November

Dean’s Update - Aron

• Groundbreaking for the Grand Rapids Innovation Building is November 18. We received a $19.5M gift from Doug Meijer and the Meijer Foundation to go towards the P3 construction. We are also celebrating a $5M gift from Peter Secchia which closes the GRRC debt.
• Strategic planning is happening at the university level, as well as for MSU HealthCare with the guidance of Chartis, and our college will participate in strategic planning as required by LCME. Many opportunities will present themselves during these planning efforts such as expansion of buildings, research, GII funding, and public health services. It was suggested by M. Brown to review the strategic and research plan created a few years ago to help form and shape the next version. There was discussion regarding discovery and clinical research and the hope to have this considered during strategic preparation.
• An immediate dean’s search is on hold as Aron sorts out the role of dean. Since the university and our college is in a transitionary state, not many changes are expected. We will learn more as time goes on. He continues to meet with chairs, visit clinics, and hopes to create informal communication opportunities such as a weekly dean’s update. Aron expects to collaborate with other deans on routine matters including the 1% annual cut from the Provost’s office.
• Staffing changes include Jennifer Roy transitioning to support Norm in his EVP position, Lisa Galbavi will remain in Academic Affairs and Allison Tilma is the new Executive Assistant to the dean. Cynthia continues to support the dean.
• There will be a formal opening once move-in is complete which is expected to be March 2020. Please email Anna Moore with your questions regarding ISBN issues. The building does not have space planned for students.
• Aron is interested in visiting departments/units, as well as buildings and labs. Please email Allison with the dates of your department/faculty meetings and she will get them scheduled.

Group Round Table and Rotation - All

WHAT CAN WE DO AS A LEADERSHIP TEAM TO BETTER SERVE -

1. Patients
2. Community
3. Staff
4. Faculty
5. Students
6. How can the dean’s office better serve your unit?
7. How can I, as dean, better serve you as a leader?
8. Summary and Report Out

End of meeting. Next meeting February 6, 2020.

September

Dean’s Update - Norm

• Reminded all to lead with love and be supportive of each other.
• Gave background on recently hired MSU leaders, new Sparrow leaders, promotions of current staff and current search updates. Barbara Forney applauded for her part in every search the college performs.
• Shared philanthropic update, focus on scholarships, and research support funding opportunities.
• MSU Healthcare is working with Chartis to create a medically excellent and profitable clinical practice.
• President Stanley is impressed with our NIH funding which grew from $35M to $50M and increased proposal submissions from 254 to 344 since 2016. Aron and Walt were recognized for their leadership in this area.

• Seeking opportunities/focus from this group to disseminate to rest of the college. Ideas include:
  • Build translational science with clinical partners
    • Engage broader community to make contributions towards this effort. Engage clinical partners with clinical trials.
  • Reinvest in Sparrow/McLaren relationships regarding research
    • Demonstrate a sense of urgency to top management, change interactions to make research cultural rather than transactional.
  • Culture change
    • Examine issues of operating in silos, set goals and measure how we are doing
    • Identify items for accountability, identify and track collaborations, build/re-build trust with health partners, etc.
  • Student perspective
    • Tactics to lower debt, increase scholarship opportunities
  • Improve trust with community partners
  • Solid operating principles needed from this group to work consistently across departments to identify priorities and accomplish best practices
  • Suggested departments caucus as smaller groups and bring findings, challenges, etc. to the larger leadership group
• Prioritize list for next month to discuss.
  • Understand “the why” before prioritizing

Culture Conversation - Claudia

• Culture initiatives reviewed and the difference of accidental versus intentional highlighted.
• Outlined trauma-informed approach and principles - handout available.
• Physical and virtual suggestion boxes will be available for faculty, staff and students to offer input; information will be shared with this group.
• Discussion following the presentation included:
  • Refreshing to hear this view as needing a culture is not readily apparent
  • Focus on professional fulfillment by FAD will benefit the college
  • Referenced lost strategic plan authored by Nigel Paneth
  • Passion vs. Mission statement is what gets people up in the morning and to work at MSU – culture starts with a common foundation
  • Find a contemporary 21st century purpose regarding our land grant history
  • COM is similar to CHM and a joining of leaders will help create cultural foundation

