Volume 2 – No. 3
March 2006
DFSM E-Newsletter
Department of Family and Social Medicine
Montefiore Medical Center
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY
AECOM  1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461  718-430-2900
MMC  3544 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY 10467  718-920-4678
We are pleased to present our monthly departmental newsletter. Thank you for your continued support and
contributions. Remember the deadline for submissions is the 20th of each month! We look forward to
hearing from you!
Editors-at-Large:
Mark Polisar, MD
Tami Rivera
Peter Selwyn, MD, MPH
Becky Williams, MD, MHPE
WELCOMES & FAREWELLS
As of January of this year, Dr. Vic Sidel will be spending his time at Montefiore working as a member of our
Department. Dr. Sidel is the Distinguished University Professor of Social Medicine at Albert Einstein College
of Medicine, past President of the American Public Health Association, and former Chair of the Institutional
Review Board and the Department of Social Medicine at Montefiore. He has played an important role for
many years both nationally internationally in a number of arenas relevant to social medicine, social justice,
research ethics, prevention of nuclear war, and public health. In our Department, Vic will be working
closely with other faculty to help develop our programs and initiatives in social medicine, including helping
to develop a Center of Excellence in Social Medicine. He will also be teaching in some of our educational
programs, and will be available for individual and small group mentoring for residents and junior faculty on
specific research or policy projects. He may be reached most easily by email at vsidel@montefiore.org, or
by phone at (718) 920-6586.
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
Indian Restaurant Club
Dinner anyone? The third Thursday of each month, this group samples a new Indian Restaurant. For more
information contact Sheena Kumar at (917) 219-0163.
Book/Movie Club
The next book (for March) is entitled “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides. Please see Daniel
O’Connell for a copy ($5 new, $3 used). We are actually going to mix up our gatherings and
add a movie in between book club meetings. So I guess this will now become a movie/book
club!! For more information please contact Aisha Mays at (917) 218-3372 or via e-mail at
aimays@montefiore.org
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
Fifth Annual Complementary and Alternative Medicine Mini-Symposium
Monday, March 20, 2006 3:30-5:30pm Riklis Auditorium
Keynote: Using Nutrition to Balance the Harmful Effects of Environmental Toxins
Joel M. Evans, MD Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, AECOM
Senior Faculty Center for Mind/Body Medicine, Washington, D.C.
Founder and Director The Center for Women's Health, Darien, CT
Author, The Whole Pregnancy Handbook (Gotham 2005)
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Social Work Month Grand Rounds, Tuesday, March 21, 8:30 am - 10:00 am, Cherkasky Auditorium. With
guest speaker Gail Nayowith, executive director of Citizen's Committee for Children (CCC). CCC is the
premier advocacy group for children's issues in NYC. Gail is a dynamic speaker who will be addressing local
and national issues affecting children and families in NYC. For more information visit: www.cccnewyork.org
The Boricua Latino Health Organization and the Student National Medical Association will sponsor a Spring
Minority Research Social with the support of the Hispanic Center of Excellence, Office of Educational
Resources and Office of Diversity Enhancement. The event will be held on Wednesday March 29th, from
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Glass Cafe. Please RSVP by Friday, March 23rd, 2006 to Hope Spano,
Administrator of Hispanic Center of Excellence at hcoe@aecom.yu.edu. If you have any questions please
contact Hope at 718 430-2792.
2006 STFM Annual Spring Conference ~ Information Now Online! "Searching for Solutions: Realizing Our
Vision, Renewing Ourselves, and Supporting It All", April 26-30, 2006 Hyatt Regency San Francisco. For the
complete conference brochure, hotel reservation information, and speakers' presentation schedules, visit
the following STFM Web site: http://www.stfm.org/annualconf/an06/index.htm.
"Overcoming Health Disparities: The Changing Landscape" NYS Project EXPORT Centers & Montefiore
Medical Center's, Residency Program in Social Medicine's 35th Anniversary Celebration Conference May 1213, 2006
PERSONAL HAPPENINGS
People in the news…
On 2/14/06, The "Vital Signs" column in The New York Times featured a study by Dr. Iman Sharif published
in The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Dr. Sharif found that pharmacies are often
unable to provide labels in Spanish, even when the pharmacy is in a neighborhood where the language is
widely spoken. Dr. Sharif says that more needs to be done to make sure Spanish-speaking patients
understand how they are supposed to take their prescriptions. The story is available online at
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/health/14phar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.
