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ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Research | Education | Innovation
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- Upcoming Events & Opportunities
- MaineHealth Office of Faculty Affairs
- Medical Education
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- Library & Knowledge Services
- Research
- Innovation
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Upcoming Events & Opportunities | |
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New Funding Opportunities from the Acute Care COBRE
The Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Acute Care Research and Rural Disparities (Acute Care COBRE) is inviting Letters of Intent for two new funding opportunities. The Acute Care COBRE strives to foster a multidisciplinary breadth of research focusing on all areas of acute care concerns and related health disparities across our rural communities. The first funding opportunity is for new pilot projects for Year 5 (beginning Feb. 1, 2025). Pilot projects are one-year grants, and we plan to fund two awards in Year 5. The second opportunity is for the selection of three new Research Project Leaders for multi-year research projects.
Learn more
Questions? Contact Tom Gridley
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Call for Applications: Clinical Research Scholars Program
The Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network (NNE-CTR) application process is open for the Clinical Research Scholars Program. This program will support junior clinicians to enable them to lead rigorous and significant research projects, publish and present their research, and be competitive for research funding.
Candidates must be NNE-CTR members who are MaineHealth junior faculty (assistant professor or equivalent) with clinically relevant degrees (e.g., MD, DO, PhD, PharmD, ScD, PsyD, NP, RN). Preference will be given to candidates with strong ongoing research programs and active MaineHealth IRB-approved protocols as applicable.
Please submit letters of intent to Meredith Oestreicher by June 30, 2024, to Meredith.Oestreicher@mainehealth.org
Direct questions on this program to Dr. Ivette Emery at Ivette.Emery@mainehealth.org
Learn more
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MaineHealth Office of Faculty Affairs | |
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We are very excited to announce the creation of Faculty Affairs & Promotions (Faculty Appointments & Promotion), housed in Academic Affairs. This centralized team is dedicated to supporting MaineHealth’s academic mission and is here to support both leaders and faculty members in all things related to academic appointments and promotions. They are already hard at work streamlining procedures and improving transparency around requirements and processes. Stay tuned for updates from the Faculty Affairs & Promotions team!
Contact us: Director: Dana Clark, MA; Shawn Christensen; Camille Shiffler.
General inquiries: FacAppointmentsHelp@mainehealth.org.
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Advanced Practice Providers Education | |
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Actively Seeking Teaching Sites for MaineHealth APP Pod Students!
The APP Education Office is searching for sites and preceptors (PA, NP, MD, DO) who are interested in becoming a part of the MaineHealth APP student “Pod” program(s). Whether you are inpatient, ambulatory, rural and/or in an urban setting, all clinical MaineHealth sites are relevant to the training needs of our diverse APP programs and students. Supporting APP students at MaineHealth is one of many ways that our organization can help address the future workforce needs and contribute to the readiness for practice our new hires will acquire, if they are trained here as a student.
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What’s a MaineHealth APP Student Pod?
The “Pod” programs provide a team-based learning environment for APP students and give NP and PA students an opportunity to apply for and enroll in a yearlong clinical placement program at MaineHealth.
- Each program accepts between 4-8 students per year, where the student is placed exclusively at MaineHealth sites for their clinical rotations.
- The Acute Care Pod: This was the first MaineHealth APP student “pod” program, developed at Maine Medical Center in 2020 to offer a more enriched training opportunity in the Acute Care setting. Since then, the program has expanded to have two tracks– NP student track and PA student track.
- The Primary Care Pod: New this year, seats in this program are reserved for students enrolled in the FNP program at USM, and we’re excited to report that three of the four selected students are MaineHealth employees.
|  | AGACNP students participated in the First Day Bootcamp to prepare them for the MaineHealth Acute Care APP Student Pod Program. | |
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Interprofessional Team Training Events
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On April 10, the team traveled to Southern Maine Healthcare Biddeford campus to run an interprofessional team training and systems test for obstetrical (OB) emergencies involving Emergency Departments and OB teams. The focus was care of the OB patient who arrives in the ED. A group of 34 clinicians consisting of RNs, CNAs, APPs and Physicians participated in two different simulation scenarios with a reflective debrief following each one. A report of the systems testing will be shared with the leadership teams from both departments; some of the “nuggets of the day” included:
- “Utilize the algorithms to help coordinate care for these low occurrence events.”
- “Get blood in the room early for a post-partum hemorrhage.”
- “Define and assign roles and tasks.”
