Summer is surely winding down. I see evidence for this in my back yard where every year, when like clockwork during the third week of August, two trees begin dropping their leaves. Cool nights are upon us as well, as is the reappearance of those big yellow school buses of our youth.
Following our annual August tradition, many Yale GIM faculty and staff have sent in summer vacation photos – thank you! Because the new format doesn't allow informal photographs, we will send an update that will include those photos – enjoy! As you’ll see, our faculty and staff have travelled far and wide this summer with their families and friends. Our family sticks close to New England with kayaking and bike riding on the Connecticut shore and several trips to Vermont and to “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” – Fenway Park.
August also marks a time of ongoing transition at Yale as new medical and PA students don their white coats, new residents settle into their very new roles, and new faculty plant their roots in anticipation for great success in academic medicine.
A particularly important transition occurring this year is happening in our department as Gary Desir steps down after 12 wonderful years as our department Chair. Gary was present at his last Medical Grand Rounds as chair this morning, and the audience gave him a well-deserved standing ovation following a spectacular lecture by our very own Kenny Morford. Gary has been an inspirational leader of our department and a great supporter of Yale GIM. He has been especially supportive of our efforts to bring on new faculty, as we have continued to recruit the best and the brightest to join our group and have experienced unprecedented growth. In his farewell message sent by email to the department today, Gary spoke of his pride in “our efforts to improve the lives of countless individuals from all backgrounds and to deepen our understanding of human diseases to benefit everyone.” Yes indeed – Bravo Gary and thank you! for leading us on this journey. This transition will continue as we welcome our new Chair, Wolfram Goessling, next week!
As we turn to September, the new academic year goes into full swing in Yale GIM with the resumption of our two weekly Thursday conferences at 7:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. The speakers for September are noted below. This coming week on September 4, Joseph Canterino will kick off our Yale General Internal Medicine Grand Rounds series with a presentation entitled “Tick Talk” and David Rosenthal will present at our “Research in Progress” session. Thanks once again to Lisa Puglisi, Matthew Ellman, Jeanette Tetrault, and Cary Gross for putting together a wonderful slate of speakers for this year’s GIM core conferences!
You should also mark your calendars for our three annual Yale GIM retreats – see dates below. Great thanks to Cary, Jeanette, and Aba Black for making these retreats an annual reality!
Finally, don’t forget to sign up for our Annual Yale GIM Day at the Yale Bowl which will occur this year on Saturday, September 27 when Yale takes on Cornell. A can’t miss for sure!
As usual, there is much good news from Yale GIM to catch up on in this month’s issue of Yale GIM News. I highly recommend that you read Matthew Ellman’s article in Academic Medicine below entitled “Teaching What We Have Learned About the Care of the Dying Patient: One Physician’s Journey.” Matthew has pioneered end of life teaching at Yale providing innovative teaching throughout their time as medical students. As a result, Yale has become a leader nationally on teaching on this critical topic. Congratulations Matthew on your truly inspiring journey!
Read on and catch up on the many amazing accomplishments of your colleagues!
There is much to look forward to for Yale GIM this fall. With all of this excitement and activity in front of us in the coming months, be sure to take the time to wallow in these glorious final weeks of summer!
Patrick
Patrick G. O'Connor, MD, MPH
Dan Adams and Amanda Adams Professor of General Medicine
Chief, Section of General Internal Medicine
Head of Advisory House, Yan House
Yale School of Medicine