APSA Newsletter - Phi Psi, 2010 Winter, Volume 4, No. 2

Letter from the Editors

Shane Stecklein, Daniel Matson, Hung Doan, University of Kansas School of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch

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In this winter edition of the Phi Psi newsletter, we again focus our efforts on bringing you up to date with events and progress within APSA.  Towards this end, President David Braun has contributed a piece outlining the current state of the organization and opportunities to get involved in APSA.

From the President

David Braun, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

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In these difficult and stressful economic times, I am particularly happy to bring some good news. During this academic year, APSA has had a banner performance. As you know from previous writings, the major New York Regional Meeting at Mount Sinai was a tremendous success, and has been institutionalized into a major yearly event. I want to congratulate the organizers, Michael Green, Jennifer Miller, and Jedd Sereysky, for their exceptional work in putting together an event that not only attracted some of the most influential physician scientists as speakers, but also generated a record turnout of participating leading schools and members.

Further, we have built on this strength to enhance chapter involvement, member communication, and association networking. The dynamism of our organization and the commitment of our members is clearly one of our major strengths.

Review of the 3rd APSA New York Regional Physician-Scientist Symposium

Ivayla Geneva, State University of New York Upstate Medical University

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On the warm NYC Saturday of November 21st, 2009, Mount Sinai School of Medicine hosted yet another exquisite physician-scientists symposium. This was the American Physician Scientists Association’s 3rd NY Symposium, and akin to all past events, the meeting was a great success!

APSA’s own Policy Chair, Jedd Sereysky, together with Jennifer Miller, Mike Green, and the generous support of APSA, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Doris Duke, and AMWA worked hard as a team to make this event a reality.

Preview of the 6th Annual APSA Meeting

Jarish Cohen, University of Virginia School of Medicine

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The 6th APSA Annual Meeting aims to be the most ambitious to date. This year’s program is loaded with world-renowned keynote speakers, exciting panels, and informative breakout session. For the first time, we will have not one, but two Nobel laureate keynote speakers: Dr. Joseph Goldstein, who along with Dr. Michael Brown, pioneered the discovery of the LDL receptor, and Dr. Ferid Murad, who discovered the effects of nitric oxide signaling on cardiovascular biology. In addition, Dr. Jennifer Grandis, a otolaryngologist, will deliver this year’s Saturday night dinner keynote talk and brings the unique perspective about running a successful research program in a medical specialty that physician-scientist trainees do not often enter. Sunday will feature a social sciences/humanities focused talk by Dr. Rita Charon, who will share about narrative knowledge in the clinical sciences, and a talk by Dr.

Physician-Scientist Spotlight: Francis Sellers Collins, MD, PhD

Hung Doan, University of Texas Medical Branch

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Dr. Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, will be delivering an address at the 2010 ASCI/AAP Joint meeting.  APSA is delighted to highlight Dr. Collins’ distinguished career in this issue of Phi Psi.  Dr. Collins was sworn in as the sixteenth director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in August, 2009, before which, he served as the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).  His distinguished career began when he received a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.  From there, he attained his Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Chemistry at Yale University and later his Doctor of Medicine from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1977.

F30, A Physician-Scientist Trainee Lifeline: Survey Identifies Funding Gaps

Jennifer Kwan, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

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From smallpox and cholera to cholesterol biosynthesis and retroviral oncogenes, physician scientists have played a central role in research, advancing breakthrough innovations in the understanding and treatment of human disease. As academic, industrial and governmental leaders mull over the state of the nation’s biomedical research engine, the jeopardized survival of today’s physician scientist in training must be addressed in order to preserve and revitalize the physician-scientist workforce of tomorrow [1-3]; disappearance of physician scientists from the front lines of biomedical research pursuits would debilitate both the biomedical research enterprise as well as advances in medicine [4]. APSA’s F30 survey results help confirm that one such jeopardy comes from shortfalls in NIH NRSA F30 predoctoral funding and revealed significant funding gaps across a spectrum of biomedical disciplines.

Save the Date!

Annual Meeting Commitee, American Physician Scientists Association

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Book Review: Better, by Atul Gawande, MD

Richard Price, The Ohio State University

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As physician-trainees we all know that we must train and strive to do etter.  Our job is to learn and practice so that we will become better physicians.  In his latest book appropriately named Better, Atul Gawande, MD investigates performance in medicine.  Often times the most capable physicians are not capable to perform at their best level.  This can stem from many causes such as lack of resources, unfamiliar systems, or, commonly, fatigue.  In his book, Gawande examines three core competencies for success in medicine:  diligence, doing right, and ingenuity.  Although Gawande frames these competencies as a physician, they can just as appropriately be applied to other high risk professions that involve a level of responsibility.