Opioid Grand Rounds, Nov. 30
The Brigham Comprehensive Opioid Response and Education (B-CORE) Program will host the “Opioid Research Showcase” on Thursday, Nov. 30, 8-9 a.m., in Carrie Hall. BWH physicians from Orthopaedics, Addiction Psychiatry and the Hospitalist Service will discuss opioid-related projects in their areas. Learn more.

Flu Shot Deadline: Dec. 1
All BWH personnel are required to receive an annual flu shot by Friday, Dec. 1. Occupational Health Services (OHS) offers seasonal flu vaccinations to all personnel at no cost. Upcoming employee flu shot clinics include Wednesday, Nov. 29, Thursday, Nov. 30, and Friday, Dec. 1, 6:30 a.m.-4 p.m., at the BWH main campus in Shapiro’s Miller Atrium. In addition, OHS offers walk-in hours at its Neville House clinic on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, 7-9 a.m., and Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2-3 p.m. Learn more.

Town Meeting, Dec. 1
Join Brigham Health President Betsy Nabel, MD, for the next Town Meeting: An Open Forum for BWHers on Friday, Dec. 1, noon-1 p.m., in Bornstein Amphitheater. The event will be webcast for those who cannot attend in person, and there will be an opportunity for webcast viewers to ask questions during the event. Visit BWHPikeNotes.org for more information, including a link to the webcast and how to share what topics you would like to hear about at Town Meeting.

Pediatric Primary Care Availability at Brigham Health
The health and wellness of our employees and their loved ones are important to us. Three Brigham Health practices are accepting pediatric patients: Family Care Associates at BWFH and two of our community health centers, Southern Jamaica Plain and Brookside. The Partners HealthCare Find-a-Doctor search tool can help you find adult Partners primary care physicians with near-term availability. Costs are lower for those with Partners Select, Partners Plus or Neighborhood Health Plan health insurance. To search, visit partners.org/primarycare.

From left: Cervita Jackson and Joyce Ferguson

Cervita Jackson had a gut feeling something wasn’t right when an unscheduled visitor stepped out of the elevator on CWN 9 a few weeks ago.

Jackson, a unit coordinator who works the overnight shift, had received a call moments prior from the Security desk at the Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women and Newborns (CWN). A female visitor arrived and claimed to have a work meeting on the unit, but Jackson looked at the clock and was immediately skeptical. It wasn’t even sunrise yet.

“We don’t usually have meetings at that time of day, and no one told me that there would be one then, so it seemed weird,” Jackson said.

Jackson instructed the Security officer to send the visitor up to the floor, explaining that she would meet the woman at the elevator and vet her story face to face. Jackson then texted the nurse-in-charge for that shift, Joyce Ferguson, RN, who also sensed something wasn’t adding up.

While their instincts were correct, fortunately there was no actual danger. The visitor was a role-player whom BWH Security had hired to help conduct a Code Pink drill. The goal of the exercise was to test whether an unauthorized person could gain access to a secure unit in CWN. At the Brigham, a Code Pink is activated when an infant is abducted or taken from a unit without authorization.

Thanks to Jackson and Ferguson’s awareness and subsequent intervention, the role-player was stopped before she could gain access to any patient rooms. Their actions show how significant a role frontline staff play in helping protect patients, families and employees, said Dave Corbin, director of BWH Police and Security.

“Trained, vigilant employees are one of the best layers of defense we have on our infant units,” Corbin said. “This was a great demonstration of how dedicated they are to keeping the unit secure. It’s a big kudos to the whole unit.”

‘We Have to be Alert’

When the role-player arrived on CWN 9, Jackson was waiting for her at the elevator doors. When asked more about whom she was visiting, the role-player provided a different story than what she had told the Security officer downstairs. Jackson then escorted her to meet Ferguson.

“If it’s someone I know should be here, I would just tell them where to find Joyce. But because I didn’t know her, wasn’t expecting her and she seemed suspicious, I walked her over and waited for Joyce to come,” Jackson said.

On the way to meet Ferguson, the role-player stopped to stare at infants in the nursery.

Once the two women arrived, Ferguson asked the visitor for more details about whom she was meeting with. The role-player gave vague answers, deepening their suspicion. The staff then asked the role-player to call the person she was supposed to meet. The role-player became flustered and asked to use the bathroom. After exiting the bathroom, the role-player identified herself and the drill ended.

The experience reinforced to Jackson and Ferguson how vital it is for staff to always remain vigilant. They said everyone on their unit will stop and ask any person who’s not a known, authorized patient, family member or staff member on CWN 9 to explain why they’re on the floor.

“It’s automatic for us,” Jackson said. “We know we have to be alert.”

Register Today: Discover Brigham, Nov. 9
On Thursday, Nov. 9, the Brigham Research Institute will host Discover Brigham, an annual half-day event highlighting the contributions of physician-investigators and biomedical scientists at BWH. The event is free and open to the public. This year’s panel topics include population science, artificial intelligence, nursing research, gene editing, immunotherapy, wellness and alternative medicine, trauma research and more. Discover Brigham will conclude with an awards ceremony and reception. Learn more and register at DiscoverBrigham.org.

