News of the Week

IMS students, staff collect university-wide awards

Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (IMS) students and staff from the College of Medicine program collected several university-wide honors at the April 9 Leadership Awards Night and the April 15 Torchbearer 100 program.

Elizabeth Foster, Ph.D., associate dean of Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences and advisor to the Honors Medical Scholars Society (HMSS), was selected as Advisor of the Year. Nominated by her HMSS students, Foster was chosen based on her contributions of time and expertise as a volunteer to a student organization.

Mia McSheffrey, a senior IMS student majoring in clinical professions and an Honors Medical Scholar, was honored as an inductee to the 2024 Torchbearer 100 program. The longstanding tradition, which includes the presentation of a medallion to wear at commencement, recognizes undergraduates who best exemplify the university’s core values: inspired excellence; dynamic inclusiveness; transformative daring; responsible stewardship; and community engagement.

In addition, McSheffrey, who will enroll at the College of Medicine in May as a member of the M.D. Class of 2028, was recently recognized as the college’s undergraduate nominee for the FSU Humanitarian of the Year Award. Dedicated to making health care more equitable, McSheffrey has volunteered both locally and abroad in Peru through the Global Scholars program and participated in public health research. Her medical education journey has been inspired by her younger brother and his experiences with a rare genetic disorder.

IMS Program Manager Ann DelRossi received a Faculty/Staff Seminole Award, recognizing those demonstrating exemplary attitudes, enthusiasm and extending themselves for the benefit of the students they serve. DelRossi was one of three recipients of the award.

IMS’ Catherine Wondra was one of seven students to receive a Student Seminole Award, recognizing those making special contributions to the university in the areas of leadership and service. There were six winners of Outstanding Student Leader Awards, including Matthew Daniels from the IMS program. The recipients share impressive involvement across multiple areas of campus and demonstrate leadership regardless of position or title.

The University Health Services Student of the Year Award, presented annually to either a single student or a group of students demonstrating outstanding leadership and achievement in promoting health issues, was presented to the Medical Response Unit (MRU). IMS student Bryce Hickey was among the MRU members on hand.

In addition to the IMS students, Honors Medical Scholar Naomi Katumalla was the individual recipient of the Student Engagement Impact Award. It recognizes the person whose acquired skills have led to constructing programs promoting professional development and wellness habits, measuring their impact on the student body.

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Apr 16, 2024
Tallahassee Democrat
PRESS RELEASE

Mental health care is being advanced in the Tallahassee region with the opening of an innovative facility that will house the Florida State University College of Medicine’s new Psychiatry Residency Program
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Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and the Apalachee Center have a partnership with FSU through the residency program initiative, and the new center will also bring the two healthcare organizations’ outpatient behavioral health services together under one roof.

News of the Week

Ben Smith, DMSc, PA-C, discusses integrative rheumatoid arthritis treatment guidelines

 

In an interview with HCPLive, Benjamin Smith, DMSc, PA-C, program director and associate dean of the School of Physician Assistant Practice at Florida State University College of Medicine, provides the key highlights from his American College of Rheumatology State-of-the-Art (ACR-SOTA) presentation discusses the integrative rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment guidelines. Smith delves into the important role this approach in managing RA provides and emphasizes the importance of the collaborative efforts of providers to optimize patient outcomes.

An integrative approach encompasses various aspects including exercise, rehabilitation, diet, and complementary treatments. These elements were organized based on a thorough consideration of literature and application for patients with diverse experiences of RA. This structured strategy, Smith says, aims to address the multifaceted nature of RA and enhance treatment effectiveness.

Collaboration among providers is fundamental in implementing the approach effectively. Smith underscores the importance of rheumatologists, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, psychologists, and other professionals working together. Each member of the team brings unique expertise that contributes to comprehensive care and optimal patient outcomes.

The guideline development process involved patient input, emphasizing the significance of early education and expert guidance on integrative treatment options. This patient-centered approach reflects the evolving landscape of healthcare, where patient preferences and needs are integral to treatment decisions.

Furthermore, Smith explains the need for a holistic view of RA treatment, combining pharmacologic interventions with integrative therapies. Guiding principles were established to parallel integrative RA treatments with pharmacologic approaches. This integrated approach recognizes that these treatments complement each other.

