Volume 2 – No. 5
May 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
 Residency Program in Social Medicine 
35th Anniversary Celebration
May 12-13, 2006
New York Academy of Medicine
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
PUBLICATIONS
Fornari A. Developing an Ethics Curriculum Using Learner-Centered Pedagogy. The Internet Journal of
Allied Health Sciences and Practice 2006; 4(2).
Dietrich AJ, Tobin JN, Cassells A, Robinson CM, Greene MA, Sox CH, Beach ML, DuHamel KN, Younge RG.
Telephone Care Management To Improve Cancer Screening among Low-Income Women: A Randomized
Controlled Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine 2006;144(8):563-571
PRESENTATIONS
Korin E. Cultural and Family Legacies among Immigrants. Panel discussion at the conference on Cultural
and Family Legacies: Empowering clients through context and connection promoted by the Multicultural
Family Institute & Behavioral Research & Training Institute, UMDNJ, Sayreville, NJ, March 31-April 1, 2006.
Kitson K, Lurio J. Furthering Community Public Health Collaborations Via the Electronic Health Record.
EpicCare Physicians Advisory Council Meeting, Madison, WI, March 2006.
Kitson K. HRSA/BPHC Diabetes Health Disparities Collaborative and the use of the Electronic Health Record.
EpicCare Physicians Advisory Council Meeting, Madison, WI, March 2006.
WELCOMES & FAREWELLS
Welcome! To Ms. Erica Moreira our new front desk receptionist located on the second floor at 3544
Jerome Avenue. Erica is not new to Montefiore, and may be familiar to some of you, coming from the
Nutrition Department at the main hospital. She can be reached at our main telephone lines, 920-5521 or
4678, and at emoreira@montefiore.org.
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CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
Indian Restaurant Club
Dinner anyone? The third Thursday of each month, this group samples a new Indian Restaurant. Tentative
plan for May is a return trip to Patang in Yonkers. We will be voting on the Best Indian restaurant in
Westchester. For more information contact Sheena Kumar at (917) 219-0163.
Movie/Book Club
For more information please contact Aisha Mays at (917) 218-3372 or via e-mail at aimays@montefiore.org
or Dan O'Connell at (917) 433-6083 or via e-mail at oconnel@montefiore.org.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
The Hispanic Center of Excellence Using the Office of Grant Support Faculty Breakfast on Thursday, May
11, 2006 at AECOM Lubin Dining Hall from 8:00am to 9:30am
'Health Disparities: The Changing Landscape' to be held at the New York Academy of Medicine on May 1213, 2006. Sponsored by DFSM and five other New York-based NIH-supported Centers on Health
Disparities. This conference will have an excellent range of speakers and topics on clinical, public health,
and policy aspects of health disparities in our current political and health care environment.
The 35th Anniversary Celebration dinner program for the Residency Program in Social Medicine will be held
at the New York Academy of Medicine on Saturday, May 13, 2006 following the conclusion of the
conference program. You may register online at www.mecme.org and to find more information about the
conference visit our website at www.aecom.yu.edu/home/dfsm/alumni, or by contacting Nicole Lewis at
(718) 920-2815.
The Hispanic Center of Excellence Celebrates Latino Rhythms in Medicine & Research on Wednesday, May
17, 2006. Please join us in recognizing the many achievements of Arturo Casadevall, MD, Ph.D., HCOE
Faculty Fellow Nora Esteban-Cruciani MD, MS and the UFCW Scholarship Award Winners in the Faculty Club
from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. If anyone would like to attend, please RSVP to hcoe@aecom.yu.edu
Breastfeeding Conference: Building a Baby-Friendly Community: It Takes a City will be held on Wednesday,
May 24, 2006, 8:30am - 4:00pm at Metropolitan Hospital, Draper Hall, 1918 First Avenue, at 99th St.,
New York, NY 10029. To register please call (646) 619-6455. Deadline for registration is Friday, May 12,
2006.
SAVE THE DATE! June 30, 2006 at the New York Academy of Medicine. Building Blocks of Palliative Care:
Urban Successes, Challenges, and Visions sponsored by Palliative Care Services, Montefiore Medical Center.
For more information contact: cme@montefiore.org or (718) 920-6674, Ext. 226.
PERSONAL HAPPENINGS
People in the news…
On April 5, 2006, Dr. Iman Sharif appeared on Eyewitness News, 5 o'clock edition, interviewed about a new
study showing that one-quarter of the kids in New York City's Head Start program are obese by the time
they are two years old.
On April 30, 2006, Dr. Zachary Rosen was quoted in the New York Daily News in an article about
Montefiore's Diabetes Peer Program.
Congratulations! Neil Calman, MD, President and CEO of the Institute for Urban Family Health, Professor
of Family Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who received the 2006 Physician’s Information
Technology Leadership Award, presented annually by the Healthcare Information and Management
Systems Society (HIMSS.) He was presented the award for his part in the implementation of Epic, a fully
integrated Electronic Health Record (EHR,) across the Institute’s network of ambulatory care sites. The
award was presented on February 14, 2006 at the HIMSS Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.
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Congratulations! To the new DFSM members of the Davidoff Society, Drs. Marji Gold, Victoria Gorski,
Felise Milan and Janet Townsend who recently were elected. Established in 1976, the Leo M. Davidoff
Society honors teachers who, like its namesake, have made significant contributions to the education of
students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. It was his work as Associate Dean with responsibility
for education, as well as his love of teaching, that cause him to be remembered as the respected and
beloved teacher of many who trained here at Einstein.
Congratulations! To Dr. Janet Townsend on her election to the AECOM Senate Council.