Habit Initiative Update – Randi

• Reviewed 2018-2019 retreats and workshops for 140 faculty.
• 2019-2020 workshops filled. Deep Dive Habit Workshops scheduled 10/15 in EL and 11/19 in GR.
• Chair/Director Effective Leadership Retreat scheduled for October 31.
• Knowledge to Action Project is planned for November 15, 1-5pm; will share KtA project progress with units and will be held in B105 Life Sciences and Room 250 at the Secchia Center.

May

Youth Programs - David Chupak, MSU Director of Youth Programs

• Defined youth programs and what is not considered a youth program.
• Outlined compliance of policies and training for personnel.
• Responsibilities and requirements were highlighted for conducting youth programs or hosting minors in lab observations and learning experiences.
• Reviewed responsibilities when providing a space for a youth program at our facilities as well as non-MSU programs on campus.
• The College of Human Medicine must have certification in the form of a signature or email that chaperone’s have completed background checks.
• For more information check out the Youth Programs website
• His department provides support for planning youth programs and assists with background checks, offer handbooks, education, necessary consent/release/medical treatment forms, etc.

Gran Fondo - Jerry Kooiman

• This is our 7^th year of bringing awareness to the College of Human Medicine and raising funds for skin cancer research.
• The “Big Ride” consists of a 10-12-mile family ride; 25, 40, and 80-mile segments for adults with a festival at the finish line for all ages.
• You can register individually or as a group by June 19; use our 50% promo for half off the fee.
• Our Gran Fondo is one of the top five in the nation and volunteers are needed to make it successful. Please encourage your staff/faculty to volunteer, ride, or cheer on the bikers.
• 2018 was a record-breaking year and this year is set to be another record breaker for sponsorships, donations, and registration.
• You don’t have to live in GR to participate: Henry Barry, Aron Sousa, Karen Crosby and Val Overholt have participated and verify it’s a blast!

Search Updates

• One final interview is scheduled next week for the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Chair position.
• John Molidor, Assistant Dean and MSUFAME CEO, is retiring and a search committee will be organized to seek his replacement.
• A decision on the Center for Ethics position will be made soon.
• The MSU Health Team CEO search committee has chosen four candidates to return for follow-up interviews.
• An offer was extended for the associate dean for Faculty Affairs.

Other Updates

• May 7^th Faculty Meeting at 5:30pm will be an opportunity for faculty to hear the dean and participate in robust conversations.
• The department formerly known as Translational Science & Molecular Medicine will be known as the Department of Translational Neuroscience effective July 1. This name change accurately describes the work conducted and will help with Blue Ridge rankings.
• 45 participants attended the Knowledge to Action workshop representing 10 clinical departments/divisions. Chairs are encouraged to support the team, show an interest in their project and ask about progress. Norm gave an inspirational welcome and will be asking for a status of the projects for fall planning. Sustainability is crucial, and your support is appreciated. Mike will disseminate the teams to the Chairs once all projects are formulated and developed.
• Eric updated the results of the second Depression Summit which brought clinicians and researchers together to think about the treatment of depression disorders. Attendance was nearly doubled since the first summit and the day long event hosted 130-140 people who listened to six speakers and attended poster sessions. ROI since the first summit held in November 2017, has generated five grant submissions; two of which are funded with the third to be funded in June. Pine Rest and MSU are joint members of the National Network of Depression Centers with task forces available for any MSU faculty interested in joining. If you have questions or interest, please contact Eric Achtyes.
• Next Friday, May 10, is the final session for the Clinician Educator Mentor Program and you can attend at the Radiology Auditorium or by zoom. If you need details, contact Henry Barry.
• CHM Commencement is May 11 at 3pm at the Breslin Center.
• The Student Scholarship and Awards banquet was held last week recognizing over 90 students who received $480K collectively in scholarships.
• The Board of Trustees is responsible for the final selection and hiring of the University President. A large Search Committee was established, representing a broad cross section of the university. The committee has been working consistent with its decision to follow a confidential search process that was shared with the university community in the fall. The committee has been actively working collaboratively in a positive manner to represent the broad constituency of the university. Listening sessions were conducted to garner feedback from the university committee and reviewed comments submitted via the website and email. Using this community feedback and the responsibilities expected for a university president, the following job description was developed. The Presidential Search Committee is on track with the search schedule that is published on the website. 

