Volume 1 – No. 9
October 2005
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
PUBLICATIONS
Anderson, M. Is Lack of Sexual Desire a Disease? Is Testosterone the Cure? Medscape General Medicine
2005; 10(2). Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/512218
Gross, P. Diary From a Week in Practice. American Family Physician, September, 2005. Available at
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050915/diary.html
PRESENTATIONS
Beil R, Briller S, Meissner P, Selwyn PA. CICERO Program: Integration of HIV Care into Community Health
Centers. Treatment and Management of HIV Infection in the United States Conference. Atlanta, GA,
September 15-18, 2005.
GRANTS
AECOM has been awarded a 5-year NIH grant (K07 award) with Dr. Paul Marantz as PI, called "Becoming a
Doctor at AECOM: a New Curriculum". The grant provides faculty support for Drs. Felise Milan and Debbie
Swiderski to serve with Dr. Marantz on the executive committee. Dr. Hal Strelnick will serve on the
steering committee, and Drs. Alice Fornari, Arthur Blank, and Bill Burton will serve as the assessment and
evaluation committee. Dr. Elizabeth Lee will play a role in developing curriculum on cultural competence.
This is great achievement to have gotten the grant, it is one of only five in the country selected out of a
very competitive pool of over 100 applications and we are proud of all of our faculty involvement in this
project.
WELCOMES & FAREWELLS
Long, long overdue, is a Welcome for our not so new anymore administrative assistant (confidential
secretary at AECOM), Jackie Borrero. Jackie has transferred to DFSM from Molecular Pharmacology. Very
quickly, Jackie has made herself both indispensable and affective with her eagerness to help.
Welcome! To Adelyn Alvarez, who has transferred to our department from Epi and Pop Health. She has
assumed the position of Study Coordinator for both the Vaginal Douching study (Dr. Diane McKee) and the
RWJ Prescription for Health (Drs. Diane McKee and Darwin Deen).
Welcome! To Stacia Maher, who has assumed the position of NYC RING Program Director (formerly
Eduardo LaCalle). Stacia will be working closely with Dr. Diane McKee and the NYCRING.
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Welcome! To Carlos Devia, who is a Study Coordinator on the Bronx Creed grant. He will be working on a
research project with Elizabeth Walker and Arlene Caban and on a BxCreed pilot project with Drs Diane
McKee and Nancy Sohler.
Welcome! To Isha Toledo, formerly a BxCreed clinical interviewer working with Dr. Clyde Schecheter has
now changed hats and will be a clinical interviewer working with Deepa Prasad on Bronx Breathes.
Welcome! To Dr. Aime Dahan, a new family physician at Fordham Family Practice. Dr. Dahan joined us in
August 2005 and has had a lot of experience in family and emergency medicine.
Welcome! Darin Portnoy, MD, MPH at the Family Health Center. Dr. Portnoy brings to Montefiore a broad
experience in working with underserved populations in both urban and rural areas. He also serves as the
President of Doctors Without Borders and has extensive experience in International Health. Dr. Portnoy has
picked up considerable sports medicine experience during his work in rural areas. Dr. Portnoy will be seeing
patients at the Family Health Center (FHC) and precepting residents in procedure sessions at both FHC and
Williamsbridge. Please join us in welcoming him to the DFSM family.
Departmental Transition
Effective immediately, Elba Carpio, who has held the front desk position at DFSM/MMC and has gone the
extra mile in doing so, will be taking on the role of assistant to Jacinta O'Flynn (Fiscal Manager). Elba will
bring her long experience within the department to help improve the efficiency and coordination of our very
important fiscal paper trail processes, i.e., petty cash vouchers, check requests, purchase
requisitions/orders, employee reimbursements, etc. as well as her other vital responsibilities, as she
interacts with internal and external offices and agencies. This planning goes along with the ongoing process
of departmental administrative reorganization. Elba will be located in room 207 and can be reached at
(718) 920-4221.
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
Book Club
We are currently reading, "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman for our book club.
Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday Nov.15 at Sean Misciagna's place.
Indian Restaurant Club
Dinner anyone? On the third Thursday of each month, this group samples a new Indian Restaurant. For
more information contact Sheena Kumar.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
Fall 2005 President's Forum: Please join Montefiore President Spencer Foreman, MD, for the Fall 2005
President's Forum, which will be offered on the following date:
Fordham Plaza: Thursday, October 6, 2005, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Cafeteria - 6th Floor Please read the
full President's Letter for more details:
http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/Pres_Ltr_Presidents_Forum_Fall_2005.pdf
Workshop on Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment: Friday, October 7, 2005,
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Cherkasky Auditorium. Learn physical and behavioral indicators of child abuse,
reporting procedures and legal aspects of child abuse reporting. For more information, call Pauline Archer
at 718-920-6674 ext. 234.
