Year 4. March 3. Training the Next Generation of Physicians.
Excellence in our education mission is an essential pillar of our strategic plan. The UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) trains over 250 residents and over 200 fellows each year across all its subspecialties and across all of our hospitals and many ambulatory sites. As we gear up to celebrate what we anticipate will be another spectacular residency match later this month, I want to reflect this week on some recent accomplishments and accolades of our training programs and thank all the LEADERS of our education programs for their tireless work.
American Academy of Pain Medicine Recognizes Excellence of UCLA/VA Pain Medicine Fellowship Program
I am thrilled to share that the pain medicine fellowship at UCLA and Veterans Affairs of Greater Los Angeles (VA) on Feb. 19 received the Pain Fellowship Excellence Award from the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). This major achievement highlights the unparalleled breadth and quality of the pain medicine fellowship program at the VA/UCLA.
“It is truly an honor, because this is the academy that that many of the pain physicians and ancillary staff belong to,” Angela Quynh Giao Pham, MD, program director of the VA, said. “The AAPM is geared toward multidisciplinary groups, and that’s important to us because we are truly multidisciplinary.”
Pain medicine is a challenging discipline that requires the coordination of many different physician specialties and staff, from pharmacists and psychologists to social workers. The pain medicine fellowship program at UCLA/VA embraces this complexity, bringing together physicians in physical medicine and rehabilitation, anesthesia, psychiatry, neurology and psychology. They collaborate both in the clinic and in research settings with ancillary staff, devising new ways to care for patients.
“The best part is that we all work well together,” Dr. Pham said. “That collaboration and learning with each other makes a really awesome environment for the management of chronic pain.”
The AAPM Pain Fellowship Excellence Award recognizes ACGME-accredited pain medicine fellowship medicine programs that embrace multidisciplinary pain care, education, advocacy and research to improve function and quality of life for pain patients. Past recipients include Stanford, Johns Hopkins, the University of Chicago and the University of California San Diego, among others.
In a message to Dr. Pham and the pain fellowship program, chairs from the AAPM awards committee said they were “highly impressed with the comprehensive scope of clinical education, research opportunities, and your emphasis on providing an atmosphere that promotes well-being.”
Typically, pain management training programs are based in only one discipline, such as anesthesiology, neurology, physical medicine and rehab or psychiatry. The UCLA/VA program is part of a growing trend toward multidisciplinary traineeships.
“The AAPM looks at all of these training programs and they pick out the one that truly exemplifies a collaborative environment to train,” Dr. Pham said. “For us it’s a huge honor to be recognized by the society.”
Dr. Pham is grateful to the many faculty and staff who have made the program successful over the years. She, a staff member and a fellow will receive their award on April 4 at the AAPM annual meeting in Austin, Texas.
Congratulations to Dr. Pham and the entire team with the UCLA/VA Pain Management Fellowship Program! Your outstanding work exemplifies our commitment to providing top-tier medical education.
All Residency and Fellowship Programs Receive ACGME Accreditation for 2025
The DoM's residency and fellowship programs are internationally recognized for their academic, mentorship and clinical excellence. I am pleased to share that they all recently received accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), an organization that exists to ensure that medical trainee programs meet educational and patient care standards.
“As ACGME accredited programs, we’re expected to meet our obligations to patients and trainees who trust their training to us,” Lisa Skinner, MD, program director of the UCLA Internal Medicine Training Program, said. All of the DoM’s 14 training programs received accreditation this year without any citations or warnings — “a testament to the quality of our programs and the team effort that goes into meeting the pretty rigorous requirements of the ACGME,” Dr. Skinner added.
Program directors work year-round to make sure that DoM training programs always pass ACGME accreditation with flying colors, and every faculty member and nurse that trainees interact with ensure that our fellowships and residencies are world-class. So too do our LEADERS in medical education administration.
“They deserve a huge pat on the back for getting all the programs across the finish line,” Dr. Skinner said. For example, Director of Education Doug Ruiz Carbajal, who oversees all of the coordinators for our trainee programs, is instrumental to their operations.
“Medicine is constantly evolving and how we prepare and educate our learners must also evolve to meet the future needs of our communities,” Doug said. “It is a truly rewarding experience to support and drive the changes of our programs and education experiences alongside like-minded passionate individuals across the department from staff to faculty that ultimately leads to the success of our trainees in their future practice.”
Dr. Skinner also praised the work of Internal Medicine Coordinator Ariela Hakim, who over the past year has taken on the enormous responsibility of keeping up with the 180 trainees in the program and all of the documentation required to keep them organized.
“My work on ACGME accreditation for the Internal Medicine residency program is incredibly rewarding because it allows me to ensure that our trainees are receiving the highest quality education and support possible. As healthcare administrators, we may not be on the front lines, but our contributions play a critical role in shaping the foundation for the success of our residents,” Ariela said. “By upholding the standards set by the ACGME, we are indirectly contributing to the development of physicians who provide exceptional care to our community and save patients’ lives.”
Thank you to Lisa, Doug, Ariela and all our faculty and staff who make our trainee programs the best in the world. Your work not only upholds the reputation of the DoM as an outstanding place to train, but touches the lives of the many patients who are cared for by our residents and fellows!
Don’t Forget to Thank A Resident!
Residents are the lifeblood of the DoM. This past Friday, Feb. 28, was national “Thank A Resident Day,” a special observance day established in 2018 to recognize residents’ enormous contributions to health care. It should serve as a reminder to us to celebrate the far-reaching work of our residents every day, not just once a year!
“Our residents are special humans,” Dr. Skinner said. “They really embody the culture of the department of medicine and UCLA — they’re curious, ambitious and creative, and they really hold themselves to a high standard.”
The excellence of our residents is evident not only in their clinical care, but also in their teaching and academic scholarship. Regular readers of this newsletter know that they consistently receive awards for excellence in medical education and conduct research that is published in high-impact journals. They also happen to be kind.
“Residents are often at the bedside with families during some of the toughest moments of people’s lives, and through all of that, they also maintain this tremendous, warm, joyful spirit,” Dr. Skinner said. “They also look out for each other — when a resident is going through a difficult time, their colleagues rally to take care of them and make sure they’re nurtured as humans. It’s a very magical mix of rigor, humanism, kindness and warmth.”
Having worked with residents during chair rounds and other events, I can attest to their outstanding attributes as physicians, scientists and people. It is no surprise to me that so many UCLA residents go on to be incredible attendings and researchers who advance the field of medicine — they are all LEADERS, and I am honored to work with every one of them!
If you see a resident, please be sure to tell them thank you and to wish them a happy belated Thank A Resident Day! Residents may join us for a special event on March 7 to celebrate their work.
In Gratitude to the DoM Office of Wellness for Our Wildfire Response
It is difficult to believe that next week will mark two months since the start of the catastrophic wildfires that wrought so much pain on our beautiful city. The response of our DoM community has been nothing short of inspiring — you all stepped up to offer your time, resources and homes to each other without a second thought. For example, over 3,000 hours were donated to the catastrophic relief vacation hours bank, and we are still tallying up the generous financial support that we received. Your generosity is a prime example of our commitment to service, and I am grateful and proud to work with all of you.
As we continue to heal, I would like to take some time to recognize the immense work of the DoM Office of Wellness in coordinating our wildfire response. Sun Yoo, MD, MPH, chief wellness officer, was in a series of meetings on the day the Palisades Fire broke out. She recalled learning of the devastation through texts from impacted colleagues who needed to leave to check on their homes and families.
Meanwhile, Karina Martin, a project manager at DGSOM, was learning of the fires through her co-workers.
