scope to be of interest to both faculty and staff
from HAD and DGIM. All are welcome to attend,
and all are welcome to suggest readings. There
is no limit to type of topics, except that they be
short (5-10 pages maximum) and contribute to
professional and personal development.
Dr. Vimal Mishra has generously agreed to host the reading group in his home, which will
be held on the weekend in the late afternoon/early evening. The first reading will be selected from
The Harvard Business Review’s compendium, “The Essentials”, and Sarah Ochs will email the new
reading in advance of each session. Look for announcement of the first group meeting in January!
Questions or comments? Please contact Sarah at sarah.ochs@vcuhealth.org.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
AND DGIM READING GROUP
UPCOMING EVENTS
VCU DGIM NEWSLETTER FALL-WINTER 2015 2

1
Conference season is fast approaching. As you begin preparing for submissions to upcoming regional
and national conferences, remember the Scholarship and ResearchTeam is here to help! In collaboration
with senior faculty, we will review and provide feedback on your abstract prior to submission. We will
also provide assistance with the online submission process and will cover the price of printing and
delivery of posters up to $48.00. If you would like to take advantage of any of these opportunities,
if you have any questions, or if you would like to request research support, please contact
Allison Phillips, Research Coordinator, 628-5171, allison.phillips@vcuhealth.org.
See below a list of conferences with upcoming deadlines.
Society of General Internal Medicine 2016 Annual Meeting
May 11-14, Hollywood, FL
DEADLINE: January 13, 2016
SGIM’s 2016 annual meeting theme is Generalists Engaged in Population Health: Improving Outcomes
and Equity through Research, Education and Patient Care.
International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 2016 Annual
International Meeting
May 21-25, Washington, DC
ISPOR is recognized globally as the leading educational and scientific organization for outcomes
research and its use in health care decisions.
Academy Health 2016 Annual Research Meeting
June 26-28, Boston, MA
For more than 30 years, AcademyHealth’s Annual Research Meeting has been the premier forum for
health services research, where more than 2,400 attendees gather to discuss health policy implications,
sharpen research methods, and network with colleagues from around the world.
Association of American Medical Colleges 2016 Integrating Quality Meeting
June 8-10, Chicago, IL
The 2016 AAMC Integrating Quality Meeting will provide attendees with a comprehensive view on
implementing interprofessional and integrative approaches to quality improvement, patient safety, and
care transitions across the continuum of medical education, clinical care, and research. The meeting
will feature plenary sessions, interactive workshops, poster sessions, and opportunities for networking.
SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH
UPDATES
Upcoming Scholarship & Research Opportunities

Academy Health and NIH 2015 Science of Dissemination & Implementation Conference
December 14-15, Washington DC
A forum for discussing the science of dissemination and implementation, the 8th annual conference
aims to grow the research base by bridging the gap between evidence, practice, and policy in health
and medicine.
Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association 2016 Annual Patient Safety Summit
February 4-5, Richmond, VA
The two-day patient safety summit provides information and strategies to enhance patient safety,
reduce the risk of error, and improve effectiveness of teams in the delivery of health care. Participants
will discuss methods for health care professionals to involve and collaborate with patients and families
in all aspects of care across the continuum.
VCU Center for Interprofessional Collaboration Education and Collaborative Care 2016 Emswiller
Interprofessional Symposium
February 6, Richmond, VA
The changing healthcare environment requires frontline innovation from healthcare providers to improve
the health of the population, decrease the cost of care, and enhance the patient experience. In this
year’s symposium, attendees will learn from experts in interprofessional leadership about how to turn
great ideas into great accomplishments.
Society of General Internal Medicine 2016 Southern Regional Meeting
February 18-20, Atlanta, GA
Regional meetings provide participants with opportunities at the local level to network, learn, showcase
and share research, teaching methods, aspects of patient care, and develop leadership skills within the
SGIM community.
American Academy of Pain Medicine 32nd Annual Meeting 2016
February 18-21, Palm Springs, CA
AAPM’s Annual Meeting is a leading educational resource for advanced clinicians who together practice
the most current and broad-based care of the pain patient.
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 2016 Annual Educational Conference
February 25-28, National Harbor, MD
The 2016 conference will offer dedicated sessions based upon quality improvement and patient safety,
the latest on competency-based medical education assessment, and a report on the ACGME’s efforts
to improve resident and physician well-being.
Team Based Learning Collaborative 2016 Annual Meeting
March 3-5, Albuquerque, NM
The Team-Based Learning Collaborative is a group dedicated to supporting educators and trainers
from a variety of educational and professional development settings that have implemented or wish to
implement
Society of General Internal Medicine 2016 Southern Regional Meeting
February 18-20, Atlanta, GA
Regional meetings provide participants with opportunities at the local level to network, learn, showcase
and share research, teaching methods, aspects of patient care, and develop leadership skills within the
SGIM community.
American Academy of Pain Medicine 32nd Annual Meeting 2016
February 18-21, Palm Springs, CA
AAPM’s Annual Meeting is a leading educational resource for advanced clinicians who together practice
the most current and broad-based care of the pain patient.

