Michigan Medicine Headlines

COVID-19 updates

Posted on March 27, 2023

The landscape of COVID-19 has changed over the last three years. The Public Health Emergency will be coming to a close in May. With the continual decrease in cases, high levels of immunity (both from vaccination and previous infection), and the availability of effective treatments, U-M Health will further reduce some of the COVID-19 prevention strategies that have been in place.

Washtenaw County is no longer in High Transmission, having dropped to Substantial, a lower category, for over a month. The CDC allows for health care institutions to relax their masking requirements to best meet their needs once out of High Transmission.

The goal at U-M Health is to protect patients and workforce members from exposure, while allowing individuals the flexibility to take precautions based on their perceived level of risk.

Effective April 5, the next phase of masking will be for source control, with a focus on patient care interactions.

Workforce members will be required to wear masks when:

Providing direct patient care including whenever crossing the hand hygiene threshold
Workforce members with COVID-19 that have been cleared to return to work from Day 6-10
For clusters or outbreaks occurring on units, as recommended by Infection Prevention & Epidemiology

In addition, workforce members will continue to have the option to wear an N95 if they prefer a higher level of protection in settings with fewer masked individuals.

Patients and visitors will not be required to wear masks in any setting except when:

Visiting patients in precautions for COVID-19
Seeking medical care for respiratory symptoms and/or COVID-19
A household contact has COVID-19

Masks, otherwise, will be optional in public areas of the hospital including hallways, cafeterias and most waiting areas. Patients who are being seen for respiratory symptoms, fever, new cough or rash will continue to mask. Masks will continue to be available throughout for anyone who chooses to wear one.

Masking remains required for other clinical or environmental standards, such as for personal protective equipment, sterile assembly, clean rooms, operating rooms, procedure areas, etc.

Please see FAQs for specific scenarios. If you have a specific question about your area that it does not address, please send it to: UM-ICE@med.umich.edu

Give blood at upcoming drives on campus

Posted on March 27, 2023

The need for blood remains high and to make it easier for faculty, staff and learners to make an impact, the American Red Cross will be hosting upcoming blood drives at University Hospital.

The drives will be held:

Friday, April 14, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m., Towsley Dining Room
Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Towsley Lobby
Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Towsley Lobby

To schedule an appointment, log onto RedCrossBlood.org (sponsor code: goblue), call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or email Erin Burns at erin.burns2@redcross.org.

Appointments are highly recommended, though walk-ins will be accepted as space permits. A photo ID is required. Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment.

Monthly and quarterly radiation dosimeters due for exchange

Posted on March 27, 2023

Monthly and quarterly radiation dosimeters (“badges”) are due for exchange on or before April 1.

Please work with your departmental Dosimetry Contact and plan ahead to avoid late exchange. The wear period is indicated on the front of your dosimeter.

On behalf of Michigan Medicine Safety Management Services and the U-M Radiation Safety Service, thank you for exchanging your dosimetry on time.

The following wear groups did not achieve a dosimetry exchange/return rate of 90% or better for January 2023:

January (monthly)
Card. Cath. – Faculty	Card. Surgery – Faculty	Radiology – QA Students
Card. EP – Faculty	Card. Surgery – HO	Vascular Surgery
Card. Cath. – Fellows	Card. Surgery – PAs
Card. EP – Fellows	Radiology – IR

If you wish to review your dosimetry results, see your departmental Dosimetry Contact or Dosimetry Supervisor. To confidentially access your dosimetry results using the serial number on the back of your dosimeter, follow these instructions.

If you have questions about radiation dosimetry (including how to wear it), visit the link below or contact the U-M Radiation Safety Service at 734-764-4294.As a reminder, Federal and State regulations require radiation exposure monitoring for certain employees, including anyone who participates in procedures involving radiation-producing machines. Michigan Medicine’s dosimetry program meets and exceeds these guidelines to ensure the safety of Michigan Medicine personnel.

Michigan Medicine named among 150 top places to work in health care

Posted on March 27, 2023

Congratulations to Michigan Medicine, which was recently named one of the top 150 places to work in health care by Becker’s Hospital Review!

This list recognizes hospitals, health systems and health care companies that invest in their employees’ wellbeing, satisfaction and fulfillment.

According to Becker’s, “the organizations highlighted on this list provide comprehensive benefits packages, opportunities for professional development, inclusive work environments and the flexibility needed for a true work-life balance.”

Click here to learn more about this honor!

The Rogel gift: Five years later

Posted on March 27, 2023

In March 2018, Richard and Susan Rogel made a significant financial commitment to help realize a vision of fostering innovative cancer research and to develop the next generation of leaders in clinical care and research. The $150M gift was the largest ever to Michigan Medicine, and one of the largest in the history of U-M.

To honor the couple’s many years of giving and service, the cancer center was renamed the Rogel Cancer Center.

Five years on, the effect has been dramatic.

“The gift from Rich and Susan Rogel is truly extraordinary and transformational,” said Eric R. Fearon, M.D., Ph.D., Emanuel N. Maisel Professor of Oncology and director of the Rogel Cancer Center. “It has had a remarkable impact over the past five years and, given its legacy nature, it will have an ever-greater impact in the years ahead.”

This sentiment was echoed by Julie C. Brabbs, M.B.A., chief administrative officer and associate director of administration at the cancer center.

“It has had a tremendous impact across our cancer center,” she said. “We are so proud to be named the Rogel Cancer Center and thankful to Rich and Susan for their generosity and vision.”

