November

Dean’s Update

• Appreciates everyone’s hard work.

COVID Updates-Faculty/Staff

• Planning for more students returning to campus in January as we continue to work remotely
• Early Detection Program morphing into screening program
• Continue to work on guidelines for returning to non-wet lab, non-classroom and/or administrative o campus – use fillable template to submit your plan for approval
• Food & drink restrictions relaxing by exception
• New parental leave policy for AP and APSA staff
• Final stages of recruitment of new director of the CEHLS
• University Diversity training is now available
• Newly revised RVSM policy offering better definitions, clarifications and streamlines investigative process

Finances

• Capital expenditures frozen, hiring is slow, reviewed reductions in the Dean’s Hallway
• Operating with presumption of FY22 budget reductions anywhere between 5-15%
• Working with departments and Health Care, Inc., improving contracts and obtaining hospital support (ex. Spartan Forward Fund) to reduce clinical losses
• Long term project involved with general fund analysis and the compensation plan review (XYZ)
• Fixed costs discussed and keeping a positive margin by being more efficient
• Faculty pay/retirement changes should be addressed in the spring
• Discussed how the university has used salary reductions, deferred maintenance, slowed hiring, etc., trying to decrease expenditures and fill $54M hole. CHM contributed between $900K-$950K

Wellness

• Update on current and future events
• Clinical survey is complete, and results will be shared at DAC and with departments
• Non-clinical survey approved, targeted to launch end of month for all non-clinical staff and faculty
• Goal is to find high opportunity groups/system where intervention and quality improvement is needed
• Encourage your people to take survey as will take 10-15 minutes to complete and is administered by a third party.
• Please contact finkel22@msu.edu to add Claudia to your department meeting agendas or have questions.

Academics

• Four years in clinic and ECE & MCE simulation and providing highest quality educational experiences
• Significant struggle with COVID and emphasizing screening, hygiene, spacing, PPE
• Match online this year and students starting to receive interviews
• New BS-MS program in Epi and MPH has new courses open to the public
• Discussed how the early detection saliva test will move to required weekly testing in January for all undergrads as well as experiential learners and professional students in CVM, CHM and COM. Reviewed the program transition and ramp up logistics including CLIA lab certification. Touched upon dashboard which is focused on developing a unified view across McLaren, Sparrow and MSU reflecting positive testing rates and clinical capacity. It will be a tab on MSU dashboard with a daily feed.
• Better educate negative testing and how it doesn’t exclude infection due to exposure periods and need to do better job of communicating and educating limitations. It’s about behavior.
• We support students in labs and it is suggested to follow the same process as grad students in labs https://vp.research.msu.edu/undergraduate-participation-research-fall-semester -2020

Diversity

• Council on Diversity in Education (CODE) has been established
• 21-day learning and discussion on racial equity along with offering monthly grand rounds and working on a Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity with the CAC
• Reviewed student and faculty diversity with a goal to increase number of faculty from underrepresented in medicine backgrounds.

Research

• Shout out to faculty who submitted 300 grants in the last eight months and places us fourth within the university
• Discussed how best to close the loop for better award reporting. Suggested creating a better means of communication to create better efficiencies in reporting. The Research Department welcomes suggestions to improve processes.
• Discussed diversity supplements and suggested developing a template and run a workshop. Wanda offered to assist Dawn and the Research Office.

Henry Ford

• Moving from LOI to definitive agreement to present mid-December
• Likelihood of 8^th clinical campus
• Nothing finalized as of yet including governance structure, many work teams at work
• Reviewing resources both are able to contribute for a deep academic partnership

Other

• Hospital occupancies discussed. Spectrum Health’s model says ICU at capacity tomorrow; bed capacity will reach cap 11/18. Team looks at elective cases daily. Very real and stressor impacts those who must cover. St. Mary’s also making preparedness plans.
• Sparrow taking measured approach to canceling cases which will occupy space for COVID opposed to full stoppage – limiting factor will be adequate staff for ICU expansion strategies.

September

MSU HealthCare Update – Special Guests Seth Ciabotti and Kris Allen

• Presented various actions, projects, and operational updates during transition from HealthTeam. Please see attached PowerPoint* for full details.
• Discussed Covid and strategic planning for collection sites. Team is aggressively working on public dashboards to share MSU’s Covid testing information.

MSU Community Compact – Dianne Wagner

• Spent time in class meetings talking about the compact and policies around travel, behavior, and the need for sacrifices and altruism for the next several months.
• Specifically outlined the pillars of safety to mitigate risks and how each decision has significant implications four our ability to move them towards completing a timely graduation.