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 2016 Annual Educational Conference
February 25-28, National Harbor, MD
The 2016 conference will offer dedicated sessions based upon quality improvement and patient safety,
the latest on competency-based medical education assessment, and a report on the ACGME’s efforts
to improve resident and physician well-being.
Team Based Learning Collaborative 2016 Annual Meeting
March 3-5, Albuquerque, NM
The Team-Based Learning Collaborative is a group dedicated to supporting educators and trainers
from a variety of educational and professional development settings that have implemented or wish to
implement
Society of Hospital Medicine 2016 SHM Annual Meeting
March 6-9, San Diego, CA
The largest national gathering of hospitalists in the United States, the SHM Annual Meeting offers a
comprehensive array of educational and networking opportunities designed specifically for the hospital
medicine professional.
Association of American Medical Colleges 2016 SGEA Regional Conference
April 13-16, Austin, TX
The purpose of the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) is to advance medical education and medical
educators, and continuing medical education to promote excellence in the education of physicians
throughout their professional lives and, thereby, to contribute to improving the health of the public.
Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine 2016 APDIM Spring Meeting
April 17-21, Las Vegas, NV
AAIM is a consortium of five academically focused specialty organizations representing departments
of internal medicine at medical schools and teaching hospitals in the United States and Canada, and
APDIM is the international organization of accredited internal medicine residency programs.
GRANTS AWARDED
Dr. Wally Smith, as part of a grant headed by Dr.
Suzanne Ameringer, Ph.D., R.N. from the VCU School
of Nursing team, was awarded funding to study
improved approaches to self-managing exercises in
adolescents and young adults with sickle cell anemia.
Dr. Ameringer’s grant is titled, “Subjective Responses
and Metabolic State During Exercise in Sickle Cell
Anemia”. It is the first project of its kind. Grantor: The
National Institutes of Health.
Faculty Development Committee EducationalAwards:
Dr. Manpreet Malik was awarded funds to attend the
2015 Hospital and Emergency Procedures Course in Las Vegas, NV.
Dr. Steven Bishop was awarded funds for the purchase of iPads for the mHealth pilot project.
Dr. Sue Wolver was awarded funds to purchase a projector, body fat analyzer, and color printer for her
weight loss clinic.
Congratulations to all!

GRANTS SUBMITTED
We want to extent a congratulations to the following faculty who worked dilligently
to submit grants this quarter:
Dr. Thokozeni Lipato
• Cervical Cancer Screening in Women with Sickle Cell Disease, submitted to The American
Cancer Society
Dr. Wally Smith
• Personalized Passport - Optimize Sickle Cell Pain Management in the Emergency
Department, submitted to the University of Illinois/PCORI
• A Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group
Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Rivipansel In the Treatment of Vaso-Occlusive
Crisis in Hospitalized Subjects with Sickle Cell Disease, submitted to Pfizer, Inc.
• Virginia Sickle Cell Disease Translational Research & Implementation Consortium, submitted
to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Dr. Steven Bishop
• Improving Clinical Encounter Communications to Enhance Minority Diabetes Care,
submitted to Starship Technologies, LLC
• Mobile Handoffs to Enhance All Levels of Transition to Home (mHealth), submitted to the
VCU Quest Innovation Fund
Sickle Cell Research
On August 19, 2015, Pl, Dr. Wally Smith, Dr. India
Sisler, Dr. Donna McClish, and Daniel Sop, along
with collaborators, Dr. San Keller and Dr. Marsha
Treadwell, presented preliminary findings from
ASCQ-ME and PROMIS survey tools. The NIH
attendees reviewed findings from the R18 grant,
“Enhancing the Use of Hydroxyurea Using Patient
Navigators”. The ASCQ-ME tool had never been
analyzed or presented in a clinical setting and
there was a great deal of interest and excitement
for the preliminary results. The R-18 grant was
approved for a 4th year and the team will continue
to collaborate with the Tidewater site on enrolling
new patients into the study and working with patient
navigators and the sickle cell population.

