Dear Colleagues,
After a snowy end to the winter, Spring looks to have finally arrived with daffodils and tulip greens starting to pop up, robins flitting about in the yard, and April rain in the forecast. During the breaks of sunshine, I hope you are able to take in some fresh air and the milder temperatures that are starting to be more consistent.
In this month’s message, I am thrilled to highlight the pioneering work of the Advanced Therapeutics Program of the Center for Digital Health Solutions. You will also read about one of our newer faculty members, Dr. Elena Byhoff of the Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Health Systems Science, who is featured as the Chair’s Spotlight for the month of April. Finally, I will share other news and updates including a warm welcome to Dr. Vaikom Mahadevan, the new chief of Cardiology, and a recognition of International Women’s Day which was observed in early March.
Advanced Therapeutics Program| The Center for Digital Health Solutions’ Advanced Therapeutics Program (ATRx) led by executive director, Dr. Michael Hyder, and supported by Joyce Simon, CITC senior strategic project manager, is an innovative initiative that enables patients living with chronic diseases greater access to life-changing, next-generation therapies through groundbreaking approaches that bridge a current, critical gap in care. This highly collaborative effort integrates specialty medicine into primary care and heavily relies on discussion and consultation with both primary care providers and specialists. The program is meant to optimize patient care and support primary care in some of their most complex cases.
Currently, the Advanced Therapeutics Program is being implemented with a focus on patients with cardiometabolic and osteoporosis diseases. After patients are identified through advanced analytics, Sandy Aiello, ACNP, the lead cardiometabolic APP, reviews the electronic health record (EHR) and consults virtually and directly with the physician specialist team including, Madona Azar, MD (Endo-DM), Matthew Niemi, MD (Renal), Kostya Abramov, MD (Renal), and Khanh-Van Tran, MD, PhD (Cardiology). The team runs cardiometabolic rounds where they discuss approximately five cases each week for patients that may be good candidates for groundbreaking drugs and therapies that would typically be prescribed by specialists after an in-person visit. These weekly virtual meetings help facilitate efficient case reviews, recommendations, and prompt implementation when appropriate. Ms. Aiello then works with primary care providers and patients through all steps of the process from a discussion about the drug that may be of benefit, to prescribing, subsequent labs, and follow-up on possible side effects. Along with the cardiometabolic initiative, the Advanced Therapeutics Program is also currently being implemented with osteoporosis patients under the clinical supervision of Jonathan Cheah, MD (Rheumatology).
The Advanced Therapeutics Program has already had a remarkable impact on UMass patients. In just over six weeks, this program has greatly benefitted over 30 lives. Look for our in-depth article on the Advanced Therapeutics Program in the April DoM Connect, out on Friday, April 7, which will feature first-hand accounts of the program’s benefits from Dr. Hyder, Ms. Aiello, and Dr. Karen Peterson, chief of Tri-River Medicine.
April Chair’s Spotlight| In this month’s Chair’s Spotlight, we highlight the work of Elena Byhoff, MD, MSc, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine with research activities in the Division of Health Systems Science. Dr. Byhoff is a primary care physician and researcher whose focus is on reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes for her patients through screening for social needs in the clinical setting and establishing partnerships between health care and community organizations. By engaging relevant stakeholders, her goals are to partner with historically marginalized communities to implement evidence-based interventions that may help alleviate negative Health Related Social Needs (HRSN), which can have an impact on an individual’s physical and mental health across the lifespan. Dr. Byhoff’s work will be tremendously beneficial to the Central Massachusetts communities we serve at UMass and we are thrilled that she has joined us in the Department of Medicine. Read more.
Welcome, Dr. Mahadevan| We have officially welcomed Dr. Vaikom Subramanian Mahadevan as the new chief of Cardiology! Of his arrival, Dr. Theo Meyer remarked, “The division is thrilled by Dr. Mahadevan’s arrival. He has immersed himself early on in getting to know the faculty. Dr. Mahadevan is full of new ideas that he would like to share with the section chiefs in Cardiology.”
International Women’s Day| On March 8, we celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day celebrating the achievements of women, raising awareness about discrimination, and taking action to drive gender parity. This year, the campaign’s theme was #EmbraceEquity. On this day and every day, we honor and celebrate the women of the Department of Medicine, their achievements, and their contributions at UMass and beyond. Learn more about IWD and the critical importance of the #EmbraceEquity campaign here.
Spring Department of Medicine Town Hall| Please join us for our next DoM Town Hall on Monday, May 1, 2023, at noon.
Sincerely,
Dave
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