Next meeting is August 1, 2019

April

The meeting was led by Norm with a moment of silence to honor of the victims of Christ Church. Our med students brought the city of Grand Rapids together for a beautiful vigil. He has asked CAC and DSAC to think about how to respond when events happen to offer a culture of support as a college.

Search Update

• Two finalists have been identified for the Center of Ethics Director. Norm spent a couple hours with each and asked them to submit their vision statements. A decision will be made following review of these documents.
• CEO search for Health Team is underway by board members of MSU Health Care. Excellent candidates with goal to appoint by end of June.
• The Chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is narrowed down to two promising candidates with visits planned for each campus.
• Three candidates have been identified by the associate dean for Faculty Affairs search committee.

 Communications and Social Media Review - Geri Kelley/Amy Nienhouse

• Reviewed 2018 metrics to show how CHM ranked with other MSU colleges.
• The power of social media helps us recruit faculty and students and becomes a way to connect to grads and alumni showcasing our activities and a useful resource. Businesses look at MSU to find ways to give back to communities and it’s essential to be more visible.
• ACTION ITEM: Schedule a “lunch and learn” on how to spruce up LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

 START Group & KCI - Rick Leach

• To achieve the goal of transforming health, the OB/GYN department actively seeks partners to join in research of rare gynecologic cancers. One partner is South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START). They are the largest for-profit Phase I clinical trial unit in the world with a presence in Grand Rapids at the GRRC.
• We have entered into a service agreement which allows us to take advantage of their approach with tumor therapies. Other partners include McLaren Greater Lansing and Karmanos Cancer Institute which offers the opportunity to study larger populations and have access to clinical data and biospecimens to discover new diagnostics and treatments for women with gynecologic cancers.
• This is a great example of the Innovation Cycle by identifying a domain of excellence in transforming health (gynecology cancer), bringing expertise that differentiates (Rick’s department ranks 7^th in USA), and finding partners who recognize value (Lemmon Holton). This enables us to provide clinical care, education, and bring discovery and innovation to communities.

MEET Certificate Program - Randi Stanulis

• OMERAD has completed the first pilot of the Medical Educator Excellence in Teaching (MEET) and is raising awareness by inviting anyone involved in the SDC to apply and participate in this program. Cost is $500 and 12 CME’s are offered. Deadline to apply is April 30. There will be two sessions; one each in Grand Rapids and East Lansing. One or two people from each department/unit should apply for the MEET program here.
• The MEET program intertwines the principles of integrating teaching and research, studying your practice, and transforming education by being the model of what it is we’re working toward.
• We’re helping faculty improve their effectiveness as teachers for the reason of improving student learning.
• MSU has the number one department of education in the country; the dean wants to empower teaching faculty with skills by connecting them to a cohort of kindred spirits. He encouraged the leaders of our college to spend time with faculty, discover the life goals of the people you’re leading and connect them to the strengths of the college. Having Randi as the Assistant Dean of Professional Development and director of OMERAD is key to bringing opportunities such as MEET to drive skill improvement.