SCHOLARSHIP SYMPOSIUM
On October 29, 2015, the First Annual DGIM Scholarship
Symposium was held in the beautiful James W. and
Frances G. McGlothlin Medical Education Center Lobby
and Gallery. The Symposium highlighted individual and
collaborative efforts spanning DGIM, other divisions
across the Department of Internal Medicine (DOIM), and
the residents and faculty within the School of Medicine’s
Office of Educational Affairs.
The DGIM Symposium featured scholarship
which had been previously presented at premier national
academic, policy, and research meetings including
Society for General Internal Medicine, Society of Hospital
Medicine, and AcademyHealth. DGIM faculty and staff had
38 presentations in total reaching that wide audience, and
over 25 posters and presentations were on display at the
symposium.
Dr. John Nestler, Chair of DOIM, delivered opening
remarks commending faculty for their achievements and
increased scholarship over the past year. Dr. Stephen
Bishop, who has launched a CME podcast series covering
facultyandGeneralInternalMedicinetopics,live-podcasted
from the event. Thank you to everyone who participated
and made this a success. We are looking forward to the
next symposium in 2016!
All Photos Credit: Samantha Collins
7

J. David Markham Award Excellence in Teaching
The 2015 J. David Markham Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Dr. Christine Huynh
on October 22nd to recognize her contribution to graduate and undergraduate medical education in
the primary care setting. On that same
day, DGIM sponsored the DOIM Grand
Rounds with a special Markham Award
Lecture, “Teaming up on a System in
Crisis”, with guest speaker Dr. Stephen H.
Taplin. Dr. Huynh received her MD from
the Medical College of Virginia at VCU.
After completing her residency in Internal
Medicine at the University of Maryland
Medical Center, she returned to VCU as
a faculty member in 2006.
Dr. Huynh serves as a clinical preceptor for resident physicians exclusively in the outpatient
setting where she has her largest impact on trainees, one-on-one. She has been steadily involved in
the Ambulatory Care Resident Clinic for almost ten years and one of the primary preceptors for the
Advanced Ambulatory Practice Rotation for PGY-3 Generalist track residents for the past seven years.
She routinely facilitates the Ambulatory Morning Report and in 2009, she was a co-investigator on a
VCU Center for Teaching Excellence grant focused on lnterprofessional Education in the resident clinic
setting. Dr. Huynh is a clinically excellent, thorough and caring physician, and persistently advocates
for her patients. The example she sets for colleagues and learners is characterized by integrity and
humility.
Congratulations, Dr. Huynh!
DIVISION ACHEIVEMENTS
Chathur Acharya, MD elected into National Fellowship
Chathur Acharya, MD has
beenelectedtoFellowship
in the American College
of Physicians (FACP).
This FACP prestige
portrays Dr. Acharya’s
commitment totheinternal
medicine community.
FACP is an honor is
earned by the recognition
of achievements and
accomplishments that exceed the practice of
medicine. These criteria more importantly include
the excellence of contributions made to not only
medicine – but also the community.
“Getting accepted as a Fellow to the ACP is
an absolute honor.” Dr. Acharya said, “It is
a recognition of my contribution to internal
medicine and receiving this makes me want
to push myself harder to achieve more.”
This well-earned status allows Dr. Acharya to vote,
hold office, and sponsor applicants for Membership
as well as Fellowship into theACP while continuing
to fulfill ACP’s mission:
“To enhance the quality and effectiveness of health
care by fostering excellence and professionalism
in the practice of medicine.” – ACP Online
Photo Credit: Samantha Collins

