The Neighborhood, comprised of five Houses, cultivates community, well-being, and professional identity through

individual and shared experiences.

IN THIS ISSUE

White Coat Ceremony & GHHS Induction...READ

MORE

THRIVE Recap...READ MORE

THRIVE: What’s Coming in September...READ MORE

Residency Applications & ERAS...READ MORE

M4s: Refresh Your Interviewing Skills...READ MORE

The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)...READ MORE

Benefits of Physician Diversity in Serving Our Pa-

tients...READ MORE

Equity, Diversity, and Non-Discrimination for Stu-

dents...READ MORE

M1s: Leadership Opportunities for You...READ MORE

Med*STAR Recap...READ MORE

Drinking from the Firehose: Strategies for Effective

Studying...READ MORE

THRIVE Professional Lives...READ MORE

THRIVE Partners for Medical School...READ MORE

News From The Neighborhood...READ MORE

Volume 5, Issue 2

September 2017

House Calls

Y O U R N E W S F R O M T H E S M P H N E I G H B O R H O O D

The InterHouse Council

NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE OFFICERS: The InterHouse Council

Ivan Kasprouk kaspruk@wisc.edu Bamforth

Elena Kurudza kurudza@wisc.edu Bamforth

VACANT Bamforth

VACANT Bamforth

Michael Gyorfi gyorfi@wisc.edu Bardeen

Hannah Blanchard hblanchard@wisc.edu Bardeen

VACANT Bardeen

VACANT Bardeen

Sasha Jascor sjascor@wisc.edu Gundersen

Allison Nackers nackers@wisc.edu Gundersen

VACANT Gundersen

VACANT Gundersen

Alekses Clifton aclifton2@wisc.edu McPherson

Ian Flyke flyke@wisc.edu McPherson

VACANT McPherson

VACANT McPherson

Nina Mirabadi mirabadi@wisc.edu Middleton

Erin Curtis ecurtis3@wisc.edu Middleton VACANT Middleton VACANT Middleton

HOUSE MENTORS Pamela Ryan, M.D. pmr@medicine.wisc.edu Sam Lubner, M.D. sjlubner@medicine.wisc.edu Carol Diamond, M.D. cadiamond@pediatrics.wisc.edu Blaise Nemeth, M.D. nemeth@ortho.wisc.edu Chris Hildebrand, M.D. christopher.hildebrand@va.gov

IMPORTANT DATES FOR SEPTEMBER

06 12-1pm, M1 Reflection, House Classrooms

06 5:30-6:30pm, THRIVE Professional Lives,1309 HSLC

13 12-1, M1 Developing Your Personal Plan, House Classrooms includes lunch

13 6-7pm, GHHS Transitions: Hindsight is 20/20

15 M4: ERAS Applications to Programs Opens Up

20 12-1pm, M1-M4 Open House, House Classrooms

20 5:30-6:30pm, THRIVE Partners for Medical School, 1309 HSLC

20 5:30-7:00pm, M4 Interviewing Skills, 2272 HSLC

29 Final Friday Spirit Day! Undergrad Alma Mater

All Month...Dean’s Cup!

WHY WAIT? NOW IS THE TIME TO MEET WITH YOUR HOUSE MENTOR & STU-

DENT ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES!

GHHS Hindsight is 20/20...READ MORE

We hosted a packed house for our annual White Coat Ceremony and Gold Humanism Honor Society induction. After an inspiring yet practical speech from Dr. Paul Ha-rari, we are all very excit-ed to take the next transi-tion in our lives!

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White Coat Ceremony and GHHS Induction

Resources for Students Student Services studentservices@med.wisc.edu

Gwen McIntosh Assistant Dean for Students 608-263-4920

Christopher Stillwell Director of Student Services 608-262-7543

Jodi Sherman Student Services Coordinator Disability Access & Accommodations 608-263-7135

Terri Dolan Clinical Schedules/OASIS 608-263-4923

Academic Support Sharon Marks Student Academic Support 608-263-8280

Stefanie Cristopher Student Academic Support 608-265-5030

Krista Zimonick Student Academic Support 608-265-9666

Dual Programs Chelsea Hanewall Medical Scientist Training Program 608-262-0736

Dipesh Navsaria MD-MPH Faculty Director dnavsaria@pediatrics.wisc.edu

Parvathy Pillai POD-PH Faculty Director ppillai@wisc.edu

Mindy Schreiner MD MPH Student Services Coord. schreiner3@wisc.edu

Kelly Coffey POD-PH Coordinator kcoffey3@wisc.edu

Debra Siegenthaler Community Engagement Coordinator, MPH/POD-PH dssiegenthal@wisc.edu