Precision Health Program - Anna Moore

• Shared the vision of developing precision nanomedicine at MSU - where basic bench research results in discovering new biomarkers, creating early detection and determining new treatments which translates into clinic.
• Poised to be national and international leader in precision health and would like to showcase our achievements and collaborations during an annual Precision Health Symposium. Anna is also talking with organizers of the Precision Health World Congress, which attracts 40,000 people, and feels there is no reason not to host the next meeting on the campus of MSU.

End of meeting. Next meeting is May 2, 2019

February 

Culture of Safety Update - Aron/Claudia

• Safety stories including “near misses” were shared offering examples of preventing problems; it was suggested starting Leadership Meetings with a safety story.
• Claudia highlighted the Just Culture progress:
  • A shift from error and punishment to system design and behavioral choices
  • Fair and consistent application of justice
  • Remove fear of undue punishment
  • Increase reporting of events; ideally reporting “near misses”
  • Emphasize change in culture to students/residents as they are fearful of repercussions
• Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care by John Nance recommended reading for “cockpit behavior” and possible learning circle/book club topic.

Search Update - Chairs of Search Committees

• The search committee for Director for Center of Ethics submitted a candidate summary to Norm who will reach out to the candidates. This committee has searched to find someone who can align with the work we are currently doing in the hopes of creating something unique.
• Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Chair: Bengt reported search committee meeting next week.

Consensual Amorous and Sexual Relationships Policy - B. Forney

• Upon reviewing the proposed revisions, members of the University Committee on Faculty Affairs (UFCA) have concerns about some of the policy elements. The dean’s office will send a draft of this policy for you to share broadly with faculty and staff for input. Please send comments or concerns to UCFA representative, Dr. Vicki Johnson-Lawrence, prior to February 12 at John4093@msu.edu
• Major differences from the current policy we’ve been operating under since 1996, has separated undergraduate students, graduate and graduate professional students, and lifelong learners and the policy differs slightly for each category.
  • The revised policy would prohibit any and all amorous or sexual relationships between faculty members/academic staff and an undergraduate student regardless if there is any educational responsibility, oversight or connection between the faculty member and the undergraduate student. If the relationship predates the student’s enrollment at MSU, the faculty member must immediately disclose the relationship to their unit administrator who then consults the Associate Provost’s Office and a management plan is put into place. The major concern with this revision impacts faculty whose spouses are enrolled in a graduate school which would mandate the faculty member to immediately report to the chair that his/her spouse has enrolled as an undergraduate student and a management plan has to be put in place to ensure there is no influence or interference and updated into the annual plan. Rare exceptions may be granted such as spousal situations; but the faculty member is still required to disclose and request an exception within 30 days.
  • The policy doesn’t expressly prohibit consensual amorous and sexual relationships between graduate students and faculty but the university strongly discourages such relationships. It prohibits the faculty member from beginning a relationship with a graduate or professional student who they have educational responsibilities over. If the relationship predates the assignment of educational responsibilities, the faculty member is required to disclose this relationship so other oversight can be arranged. If the grad student and faculty member are in the same department, regardless of any educational responsibility or oversight of the student, the faculty member is required to disclose the relationship so the administrator can develop an appropriate plan to reduce the potential for influence.
• Questions and comments the Dean’s Office will provide to Dr. Johnson-Lawrence:
  • What is the undergraduate student’s rights in a spousal situation? The student may not want to divulge their spouse’s identity.
  • You run the risk of people reading only the first paragraph of a five-page document and as it’s currently written, doesn’t capture the essence of the following pages. The first paragraph needs to be clarified as firmly “prohibited”.
  • Most people consider this policy impacts 18 year olds and we should ensure non-traditional students not be harmed and a class of people put at risk without intent.
  • A bad outcome involving many couples working for the same mission and being discouraged because of a power relationship could have detrimental consequences.