MISCELLANEOUS
Richard Younge, MD will be collaborating with Allen Dietrich, MD of Dartmouth Medical School and
Jonathan Tobin, PhD of AECOM and Clinical Director's network on the New York Prevention Care ManagerMedicaid Managed Care Organization Project. This NCI funded RCT (NCI R01-CA87776) is to improve
cancer screening among low income women who receive care in community health centers.
Weight Watchers at Work has organized a group on the Moses campus. Sign up and get 10 weeks for
$120.00. Meetings will be held on Wednesdays at 12:30pm at 3331 Steuben Avenue. An open meeting is
being held on May 17. Participants must pre-pay for the sessions at this time. Come learn more about the
program. If you receive a note of medical necessity from your physician, you can get reimbursed from your
Health Care Reimbursement Account. For more information, contact Lisa Kosits at 718-920-5241 or email
lkosits@montefiore.org.
American Cancer Society Relay for Life: Saturday, June 24, 2006, 12 noon - 12 midnight, Kennedy High
School, 99 Terrace View Bronx, NY 10463. The event will include free activities for all ages and a ceremony
to remember those lost to cancer and celebrate those who have survived. For more information, please call
Brittany Thomas, CCLS at 718-741-2621 or email: brithoma@montefiore.org
Study Announcement
Dr. Galit M. Sacajiu, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is actively recruiting patients to her study: The
Development and Evaluation of Integration of Buprenorphine into HIV Primary Care in a Bronx Community
Health Center. A growing body of literature has demonstrated that substance users infected with human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have poorer health outcomes than other HIV risk groups. Opioid use and
dependency has been increasing in the U.S. over the past several years. However, until recently, treatment
for opioid dependence has remained fairly static with fewer than 20% of opioid-dependent individuals
enrolled in substance use treatment programs. To narrow this gap in addiction treatment recent federal
legislation enables primary care providers to prescribe buprenorphine, a recent FDA-approved oral longacting partial opioid agonist, for maintenance therapy in opioid-dependent patients. Integrating HIV
treatment with opioid addiction treatment using buprenorphine in the primary care setting may increase
access to care among opioid-dependent individuals. In addition, integrated care may help improve HIV
related and drug related health outcomes by offering treatment in the same setting by the same provider.
This study aims to examine HIV related and substance abuse related outcomes when comparing integrated
and non-integrated HIV and opioid addiction treatment. Candidates for this study must be at least 18 years
old and not pregnant. If you or someone you know would like to take advantage of this special program,
please call CHCC’s clinical coordinator at 718-579-2500 ext. 294 for more information.
CHASE Bank Internet Domain Phishing SCAM Identified at Montefiore: Phishing is a form of Internet fraud
designed to extract user’s personal information such as an account number, social security number, or
password. Recently, some Montefiore employees have received phishing scam emails pretending to be from
CHASE Bank. These emails contains a link that takes you to a website which has the same look and feel of
a legitimate Chase website. However this fake website is designed to steal your personal information. It is
very important that you do not click on any links and delete this email immediately. To see a sample of this
fraudulent email or learn more about protecting yourself from Internet e-mail spam:
http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/chasephishing.htm
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OPPORTUNITIES
Medical Records Reviewers Needed, Child Welfare, Health and Justice Research Program
The Child Welfare, Health and Justice Research Program is seeking medical records reviewers to work on a
study of issues related to foster children who participated in HIV/AIDS clinical trials. Applicants should have
experience in the health care field and be able to read and interpret medical records. This is a great
opportunity to learn about NYC’s foster care system and to learn about the early days of the HIV epidemic.
Salary: $40/hour for health professionals Hours: There is some flexibility involved but most records are
available weekdays during working hours. To apply for this position send a cover letter and résumé (no
phone calls please) to: Anne Lifflander, M.D, (Social Internal Medicine, 1983), Senior Research Associate
Vera Institute of Justice 233 Broadway, 12th Floor New York, NY 10279 e-mail:
Job.medreviewer.ph@vera.org fax: (212) 941-9407 Only candidates selected for interviews will be
contacted The Vera Institute values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer
2 yr. Fellowship position available July 1, 2006 for residency-trained family practitioner or general internist
with interest in learning to become primary care health services researcher with a special emphasis on
HIV/AIDS. Mentors: Peter Selwyn, MD, MPH and Robert Beil, MD. If eligible, may earn a Masters Degree
from the Clinical Research Training Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Please send CV in send
CV in confidence to: Peter Selwyn, MD, MPH, Chair, Department of Family and Social Medicine, 3544
Jerome Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467 E-mail: SELWYN@AECOM.YU.EDU
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
July 11 (Due to July 4 holiday)
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.
May 16
No SMR due to Retreat
DFSM Grand Rounds
8:00 - 9:15 a.m., Moses II Conference Room:
May 26
Presenter: TBN
Topic: TBA
Palliative Care Grand Rounds
8:30-9:30 a.m. in the Tishman A Conference Room, North 2 MMC
May 19
Presenter: Jennifer Rhodes-Kropf, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, AECOM/MMC
Topic: Palliative Care for People with Dementia
Psychiatry Grand Rounds
10:30AM to 12:00PM, Cherkasky Auditorium
May 11
Presenter: Terry Wilson, Ph.D., Rutgers University
Topic: Evidence Based Treatment of Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorders
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May 18
Presenter: David Kaufman, M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
What a Psychiatrist Needs to Know about Huntington's
May 25
NO GRAND ROUNDS
Educational Scholarship Writer's Group
Next meeting scheduled for May 9, 2006, 5:00-6:30pm. For more information contact Dr. Alice Fornari at
afornari@aecom.yu.edu.
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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:
Rebecca Williams
rewillia@montefiore.org
Mark Polisar
mpolisar@montefiore.org
Tami Rivera
tariver@montefiore.org
Peter Selwyn
pselwyn@montefiore.org
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