“Initially I felt very surprised by the location, but since we have so many wildfires in Southern California, I felt confident that the firefighters would be able to get the fire under control rapidly, especially since the Palisades was such a populated area,” Karina recalled.
As we all know, that was unfortunately not the case. The Palisades Fire was the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history, and nearly three dozen of our colleagues lost their homes either in the Palisades or the Eaton Fire in Altadena, with many more forced to evacuate and some not able to return to their homes. Yet in spite of the chaos, confusion and grief, the DoM Office of Wellness leapt to the task of coordinating lodging, toiletries, clothing — including scrubs — financial aid, mental health care and other resources for those who were displaced. Karina’s work encompassed matching faculty and staff in need with all of them.
“What I found is that many members of our community were not aware of the many resources that UCLA was offering because they were so busy with work and trying to navigate their situation, so I would try to facilitate the process and inform them of what was available,” she said. “Most importantly I would constantly check in by phone or email with our DoM community members that had reached out to us to see how they were doing and if they had any ongoing needs."
Libby Shin, executive director of the office of the chair of medicine, DGSOM and UCLA Health, recalled the difficulty of staying ahead of changes that happened as quickly as the wellness office and administrative team could respond.
“Our biggest challenge was keeping up with evolving conditions, resources and policy changes to ensure that we provided accurate information and resources to those in need of support, as well as to those offering their assistance,” Libby said.
One strategy deployed by the team was a database that enabled staff and faculty in the DoM who were not in harm’s way to open up their homes to others in the community, along with a supply drive for evacuees. The department also negotiated a deal to provide more than 150 hotel nights to various faculty and staff who were directly impacted by the fires.
Dr. Yoo added that clinical chiefs and regional medical directors also played an invaluable role in ensuring coverage for displaced faculty and staff.
“All of them just did so much to make sure that people could take care of their health and safety without, one, patient care being compromised, and two, without the fear that they couldn’t miss a minute of work to figure out next steps ,” Dr. Yoo said.
"Our DoM community members rallied in solidarity; they opened up their homes to colleagues, brought in hundreds of donations including emergency and baby supplies, and emanated kindness and compassion when we needed it most."
Associate Chief Wellness Officer Joshua Khalili, MD was most impressed by the wellness office and greater DoM community’s collegiate spirit — the same one that makes the department such a wonderful place to work.
“Everyone responded in a humanistic, emotionally supportive and compassionate way. Everything we did was rooted in deep care for our colleagues. It almost felt like they were our family members,” Dr. Khalili said. “It reminded me of why all of us, doctors and staff alike, are in this field — because we care about people.”
Karina noted that she is glad to have been surrounded by others who wanted to make a difference at a time when so many were in need.
“I am just happy to have been part of a team that was able to provide support to individuals that had gone through such a difficult time,” she said. “I just wanted to help in any way that I could, so I am grateful to have been able to provide support, even if it was just to one person.”
I share her pride in our department and the DoM Office of Wellness. Thank you to Dr. Yoo, Karina, Dr. Khalili, Libby and the many other people in the wellness office and on our administrative teams who were so instrumental in bringing all of us together. Your dedication and commitment to serving our community are a beacon of hope amid the ashes.
The DoM Office of Wellness and all of us in the department remain committed to helping our community in every way we can, including those outside of the DoM. Some faculty and staff remain in lodging at the Luskin Center while they prepare to transition to longer term housing, and the wellness office has recently launched a comprehensive needs assessment survey to learn about the ongoing needs of our department members and will continue to offer personalized support. The Office of Wellness will also set up Listening Circles that will be open to our community members in an effort to help process these devastating events More information on those events will be shared soon.
For anyone who still needs support, please review the resources shared at DoM Connect. I look forward to continuing our work together as we move forward!
Dale
P.S.
Earlier this week we announced the six faculty members who were recognized by the American Society for Clinical Investigation. I had the chance to take them and their division chiefs out to dinner, last week to celebrate this important milestone in their professional and academic careers.
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