Registration form:
http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/Identification_and_Reporting_of_ChildAbuse_and_Maltreatment.pdf
Medical Staff Meeting: Monday, October 10, 2005, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., Weiler Auditorium with
videoconference to Cherkasky Auditorium
Re-Financing HIV HealthCare
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This Symposium will review upcoming landmark changes in Medicaid and Medicare. Understanding their
effect on HIV care will offer insights into their impact on the care of all poor, elderly & other persons with
these insurances. Thursday, October 27, 2005 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM at Lighthouse International 111 E. 59th
St (bet Park & Lex Aves)
http://www.Lighthouse.org <http://www.lighthouse.org/> (212) 821-9200. Free Dinner Provided. CMEAccredited (3 credits)
Pre-Registration is REQUIRED. To REGISTER, go to http://www.theforceinc.org/register.asp
8th Annual Controversies in the Management of the HIV-Infected Patient
<http://www.newsberry.com/uploads/179/sept_2005_header.gif> Friday November 4th, 2005 7:45 AM3:00 PM Weill Medical College of Cornell University Uris Auditorium 1300 York Avenue (69th Street), New
York, NY
SAVE THE DATE: December 8 AECOM Faculty Networking Breakfast. Following its highly successful Faculty
Networking Breakfast last May, the AECOM Education & Faculty Support Committee has planned a second
breakfast for Thursday, December 8, 2005 from 8:30-10:00 am. Junior faculty will have the opportunity
to talk informally at individual tables with senior faculty on a variety of topics. Watch for the E-mail
invitation coming this fall!
HOLD THE DATE!! Our annual office Holiday Party will take place on Tuesday, December 13,
2005 in the 3rd Floor Conference Room at 3544 Jerome Ave. To follow a wonderful assortment
of food which came together at last year's event, we will again ask that people show off their
favorite recipes. More details will be available soon.
The Education & Faculty Support Committee of the Division of Education is sponsoring two new skills-based
workshops on November 17, 2005: Morning Workshop: Designing a Survey; Afternoon Workshop:
Search & Cite: MEDLINE/PubMed to EndNote to Manuscript. For further information, please call (718) 4302693, or E-mail oer@aecom.yu.edu. Space is limited in these hands-on workshops, so early registration is
recommended!
ANNUAL NEW YEAR'S BASH!!! Want to start the New Year off with a bang. Come join us for our
annual departmental new year's bash to be held on Friday, January 6, 2006 at Salsa Caterer's.
More details will be available soon.
Davidoff Teaching Day, focused on the past, present and future of teaching with a keynote on bedside
teaching of the future using evidence, will take place January 31, 2006 at AECOM. Look out for more
information.
PERSONAL HAPPENINGS
People in the News.....
Congratulations! To Dr. Susan Rubin, a reproductive health fellow, who adopted a baby girl, Lucia, from
Guatemala in May 2005.
Congratulations! To Dr. Sean O'Mahony for completing the Yonkers Marathon on Sunday, September 18,
2005. A very tough hilly course.
Good Luck! To Gisela Perez on her upcoming 10th NYC Marathon on Sunday, November 6, 2005. Please
join us in wishing her well.
Congratulations! To Denise V. Rodgers, M.D., (RPSM graduate, 1982, family medicine) who has been
appointed chief of staff for the University effective September 19, 2005. Dr. Rodgers has served as senior
associate dean for community health and professor of family medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School (RWJMS) since January 1997. Dr. Rodgers will maintain her faculty appointment at RWJMS
and continue to see patients through the Eric B. Chandler Health Center in New Brunswick. Widely
recognized as an expert on disparities in healthcare delivery, Dr. Rodgers received her medical degree from
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She replaces Maria Soto-Greene, M.D., who has been
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appointed vice dean of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, pending approval by the University’s Board of
Trustees.
Congratulations! To Dr. Zachary Rosen for being quoted in a article for Newsweek.com. (See quote
below)
MEDICINE: Keep an emergency supply of medicine, such as insulin for diabetics, and check to make sure it
has not expired. "It would be nice if we had a month's supply of everything," says Dr. David Schonfeld,
director of the division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical
Center and a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. But he likes to see enough to last at least
48 to 72 hours, usually enough time for help to arrive. "You don't want somebody going into withdrawal on
an antidepressant in the middle of a depressing event," says Dr. Zach Rosen, medical director of the
Montefiore Family Health Center in the Bronx and chair of the Montefiore Medical Group's emergencypreparedness committee. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9402086/site/newsweek/
OPPORTUNITIES
From MONTETALK:
Great Growth Opportunity at the EDGE! Summer is nearly over; what better time to consider how you can
continue growing as a leader here at Montefiore? If you're a formal or informal leader and haven't been to
EDGE yet, why not join us for a very productive, fun-filled two days? Please review the attached
registration forms or call Paul Donevan at 718-920-5423 for further information. Hurry, seats go fast!
