IN THIS ISSUE

• Upcoming Events & Opportunities
• Medical Education
• Library & Knowledge Services



• Research
• Innovation

2024 Lambrew Research Retreat

This hybrid event gives basic and clinical researchers – and those who support them – the opportunity to catch up on each other’s work, to ask questions, to create new collaborations, and to discuss research in more depth.  

Learn More & Register 

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. Research Project Leaders must be able to devote 50% effort (0.5 FTE) to their research project, with this salary paid from the AC-COBRE grant (subject to the NIH salary cap). Both Research Project and Pilot Project Leaders should be junior investigators at a MaineHealth site, and must have a doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, PhD) and a faculty-level appointment (i.e., not be a medical resident or fellow). For more information and instructions for completing the Letter of Intent for either funding opportunity, please email Tom Gridley (thomas.gridley@mainehealth.org). Letters of Intent will be due late May – early June. 

Funding Opportunity for Early-Career Healthcare Providers 

MRG application deadline is April 15th, 2024 



The Mentored Research Grant (MRG) is an intramural grant program designed to encourage and support the intellectual curiosity and research capabilities of awardees. 



Learn More & Apply 

Introduction to Clinical & Translational Research Course

Discover the keys to effective research design at the MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR) annual one-day course. This course is tailored for healthcare professionals who are ready to delve into the intricacies of conducting research within MaineHealth and explore invaluable resources like Research Navigation.

Day: Thursday April 11, 2024

Time: 7:45 AM - 5:00 PM

Location: 81 Research Dr., Scarborough, ME

Learn More & Register

Advanced Practice Providers Education

The APP Education Office Launches a New Teaching Resource on Instagram 

Follow us on Instagram @PreceptME to connect and learn with other MaineHealth Preceptors! @PreceptME is the new MaineHealth Preceptor Network designed to support clinical educators on their journey as a provider-level educator in Maine. Explore educator spotlights and interviews and unlock valuable teaching resources and advice conveniently from your mobile device. Join the virtual conversation as we promote clinical teaching excellence at MaineHealth.

Simulation

Interprofessional Team Training Events 

• March 7th: Our regularly occurring and well attended (over 90 team members in person and on zoom!) Obstetrical Services Quarterly Team Training drilled response to eclampsia emergencies on the Mother Baby unit.  
• March 28th: Team members assembled in the Hannaford Team Training Facility at MMC to train on behavioral de-escalation to combat workplace violence with our security service and patient relations faculty.  
• Friday March 29th: Interprofessional pediatric inpatient unit and PICU team members tested emergency response systems on a patient with anaphylaxis on the inpatient unit.  This training occurred at 6AM to target our team members who work predominantly night shifts. 

Other Notable Events 

• March 5th: Pedi Trach Training- To support medically complex and technology dependent children, the PICU and inpatient unit nurses collected for annual pediatric tracheostomy training. This year’s training also included home health nurses, marking the Sim Center’s first opportunity to work with these care team members. 

• M26 MaineTrack Medical Students came to the sim lab to practice procedural skills such as IV placement, lumbar puncture and bladder catheterization as part of their orientation to Core Clerkships. Opportunities to practice and prepare to begin this clinical phase of training in a safe space are what sim is all about! 

• New SP Orientation Module: We are excited to introduce 9 new Standardized Patients to our pool, including 5 men, helping to improve gender balance in our overall pool. 

Undergraduate Medical Education

Match Day

Undergraduate Medical Education was delighted to host our second annual Match Day in Maine celebration with our class of 2024 students as they found out where they would begin the next phase of their training.  The celebration was held at the MaineHealth building at 110 Free Street, and students, faculty, staff and loved ones gathered and eagerly awaited the noon hour, when envelopes were distributed, and students learned of their match.  We were able to Zoom into the parallel ceremony held in Boston so that that entire Tufts class could be together during this important day.   