The Montefiore School Health Program (MSHP) was featured in a front page story in the New York Times
Thursday, February 2, 2006, in an article titled "In New York Schools, Whole Milk Is Cast From the Menu."
Dr. David Appel, director of the MSHP, is quoted about MSHP's efforts to eliminate whole milk and fattening
drinks from the lunch menu and promote lifelong health habits in children.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/02/nyregion/02milk.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Congratulations! To Dr. Elizabeth Lee-Rey, who is presently being featured in an exhibition on Women
Physicians in Medicine at the college on the 1st floor display directly in front of the library in the
Forschheimer Bldg. It was part of the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health's exhibit,
"Changing the face of Medicine" about the many achievements of women in medicine. The exhibit has
made it across the country, and Dr. Lee was profiled for her advocacy and activism with the National
Hispanic Medical Association and the AECOM Hispanic Center of Excellence on issues of Hispanic and
minority health and disparities in health.
Congratulations! To Dr. Alice Fornari, who has been accepted to the Harvard Macy Institutes Program for
Leaders in Healthcare Education. This group of talented and committed faculty work to examine patient
care and medical education from a systems perspective, as complex processes that must be continually
monitored, assessed, and revised in order to produce desired outcomes.
Sad news...
We are saddened to report that Barbara Sanders' mother died on March 12. Her mother was a
distinguished physician who was a pioneer, training in the 1940s. Our condolescences to Dr. Sanders and
her family.
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Welcome to our newest DFSM Babies...
A belated, Congratulations! to Joanne Dempster and Peter Flores on the births of Maya
Hannah Flores and Jonathan Peter Flores on December 20th.
Congratulations! To Rebecca Cohen (and Judah) on the birth of Rena Karen Cohen on Feb
24th.
Congratulations! To Dana Romalis, Josh and Noa on the birth of their baby boy on March 9th.
MISCELLANEOUS
From Matt Anderson: In early December we visited Cuba on a research tour for the DFSM. In our social
medicine portal highlight (www.socialmedicine.org) we bring back some notes concerning Cuban health
and health care. There are several relevant links as well. And also available on-line at
www.bronxmall.com/norwoodnews Bronxites Study Medicine in Cuba …
MONTHLY SCHEDULE REMINDERS
All Faculty Administrative meetings for 2006
1:30 to 3:00 p.m., 3544 Jerome Ave, 3rd Floor Conference Room.
Presenters and Topics: TBA
May 2
July 4
Sept 5
Nov 7
Social Medicine Rounds
Convener: Ramin Asgary, MD
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Binswanger at MOSES DIVISION, Lite refreshments will be served.
March 21
Presenter: Jennifer Kasper, MD, MPH, Southwest Emergency Associates
Topic: International Child Health
DFSM Grand Rounds
8:00 - 9:15 a.m., Moses II Conference Room:
March 24
Presenter: Christine Walsh, MD, Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Topic: Cardiac Evaluation of Newborn Infants
Palliative Care Grand Rounds
Please note - Palliative Care Grand Rounds will now be held on Friday's from 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the Tishman
A Conference Room
April 24
Presenter: TBN
Topic: TBA
Psychiatry Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds will take place every week on Thursdays from 10:30AM to 12:00PM at the Cherkasky
Auditorium. Information is posted on the Psychosocial Board on the 3rd Floor.
March 16
Presenter: Philip Bialer, M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Topic: E, K & GHB, The New ABC's of Club Drugs
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March 23
Presenter: Christoph Corell, M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Topic: Monitoring Metabolic Effects of Antipsychotics
March 30
Presenter: Jean-Pierre Lindenmayer, M.D. NYU
Topic: When Usual Treatments Fail: Pharmacological Strategies for Refractory Schizophrenia
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STRESS RELIEVER OF THE MONTH!!
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If you wish to receive a copy of a previously released electronic newsletter, please contact Tami Rivera at
(718) 920-8434 or at the e-mail listed below.
Please send email submissions for upcoming newsletters, by the 20th of each month, to:
Becky Williams
rewillia@montefiore.org
Mark Polisar
mpolisar@montefiore.org
Tami Rivera
tariver@montefiore.org
Peter Selwyn
pselwyn@montefiore.org
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