Registration form: http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/EDGE_Reg_Form_08.15.pdf
Registration form for new managers:
http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/EDGE_Reg_Form__08.15_nm.pdf
Meetings that Work: A well-organized, well-run meeting can save time and increase productivity by bringing
together a group of people intent on exchanging information that can move the organization forward. For
more information, contact Michele Adams at 718-920-2974. Registration form:
http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/Meetings_That_Work_Oct_05.pdf
Hurricane Katrina Disaster Aid: How You Can Help
Read the President's Letter: http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/Prez_Ltr_Katrina_9.05.pdf
View flyer: http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk/HurricaneKatrina.pdf
To see a complete list of MonteTalk E-Bulletins click here: http://intranet/newsevents/montetalk
MISCELLANEOUS
From the Maternity Care Reporter: answers to many recent questions about herpes and HIV in pregnancy.
Herpes in Pregnancy. ACOG guidelines provide two levels of recommendations for treating herpes in
pregnancy. From level B evidence (limited or inconsistent scientific evidence): For initial outbreaks, treat
patients with antiviral medication and again prophylactically from 36 weeks to delivery. C-section is
recommended for patients with active lesions at time of delivery. Level C evidence (consensus and expert
opinion): Deliver by cesarean section those patients with active lesions or prodromal symptoms of
recurrent HSV infection. For women at or beyond 36 weeks of gestation who are at risk for recurrent HSV,
antiviral therapy also may be considered, although such therapy may not reduce the likelihood of cesarean
delivery. Cesarean delivery should not be performed on the basis of a history of recurrent disease. The
ACOG Guideline, Management of herpes in pregnancy, can be found at: http://www.guideline.gov. Another
very readable article: Genital Herpes in Pregnancy at: http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3554.htm
NY State Regulations re HIV testing in Pregnancy:
Universal Screening of Pregnant Women: New York State regulations require hospitals and diagnostic and
treatment centers and HMOs to provide HIV counseling and to recommend testing for all women in
prenatal care without regard to risk. Early testing allows early treatment. Private providers of prenatal care
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not practicing in regulated settings are not subject to Department regulations; however, the routine
provision of HIV counseling with recommended voluntary testing is a standard of prenatal medical practice
in New York State. At Weiler, patients who have not been tested during pregnancy are tested during labor.
Repeat HIV Testing in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Recent Department of Health studies have shown
that infection during pregnancy, after an initial negative test early in pregnancy, is a leading cause of
residual mother to child HIV transmission in New York State. Based on these findings, the Department of
Health joins the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in strongly recommending that
prenatal care providers repeat HIV testing in the third trimester of pregnancy. Ideally, third trimester
testing should take place in the 35th-37th week of gestation. The Informed Consent has been changed to
allow pregnant women to consent once for two tests during pregnancy. Read more about it at:
http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/aids/regulations/2005_guidance/docs/guidance.pdf
MONTHLY SCHEDULE REMINDERS
All Faculty Administrative meetings for 2005
1:30 to 3:00 p.m., 3544 Jerome Ave, 3rd Floor Conference Room:
November 1
Presenter: Jonathan Swartz, MD
Topic: Education
December 6
Presenter: Peter Selwyn, MD
Topic: Departmental Review and Strategic Planning
Social Medicine Rounds
Convener: Matt Anderson, MD
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Lite refreshments will be served.
October 4
Presenter: Ann Lindsay, MD, Humboldt County Health Officer
Topic: Substance Abuse in a Rural Setting: Strategies and Tactics
Location: Binswanger Auditorium located in the Moses Hospital [enter 210th street entrance, ask security,
and follow the arrows]
October 18
Presenter: Marion Nestle, RD, PhD, Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public
Health, NYU
Topic: The Politics of Obesity
Location: Cherkasky Auditorium at Moses
Also, if you have not done so already, please visit www.socialmedicine.org to see our monthly highlight on
the People's Health Assembly this summer in
Cuenca.
DFSM Grand Rounds
8:00 - 9:15 a.m., Moses II Conference Room:
October 28
Presenter: David P. Stevens, MD, Director, Institute for Improving Clinical Care, AAMC
Topic: Chronic Illness Management
Palliative Care Grand Rounds:
This event is open to the public.
8:00 - 9:00 a.m., Tishman A Conference Room, North 2 MMC
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October 12
Presenter: Lynn Richmond, RN - Director of Clinical Affairs - MMC & Rob Kotchik, RN - Director of Clinical
Operations- New York Organ Donor Network.
Topic: Donation after Cardiac Death.
October 26
Presenter: Ernest Drucker, PhD - MMC
Topic: The origin of HIV in Africa: Consequences of medical injections and transfusions.
Educational Scholarship Group, October 11
This event is open to all faculty.
5:30pm - 7pm, 3544 Jerome Ave, 3rd Floor Conference Room
Light dinner will be provided.
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.
October 6, 13, 20 - No Grand Rounds
October 27
Presenter: Nancy McWilliams, Ph.D., Rutgers University
Topic: Diagnostic Concepts and Controversies
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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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