Dr. Culpepper was born and raised in the
island nation of Trinidad and Tobago and
attended medical school at St. George’s
University School of Medicine in Grenada.
Dr. Culpepper then completed
her Internal Medicine Residency at State
Univesity of New York (SUNY) Downstate
Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY where she
was appointed Chief Resident. As Chief
Resident, she was given the opportunity to
undertake teaching rolls as well as manage
quality improvement projects. After
completing her residency, Dr. Culpepper
went on to co-author breast cancer research
projects at the Memorial Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center.
Making the transition from New
York to Richmond was an exciting new
adventure. Ever since her arrival, she has
been diving headfirst into her new home by
exploring all that Richmond has to offer. Her
favorite things to do in Richmond involve
hiking along the James River, playing in the
city parks with her Dachshund, Mr. George
Beauregard Schnitzel, and eating out at
Richmond’s popular culinary hotspots
with her husband, who also practices at
VCUHealth, as well as her new friends at
VCUHealth.
DGIM is elated to have Dr. Culpepper
as an addition to the talented Hospital
Medicine Team!
Dr. Lachar completed his undergraduate
degreeattheUniversityofBritishColumbia
in Vancouver, Canada with a Bachelor
of Science in Biology. After receiving
his undergraduate degree, Dr. Lachar’s
education continued on to medical
school at the University of Queensland in
Australia.
Dr. Lachar then arrived at VCU
Health where he completed his Internal
Medicine Residency training at the VCU
Medical Center where he was given
many educational as well clinical roles
and responsibilities to help VCUHealth
thrive in patient care. After his Residency
completion, Dr. Lachar determined he
wanted to remain here at VCUHealth in
order to practice Internal Medicine.
Dr. Lachar enjoys attending with
VCU Hospital Medicine because he is
granted the opportunity to care for a
diverse patient population and is able
to continuously collaborate with other
hospitalists on the VCU Hospital Medicine
team. Dr. Lachar believes this strong
collaboration with other healthcare
providers is essential for every patient to
receive the best care.
VCU DGIM is excited to have Dr.
Lachar as a new valued member to the
brilliant Hospital Medicine Team!
NEW FACULTY
JATINDER LACHAR, MD CANDICE CULPEPPER, MD
Photo Credit: Lena Rivera Photo Credit: Lena Rivera

DIVISION UPDATES
DOIM Travel & Professional Update
GenMed Podcasts with Dr. Stephen Bishop
Dr. Nestler is pleased to
announce that the existing
Internal Medicine Clinical
Development Program has
been replaced with a new
and expanded Internal
Medicine Professional
Development Fund
(IMPDF) in FY16. Starting
July 1, 2015, each full-time
physician faculty member in will be provided with up to $3,000 in
FY16 to support attendance at approved conferences, payment of
professional dues, subscriptions to professional journals, and other
professional expenses. Full-time equivalent NPs and PAs will be
provided with up to $1,500 for similar support, and PhD faculty will
be provided with $1,000. The IMPDF funds will not carry over into
the next fiscal year.
Dr. Nestler is requesting that dually appointed faculty and PhD
faculty submit their approved OPA to Sheryl Brown at least 6 weeks
prior to travel.
Here are a couple
requirements to keep in
mind when submitting
travel:
 MCVP-onlyfaculty,NPs,
and PAs should submit
the IMCDP Application
with their Division Chair’s
signature at least 6 weeks
prior to travel.
 Please keep in mind
that all out-of-country
travel must receive prior
approval from Al Dunn
and Keith Purcell.
 Please contact Sheryl
Brown at sheryl.brown@
vcuhealth.org if you have
questions.
Weareveryexcitedaboutthereleaseof Dr.StevenBishop’s
podcast series, now available through RamPages and
iTunes. Dr. Bishop had the idea to start the podcast series
because, “…one of the things we’re always struggling with
is in the area of mentorship and disseminating information
amongst ourselves because everyone has such different
schedules…I came up with the idea of creating a podcast
series that people could access any time that is convenient
for them”. Dr. Megan Lemay will be assisting with the
podcasts by writing the show notes, and many thanks to
Terry Darcy and Melinda Gills-Beck for editing support!
The podcasts were created both for people who
work in medical fields and the general public. Covering
a variety of topics from lung disease to depression, they
are designed to be a teaching and learning element which
brings to life what is normally standard textbook material.
Listeners will get a real world insight from these interviews,
featuring a different faculty or staff member each episode.
Check them out at:
http://rampages.us/dgimpodcast/ and on iTunes.
“The podcast allows us to disseminate
content around the globe,” Dr. Bishop
said.‘’I’mhopingitwillbecomeanoutlet
for the general medicine community
here in Richmond and around the world
so that people can connect with each
other.”

NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Soon you will have a devoted online space to find and post critical
information. DGIM is pleased to announce the upcoming unveiling
of a brand new VCU Wiki Site and RamPage (nicknamed the
WikiRamPage)! The two sites will be linked, with the RamPage
featuring a DGIM overview, events, opportunities, and
resources, and the Wiki Site featuring internal topics such
as staff and administrative concerns, DGIM structures, and
DGIM-specific meetings and events. The RamPage will be
for external and DGIM audiences, and the Wiki Site will be
DGIM-only.
Please contact Sarah Ochs at sarah.ochs@vcuhealth.org if
you have something you would like to feature on the DGIM
WikiRamPage.
Be on the lookout for increasing mentorship,
development, and advancement opportunities
throughout DGIM. We are committed to helping
our faculty develop professionally and achieve
promotionastheydesire.Therearetwocommittees
dedicated to this task, the Faculty Development
Committee (FDC) and the Faculty Advancement
Committee (FAC).
There are a number of faculty who meet DOIM
criteria for promotion, and in the upcoming year
DGIM will nominate a number of these faculty -- the
first wave in a greater effort to help junior faculty
rise up in the ranks. As you think about your own
advancement, keep in mind the following School
of Medicine criteria for advancement to Associate
professor:
The performance of the candidate should indicate
a sustained record of professional achievements
in teaching, scholarship, and service. A positive
recommendation should be made when the
candidate meets each of the following conditions:
(a) satisfactory or better on all criteria,
(b) very good or excellent on at least two
ofthefollowingcriteria:teaching,scholarship
and service. For non-tenure track faculty,
whose special mix of duties allows minimal
effort (10% or less) in a criteria, a rating of
satisfactory will be sufficient in that area.
(c) excellent in either teaching or scholarship
or, for non-tenure track faculty with a majority
of effort designated in service, excellence in
service.
Please note: Faculty members who have been
at VCU since July 2011 or before will have the
choice of being reviewed under the old (2009) or
new (2014) policy until 2018. A self-assessment
form can be found online, here to help you plan for
promotion.
Professors
n = 5
Associate
Professors
n = 7
Assistant Professors
n = 7

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
(Cont’d)
The FDC’s mission is to provide DGIM faculty
with tools that will encourage personal growth,
foster camaraderie within the division, and
support professional development in the areas
ofclinicalwork,education,andscholarlyactivity
with the overall goal of developing successful
and personally rewarding careers for junior,
mid-career, and senior faculty. Objectives
include: Planning the DGIM Annual Retreat,
organizing retreat follow-up meetings, creating
a list of projects for faculty development,
creating surveys or other feedback methods
to determine faculty needs, providing content
for already existing structures within DGIM,
and notifying faculty of upcoming events within
DGIM, such as services, trainings, etc.
The FAC is charged with complementing
the FDC in the professional development of
junior faculty and assisting junior faculty in
achieving promotion. Currently, FAC objectives
are to provide resources and opportunities to
junior faculty to help them achieve promotion,
to pair senior and junior faculty for mentorship,
and to assist in the development of senior
faculty as they help junior faculty reach their
promotiongoals.Ourmissionisindevelopment,
and we will announce our new structure and
committee members in the upcoming year.

LET’S SEE OUR PROGRESS
FOR THIS YEAR
SECTIONAL STATS IN DGIM


6
4
741
Project HEART
Advisors
Core
Educators
Inpatient
discharges since
July 1, 2014
Inpatient
Medicine
consults
Average
days in
length of
stay in
Hospital
Medicine
452
6.8
1,028
19.3%30-day readmission rate
Patients admitted
through the
Emergency Dept,
year to date
Created by: Lena Rivera

Winter 2015 Newsletter DGIM

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