Community Service Programs Kristi Fossum Jones 608-262-4204

Student Ombudsperson Lynn Maki 608-263-2525

ReCap: Improv Is The Best Medicine In August we hosted 33 M1, M2, and M4 students for Improv Is The Best Medicine with Amy Zelen-ski, PhD and Layla Barkal, M4. After reviewing the Steve Matuszak’s TED Talk on The Art of Im-provisation during a light dinner provided by the InterHouse Council (IHC) from Jason’s Deli, we started by learning some basic rules of improvisa-tion such as :

Don’t Ask Questions

Agree

Yes, and…

Give gifts

You know everything

No judgement

We used these rules dur-ing various exercises that allowed us to get to know each other (build commu-

nity) and work with un-scripted and unexpected situations or dialogue (Professor Know-It-All and Hitchhiker). Medical students and phy-sicians transition across many populations during the course of any day or week; understanding how to quickly build community and be comfortable with managing the unexpected are keys to success...and less stress! If you’d like to know more about Amy Zelenski’s six-week improvisation course, contact her at zelen-ski@medicine.wisc.edu. Sept. 6th Professional Lives 5:30-6:30pm. RSVP required for an in-teractive discussion about

the issues medical stu-dents think about most! The annual WISE (Wellness Inspired Stu-dent Enrichment) survey tells us that students want more information about balancing demanding pro-fessional lives with part-ners, partner residency matches, parenthood, and personal interests. Sept. 20th Partners for Medical School 5:30-6:30pm. RSVP is required for dis-cussion and discovery of how medical students and physicians may find them-selves in vulnerable situa-tions that compromise their mental and physical health, and what we can do to build and utilize our support systems.

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THRIVE Recap and What’s Coming Up to THRIVE in September

GHHSS M4 and faculty members gather for a group photo after their induction ceremony.

Receiving your white coat. Yes...this is exactly what it feels like!

WHERE DO I FIND IN-

STRUCTIONS?

Select this link to go to the ERAS User Guide for 2017. You’ll find the User Guide as well as lots of useful infor-mation and timelines for the exciting process leading to Match Day!

WHEN CAN I APPLY?

September 15 is the first day that M4s can transmit appli-cations to programs via ERAS (Ophthalmology appli-cants have already submitted their materials through the SF Match but will use ERAS for prelim/transitional pro-grams).

We encourage students to submit applications as soon as they are complete, with 1-2 letters of recommendation

attached, because this may be viewed as commitment and diligence by programs.

Applications are download-ed by programs and sent to screening committees for review; expect that it will take several days for pro-grams to start this process.

HOW DO I MANAGE LET-TERS OF RECOMMENDA-

TION (LORs)?

To assign a LOR to a pro-gram you must:

1. Finalize the LOR author in the Documents/Letters of Recommen-dation section of ERAS and

2. The letter must be up-loaded into the ERAS LOR Portal by the LOR author or a designee of the author who is not connected to the stu-dent in an advising role.

You may submit a maximum

of four letters per program; most programs require a minimum of three letters but accept four. Check the indi-vidual program’s application instructions on their website.

ADDING LETTERS

You may assign additional letters to programs you’ve previously applied to under the Programs/Programs Ap-plied To section in ERAS. This will be important if you apply early to programs with less than your full comple-ment of letters and then addi-tional letters become availa-ble.

GOLD HUMANISM HONOR

SOCIETY

Students who are inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society have an addi-tional field in which they can list this honor.

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Residency Applications and ERAS

The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)

Electronic Residency Ap-

plication Service

Association of American

Medical Colleges

Careers in Medicine

Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Da-

tabase

Arnold P. Gold Foundation

Financial Information, Re-sources, Services and

Tools

Student Financial Aid Darren Martin darren.martin@wisc.edu

608-262-3060

University Health Services After-Hours Mental Health Crisis Services 608-265-5600 (option 9) After-Hours Nurse 608-265-5600 (option 1) Let’s Talk Travis Fox, Psy.D. trfox@uhs.wisc.edu McBurney Disability Resource Center Mari Magler, Director 608-263-2741 Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association Karen Peterson, Director 608-263-4913 WMAA FaceBook

At the start of fourth year, every medical student on target to graduate will re-ceive a compilation of evalu-ations and other information in OASIS via the MSPE. The MSPE is just one of many pieces of information used for the interview, application, ranking and matching pro-cess that leads up to Match Day.

Although popularly known as “The Dean’s Letter,” the Dean is not writing individual recommendations based on his/her observations. While a summary paragraph based on the facts of a student’s academic record is part of the MSPE and written by the Dean, the MSPE contains

Brief summaries of a

student’s significant ex-tracurricular leadership and research. We em-

phasize the word “brief” because programs have hundreds of applications to sort through and the summary statement should be concise and stand out to the review-er as worthy of an inter-view.

A list of all third year core rotations and the verbatim evaluation of each rotation. Regard-less of a student’s de-sired specialty, con-sistency across all eval-uations for teamwork, concise history and physical, fund of knowledge, ability to generate differential diagnoses, and other basics are things that will stand out for review-ers.

A list of 4th year rota-

tions related to specialty and the verbatim evaluation. This is not required nor is it always included for students; for certain spe-cialties, this may be es-sential to demonstrate a student’s competiveness for the field.

A sample MSPE can be found in OASIS in Notic-

es>Career Advising.

M4s will have an opportunity to review the information in their MSPE, make changes where allowed, and ask questions about the infor-mation in the MSPE. Watch your email for a water-marked confidential .pdf file from Student Services; M4s have a limited amount of time for MSPE review!

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The Association of Medical Profes-sionals with Hearing Losses (AMPHL) recently shared an article, written from the medical student’s per-spective, of the benefits of deaf physi-cians for the patients they serve. The article, How I Bridge 2 Worlds as a Deaf Medical Student provide tremen-dous insight for all medical students. Victoria MacPherson discusses her perspective as a person who identifies

as deaf, and communicates with Amer-ican Sign Language (ASL) as well as orally, after receiving a cochlear im-plant as an adult. MacPherson’s expe-riences as someone who grew up pro-foundly deaf in both ears, while navi-gating and interacting with a primarily hearing world, has provided her with an understanding of communication and culture that translates into excellent tips that can be used by all physicians in their daily practice.

If you would like to learn a little bit more about how humans allow unconscious bias to reduce openness to diversity, take 13 minutes to watch Inclusion, Ex-clusion, Illusion and Collusion: Hel-en Turnbull at TEDxDelrayBeach. Things become much clearer at 5:50!

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The Benefits of Physician Diversity in Serving Our Patients

Equity, Diversity, and Non-Discrimination For Students

Our 2017-18 MD Student Handbook covers these imperatives in several areas: Section 16: Mistreatment & Harassment, Section 17: Anti-Discrimination, and Section 30: Of-fice of Multicultural Affairs.

If you feel that you have been discrimi-nated against or harassed, or you feel that a classmate has been a target, SMPH policies, processes, and re-sources for students are covered in Section 18: Medical Student Ombud-

sperson and Section 19: Grievances.

Although it can be unnerving to pursue a complaint for discrimination or har-assment, it is incumbent on all of us to create a world in which we educate others about discriminatory or harass-ing actions and use the policies that are intended to protect us when these ac-tions occur.

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Our main campus at the University of Wisconsin sets the compliance level for all colleges and schools on the Madison campus. You can link to more infor-mation about the Office of Equity and Diversity as well as its statement of non-discrimination. It is important to everyone at this university that staff and students engage in an environment that is free of discrimination and harass-ment.

Med*STAR (Study Tools and Academic Readiness) Recap

(PHOTO CAPTION)

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We understand that M1s will just be starting medical school at the same time that we hold elections for signifi-cant leadership opportunities that can be listed on your Medical School Per-formance Evaluation (MSPE) as you prepare to apply for residency pro-grams in your fourth year.

If you are interested in a leadership position and would like more infor-mation about what the position entails, please see the page listing all of our student leader contact information. Ad-ditionally, watch your emails for leader-ship position descriptions and election dates.

Medical Student Association (MSA)

MSA is the governing body and repre-sents every SMPH student with faculty, staff, and facilities. MSA consists of class co-presidents and representa-tives. Students serving on MSA work on a variety of committees such as curricu-lum, facilities, policy, equity & diversity and more! A president and vice-

president lead MSA; the vice-president has oversight of all registered student organizations in the medical school. MSA meets for one hour once-per-week during each semester. M1s will learn more about MSA on August 22nd from 12:00-1:00.

InterHouse Council (IHC)

IHC has representation in MSA and works with the physician House Men-tors to plan and implement extracurric-ular programs supporting student health and well-being within the mis-sion of the COMPASS and My Pass-port. Similar to MSA, IHC hosts several internal committees. M1s will be intro-duced to IHC starting August 21st and beyond.

Wellness Inspired Student Enrich-

ment (WISE)

WISE has representation in MSA. Their positions are volunteer, not elected and their leaders have become important vehicles for the collective voices of

medical student wellness. In addition to hosting events promoting mindfulness, rest, fitness, and nutrition, WISE con-ducts an annual survey of M1-M4 medi-cal student wellness. This survey guides IHC programs and provides helpful information to SMPH administra-tive leaders.

Medical Students for Minority Con-

cerns (MSMC)

In addition to introducing medical stu-dents to the experiences of physicians and patients from minority back-grounds, MSMC advocates for the con-cerns of minority students to promote a more inclusive environment in the medi-cal school. MSMC does not have elect-ed leaders; however, they serve an im-portant role for prospective students by hosting a diversity roundtable during admissions tours.

Watch your email for information about elections and other student

leadership opportunities.

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M1s: Leadership Opportunities for You

Med*STAR (Study Tools and Academic Readiness) Recap

cess during an M2 “speed dating” ses-

sion! Med*STAR provided an oppor-

tunity for these students to make

friendships, answer questions, relieve

anxiety and gain access to resources

prior to the start of school.

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F orty-five incoming M1s took part

in Med*STAR, a 3-day compre-

hensive program aimed at creat-

ing community and preparing students

for academic and overall success in

medical school at UWSMPH. The pro-

gram was a hit in its inaugural year,

providing sessions focusing on Active

Learning, Test Taking Strategy, a Mock

PaCE case, Networking, Team Building

and much more. Eighteen current stu-

dents offered advice and tips to suc-

Drinking from the Firehose: Strategies for Effective Studying

gies and metaphors. Find existing memory aids, or make up your own. The mental effort you put into making an abstract concept more concrete can sometimes be key to helping you remember that con-cept.

2. Space out your study sessions

over time. If cramming works at all, it only works in the short term. Sure, it might be possible to learn the Krebs cycle in one night – but if you never look at it again after that, the chances that you’ll re-member anything about the Krebs cycle in two months are slim to none. The likelihood of long-term retention is much better if you study material at spaced intervals. Once it’s time to study for the boards, your future self will thank you for practicing spaced repetition now!

3. Recall information from memory. Rereading your text and notes over and over might make you familiar with the material, but that doesn’t mean you’ll remember that material when it’s test time. After attending lecture, make an active mental ef-fort to recall what you’ve just seen and heard. Cover up your notes and paraphrase them out loud, summarize them in writing, or teach a study partner. You can also test your knowledge with flash cards or SASS question packets.

The SASS team can help you imple-ment these and other study strategies as you dive into your fall semester coursework. Contact Stefanie Christo-pher, Sharon Marks, or Krista Zimonick for more information!

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“Learning in medical school is like

drinking from a firehose.” Many medical students use this analogy to describe their educational experience: they do their best to absorb and retain an enor-mous amount of complex material at a rapid pace, but it’s not easy. Often, it feels overwhelming. How can students keep from drowning in information, especially in the didactic courses of Phase 1? The learning sci-ence literature offers several practical tips you can use to improve your study strategies: 1. Make the material “sticky.” Long

lists of bugs and drugs are not in-herently memorable. In order to help you retain abstract infor-mation, engage as many of your senses as possible when learning something new. View images, use mnemonic devices, and try analo-

Med*STAR was a fantastic way

to get out the jitters before the

first day of medical school. I

now know a good number of my

classmates and feel more com-

fortable with all of the re-

sources available for me in

medical school. Even after at-

tending UW for undergrad and

living in Madison for 6 years I

still took away a great deal of

new knowledge and am ex-

tremely happy I spent time do-

ing this program.

-Med*STAR participant

Skip the caffeine. Opt for the stairs to feel more energized! A recent study indicates that 10 minutes of walking stairs can help you feel signifi-cantly more energized than having 50 mg (about 1/2 cup) of a caf-feinated beverage.

“Take 10” Med Students!

Programs In The Neighborhood

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September 6th, 2017

5:30-6:30pm

HSLC 1309

Balancing Professional & Personal Responsibilities

September 20th, 2017

5:30-6:30pm

HSLC 1309

Join us for a discussion on Self-Care

and Support Systems in Medical School

Watch your email to RSVP for these terrific THRIVE in Medical School programs! Our annual WISE (Wellness Inspired Student Enrich-ment) survey sponsored by the WISE student organization indicates that WORK-LIFE BALANCE and SELF-CARE are hot topics for medi-cal students and physicians. Due to the interactive nature of these pro-grams, they will not be lecture-captured. Limit of 35 participants for each program that will include dis-tance participants.

Refresh Your Skills: Preparing for Residency Interviews

Wednesday, September 20th 5:30-7:00pm in 2272 HSLC

M4s: Join Student Services and House Mentors for a discus-sion of the most common interview questions followed by

your opportunity to practice your interview response skills!

Go to OASIS Notices>Career Advising & Residency Applica-tions to review “Effective Residency Interviews” and

“Common Residency Interview Questions.”

Limit of 35 participants per session; distance participants are welcome! Additional interviewing skills programs will be

held September 26th, October 24th, and October 30th!

PLEASE

JOIN

US!

M1 House Reflection: Wednesday, Sept 6th 12:00-1:00 in your House classroom. Join House Mentors to reflect on your first weeks in medical school. Salads will be served to comple-ment the lunch you bring.

M1 House Lunch: Developing Your Personal Plan. Wednesday, September 13th, 12:00-1:00 in your House Classroom. House Mentors will continue your exploration of the COMPASS and PPP panel on professionalism. Lunch will be pro-vided.

M1-M4 Open House Wednesday, Sept. 20th 12:00-1:00 in your House classroom. Join your colleagues and House Officers for light food and great conversations. Catch up on what’s happen-ing in your House!

News From The Neighborhood

BAMFORTH HOUSE welcomes their newest members on their first day of medical school. We also saw a lot of Bamforth t-shirts on Au-gust 25th for Final Friday Spirit Day!

FINAL FRIDAY

SPIRIT DAY!

Friday, September 29th

Showcase your undergraduate alma mater with a t-shirt from

your undergrad school. No t-shirt? No problem! Wear your

undergrad school colors and see if people can guess which school

you attended.

The Deans Cup Is On!

What is the Dean’s Cup? A friendly

competition between the Med School and

the Law School.

When is the Dean’s Cup? Just a couple

of weeks in September. Don’t miss it!

Where is the Dean’s Cup? Watch your

emails for basketball to trivia to all kinds

of fun competitions around campus.

Who is the Dean’s Cup? There are

points for

competitors

and observ-

ers! Be

there!

Who has

the Dean’s

Cup? The

Law School!

Why? Really.

Why?

Really. It’s A

Cup! And we want it back!

MCPHERSON HOUSE shared a photo of one of their Peer Wellness din-ner groups at Hol-lander to welcome M1s to medical school. And all McPher-son House mem-bers can look for-ward to another great year of McPher-son Mugs!

HIGH-POWERED SALAD FOR BUSY PEOPLE Crispy romaine lettuce Shelled edamame (it’s in the freezer section!) Chickpeas, rinsed Bell pepper, chopped Red onion, diced Hard boiled egg, chopped (optional) Sunflower seeds or your favorite nuts Your favorite dressing

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You’re Invited to Gold Humanism Honor Society Rounds

Transitions: Hindsight is 20/20

Wednesday, September 13th, 6:00-7:00pm

Join the conversation with M1-M4 students as they talk about the various transitions they’ve experienced since starting medical, what they would do

differently, and what decision worked well.

Watch your email for room location and RSVP for a great dinner funded by the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association.

Chicken Soup for the Medical Stu-dent Soul was started by the 2007-08 GHHS members with permission from the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul. This great collection has sustained many medical students over the years with clinical pearls and stories of inspiration, discovery, and strength amid pain. Check out Chicken Soup Blogspot and fol-low their FaceBook page! Be a reader, be a contributor, be a part of Chicken Soup for the Medical Student Soul!

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Chicken Soup for the Medical Student Soul

Many thanks to the 2016-17 GHHS members and the graduating class of 2017 for creating “Words of Wisdom” that were distributed to M1s as they receive their White Coat on August 25th.

Here are two samples from Dr. Dennis Ea and Dr. Brock Polnaszek who were also part of the 2016-17 GHHS group.

M1s: We hope you enjoy and reflect on your “Words of Wisdom!”