Recently, TLI initiated a plan to identify and promote “champions” to encourage adoption and use of TLI materials in training students and medical professionals in educational activities around the globe. Here are just a few of the ways our many champions reported using TLI materials in 2013:
- Graciela Alarcón, MD, MPH, of the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center University of Alabama at Birmingham, presented:
- A grand rounds for internists, family practitioners, and pediatricians at Mercy Hospital in Chicago; and
- International lectures in Medellin, Colombia, and Asuncion, Paraguay.
- Stacy P. Ardoin, MD, MHS, incorporated TLI materials into The Ohio State University Medical School curriculum for first-year medical students.
- Amanda M. Sammut, MD, of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYCHHC) led:
- A grand rounds for 50 residents and attendings;
- A lecture to 30 residents;
- A lecture to eight MDs and NPs from a NYHHC clinic; and
- A lecture to about 20 MSWs, RNs/NPs and MDs at a community-based health system.
- Audrey Unknis, MD, presented a lecture to medical students at a regional meeting of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) held at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
While this list only mentions a few of the many individuals who have used TLI resources to champion lupus education among healthcare professionals, it is a powerful demonstration of the influence champions can have around a single disease state and why it is important for ACR/ARHP members to be aware of the resources available to them. I have used TLI resources to support grand-rounds lectures and hope you will find them as easy to download and as informative as I have.
Each effort we make in promoting ACR resources to other medical professionals highlights the value of the superb educational products we have developed. The education we offer to up-and-coming healthcare professionals enhances the stature of the profession. But I challenge you not to stop there. Let us not do exceptional work quietly and humbly. Let us share our accomplishments and the impact of these efforts. It is by sharing our talents and unique expertise that we reinforce the value and role of rheumatology for everyone and further our mission to Advance Rheumatology!
Dr. Flood is a rheumatologist at the Columbus Arthritis Center and adjunct associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, both in Columbus. Contact him at flood@rheumatology.org.