Year 2. April 10. Our Faculty as Influencers.

DoM faculty take center stage at the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) Week 2023

Last week, the department of medicine joined 3,000 internal medicine leaders from across the country at the annual Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine Week conference. Our faculty and staff led important plenary sessions throughout AAIM Week 2023 in support of the professional development of AAIM members representing all departments of medicine across the country, who are preparing the next generation of internal medicine physicians and leaders through education, research, engagement, and collaboration.

Utibe Essien, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine and core investigator in the Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy at the Los Angeles VA, kicked off the conference with a plenary lecture: “History has its Eyes on You: Race and Justice in Academic Medicine.” His talk focused on the history of racism in medicine, particularly in academic medicine, and possible solutions to help move towards anti-racism in the practice of medicine. The audience included current and future chief residents, program directors of medicine residency programs and subspecialty fellowships, clerkship directors, department administrators and other key leaders who are responsible for guiding early career learners in their medical journeys.

Dr. Essien eloquently discussed the systems which have contributed towards lack of diversity within the field of medicine, how the social determinants of health impact health outcomes, and how health inequity has persisted and supported inequality in our health care system. As we move towards building an equitable system, Dr. Essien shared solutions to help guide our efforts. They include:

• Desegregating the healthcare system to ensure that patients have access to high-quality care regardless of race and insurance status.
• Address health system policies and practices that disproportionately inflict punishment on patients of color.
• Increase diversity of the medical workforce.
• Develop antiracist medical curriculum.
• Strengthen communities to address social determinants of health.

Dr. Essien adds, “First, it's really important to learn the history of care received by minoritized communities so that we can understand the experiences patients might be bringing into the exam room when we are taking care of them. Second, we must think about our own biases that we might be bringing to the table. I think we're all trying to do a better job with that, but we still have an opportunity to continue to improve. Lastly, as faculty members we have a big opportunity to train the future doctors of tomorrow and hopefully be able to do so in a way that moves us beyond this legacy of racism.”You may learn more about Dr. Essien’s health equity research by clicking HERE.

Second, our success as physicians is in part related to our ability to take strands of information that our patients present to us and to synthesize these into accurate  and actionable diagnoses in an efficient and cost-effective way. We are very fortunate in the DoM, to have faculty who are world leaders in clinical reasoning. As such, it was a treat to hear about the impact of VA GLA Hospitalist Reza Manesh, MD, associate clinical professor of general internal medicine, who led a plenary session about clinical problem solving.

DoM faculty members hold many leadership positions in the DGSOM, and I am always pleased to learn of new appointments. Therefore, join me congratulating Lovelee E. Brown, MD on her appointment as the  Assistant Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for Graduate Medical Education (GME). Specifically, Dr. Lovelee Brown will be the assistant designated DIO for equity, diversity, and inclusion for GME at UCLA. Dr. Brown is an advocate for health access equity, recruitment, and leadership development of under-represented in medicine housestaff, and community building. She is a founding member of the Minority Housestaff Organization, a member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Academic Mentoring (JAM) Council. In this new leadership role, she will develop a culture of teaching and professional development that embraces inclusivity within the community of GME trainees and faculty at UCLA. Congratulations, Dr. Brown!

Finally, let me congratulate Sara A. Hurvitz, MD  who was recently recognized for her global leadership in breast cancer research and care, with her receipt of the 2023 ESMO Breast Cancer Award

Each year, the European Society for Medical Oncology awards the ESMO Breast Cancer Award to distinguished medical experts who have made significant contributions to the discovery and development of education, research, and clinical care in the field of breast cancer. I am pleased to share that this year, the award has been bestowed on Dr. Hurvitz in recognition of her breast cancer clinical and laboratory-based research. Dr. Hurvitz is a professor of medicine, co-director of the Santa Monica-UCLA Outpatient Oncology Practice, medical director of the Clinical Research Unit of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA and Director of Breast Oncology.

An internationally recognized expert in breast oncology,  Sara has developed novel therapeutics, leads multiple federally funded and industry supported clinical research projects, while maintaining an active clinical practice. She will be delivering her award lecture on May 11th at the ESMO Breast Cancer Congress. She shared with us the following:

“I’m absolutely honored by this award, but also quite humbled, knowing that my success in breast cancer research is in large part thanks to the mentors and collaborators I have had along the way, many of whom are here at UCLA, and, most importantly, to the patients--the true honorees, who were willing to participate in our trials.”

To learn more, click HERE.

Congratulations Sara!