HR Subcommittee – Barbara Forney:

• Individual building plans have been replaced by a single university Building Safety Information Plan
• Activity Plans need to be approved if staff are returning to the worksite. Each college was asked to create a framework* for returning administrative work to campus which has been approved and shared with business department administrators. These plans need to be customized for each unit which includes how do you plan to ensure social distancing? Another example is identifying the use of common areas such as a workroom, breakroom, copy room, etc., and how these areas will be sanitized between routine university cleanings.
• Barbara shared a Decision-making Guidance Chart to determine what work returns onsite as it emphasizes what work really must be done as opposed to who returns to work. This chart will help supervisors identify the work and avoid grievances, issues, and problems.  
• Before employees return, they must complete EHS online training. Supervisors must share the plan with each employee. They must conduct training, and ensure employees understand and agree to comply with the plan and MSU Compact. Employees must complete and pass daily health screenings. CHM has QR codes to assist and the MSU app is easy to use before entering the workplace.
• Support Staff Caregiver Options were highlighted including allowing continued use of unpaid, excused time off, vacation/personal time accruals; flex-type 2 appointments, voluntary percent employment reductions, voluntary furloughs, as well as options under FFCRA-EPSL and EFMLA.
• Resources are available at numerous places and https://hr.msu.edu/ frequently updated
• Travel restrictions remain essential only with international approved by EVP/Provost. As of July 10, the MAU (Sousa/Forney) can approve waivers for essential outbound domestic travel.
• While outside is still preferred, people can eat in designated, posted areas keeping in mind social distancing, disinfecting protocols, and spend minimal time in the areas and no common or shared food (no pizza for groups, candy dishes, or potlucks). 

Dean’s Update

• University budget changes over the last several weeks will mostly impact athletics and RHS. More furloughs and layoffs are expected in these areas. Overall impact to tuition may not be that high and shutting down athletics may not be ruinous for the budget; although the state’s finances are particularly tough and could easily change depending on a stimulus package if there is a turn in the election cycle.
• As a college we are preparing 5, 10, 15% cuts for upcoming year. Turning to chairs and leaders for ideas while keeping in mind our priorities to preserve our mission, focusing on areas of growth, and being humane and give as much lead time to changes happening in units as possible. Think about how you will handle these cuts. Would like to provide more direction; however, this is all we know right now.
• The Doug Meijer Medical Innovation building is securing tenants and Building #3 planned along Monroe Street next to the GRRC, is close to securing an anchor tenant.
• A scholarship campaign, led by the Advancement team, is forming a campaign cabinet with alumni and other giving friends, and this will be a prime area of fundraising for CHM.
• Community Surveillance Program, newly renamed the COVID-19 Early Detection Program, is a saliva testing program and all are encouraged to participate. Thanked the multi-functional team including the dean’s office, Epi, Vic DiRita, Jack Lipton’s team, School of Packaging, IT and others working together as experts in their fields. The goal is to get universal enrollment.
• Thanked all working on reopening subcommittees and their dedication in addition to regular duties.
• MSU/HFHS weekly meetings continue as we try to figure how we can best organize partnerships in education, research, and limited efforts to clinically work together – hopefully moving to implementation.

Salary Reductions – Karen Crosby/Aron Sousa 

• Reviewed university’s goal as it relates to the temporary faculty salary reduction component of the plan
• Talked about the university’s calculations and gave an example on how it works, the funding impact, and how it relates to the departments and their general fund allocation.
• Discussed how the process has been rolled out so far and the expectation going forward.
• It was agreed money is not the issue but how faculty were treated. This has never been done before and is complicated.
• Salary cuts not in the GF remain in the department. Our chairs need to be egalitarian and should be using GF as sophisticated as possible and think about how funds are used fairly, transparently, and does not additionally hurt faculty morale.
• Dean’s office is a resource and ready to help chairs.

End of meeting.

*Contact Cynthia Vincent for attachments

June

DEI – Wanda Lipscomb

• Wands is the Co-chair of MSU DEI Strategic Planning Steering Committee. This committee has been asked to create a strategic direction for the university using an integrated approach to DEI to include disabilities, veterans, LGBTQIA issues, and people with financially/academically disadvantaged backgrounds. It is a presidential advisory task force established to look at racial and equity issues.
• Website will be updated and regular bi-weekly communications start in July.
• At our college level, we are looking at ways to engage leadership in training with existing resources and an outline will be ready to share in the fall.
• Proposing various dean advisory and affinity committees on adversity to join our governance structure including a DEI Community Advisory Council.
• Invited the group to please share input with both Wanda and Aron.