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Other Notable Events
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End of Core Clerkship OSCEs: After managing the challenge of weather-related logistical issues for April 4, the SP team completed our 13th End of Core Clerkship OSCE (ECCO). Forty engaged students and twelve skilled SPs made this event run smoothly, once again. [Are you a fan of the Potato Head toys? Ask an SP team member about all the ideas we generated for some new yammy, er...yummy characters.]
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WGME Career Fair: Four of our team members stepped up to represent MaineHealth and our Simulation Center at the WGME Career Fair at Thompson’s point. Our display included videos about the simulation Center, hands-on airway skills trainer, CPR trainer and our greatest attraction was our Standardized Patient.
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Collaboration with Southern Maine Community College undergraduate nursing program: In partnership with MaineHealth workforce development, the simulation center helped to produce pieces of the SMCC undergraduate Nursing 175 course. The curriculum focused on care of the post operative patient, including assessment and pain management. Five consecutive sessions encompassing four “scenes” maximized the experiential learning opportunity for students, with a total of 75 students involved.
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Tufts University included a feature on our SP program in Tufts Now, their monthly publication. Check it out! | |
Undergraduate Medical Education | |
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Congratulations to Dr. Angela Banks Paulino!
The Maine Track Competency-Based Apprenticeship in Primary Care Award for Excellence in Clinical Skills Teaching for the academic year 2023-2024 was presented to Dr. Paulino. An internist with fellowship training in Palliative Care, Dr. Paulino provides primary care in Skowhegan at the Redington-Fairfield Health System. The Department of Medical Education at Maine Health expresses its gratitude to Dr. Paulino and RFHS for her involvement in our medical student educational programming!
We would like to celebrate Dr Paulino’s accomplishment by sharing exemplary student ratings and comments. Well done in your first year of being a CAP preceptor, Dr Paulino!
-- "Dr. Paulino did a great job turning patient visits into opportunities for me to learn and practice."
-- "Although time consuming, it was helpful for me to talk about patient cases before and after their visit so that I could adequately process their medical needs and social history."
-- "Dr. Paulino went out of her way to provide me with background information, and also to emphasize aspects of our visit which corresponded to the content I was learning in school."
-- "She is a natural teacher and a brilliant physician. Learning from her was a privilege."
Dr. Paulino is a board-certified Internal Medicine Physician and Palliative Care Specialist. She attended UNIBE School of Medicine in the Dominican Republic and completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Hackensack University Medical Center. Afterwards she completed her fellowship in Palliative Care at the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Program through Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital. Through her practice, her students have been exposed to both rural medicine with a special emphasis on what it looks like to provide end of life care to patients in a rural community.
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Community Service Learning
As part of the Tufts curriculum, Maine Track students complete 50 hours of service activity. Despite the fact that our first-year students are based in Boston, many Maine Trackers choose a project that has a Maine connection.
These students have been mentoring elementary school children on the Sipayik Passamaquoddy tribe reservation, generally connecting virtually with the students. However, they recently were able to meet in person!
M27 Rebecca Thompson wrote, "It was a privilege to meet our mentees from Sipayik Elementary in person for the first time! We had a fun day which started off with a science lesson for the Sipayik eighth graders led by TUSM students, a visit to the Passamaquoddy Museum, and concluded with a stone skipping contest at Shackford Head State Park. While it was a quick trip, we look forward to continuing the Passamaquoddy-Tufts Partnership with our strengthened mentor-mentee relationships."
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Student attendees (left to right): Reed Lonsdale, Rebecca Thompson, Audrey Hoyle, Alex Gaito, Morgan Honor, Charlotte Collins, Kamli Faour | |
Graduate Medical Education | | |
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Kalli Varaklis, MD, MSEd - Designated Institutional Official
Click here for a detailed Graduate Medical Education (GME) update.
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Save the Date!
Health Professions Educators Conference:
How to Make Learning Stick?
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Friday, September 20, 2024
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Dana Center & Virtual
Our focus for the conference this year is to highlight effective strategies to help learning stick and become long-lasting through the use of newer techniques such as AI and Social Media as well as seemingly traditional techniques such as chalk talks and effective engagement strategies.
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We have many useful online resources, check out MITE’s newest pages:
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Library & Knowledge Services | |
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Celebrating Organ Donation: The Library was happy to host the beautiful Donate Life Quilt during April for National Donate Life Month. We also featured some of our organ donation materials available for checkout: The Match/Helfgot; Taylor’s Gift/Storch; Caring for Donor Families/Maloney & Wolfelt.