Open Enrollment, Oct. 30-Nov. 21
Open enrollment is the only time of year, aside from a change of status event, when employees can make changes to their benefits selection. This year, there are changes to the health plan options. Given the nature of the changes, all employees are asked to review their benefits and make new selections. Human Resources is hosting information sessions and QuickStops for employees throughout the main and distributed campus in November. Visit BWHPikeNotes.org to learn more.

Hand Soap Conversion
Over the next several weeks, BWH Environmental Services will be switching out the current Endure foam hand soap that is used on patient care units and public bathrooms to a new foaming hand cleaner called PROVON. The cleaner is fragrance-free and dye-free. It’s also gentler on skin with added moisturizers and skin conditioners and creates less soap suds, meaning the product will rinse off faster. For more information, email Loay Kitmitto in Environmental Services at lkitmitto@bwh.harvard.edu or Gina Piszcz in Infection Prevention and Control at rpiszcz@bwh.harvard.edu.

Fruit and Veggie Challenge, Enrollment Opens Nov. 6
Join the upcoming Fruit and Veggie Challenge on ahealthyme – accessed on Blue Cross Blue Shield’s website – and find out whether you’re eating adequate servings of fruit and vegetables each week. To successfully complete this challenge, you must log at least two servings of fruit and two servings of vegetables a day for 16 days during the four-week challenge. The enrollment window will be open from Monday, Nov. 6, through Saturday, Nov. 11. For more information and to sign up, visit BWHPikeNotes.org.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Some of the Brigham’s tiniest patients celebrated their first Halloween by dressing up in pint-size costumes, including Belle from the film Beauty and the Beast, a dragon, a cowgirl and Count Dracula. The day was filled with fun as staff and families took photos of the babies and ensured their first Halloween was one to remember. The costumes were donated by the family of a Brigham NICU graduate. 

Flu Shot Walk-in Hours at OHS
Occupational Health Services offers weekly walk-in hours at the Neville House clinic for BWH personnel to receive a flu shot on Mondays, Tuesday and Fridays, 7-9 a.m., and Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2-3 p.m. All BWH personnel must receive a flu vaccination and complete their attestation by Friday, Dec. 1, unless they have been approved for a medical or religious exemption. Learn more.

Become a BWH Book Buddies Volunteer
Once a month, Brigham Book Buddies read to pre-K, kindergarten and first-grade classrooms at the Mission Grammar School. Volunteers can read once a month throughout the school year, or share a classroom with a co-worker. Contact Rebecca Luz at rluz@bwh.harvard.edu for more information and to sign up.

Calling All Boston Marathon Qualified Runners
The Stepping Strong Boston Marathon team is full, but BWH is still seeking applications from Boston Marathon qualified runners who have bibs and want to run with purpose. Learn more.

Computer Ergonomics Class, Nov. 3
Interested in learning how to make yourself or your co-workers more comfortable while using the computer? Do you find working off of a laptop to be challenging? Attend an ergonomics class to learn how you can improve the ergonomics of your computer workstation. Friday, Nov. 3, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., in the Medical Records Conference Room (CONFL-L1) at 45 Francis St. For directions on how to register via Healthstream, click here.

A screenshot of the Ask myHR portal’s homepage

Open enrollment, the only time of year employees can make changes to their benefits selections (aside from a change of status event), will run from Monday, Oct. 30, to Tuesday, Nov. 21.

Open enrollment packets were mailed to employees’ homes the week of Oct. 23. This year, there are changes to the health plan options. Given the nature of the changes, all employees will be asked to review their benefits and make new selections.

Enrolling in benefits is easier than ever this year using Ask myHR, a new, user-friendly Human Resources (HR) portal to help employees find the information they need. You can also use Ask myHR to view your paycheck, look for internal job opportunities and ask HR-related questions. Access the portal at www.askmyhrportal.com.

Also new this year, employees can opt to receive non-emergent reminder messages from HR about open enrollment deadlines by phone, text or email via the Partners Employee Alert System (EAS). If you opt in, you may also receive other pertinent reminders throughout the year. To subscribe to HR announcements, log into your EAS profile and click “edit” in the “My Information” section. From the checklist on your screen, select Human Resources.

For more information, including a schedule of information sessions and QuickStop locations, click here.

In their search for a special way to celebrate Brigham nurses for their extraordinary care and compassion, Neuroscience Intermediate Care Unit nurses Christine Tower, BSN, RN, and Rachel Ann Hurd, BSN, RN, came across the DAISY Award program.

Now implemented at more than 2,700 health care facilities in more than a dozen countries, the program was established in 1999 by the Barnes family to thank nurses at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance who provided compassionate care for their son, Patrick, before he passed away due to complications from an autoimmune disease.