 Educational Update – Dianne Wagner

• Discussed when another surge happens, how we are finding ways for students to be useful and helpful and not expendable. Actively interacting with partners to be better prepared.
• Reviewed new safety pillars as part of reentry planning.
• Highlighted culture and behavior discussions regarding respectful compliance and enforcement to take care of each other and keep people safe.
• Updated M1-M4 activities from May to present student experiences and outlined the challenges and solutions facing us for the year ahead.

Reopening Subcommittee Updates

• Contract Tracing – Chris Contag/Leo Kempel: a four-prong strategy has been proposed using a proximity sensor in a phone app to manage health. It would push alerts to people who have been in contact with a positively tested person. Working in conjunction with Jack’s team on spit screen testing.
• Surveillance Testing – Jack Lipton: Recommending two different avenues for testing:
  • Symptomatic – using standard health questionnaires, etc. Keith is working on developing strategic partnerships.
  • Interval asymptomatic screening for all staff, faculty and students using saliva screening and pooled samples which individuals may opt in. Plan to test 10K/week every two weeks.
• HR Subcommittee – Barbara Forney: her group is developing policies and guidelines to assist managers and supervisors on who returns to campus. Supervisors are being directed to not make “who” the first question. Instead, ask what work needs to be done on site and why and look at reallocating roles of responsibility. Determining “what and why” then identifies who returns to the workplace. Barbara sits on several other subcommittees such as non-compliance issues, compensation, community responsibility, etc. and talked about the various frustrations people are facing, communication and overlapping information from various sub-groups.
• Satellite Campus – Aron Sousa: identifying off-campus sites and determine if rules, testing, etc. apply.

Henry Ford Health System Update – Norm Hubbard

• LOI signed June 9.
• Shared the overview organization of the proposed partnership, work teams, and flow of funds for grant activity.
• Steering Committees identified for Research, Education, Practice Plan, Cancer Center, along with the consultants who have been enlisted to assist with workflow.
• DEI ethic from both presidents have been expressed and we are being intentional to bring knowledge and expertise without trying to over burden staff.
• Strive to be transparent and open – will create more robust reports internally to share updates.
• The relationship will be different than with current hospital partners since Sparrow, Spectrum and McLaren conduct more focused and transactional operations, have no systematic agreement in place, and lack interest to be part of an academic health system with MSU.
• Henry Ford’s $100M research will flow through our structure, the patient care enterprise is scaled, and have a capital capacity of $2 billion.
• We will be able to help them consolidate property in Detroit and place importance on academic achievement. Academic enterprise matters to HF and to be aspirational for the state, they want a university partner with a strong brand to expand research and education capability.

COVID 19 Positive Employees – Barbara Forney

• Provided the attached step by step procedure if an employee receives a positive test and immediate steps to take.
• Proper contact information is listed as well as what to do when an employee is allowed to return to work after receiving health
• This document is listed on our website.

End of meeting.

May

Academic Affairs Update – Dianne Wagner

• Reviewed the Shared Discovery Curriculum (SDC), which is built around clinical experiences, the challenges presented by COVID, and solutions.
• During the early stages of the pandemic, the intercession team worked tirelessly for 20 hours to achieve the MSU mandate to teach virtually.
• Reviewed the virtual platforms of all activities including communication, coaching, assessments, proctoring, Match Day, graduation, etc.
• Established COVID elective classes, and revamped summer clinical experiences as well as reviewed what is being done in Simulation with telemedicine-based intersessions, standardized patient encounters, etc.
• Continually monitoring data and procedures to improve in all areas.
• Many people worked tirelessly during this time to ensure patient, student and staff safety while delivering educational excellence.
• Aron thanked the AA team and believes it is the best in the country and appreciates the efforts and achievements during this traumatic period.

Research Update - Jeff MacKeigan

• https://research.chm.msu.edu/
• Acknowledged Erin Gorman and her team for submitting over 900 proposals over the last couple of years; they support three health colleges and 21 departments.
• Reviewed the grant portfolio which is approaching $50M with funding success rates close to 30%
• The first 14 GII hires over the past few years, have brought in approximately $30M of external grant funding.
• Over 50 faculty working on SARS COVID 2 testing
• Developing a https://cancer.msu.edu/ presence involving 8 colleges/90 faculty working with our communications team to expand and promote the existence of this entity.
• There are PI’s working collaboratively on four grants with the Gibby & Friends vs. Parkinson’s Foundation which involve Spectrum Health, VAI, MSU/CHM and Mercy Health.
• Hosted a rare disease day in February
• Reactivating research operations to bring labs back online for a safe return
• The hire of the new Provost includes the Research Office working closely to finalize the spousal recruitment of Dr. Halloran. These two nationally recognized individuals will help with developing a cancer center program at MSU.