Featured Collection - Environmental Sustainability: In honor of Earth Day, the Library displayed our environmental health and rural health collection. Featured titles included Zoobiquity/Natterson-Horowitz; Northeast Medicinal Plants/Neves; and fan favorite Of Ticks and Islands /MHIR’s own Peter Rand
Care Team Free Library: The Library continues to host the Care Team Free Library. Favorite and familiar authors alike – and new ones to try – what do you have to lose?! Come find your next favorite book – free to take home and pass along to others!
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Congrats Cyndi Marcotte RN, BSN, OCN, Research Patient Navigator! Cyndi was recently presented the prestigious Paula Majors Award at the 39th Annual Society of Gynecologic Nursing Oncologists (SGNO) Symposium held in Nashville, TN. Paula Majors was a founding member of SGNO who passed away in 2002. In her honor, a memorial lectureship was created to provide an opportunity for a nurse to provide a podium presentation and receive a scholarship. Nurses from around the country submit abstracts and Cyndi’s abstract was selected. Bravo!
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We are excited to announce that Becky Mountain, PhD, Staff Scientist in the Motyl Lab, has been honored with the Advances in Mineral Metabolism (AIMM/ASBMR) John Haddad Young Investigator award! Dr. Mountain also presented her research at the AIMM annual meeting in Snowmass, CO, where she received this distinguished award. In addition, Faculty Scientist, Michaela Reagan, PhD, chaired a session at the event. Bravo to their collective efforts!
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Exciting news! We are delighted to share a collaboration between MaineHealth and Educate Maine, aimed at advancing the future of healthcare workforce development. The Maine Mobile BIOLAB is a state-of-the-art science lab on wheels, bringing hands-on educational experiences to middle school students (grades 5-8), focusing on rural and under-resourced communities. This spring, the BIOLAB will visit 12 schools around Maine for one week each.
A huge shoutout to team members, Joe Baty, Manager of MaineHealth Workforce Development, and Lucy Liaw, PhD, Faculty Scientist at MHIR, for their instrumental roles in supporting this endeavor. Photo showcases a view inside the BIOLAB!
Learn more: https://mainemobilebiolab.org/
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New research recently published in the journal Anesthesiology by Aurora Quaye, MD, Anesthesiologist and Faculty Scientist in the Center for Interdisciplinary Population & Health Research. The news article in MedPage Today, highlights this valuable work which magnifies the continued importance of colonoscopy screening and how the type of sedation given can impact detection outcomes. Hopefully, this work will help provide guidance on optimizing colonoscopy use. Read more:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/anesthesiology/anesthesiology/109719
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NIH R01 Grant for MHIR and MMC Researchers
Sergey Ryzhov, MD/PhD, Faculty Scientist II at MHIR, and Dave Seder, MD, Chair of MMC’s Department of Critical Care Services and MHIR Affiliated Investigator, are Multiple PIs on the Protective Adaptive Immune Mechanisms After Cardiac Arrest grant. The purpose of their research is to determine the role of CD73 in expressing lymphocytes in the protection against excessive inflammation and secondary heart and brain tissue damage after initial global ischemia and reperfusion injury. Their new data will determine the contribution of cardiac arrest-induced inflammatory response in the heart and brain tissue damage and identify CD73/adenosine/adenosine receptors axis as a potential therapeutic approach to improve outcomes after global ischemia and reperfusion injury.
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MHIR Faculty Scientist Co-Investigator on NIH R01 Grant
Ziru Li, PhD, Faculty Scientist I at MHIR and her colleague Ormond MacDougald at the University of Michigan have received NIH R01 funding for the project Metabolism and Functions of Bone Marrow Adipose Tissue in the Marrow Niche. They will be investigating how metabolism of bone marrow adipocyte populations plays critical regulatory roles in the causes of bone loss. The research could provide information leading to new treatments for metabolic bone disorders and osteoporosis.
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NIH Extramural Nexus
If you are interested in NIH funding and are not already familiar with Extramural Nexus, we encourage you to visit the website https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/. You can read blog posts such as Open Mike here, written by Dr. Michael Lauer, NIH's Deputy Director for Extramural Research. You can subscribe to his posts or other announcements from NIH pertaining to grant funding by clicking on this link.
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Grant Proposals
Please contact the Research Grants office (81 Research Drive, Scarborough) if you considering applying for research grant funding. We can be reached at researchgrants@mainehealth.org. Please note: All proposal documents must be received no later than two business days before the deadline.
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Spring Staff Retreat
The Center for Interdisciplinary Population & Health Research (CIPHR) held a bi-annual Spring Staff Retreat on Friday March 26th at their new home in Wesbrook, Maine; with more than 30 CIPHR faculty, staff, and guests in attendance, the day-long meeting focused on team-building and strategic planning. Topics included future research directions, alignment with MaineHealth and MHIR strategic priorities, mentorship, inter/intra-departmental collaboration, integration with clinical partners, and research support service models. The retreat was led by a trained meeting facilitator with 20+ years of strategic planning experience. Six workgroups were formulated to address the primary topics identified and will be developing strategic documents to summarize input and provide recommendations to leadership.
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Dr. Kevin Stein, PhD, FAPOS, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Population & Health Research (CIPHR) was invited to serve as a member of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (CDC) Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) to conduct the scientific peer review of applications responding to RFA DP24- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Centers: 2024 Special Interest Project Competitive Supplements (SIPS). The SIPs under review for this panel include:
- SIP-24-001: Understanding the needs of ovarian cancer survivors. The goal of this project is to better understand the needs of ovarian cancer survivors, including the following areas: 1) Physical and mental health conditions, 2) Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, 3) Barriers in accessing and receiving appropriate care, and 4) Unmet needs.
- SIP-24-002: Survivorship care plans and mortality among adult cancer survivors. This project aims to evaluate if receipt of survivorship care plans decreases cancer mortality among adult cancer survivors.
- SIP-24-005: Understanding the impact of reducing social isolation and loneliness on health indices among cancer survivors. This project seeks to 1) determine the efficacy of referral of cancer survivors to community programs and 2) evaluate the effectiveness of community program intervention on outcomes of improving physical and mental health. The project also seeks to assess the sustainability of such programs.
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QRIG is an inter-professional group united by an interest in qualitative approaches to health research. We meet virtually on the fourth Thursday of each month from 4-5pm.
On May 23, 2024, QRIG will hear from nurse researchers Melissa Vanmeter, RN, MSN and Lynn Keller RN, MSN, who will be presenting their study titled “Achieving Positive Results through Teaching Fundamentals of Care: How Pre-Licensure Baccalaureate Students Demonstrate Patient-Centered Behaviors.” We will discuss their analytical approach and findings. Everyone is welcome!
If you would like to present a qualitative project, stay apprised of QRIG meeting topics, or receive QRIG emails, please contact Michael Kohut.
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the connective tissue between research, education, and care | |
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Webinar Series for Bioscience Startups: Session #2
Missed the kickoff of the BioStartup Blueprint Webinar Series? No worries, there are still two more sessions to dive into! Next up on May 22nd, join us for Session 2 where we’ll tackle the question: “How do I fund my fledgling startup?”
In this session, we’ll explore the diverse funding landscape in Maine, both dilutive and non-dilutive. Our panel of experts, including Kendra Batchelder, WAVED Medical, Christian Haller, and Val Kratzman, Maine Center for Entrepreneurs and Business Finland, will share best practices for preparing and approaching funding sources. Discover the key milestones your company needs to achieve to access these funding opportunities and learn which aspects of your company are pivotal when seeking support.
MaineHealth Innovation and Maine Center for Entrepreneurs have partnered to develop this 3-part BioStartup Blueprint webinar series. Todd Keiller, Director of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer at MaineHealth and BioInnovate Program Manager at Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, and Brady Bohrmann, Managing General Partner at Bold Ocean Ventures and MaineHealth Intellectual Property and Business Development Committee member, will guide us through the process of launching a bioscience, life science, or healthcare venture -- from ideation to securing funding.
Don’t miss out! -- register now to secure your spot.
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Future of Healthcare Founder Residency Cohort #2 Announced | |
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We are excited to announce the exceptional companies selected for the 2024 Future of Healthcare Founder Residency Cohort, revealed at the recent Kickoff Event on April 25th! In partnership with The Roux Institute, Northern Lights Health, and Maine Venture Fund, MaineHealth has invested in the residency program to support MaineHealth's mission of working together to address unmet healthcare needs in Maine. These ten dynamic companies are poised to revolutionize the healthcare technology landscape in Maine. From advanced cardiac health monitoring to cutting-edge stress management solutions, each company brings unique expertise and vision to the table.
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Core.dio is a non-invasive cardiac health monitoring platform which measures cardiac output and central blood pressure, utilizing common wrist-based signals and AI.
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EmpoweRx is a marketplace tech platform to upskill healthcare professionals and ensure they are fully compliant, eliminating liability for healthcare organizations and offering options for contract and permanent placement staffing with our network of nursing and allied professionals.
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Health for Mankind is a digital health solution that zeroes in on diabetes management, with an emphasis on serving minority and underserved communities.
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HUB Healthcare is solving the healthcare collaboration challenge by providing a web-based platform that offers a centralized workspace, much like Slack, tailored to the specific needs of healthcare providers.
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Legacy is a mobile application that significantly streamlines the Advanced Care Planning (ACP) process for healthcare providers. The app, currently at its Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage, features a unique integration of AI and GPT technologies to facilitate the rapid creation of personalized and legally sound ACP documents.
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Metis Health Technologies is developing a healthcare data platform tailored for clinical business owners, analogous to what Toast provides for restaurants. Leveraging the Quintuple Aim as our balanced scorecard framework, Metis unifies general ledger, scheduling, and EMR data to empower clinic owners and administrators in: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and Business Intelligence, payroll, claims, scheduling, billing, and quality measures.
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Novobeing is a digital health platform that delivers science-backed immersive stress management solutions. We are redefining the way people deal with stress and enhance their well-being through highly engaging and personalized virtual and mixed-reality experiences.
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OPTT is "A revolutionary AI toolkit to improve behavioral health outcomes", equips mental health provider teams with a digital technology to deliver high-quality care more efficiently across the patient's journey. OPTT's clinically validated technologies empower mental health providers to triage, access, and monitor patients' progress effectively, based on their unique narratives.
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Parrots.AI is an AI-driven NeuroCare platform designed to support patients with neurological disorders and their healthcare providers. The state-of-the-art SaaS software solution offers real- time, personalized assistance tailored to individual patient needs, enhancing patient independence, ensuring continuity in care, and augmenting the capabilities of caregivers and healthcare professionals.
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Valhalla is a clinical automation platform that automates medical office operations through generative AI making the EHR work on its own, with features such as automated filing and pre-charting, to workflow automation.
We extend a special invitation for you to get involved! If you are interested in knowing more about collaborating with these founders, please contact innovation_center@mainehealth.org. Let’s make a difference together!
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Innovation and a Patient Journey Map for a Collaborative Clinical Care Project with Addiction Medicine | |
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MaineHealth Innovation is excited to announce its open innovation collaboration on a clinical care project aimed at addressing challenges faced by patients with substance use disorder (SUD) in acute care settings. Under the leadership of Kristen Silvia, MD, a specialist in Addiction Medicine, this initiative aligns with MaineHealth’s commitment to patient-centered care and improving outcomes in addiction medicine.
The recent workshop, held on April 24th, focused on visually mapping the experience of SUD patients within our acute inpatient settings. By using agile methodologies, interactions, pain points, goals, and gaps in care, our goal is to develop solutions that enhance the overall patient experience and drive positive outcomes.
Open innovation is a way to switch from a silo and the traditional mentality of relying on internal research and development only to encouraging organizations to draw on external ideas, knowledge, and technology.
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With over 10 physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, and other experts joining forces (pictured), we are grateful for the collaborative approach taken to address this pressing issue. With Substance Use Disorder identified as a priority area, we anticipate gaining deeper insights from these patient journey maps. This deeper understanding will enhance our ability to develop tailored solutions for patient needs, minimize frustrations, and identify clear areas for improvement and consistency.
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Join Us for the Innovation Coffee Corner!
The Innovation Coffee Corner is held on the first Tuesday of every month from 8:30-9:30am over Teams. This is a fun, informal hour of networking and conversation that brings together care team members from across the system.
The next Coffee Corner occurs on May 7. Join us here!
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Keep up with MaineHealth Innovation by signing up for our monthly newsletter.
MaineHealth Innovation builds connections to drive diversity of thought, educates to produce creative problem-solvers, and funds to accelerate ideas. By leveraging the ideas, insights and expertise of all care team members to develop novel solutions to our unmet care needs, we are working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.
To learn more about these or other innovation opportunities at MaineHealth, visit the MaineHealth Innovation website or email innovation_center@mainehealth.org.
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Academic Affairs | academicaffairs@mainehealth.org | | | | |