Run locally by a nurse-led committee at participating institutions, the award program accepts nominations from patients, families and staff. DAISY Award winners are honored in their unit during a surprise celebration with their colleagues. Traditionally, winners and their colleagues enjoy cinnamon buns during the award presentation as a tribute to Patrick’s favorite treat, which he had shared with his nurses.

The program seemed like a wonderful fit for the Brigham, said Tower and Hurd, who soon became BWH’s DAISY Award coordinators and launched a pilot on Tower 10CD. On Oct. 23, the DAISY Award committee surprised the first recipient at the Brigham, Lorelei Dwyer, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, with a special celebration.

During the award presentation, Maddy Pearson, MSN, MA, RN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services, read to attendees a patient letter that served as Dwyer’s nomination.

“The one hundred little things you did made such a difference,” the patient wrote. “I truly believe my outcome would not have been as good without you there for me, physically and mentally.”

Dwyer, a weekend night-shift nurse, was moved by the tribute and invited her colleagues to share the recognition.

“I’m honored, but the award really speaks to what nurses do at the bedside every day,” Dwyer said. “It’s nice to be reminded of how we can touch people’s lives and make a difference.”

Reflecting on why Dwyer was deserving of the recognition, Tower said: “Lorelei truly exemplifies what it means to be a nurse: caring, empathetic and goes above and beyond for those she cares for. Her heart and soul pours out while providing the most exceptional care to her patients.”

Added Mary Pennington, MS, RN, Dwyer’s nurse director: “She is an expert neuroscience nurse and provides care with deep compassion for each of her patients understanding their needs as unique individuals. Her exceptional care is well known among her colleagues and sets a standard of excellence for us all.”

Tower 10CD staff celebrate their colleague, Lorelei Dwyer (center, in pink), as the inaugural DAISY Award recipient.

Need to view your paycheck? Not sure how to enroll in benefits? Looking for internal job opportunities? Look no further than Ask myHR, a multichannel platform designed to improve and modernize the Human Resources (HR) experience.

The self-service portal acts as a “front door” to HR that will help employees find all the information they need in one spot by providing support and guidance. Ask myHR ensures employees can find the resources and tools they need, whenever they need them.

Here are five things to know about Ask myHR:

• Its Google-like model enables Ask myHR to provide intuitive access to the information you need, when you need it.
• A user-friendly search bar located in the center of the homepage and convenient “quick links” help navigate employees directly to what they are looking for.
• Ask myHR works alongside PeopleSoft to help staff find the information they need quickly and easily. For example, if you need to change your address and search “Change my Address” in Ask myHR, the portal will direct you to the exact location in PeopleSoft where you enter this information. That means you no longer need to click in PeopleSoft multiple times to reach that page.
• An example of the portal’s personalized approach is the “request” section, which allows employees to submit a question directly to Human Resources. Requests submitted through the portal are managed by the Partners HR Support Center. The team members working in the HR Support Center will respond to questions and, when necessary, direct the request to another team within Human Resources to help resolve.
• You can access Ask myHR from home and mobile devices.

The Ask myHR portal and expanded HR Support Center are part of Partners’ HR 2.0 efforts, an initiative within Partners 2.0 to better support employees at Partners organizations for their Human Resources needs.

The Ask myHR portal can be accessed at askmyHRportal.com. Contact the HR Support Center at 1-833-Ask-MyHR (275-6947).

Anti-Bullying Panel Discussion, Oct. 25 and 31
Join Sabrina Williams, MBA, chief diversity and inclusion officer, for a discussion about workplace bullying. Learn about effective ways to deal with bullying, watch role-playing of various scenarios, and find out what resources are available to support employees. Wednesday, Oct. 25, 12-1 p.m., in the Zinner Breakout Room and Tuesday, Oct. 31, 7-8 a.m. in Carrie Hall. Light refreshments will be provided.

Coming Soon: Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is the only time of year, aside from a change of status event, when employees can make changes to their benefits selection. Open enrollment packets will be mailed to employees’ homes the week of Oct. 23. Learn more.

Stop by the IS Technology Depot
The Partners IS team is implementing several security initiatives to protect our network. Visit an onsite Technology Depot to speak with IS staff and find out how to ensure your devices meet the latest security requirements. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., near the Shapiro bridge. Learn more.

Ask myHR Brings New Employee Experience
Ask myHR, a multichannel platform designed to improve and modernize the Human Resources experience, acts as a “front door” to HR that will help employees find all the information they need in one spot by providing support, guidance and advice. Visit askmyHRportal.com to learn more.

Sam Chambers

Staff from across the Brigham celebrated the hospital’s third annual National Coming Out Day and LGBT Leadership Awards ceremony on Oct. 10 in Carrie Hall.

Brigham Health President Betsy Nabel, MD, reaffirmed the institution’s longstanding commitment to ensuring BWH is a welcoming place for all patients, families, staff and visitors. Although the external climate remains uncertain and challenging, our values have remained the same, Nabel said. “We are a diverse and inclusive community,” she said.

Keynote speaker Sam Chambers, the LGBT liaison for Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, highlighted several programs and partnerships aimed at making Boston a more supportive, safer community for all. