UCONN HEALTH
THE PULSE
Issue 355 | March 16, 2023
'World's Best Hospital' + Infection Prevention Honors
Our John Dempsey Hospital keeps its spot on Newsweek's "World's Best Hospital" list — plus, for the first time, special recognition for our performance in infection prevention! Learn more about these honors and their methodology.
THE POWER OF POSSIBLE.
New Angle to Attacking Alzheimer's
Ominous plaques and tangles of protein in the brain are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Neuroscience Chair Riqiang Yan and School of Engineering colleague Dong-Guk Shin are exploring whether the brain’s waste disposal team is to blame.
Why Is Colon Cancer Showing Up Sooner?
As the colon cancer mortality rate continues a decline in older adults, it's trending the other way in those under 50. We asked Dr. Joel Levine from our Colon Cancer Prevention Program to share some theories behind colon cancer striking younger over the last few decades.
Students Awarded at Scholar Symposium
Seven medical students and 10 dental students are recognized for their research aptitude as part of our 2023 Medical/Dental Research Day and Clinician Scholar Symposium, which also included a keynote address from Felicia Tucker-Lively from Academy for Advancing Leadership. See this year's student and mentor honorees.
DEAR DR. LIANG
Since high-quality (KN95 or N95) masks are shown to be many times more effective than the provided surgical masks (for both wearer and others), and in light of the high transmissibility of recent variants, why do so many patient-facing staff wear only surgical masks? Shouldn't it be a priority that our patient population (many of whom are high-risk) be protected when they visit our facilities and are in close proximity to the staff treating them?
 
Thank you for your questions and your concern for our patients, which I’ve shared with our leaders in infection control. They remind us that full PPE, including gown, gloves, eye protection, and a respirator (N95 or PAPR) is required for care of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection, and for any aerosol-generating procedure.
 
Beyond that, here are some updated recommendations from the CDC:
 
  • Some masks and respirators offer higher levels of protection than others, and some may be harder to tolerate or wear consistently than others. It is most important to wear a well-fitting mask or respirator correctly that is comfortable for you and that provides good protection.
  • While all masks and respirators provide some level of protection, properly fitting respirators provide the highest level of protection. Wearing a highly protective mask or respirator may be most important for certain higher risk situations, or by some people at increased risk for severe disease.
  • Outside of the situations when full PPE is required, a surgical/procedure mask is the minimum to meet UConn Health’s masking requirements. Decisions about wearing a higher-level mask are individualized, balancing a clinical staff member’s desire for higher protection with any discomfort or difficulty in performing daily tasks while consistently wearing a higher-level mask.
 
And of course, I encourage any member of our workforce who would prefer that higher-level of protection to speak with your supervisor about obtaining the desired PPE.
Have a question for Dr. Liang? Just find his smiling face on UConn Health Express and click “Ask Dr. Liang a Question.”
UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Patient Safety Survey Now Open
As Dr. Liang announced Monday, if you have a role that impacts patient care directly or indirectly, be sure to take part in this year's patient safety survey. We need your experience and observations as resources to enhance safety and quality for both patients and colleagues! It will take you 10 minutes or less, so why not respond now, while you're thinking about it?
3 More UConn Health Faculty Elected to CASE
Congratulations to our three researchers who are joining the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering!
  • Kimberly L. Dodge-Kafka, Professor, Department of Cell Biology, UConn Health
  • Guo-Hua Fong, Professor, Department of Cell Biology, Center for Vascular Biology, UConn Health
  • Beiyan Zhou, Professor of Immunology, UConn Health
They are among the 11 UConn faculty members in CASE's 2023 class of inductees.
Live Look-in at Match Day '23
Medical Match Day is Friday, March 17! Tune in to UConn Health's Facebook starting at 11:45 a.m. for a livestream as our fourth-year medical students open their envelopes and find out where they're headed for their residency training. Meantime, third-years Ireoluwatomiwa Ayomide Opayemi, Maitreyee Kale, and Shivam Patel are hosting coverage of Match Day on the UConn Health Instagram page (@uconnhealth).
CHAPLAIN'S CORNER
Welcoming Religious
Diversity and Inclusiveness
An inclusive culture is one that supports diversity of thought, of data, and of teams. The Rev. Daniel D. Warriner describes how ours is a welcoming environment to support and encourage people of all religious faiths in his latest Chaplain's Corner.
PIC OF THE WEEK
Urgent Care's '1-in-a-Million Lifesaving Care Experience'
Thanks to quick work by our urgent care staff in Canton, a heart attack victim today is a heart attack survivor with a story to tell. Read about David's harrowing journey from his home in New Hartford to our ED, and the stop along the way that saved his life.
Got a story idea for The Pulse? Email us at thepulse@uchc.edu.
263 Farmington Avenue | Farmington, CT 06030