5 Reasons Why You Should Stop What You Are Doing (and Register for the Transform Symposium!)


Let’s get straight to the point…we are all busy. And for those reading this you are probably very busy thinking about ways to improve healthcare in-practice, by design, etc. Realizing this we would like to invite you to register for the Transform Symposium – a chance to think differently.

So we aren’t really asking you to stop what you are doing to improve healthcare, but to improve upon your current work by registering for the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation Transform Symposium– to participate in workshops, networking opportunities and conversations needed to transform healthcare from the ground up.

Here are five reasons why you should stop what you are doing and register today for the Mayo Clinic Transform Symposium!

1. Connections Aren’t Made Sitting Down

How about connecting with leading-edge innovators from the East and West coasts and others who work around the globe, through interactive design workshops?

From coast to coast, San Francisco and Boston-based health tech accelerator, Rock Health, will lead Start-Up Boot-Camp for those interested in digital health and new ventures. Interested in Global Health? How about a workshop with Gene Buckham, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School’s director of Global Noncommunicable Disease and Social Change, and Aaron Shakow, Ph.D., a historian and health policy expert for Partners in Health.

Spanning both foreign and domestic projects Thomas Fisher, Dean of University of Minnesota’s College of Design, will moderate the “From Tents in Missouri to Buildings in Rawanda” discussion with Wendy Deibert and Michael Murphy will highlight stories about building health care spaces after the Joplin, Missori tornado to community designed spaces in Rwanda.

2. Lessons Aren’t Only Learned in Lectures

Transform breaks it down, by breaking it up! Five minutes on Social Media health care trends or a new care model for palliative care to a half- hour with Garrison Keillor or an hour and a half brainstorming workshop. Themes, topics, insights and personal stories will be presented in a variety of ways. Transform moderator, journalist and commentator, John Hockenberry, will keep the symposium flowing with his usual insightful commentary and behind-the-scene quips.

ANNOUNCEMENT: iSpot winners with 5 minutes on the Transform Stage!

3. Being In a Hotel Won’t Teach You Much About Healthcare

Why have Transform in Rochester, Minnesota? It’s where the Mayo Clinic is… dontchaknow? Not only will you enjoy the space of the symposium, but also you can explore the Mayo Clinic campus. Whether it’s the Mayo Clinic’s art tour, a historical campus tour through Chihuly glass collection, Warhol prints or a special tour of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation.

VIRTUAL TOUR: View Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation!

Breakthrough innovation at Mayo Clinic will also be spotlighted on Science Sunday, with scientists presenting on leading edge research in Gastroentology, Oncology, Hematology and Gerontology. For those interested in healthcare design research CFI designer researcher Krisa Ryan and Amy Williams M.D. at Mayo Clinic will discuss design research applied in a clinical setting. Marc Matthews, M.D. will also host a ‘Design for Doctors.’ Workshop sharing his viewpoint on how working with designers has changed some of his perspectives and practices.

4. Interesting Topics Don’t Make Provocative Speeches

Let’s flip that – provocative speakers make topics interesting. Topics like ‘Elephants in the Room’ and ‘Designing Ahead of the Problem’ are a reflection of the speakers’ passion and their intended takeaways for the audience. Phil Satow will tell the personal story of why he founded The Jed Foundation, and Michael Wolff, renowned journalist, will discuss his recent experience of caring for his terminally ill mother.

VIDEO: View the 3 Minute Transform Symposium 2012 Video!

Discussing ‘New Perspectives’ on-stage, John Hockenberry will interview Alex Jadad M.D., Chief Innovator and Founder of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, Laura Adams President and CEO of Rhode Island Quality Institute and Reed Tuckson M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs of UnitedHealth Group – as they offer their insights and experiences.

5. Being Quiet Doesn’t Create Change

But starting new and different conversations with new and different people does. The planning team at Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation knows that true innovation requires looking outside and bringing in many points of view to work together. To kick off Transform, Dick Gephardt, former house majority lead, will be interviewed by Tane Danger, the co-creator of the Theatre of public policy, on the landscape of healthcare outside of Washington, D.C. The Theatre of Public Policy troupe will then use the interview as content for several improvisation skits and soliciting audience participation. The GE HealthyImagination team will also work with the diverse attendees to create a narrative around a hot topic in health care with a series of workshops, presenting what they collectively discovered on the main stage.

VIDEO: View GE HealthyImagination’s Brain Bowl at Transform 2011!

Transform attendees are encouraged to laugh, talk and yes…tweet throughout the three-day symposium. Tweet at and converse in-person with Lee Aase, Director of Mayo Clinic Social Media and Audun Utengen co-founder of Symplur and the Healthcare Hashtag Project.

Various networking sessions will allow you to bridge connections, not just bring back business cards. Check out the Transform website for event details and an updated schedule! Those interested in sitting around waiting for healthcare innovation to happen – need not apply.

Those interested in being a part of transforming healthcare – register today!

Format

Let’s get straight to the point…we are all busy. And for those reading this you are probably very busy thinking about ways to improve healthcare in-practice, by design, etc. Realizing this we would like to invite you to register for the Transform Symposium – a chance to think differently.
So we aren’t really asking you to stop what you are doing to improve healthcare, but to improve upon your current work by registering for the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation Transform Symposium– to participate in workshops, networking opportunities and conversations needed to transform healthcare from the ground up.
Here are five reasons why you should stop what you are doing and register today for the Mayo Clinic Transform Symposium!
1. Connections Aren’t Made Sitting Down
How about connecting with leading-edge innovators from the East and West coasts and others who work around the globe, through interactive design workshops?
From coast to coast, San Francisco and Boston-based health tech accelerator, Rock Health, will lead Start-Up Boot-Camp for those interested in digital health and new ventures. Interested in Global Health? How about a workshop with Gene Buckham, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School’s director of Global Noncommunicable Disease and Social Change, and Aaron Shakow, Ph.D., a historian and health policy expert for Partners in Health.
Spanning both foreign and domestic projects Thomas Fisher, Dean of University of Minnesota’s College of Design, will moderate the “From Tents in Missouri to Buildings in Rawanda” discussion with Wendy Deibert and Michael Murphy will highlight stories about building health care spaces after the Joplin, Missori tornado to community designed spaces in Rwanda.
2. Lessons Aren’t Only Learned in Lectures
Transform breaks it down, by breaking it up! Five minutes on Social Media health care trends or a new care model for palliative care to a half- hour with Garrison Keillor or an hour and a half brainstorming workshop. Themes, topics, insights and personal stories will be presented in a variety of ways. Transform moderator, journalist and commentator, John Hockenberry, will keep the symposium flowing with his usual insightful commentary and behind-the-scene quips.
ANNOUNCEMENT: iSpot winners with 5 minutes on the Transform Stage!
3. Being In a Hotel Won’t Teach You Much About Healthcare
Why have Transform in Rochester, Minnesota? It’s where the Mayo Clinic is… dontchaknow? Not only will you enjoy the space of the symposium, but also you can explore the Mayo Clinic campus. Whether it’s the Mayo Clinic’s art tour, a historical campus tour through Chihuly glass collection, Warhol prints or a special tour of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation.
VIRTUAL TOUR: View Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation!
Breakthrough innovation at Mayo Clinic will also be spotlighted on Science Sunday, with scientists presenting on leading edge research in Gastroentology, Oncology, Hematology and Gerontology. For those interested in healthcare design research CFI designer researcher Krisa Ryan and Amy Williams M.D. at Mayo Clinic will discuss design research applied in a clinical setting. Marc Matthews, M.D. will also host a ‘Design for Doctors.’ Workshop sharing his viewpoint on how working with designers has changed some of his perspectives and practices.
4. Interesting Topics Don’t Make Provocative Speeches
Let’s flip that – provocative speakers make topics interesting. Topics like ‘Elephants in the Room’ and ‘Designing Ahead of the Problem’ are a reflection of the speakers’ passion and their intended takeaways for the audience. Phil Satow will tell the personal story of why he founded The Jed Foundation, and Michael Wolff, renowned journalist, will discuss his recent experience of caring for his terminally ill mother.
VIDEO: View the 3 Minute Transform Symposium 2012 Video!
Discussing ‘New Perspectives’ on-stage, John Hockenberry will interview Alex Jadad M.D., Chief Innovator and Founder of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, Laura Adams President and CEO of Rhode Island Quality Institute and Reed Tuckson M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs of UnitedHealth Group – as they offer their insights and experiences.
5. Being Quiet Doesn’t Create Change
But starting new and different conversations with new and different people does. The planning team at Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation knows that true innovation requires looking outside and bringing in many points of view to work together. To kick off Transform, Dick Gephardt, former house majority lead, will be interviewed by Tane Danger, the co-creator of the Theatre of public policy, on the landscape of healthcare outside of Washington, D.C. The Theatre of Public Policy troupe will then use the interview as content for several improvisation skits and soliciting audience participation. The GE HealthyImagination team will also work with the diverse attendees to create a narrative around a hot topic in health care with a series of workshops, presenting what they collectively discovered on the main stage.
VIDEO: View GE HealthyImagination’s Brain Bowl at Transform 2011!
Transform attendees are encouraged to laugh, talk and yes…tweet throughout the three-day symposium. Tweet at and converse in-person with Lee Aase, Director of Mayo Clinic Social Media and Audun Utengen co-founder of Symplur and the Healthcare Hashtag Project.
Various networking sessions will allow you to bridge connections, not just bring back business cards. Check out the Transform website for event details and an updated schedule! Those interested in sitting around waiting for healthcare innovation to happen – need not apply.
Those interested in being a part of transforming healthcare – register today!
Path:

By lorimickelson | Posted in Events | Leave a comment

A message from Dr. Eric Grigsby


Physician distress and burnout. Subjects we’re all familiar with and many of us challenged b<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-613" src="http://alumniblog.mayo.ed

u/files/2012/07/Summer-2012-cover-225×300.jpg” alt=”" width=”225″ height=”300″ />y. The Summer 2012 issue of Mayo Alumni - in mailboxes now – highlights Mayo’s leading research on essential topic and outlines some steps the Department of Medicine has taken to reduce burnout. The story presents questions physicians might ask themselves throughout their careers, such as: Why did I choose to become a physician? Why did I choose this specialty? What three things do I hope to have accomplished by the end of my career? What would I spend more time doing if I could relive the past year?

Answering these questions can be helpful in examining one’s professional and personal goals and values. Answering the questions gives me pause for thought about satisfaction in all areas of my life.

As the story says, “The best physicians are well physicians.” I’m interested to hear what you think after reading this story — the challenges you face, the ways you have tackled distress and burnout, the ways you achieve well-being. Please e-mail me at mayoalumni@mayo.edu with your feedback.

By karentrewin | Posted in Alumni Association Board, Alumni Magazine, News, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Measuring distress and well-being


Physician distress often goes unidentified and untreated since many physicians are reluctant to seek<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-618" src="http://alumniblog.m

ayo.edu/files/2012/07/DOM-physicians1-300×199.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”199″ /> help. Although self-assessment tools to screen for distress would be useful for physicians, previous tools are long, cumbersome to analyze and typically measure only one domain of stress (e.g., fatigue or depression).

To help address these issues, Lotte Dyrbye, M.D., a consultant in the Division of Primary Care Internal Medicine and associate director of the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-being, and Tait Shanafelt, M.D., a consultant in the Division of Hematology and director of the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-being, developed a brief self-assessment tool for medical students. This tool was designed to screen for distress in domains that include burnout, depression, fatigue, stress, and mental and physical quality of life. A rigorous multistep process was used in the design of the tool, feedback from the deans and medical students at multiple medical schools, initial testing in a sample of more than 2,000 medical students, and subsequent confirmatory testing in a separate follow-up study of more than 2,500 medical students.

This tool, the Medical Student Well-Being Index, has a high sensitivity and specificity for identifying medical students with low mental quality of life or recent suicidal ideation/serious thoughts of dropping out of medical school. In addition to its ability to identify students in distress, the index also identifies students with high quality of life and greater sense of personal achievement who may be considered to be thriving. The development and validation of the tool have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Mayo Clinic subsequently copyrighted the index, and it has been licensed for use by Mayo Medical Ventures. An electronic version of the Medical Student Well-Being Index was created to provide individualized feedback in the form of a dashboard to compare the user’s distress level to peers and quality of life to an age- and gender-matched general population. The tool also provides recommendations to reduce stress and access help. Institutions that use the tool receive a report about how their students compare to the school’s previous year’s score and to students elsewhere. A revised version of the index for practicing physicians has been tested in a sample of more than 7,000 U.S. physicians and will soon be reported.

Mayo Clinic and Drs. Dyrbye and Shanafelt have a financial interest in the technology, which has been licensed to a commercial entity, although no royalties have been received to date.

Read more about physician burnout and the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-being in the Summer 2012 issue of Mayo Alumni.

By karentrewin | Posted in Alumni Magazine, News, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Office of Staff Services: A resource to promote well-being and provide help during crises


The Office of Staff Services (OSS) was established in 2002 as an assistance program for Voting and<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-609" src="http://alumniblog.mayo.edu

/files/2012/07/tightrope1-e1341521489682-300×219.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”219″ /> Consulting Staff at Mayo Clinic, much like the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for allied health and other staff. The OSS provides one-on-one confidential assessment and referral for personal and professional concerns to encourage well-being.

The OSS is comprised of two groups:

• A voluntary panel of representative physicians, scientists and administrators works with staff seeking assistance; available in Minnesota and Arizona. The OSS partners with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology to identify resources or refer staff when appropriate. Concerns addressed by the panel include:
Personal distress
Career difficulties
Family problems
Workplace conflicts
Mutual respect issues

Staff members and their families can self-refer to the OSS panel or can be referred by colleagues, chairs or family members.

• A financial services and benefits team provides:
Benefits services
Financial services
College planning
Income tax planning
Investment planning
Retirement counseling

In 2010, the panelists met with 8 percent of the Voting and Consulting Staff in Rochester. Two-thirds of the difficulties addressed were primarily personal issues, and 35 percent were primarily professional matters.

The leading causes of personal difficulties were related to marital strife and dissolution and to mental health concerns.

The leading professional difficulties were conflict in the workplace and the transition to voting staff for new hires. Other staff sought help with time management skills and balancing work with a personal life.

The panel presents recurring issues of concern to Mayo Clinic leadership. Deborah Lightner, M.D. (U ’95), medical director of the Office of Staff Services and a consultant in the Department of Urologic Surgery, says the institution has been responsive to suggested changes in policies and procedures that affect recruitment, retention, and staff and patient satisfaction.

“Mayo physicians may appear superhuman, but we are a collection of people, and we have crises, transitions and momentous life events,” says Dr. Lightner. “The problems that physicians experience are very broad. But we tend to be very well guarded, very protected. Often, we are running on empty but don’t let ourselves deal with the issues in our lives until our lives are nearly collapsing. By the time many people come to us, they are already in crisis, saying, ‘What do I do next? How am I going to get through today?’ That is where a timely assessment and resource referral is so necessary.

“Our staff are our most valuable resource, and our institution loses if we don’t have this dedicated panel of volunteers to reach out with caring support of a colleague. Physicians and scientists who are mentally healthy, well supported and team oriented toward achieving the best outcomes are the ideal, and that’s ideal for patients, too.”

Read more about physician burnout and the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-being in the Summer 2012 issue of Mayo Alumni.

By karentrewin | Posted in Alumni Magazine, News, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mayo Clinic app streamlines patient visits


The Mayo Clinic patient app is NOW available in the app store! Share with family and friends.

The app allows everyone acce

ss to the latest news, publications and health information from Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic patients also have access to their personal medical record, appointment schedule and other services using their Patient Online Services account.

The Mayo Clinic Patient app is an easy-to-use tool for navigating your visit while at a Mayo Clinic campus. The app also provides community information, including directions to local restaurants, entertainment, and much more.

By karentrewin | Posted in News, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Patient, staff stories highlight ‘the Mayo Effect’


<img cla

ss=”size-medium wp-image-570 ” src=”http://alumniblog.mayo.edu/files/2012/05/2_cole1-300×185.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”185″ />

Mayo's integrated care team brought Cole Heiden back from devastating farm injuries.

Mayo Clinic’s greatest strength is translating idealism into action. It’s what our staff does every day for our patients. It is how we transform hope into healing. We call this power “the Mayo Effect.” This year, we asked our patients and our staff: what does the Mayo Effect mean to you? Their answers describe in concrete ways how Mayo Clinic is striving every day to turn the impossible into the possible.

Experience their stories in Mayo Clinic’s 2011 Interactive Annual Report.

By karentrewin | Posted in News | Leave a comment

This ‘This Could Be Big’ segment could be big


Editor’s note: The following post appeared today in Mayo Clinic’s internal blog: “In the Loop.”

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selUI=show”>

The idea of objective journalism may have gone the way of the 45-rpm record, but still, it’s not often that you get to witness amazement in a medical journalist’s reporting on a story. But when Nightline’s Bill Weir recently returned from what he called a “mind-blowing assignment” at Mayo Clinic, he was all “exciting” and “stunning” and “staggering.” Apparently, seeing skin tissue turned into beating heart muscle will do that to a guy.

Weir’s stop at the lab of Tim Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., was a bit of a detour from the main story the Nightline host was pursuing. The Nightline team had been at Mayo Clinic for an extended stay while following transplant patients waiting for their day in the OR. You can see the Nightline crew’s handiwork here as they follow several Mayo patients who received transplants.

Meanwhile, back at the lab, Dr. Nelson was showing Weir the “next big thing.” Something that could, in time, replace transplants for some patients. Dr. Nelson and colleagues are working on reprogramming adult stem cells to create heart muscle and other tissue so that we can heal ourselves.

Weir got a front-row seat, quite literally, to see how it all works. Dr. Nelson took a piece of skin tissue from Weir’s arm to put it through the paces. Next, as Weir describes it, “They will break that up into lots of little pieces called fibroblasts.” That’s where the reprogramming comes in. “It’s sort of like erasing the hard drive of those cells and convincing them they’re the sort of stem cell we all have when we’re embryos,” Weir says. Those induced pluripotent stem cells can then be programmed to become heart tissue, lung tissue, bone or even brain tissue.

To show the potential of these reprogrammed cells, Dr. Nelson put the process under the microscope and showed Weir a sample of living, beating heart tissue created from stem cells. Even more stunning, in five months, Weir will return to Mayo Clinic, and if all goes well, he may be the first person to see his own heart tissue beating outside of his body. And that may be more than simply a good story, as Weir himself was diagnosed with heart disease last year.

“The grand plan for this,” he says, “is, say, one day I have a heart attack — a chunk of my ticker dies. Rather than transplant the entire heart, they could inject those adult stem cells into the damaged area, and it will heal itself, the same way that my arm will heal from that biopsy.” Stunning.

By karentrewin | Posted in News | Leave a comment

Join the Mayo Alumni Association International Program in Jerusalem


The Mayo Clinic Alumni Association international scientific education program will be held <span style="font-family: Palatino LT Std,Pal

atino LT Std;color: #221e1f;font-size: x-small”>Oct. 22-25, 2012, in Jerusalem. Course headquarters is the Dan Jerusalem Hotel situated on the historic slopes of Mount Scopus, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem and surrounding hills of Judea.

The program, “Living Long, Living Well – Mind, Body, Spirit” – will feature speakers from multiple subspecialty areas at Mayo Clinic.

More information on program registration is available online. Conference Co-Chairs Patricia Simmons, M.D. and Michael Sarr, M.D., share information in the video below.

By karentrewin | Posted in Events, Jerusalem CME Event, News, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Conducting research at the top of the world


<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-543" src="http://alumniblog.mayo.edu/files/2012/05/MountEverestTeamMayo_JodiOl

It’s a natural laboratory for studying heart disease, lung problems, muscle loss, sleeping disorders and new medical technologies. It’s also the highest mountain in the world.

Extreme altitude simulates for climbers the same conditions experienced by patients suffering from heart disease or those advancing in age. For over two years, Mayo Clinic has been planning an expedition to Mount Everest with National Geographic, The North Face and Montana State University. The group will follow eight or nine climbers from base camp for the duration of the climb, which will run from mid-April to mid-May.

“We can simulate some conditions in oxygen tents and hyperbaric chambers, but only for short periods,” says Bruce Johnson, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic physiologist and leader of the scientific expedition.

Dr. Johnson, who has conducted research at the South Pole and other mountain ranges, will be joined by physician-researcher Doug Summerfield, M.D., scientists Bryan Taylor, Ph.D., and Amine Issa, Ph.D. Mayo Clinic also will send its own reporter along to cover the research expedition. Joel Streed of the Mayo Clinic News Network will be blogging and shooting video from base camp. You can follow their journey on Mayo Clinic’s Advancing the Science blog.

This expedition and other research initiatives at Mayo Clinic are part of Mayo’s strategy to transform medical care beyond its campuses and across the globe. The research data generated by the expedition is expected to have a far-reaching impact on the study of the effects of heart disease and aging on patients, as well as provide high-quality, affordable care options for patients needing care monitoring.

The projects

Sleep Physiology

It’s hard to get a good night’s sleep in a cold tent, especially at 18,000 feet. Periodic breathing during sleep causes apnea, the same condition facing many overweight patients or patients with chronic heart failure. In this case, it can decrease oxygen in the blood — a serious condition at sea level and at high altitude. Poor sleep quality occurs due to restricted space, high winds and hard surfaces. Even clothing or equipment may play a role. Studies on oxygen during sleep and sleep quality as it relates to other high altitude problems will be done.

Muscle Loss at High Altitude

Previous studies, including data from Mount Aconcagua, show that climbers lose weight rapidly at high altitude, primarily muscle and not fat, with extra intake having negligible impact. Muscle wasting is a common problem with many chronic diseases, including heart disease. Hypothesis: Weight loss is related to more severe hypoxia, especially at night. The team will track calories, sleep quality, sleep hypoxia and body composition.

Lung Fluid Regulation

Fluid in the lung or pulmonary edema — common in heart patients — remains a mystery on mountains. Some think it’s caused by an uneven constriction of blood vessels in the lungs, a response to the lower inspired gas pressures. Yet, it doesn’t happen to everyone who climbs, so there may be other factors, such as genetic susceptiblity. Studies will look at pressures in the lungs, gas transfer across the lungs and other factors.

Remote Monitoring Testing

A number of remote monitoring and recording devices will be tested, some for the first time under such extreme conditions. Ensuring they are rugged enough for Mount Everest and function under extreme cold and pressure changes will be valuable for future climbs and sea-level use. One particular monitor, developed by researchers at Mayo, will be getting its first rugged field test. If reliable data capture works on Mount Everest, quality should be assured in monitoring patients remotely in their homes.

By karentrewin | Posted in News, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mayo transplant patients highlighted on ABC Nightline


ABC’s Nightline featured a special program on transplants Tuesday, May 1. Bill Weir and the Nightline crew spent a considerable amount of time at Mayo Clinic in Rochester over the past couple of months interviewing physicians and patients.

The

newscast can be viewed online.

By karentrewin | Posted in News, Uncategorized | Leave a comment