Wellness Effort Update - C. Finkelstein

• The peer support program has launched and a staff support program will soon follow.
• The leadership development curriculum will kick off during fall 2019, a survivor website will launch very soon, and collaboration efforts continue with Sparrow, Pine Rest and Spectrum.
• The Core Wellness Group welcomes input. Please contact Claudia with your comments.

Dean’s Update - N. Beauchamp

• We are keeping a just and healing culture front and center as a leadership priority by adhering to our core principles.
• Discussed the process of installing a new Interim President and positive university leadership.
• Andy Amalfitano is the confirmed dean of COM and he is a great partner. Andy and Norm are having difficult conversations in a positive way on how to standardize procedures, provide best care and align missions. Please drop him a note and acknowledge his confirmation.
• Elaborated on the mission statement, vision and goals of MSU HealthCare in order to provide wellness and a just culture to create an environment to support patients, faculty and staff
• Signed a joint venture with a large practice of a 100+ physician group and will announce details at the next meeting
• Currently searching for MSU HealthTeam CEO
• Faculty appointments within this structure will allow us to think differently on forming departments; physicians will be leased through MSU or come in through joint ventures; this structure allows us the latitude to be inclusive.
• In talking with the new CEO’s at Sparrow, Spectrum and McLaren-Lansing they don’t understand the value of our academic mission. In Norm’s discussions, he is try to get them to see that our scholarships are safety science based, and provides implementation, quality, access and cost. By standardizing systems and databases, we can connect discovery of genomics and epigenetics, wearables, etc. We need to lead and bring to bear the highest quality of consistent evidence based care and demonstrate it as a part of our scholarships. Implementation science plays a huge part in how we help our hospital partners see the power of our academic mission and the role they play in training medical students and help fund discovery.
• One of the goals as leaders is how do we help faculty become experts in implementation science. This type of scholarship allows many people to accomplish expertise and we have facilitated a development program for teams to identify a clinical problem utilizing a Knowledge Translation (KT) approach to address a specific clinical issue for teams to implement. Clinical problems often represent undesirable variations in care despite supported by robust research evidence; these best practices may be difficult to implement for a variety of reasons (e.g., lack of knowledge, IT barriers, lack of proper incentives). This is how we give skill, power and alignment to faculty.
• April 26 is the date of this one-day seminar led by Ian Graham at the Secchia Center with participation expected from all campuses. Each clinical chair/director appoints a faculty lead who then invites 3-4 people (nurse, tech, QI, etc.) to the seminar and they become an inter-professional team. Each team has access to “implementation consultants” over a six-month period and support is offered in many ways. You select a problem significant to your discipline, group or practice and important to our health partners. We are hoping for a variety of topics.
  • Emergency Medicine has a Sparrow physician on the team concerned with the opioid crisis and the group will be focused on a project of how to get opioid treatment initiated in ED’s and carry on through community resources.
• The teams will report on the implementation project to the dean who will aggregate them into the Fall Planning letter. When he sits with hospital CEO’s who question the value of our partnership, he will have many templates to share. We have to mobilize as leaders to make this possible. We need people to participate. It is a remarkable opportunity!
• As a follow-up to this project, it was suggested creating a poster session and/or be part of a future retreat and/or link to the Leadership Meeting to discuss the work.
• The All University Awards ceremony was a wonderful celebration of people who are transformative across different MSU domains. The CAC is taking on the effort to recognize deserving individuals by proposing awards on how to celebrate our people in various domains to celebrate all areas of excellence. Susan Barman from Pharmacology & Toxicology received a William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award and Michael Boivin received the Community Engagement Scholarship Award. It’s important in our culture to celebrate outstanding achievements.

Covey Workshop Update - H. Kim

• A one-day version is available and opportunities to participate are scheduled in East Lansing for March 22, and in Grand Rapids on April 12 and April 25.
• Email Randi at stanulis@hc.msu.edu with questions. Sign-up for any of these dates at prybys@msu.edu
• This is a great way to cascade value by including folks and showing what we stand for.

End of meeting. Next meeting is April 4, 2019