The gift funds multiple programs focused on:

improving treatment and care for cancer patients
helping to develop promising scientists
leveraging the university’s broad and deep strengths in science, innovation, and patient care

“The funding provided by the gift is intended to support broad-based efforts to improve treatment and outcomes for cancer patients and survivors, develop the next generation of cancer pioneers and providers, and leverage the university’s broad and deep strengths in science, innovation and patient care,” explained Fearon.

The gift has already supported the launch of eight new initiatives, including:

vital faculty and trainee support
enhanced patient care and community outreach and engagement initiatives
innovative efforts to enhance health equity and improve access to cancer screening
clinical and translational research infrastructure and precision health technologies

In addition, the gift funds programs for faculty and trainee development.

“It’s allowed us to establish mechanisms to directly support people and projects,” said Brabbs, “and we are delighted with the ability to support these initiatives.”

Some of the programs currently supported include:

two new Richard and Susan Rogel Professorships
Rogel Scholars (30 faculty supported to date)
Rogel Scholarships (19 awarded to date)
a Rogel Fellow

“We are so grateful to Rich and Susan Rogel for their amazing generosity and partnership,” said Fearon. “We seek to generate new knowledge of all aspects of the cancer problem and develop new approaches to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients treated at the Rogel Cancer Center, as well as the many others around the U.S. and the world who will benefit from Rogel efforts and advances.”

Closing out the year: Successfully completing your Valuation in Q4

Posted on March 27, 2023

Approximately a 3-minute read.

Key takeaways:

It’s the final quarter of FY23, so be sure to begin finalizing your Valuation.
The deadline to complete your Valuation is June 30.
Tips, resources and webinars are available to help you make the most of this process.

The fourth quarter of the fiscal year is here! And it’s a time to not only reflect, but look ahead.

It’s also the time to finalize a few details to complete your FY23 Valuation.

A yearlong focus

Over the first three quarters of the fiscal year, employees should have drafted SMART goals, had regular quarterly check-ins with their supervisor to discuss progress and modifications toward goals, and be well on their way to wrapping up their Valuations.

That said, Q4 is the period of time to focus on progress you’ve made, receive feedback from your colleagues, customers and supervisors, and begin planning for the next year.

To help understand what to do in Q4, watch this brief overview video and review the steps outlined below.

Review the 1-Year Performance Management Roadmap
Hold a leader and employee check-in (End Of Year Question), preferably during an already scheduled 1:1
Continue to think about 360 Peer / Customer Feedback and send 360s out.
Revisit and refine Development Plan as needed
Revisit and refine Job Specific Work Goals as needed
Begin to think about Job Specific Work Goals for next year
In June, your leader should send you a Valuation so that you may finish completing the employee sections and ratings. You then send the Valuation back to the leader to complete their sections and ratings. Finally, you and your leader should meet to discuss a final rating. The signed Valuation will be sent to HR.

Be sure to submit FY23 Valuations by June 30. For details on how to submit, see the Performance Management FAQs on the Performance Evaluation Resources webpage.

Don’t forget, the goal of the Valuation process is to have continuous conversations between leaders and employees to foster growth. Think of it as your best tool to ensure you are achieving success and advancing in your career at Michigan Medicine.

Upcoming webinars and additional resources

To help staff and leaders learn more about the FY23 Valuation and how to successfully complete the year-end process, Organizational Learning will be offering information sessions throughout Q4 to answer your questions.

Anyone is welcome to register and attend any one of these sessions.

Thursday, April 13 from 11 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Wednesday, May 10 from 11 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Tuesday, June 13 from noon – 12:50 p.m.

If you have questions about the FY23 Valuation, please email FY23Valuation@med.umich.edu.

Bernard W. Agranoff Lectureship in Neuroscience

Posted on March 27, 2023

Save the date for the 2023 Bernard W. Agranoff Lectureship in Neuroscience scheduled for May 8, 2023.

Featuring:

Richard W. Tsien, Ph.D.

Chair, Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, New York University,

Director of Neuroscience Institute, Druckenmiller Professor of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology Professor, Department of Neurology.

Please mark your calendars and share this message with those who may be interested. More information to come!

LGBTQIA+: An Introduction to Inclusive Language

Posted on March 24, 2023

This course aims to shift our culture to be more LGBTQIA+ friendly. When it comes to attractionality and gender identity, language is so important. It helps us to acknowledge, respect and affirm the diversity of bodies, genders and relationships that exist at U-M. We’ll discuss roadblocks and challenges some people face when using inclusive language. After identifying those challenges, we will share strategies to make practicing easier. We’ll also learn how to use them in interactions with patients, students, staff and colleagues.

You will learn to:

Identify gender inclusive language and how to use it appropriately
Use inclusive terms related to sexual orientation and gender identity
Determine strategies to use when faced with challenges to using inclusive language

You will benefit by:

Understanding why it is important to use gender inclusive language
Gaining skills to apply inclusive terms and concepts to daily interactions
Having resources you can use to encourage using more inclusive language

Audience:

Any U-M staff or faculty member who would like to learn inclusive language in order to build respectful and safe communities.

LGBTQIA+: An Introduction to Inclusive Language

Posted on March 24, 2023

You will learn to:

Identify gender inclusive language and how to use it appropriately
Use inclusive terms related to sexual orientation and gender identity
Determine strategies to use when faced with challenges to using inclusive language

You will benefit by:

Understanding why it is important to use gender inclusive language
Gaining skills to apply inclusive terms and concepts to daily interactions
Having resources you can use to encourage using more inclusive language

Audience:

Any U-M staff or faculty member who would like to learn inclusive language in order to build respectful and safe communities.

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