Maine Track Program Match Day 2024 Results  

• 36 students in the Class of 2024 
• 12 Maine Track students matched to MMC 
• 17 Maine Track students matched to primary care (i.e., internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine) 
• As of 2024, 36 expected May 2024 graduates, plus 403 grads for a total of 439 physicians that will have graduated from the Maine Track 
• Overall, Maine Track students were exceptional candidates and matched to excellent teaching programs nationwide.  

Even more impressive, 42% of the newly matched residents at MMC were involved in our Undergraduate Medical Education programming in some way, be it through the Maine Track or as a visiting student.  Thank you to all the faculty and staff who help make all of those clinical rotations a success and leading students to want to continue their training right here in Maine! 

Please watch the exciting news coverage we received by clicking here.

Save the Date!

Academy Spring Meeting & Scholars Graduation

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Rising Tide Brewing Company

103 Fox St.

Portland, ME 04101

We have many useful online resources, check out MITE’s newest pages:

• Diversity Equity and Inclusion Toolkit
• Canvas Public Course Index
• Curriculum Development Guide
• Mentoring Guide

 Check out the Department of Medical Education SharePoint Site!

MaineHealth Library

Dana Center

And the Oscar goes to… The Library & Dana Center team! We recorded a video about Library & Knowledge Services for the March Department of Medical Education all-hands meeting. It was a great opportunity to share who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Watch the video here.

Notables

MHIR Team Crafts Kits for a Cause 



A group at MHIR recently participated in a volunteer activity of building 3 different kits (cleaning & toiletry, minute-for-mom, and art kits) for the local non-profit, Maine Needs. Maine Needs’ mission is to help individuals and families in Maine meet their basic, material needs by providing donated clothing, hygiene products, household items, and other necessities.  Thanks to Shannon Stambach and Colleen O’Neill who coordinated this effort and all those who donated items and helped build the kits! 

In the News

Grants

NIH R01 Funding for MHIR Researcher Anyonya Guntur, PhD



Dr. Guntur is collaborating with researchers at the Mayo Clinic and University of Texas Southwestern to identify the role of two novel mitochondrial related factors BNIP3 and NIX in regulating digit regeneration to elucidate mechanisms that can be targeted to enhance bone regeneration. The Mitochondrial function regulates ROS-mediated patterning following injury project would provide the first evidence of a BNIP3/NIX signaling access in injury, implicating mitochondrial function and mitophagy as spatial regulators of the regeneration process. 

Vector-Borne Lab Researching Climate Change Impacts on Tick-Borne Diseases 

 

Robert Smith, MD and the Vector-Borne Lab at the MaineHealth Institute for Research have received EPA grant funding from the University of Maine for the Climate Change Impacts on Tick-Borne Diseases: Exploring Tick Phenology, Pathogen Prevalence, and Host Associations for Targeted Management project. The MHIR lab will work with UMaine conducting research investigating the intersection between tick management, pollinators, and climate change. 

Tufts CTSI Pilot Funding for Isha Agarwal, MD

MMC Emergency physician Dr. Isha Agarwal has received funding from the NIH-funded Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) for her project Using Natural Language Processing to Detect Bias in Emergency Department Clinical Notes. The funding is from the CTSI’s Small Grants to Advance Translational Science (S-GATS) Program. Dr. Agarwal’s project will use natural language processing (NLP) tools to measure and test for bias in Emergency Department clinical notes.  

National Research Service Award (NRSA) Funding for UMaine GSBSE Student Researcher 

Audrey Langlais, a graduate student at the University of Maine’s Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering and a researcher in MHIR’s Motyl Lab, has received an NIH fellowship grant (F31) for her research Investigating miRNA-Mediated Bone Loss from Morphine Treatment. The F31 enables promising predoctoral students with potential to develop into productive, independent research scientists to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in scientific health-related fields. Dr. Katie Motyl is Audrey’s faculty sponsor. 

QRIG Update

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 April 25, 2024, QRIG will meet to talk about the NIH data sharing policy and how it relates to qualitative data. Carmit McMullen, PhD, head of the new Tufts CTSI service that I lead on Qualitative and Mixed Methods, will lead this discussion. 