Clinical Update – Norm Hubbard

• Heroic efforts expended to setup telemedicine, drive through and mobile testing to serve hundreds. Next step is setting up policy in minute details and harmonize with two health partners: McLaren and Sparrow.
• Please send email on any concerns, interest or questions regarding patients, staff, etc. as we re-enter clinics. Suggested recovery or rebound as alternate names vs. surge.

Dean’s Update - Aron  

• University is looking at $160-$320M shortfall for the year due to lack of international student enrollment, state funding cuts and fall re-opening uncertainty due to the virus.
  • International students make up 11% on campus revenue and 18% of total tuition. This hole will persist for three more years.
  • State’s decrease funding will be between 5-25% and planning for worst case scenario.
  • General fund shortfall is estimated between $100-$180M and addressing with various plans including furloughs, reduction in retirement contribution, hiring freeze/chill, etc.
• It is expected the university will still request a 1% cut; for FY21 CHM will see less than 5%; next year’s budget cuts are unknown. General announcements will be shared.
• Return to campus/work task forces are being created and lead by Dave Weismantel and Norm Beauchamp.
• Endowment funds are down; however, yields are stable.
• Discussed social engineering challenges regarding behavioral and technological ideas.
• As an innovative solution, Jack suggested offering to the community internally validated tests as a revenue enhancement with the understanding they are non-approved by FDA and making clear it’s not a clinical diagnosis. J. Kooiman offered that in GR, MSU is working with CEO’s to track employee’s whereabouts, temperature, etc. upon returning to work and Jack’s testing might be able to dovetail with this screening.
• Faculty would like to have conversations about what do we do when students contract COVID, and where do they isolate upon diagnosis, etc.

Next meeting July 2, 2020.

February 

Dean’s Update - Aron

• Introduced Dawn Misra, Chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Welcome!
• The dean’s role is more internal than three years ago during role as Interim. Norm and Aron are dividing external meetings with CEO’s and hospital partners. The EVP office continues to evolve with the creation of by-laws, budget, etc., and the relationship with health deans and the Health Team is much improved than it was in 2015/2016. Overall, positive trends with relationships.
• The University is focusing on Strategic Planning (SP) and Norm is on the SP committee. Wanda is a member of the University DEI Planning Committee and activities of these two groups interconnect. The health college deans are working to establish a common set of areas of emphasis to present to the President’s SP meeting in a week or two.
• Per LCME accreditation requirements, Aron will create a strategic planning exercise which will integrate with the exercise conducted by Chartis for MSU Health Care to avoid duplication.
• Several departments are working on recruitment; Surgery, OB/GYN, Peds, Internal Medicine.
• Working on programming a new clinical building to modernize clinic space, unify clinics and provide economy of scale.
• Five-year review of Family Medicine has started, and a search for the Chair of Radiology as well as the director for Ethics & Humanities is currently ongoing.
• McLaren Hospital will be an open model for physicians/faculty to practice.
• UM has a joint venture with Sparrow involving Peds and PHP as well as having a presence in Grand Rapids. So far, the impact has been minimal; however we need the full might of the university by having clinics co-locate and bring health colleges together to compete.

SDC and Academic Affairs Update – Dianne Wagner

• The inaugural SDC class graduates in May.
• An area of concern regarding clinical providers called upon to teach subjects beyond expertise was discussed. Over the next two years, there will be a structural change in teaching assignments and general funds to allow departments to make choices and improve efficiencies.
• Match Day is March 20.
• USMLE announced a transition to a Pass/Fail scoring system starting January 2020 for Step 1. Discussion surrounded how this impacts the way we distinguish our students to residency directors. We have unique data which can be used to dovetail with the deans’ letters to further advocate for our students.

Habits of Wellness and Effectiveness – Randi Stanulis

• The goal is to inspire a culture of caring where all members are treated with respect and feel valued. Due to complexity of curriculum, culture change, and Nassar scandal, we have been asked to look closer at our interactions.
• An email initiative on tone of communications has been established to invite open dialogue and trust. A Qualtrics survey will be rolled out to gauge anonymous input.
• Reminded the group to RSVP for the March 25 Chairs/Directors Retreat in Grand Rapids.

Group Round Table Summary - Aron  

• WHAT CAN WE DO AS A LEADERSHIP TEAM TO BETTER SERVE:
  • Patients
  • Community
  • Staff
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • How can the dean’s office better serve your unit?
  • How can the dean, better serve you as a leader?
• After much discussion, agreed the next step is for the dean’s office to create a spreadsheet with an area for people to comment and respond. All ideas are to be integrated and communicated. A Red Team concept was mentioned once priorities/goals established to pursue improvements.
• This will be the focus of next meeting.

Next meeting April 2, 2020.