The heterogeneity of RA experiences necessitates personalized treatment plans based on disease stage, activity level, and patient preferences. The goal is to tailor treatment strategies to individual needs, considering factors such as early disease onset, disease progression, and symptom management.


Watch the video

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Apr 09, 2024
Updated rendering of FSU Health center
Tallahassee Democrat
PRESS RELEASE

Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare recently signed a memorandum of understanding to seal their partnership for a future academic health center in Tallahassee, slated to open in fall 2026.

Through the agreement, a new "FSU Health TMH Trustees" will oversee decisions related to the academic health center and a medical campus underway in Panama City Beach on behalf of the university and hospital.

 

ADvancing interRAI: Using Better Data, Better

Apr 08, 2024
interRAI

ADvancing interRAI, a new initiative from ADvancing States, interRAI, HCBS Strategies, and Florida State University, is building shared infrastructure to support state efforts to improve how they assess people using the interRAI Home Care system (interRAI HC), authorize services and supports (assign resources), and use data for policy and program improvement. The interRAI HC is the most standardized, valid instrument available with a proven track record, and more than 25 states use it to assess for Home and Community Based Services. It can not only be used to determine program or service eligibility, but also has built-in, evidence-based tools to support service planning, outcome measurement, quality management, and safety. Implementing and improving the use of the interRAI assessment system allows states the ability to develop or improve data-driven processes when determining eligibility and establishing service packages.

 

The infrastructure that is part of the ADvancing interRAI package includes online and in-person training, support with integrating interRAI data into program operations, policy and operations guidance, data analyses, and technical assistance. Dr. Jeffrey Harman, Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine and a Fellow at interRAI, is serving as the lead at FSU where he will assist states with formatting and uploading interRAI HC data into a data repository being hosted by FSU’s Health Data Science Initiative (HDSI), and produce annual reports for states that will allow them to see how well their home based services are working at achieving program goals and benchmark their programs with those of other states participating in the initiative. Dr. Harman will be joined on this project by FSU COM faculty members Dr. Samantha Goldfarb and Dr. Heidi Kinsell, who are also Fellows at interRAI, Dr. Katelyn Graves, Dr. Jon Mills, and Jessica Day, MPH. Thus far, five states have joined the ADvancing interRAI project (Rhode Island, Delaware, Missouri, Indiana, and the District of Columbia), with several more states considering joining ADvancing interRAI. The overall goal of the project is to improve the delivery of home-based care to vulnerable populations by allowing states to use better data, better.

ADvancing interRAI Website

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Mar 18, 2024
Emory University School of Medicine
PRESS RELEASE

Fourth-year Florida State University College of Medicine student Cunyet Ozkardes will be on familiar turf when he begins his residency training at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. As a recipient of Emory's 2023 Open DOOR (Diversity and Opportunity in Ophthalmology Rotations) scholarship, Ozkardes was able to complete an away rotation at the Emory Eye Center and opened his eyes greater career opportunities.
 

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Mar 25, 2024
Tallahassee Democrat
PRESS RELEASE

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Live Healthy Act, which aims to grow the health care workforce. By 2035 the state is expected to face a shortage of 18,000 doctors.

"The shortage is not getting better, it's getting worse," said FSU College of Medicine Interim Dean Alma Littles, M.D., who grew up in rural Gadsden County. "Around me, I was acutely aware of individuals both in my family, community, my church, etc. who did need health care and were not able to receive it."

The Live Healthy Act does several things, including expanding programs to attract more professionals and adding residency programs.

"We know that if we can have sufficient training programs in Florida, to train them in residency, we are likely to retain them in the State of Florida," Littles said.

 

Millender and Wong Forge Alliance with Panamanian Research Institute

Mar 22, 2024

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Flynn Confronting Maternal Mental Health

Jan 30, 2024

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Mar 17, 2024
Tallahassee Democrat
PRESS RELEASE

As Florida State University’s College of Medicine celebrated the nationwide event known as Match Day, over a hundred of its graduating medical students got the official word on where they will receive residency training.

Shouts of joy, happy tears and group hugs filled FSU's Ruby Diamond Concert Hall Friday afternoon as students simultaneously tore open their envelopes, reading their letters with loved ones about where they will practice for the next several years in their chosen medical specialty.

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