Relevant to the data sharing policy, please remember that MaineHealth is a member of the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) at Syracuse University, which allows investigators to submit qualitative data. If you are interested in submitting to the QDR, email Michael Kohut. 

If you would like to present a qualitative project, stay apprised of QRIG meeting topics, or receive QRIG emails, please contact Michael Kohut. 

Check out MaineHealth Institute for Research's SharePoint Site!

the connective tissue between research, education, and care

Webinar Series for Bioscience Startups

Join MaineHealth Innovation and Maine Center for Entrepreneurs for a 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 talk about starting up a new bioscience, life science, or healthcare venture from idea to funding.

Learn More and Register Here! 

Welcome Spring 2024 Innovation Cohort! 

Seven MaineHealth care team member projects have been selected to join the Spring 2024 MaineHealth Innovation Cohort; an 8-week program designed to empower teams to advance their “back of the envelope” ideas. The first session, scheduled for April 11, will see participants sharing their innovative concepts and kickstart early investigations to propel their projects forward. Throughout the program, teams will focus on refining their pitch, conducting customer discovery, discussing minimum viable prototypes, and exploring intellectual property considerations. Stay tuned for updates on these exciting projects! 

Interprofessional Innovation in Education Award

Bringing Design Thinking to the Cardiovascular Service Line

MaineHealth Innovation is excited to collaborate with a dedicated workgroup lead by Sanjeev Francis, MD and James Powers, MD with Executive Sponsorship by Marco Diaz MD and project support from Sarah Chang, Improvement Specialist II. This project, titled, Improving Patient Access to Optimal Coronary Artery Disease Treatment (IMPACT-CAD), aims to enhance patient care pathways. 

Our partnership was initiated with two immersive working sessions, rooted in design thinking principles, to catalyze the generation of innovative solutions. 

The first session centered on crafting a Customer Journey Map, a visual representation illuminating patient needs, actions, touchpoints, and pain points throughout their referral journey to Maine Medical Center (MMC). To lend a diverse perspective from outside of healthcare, Shannon Banks, Vice President of Community Partnerships at Good Shepherd Food Bank, offered expertise in transportation and logistics.  

Next, an Ideation Session was held with the objective of generating new ideas to improve access for cardiac transfer patients from referring hospitals. The diverse perspectives contributed by participants generated a portfolio of ideas, which will be further explored and refined by the workgroup.  



“We truly appreciate the great work from the innovation team. It resulted in a fun and productive meeting. Look forward to further collaboration.” -Dr. James Powers 

Nurturing Joy with SMHC's Care Companion Program

“It has long seemed a paradox to me that such depletion of joy in work can pervade as noble and meaningful an enterprise as healthcare. What we in the healing professions and its support roles get to do every day touches the highest aspirations of a compassionate civilization. We have chosen a calling that invites people who are worried and suffering to share their stories and allow us to help. If any work ought to give spiritual satisfaction to the workers, this is it. “Joy,” not “burnout,” ought to rule the day.” - Donald M. Berwick, MD President Emeritus and Senior Fellow Institute for Healthcare Improvement

These stirring words from Donald M. Berwick, MD, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, set the stage for a recent workshop at Southern Maine Health Care (SMHC). Deborah LaPointe, Companion Educator, alongside Lynn Lessard, Companion Program Supervisor, initiated a session facilitated by MaineHealth Innovation, focusing on infusing “Joy into Work” within the SMHC Care Companion program. 

In a concerted effort to diversify perspectives and tackle shared challenges collaboratively, the workshop welcomed both Care Companions and Registered Nurses. Participants spent time building Empathy Maps, a team exercise aimed at understanding the thoughts and emotions of specific groups through their lived experiences. From there, teams engaged in Ideation, a creative process aimed at swiftly generating a plethora of innovative ideas.  

The Care Companions expressed gratitude for the opportunity to voice their perspectives and emerged with fresh insights aimed at enhancing team communication and fostering a sense of belonging. Through initiatives like these, we continue to cultivate environments where joy prevails, reaffirming our commitment to the well-being of both patients and caregivers alike.  

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 April 2. Join us here!

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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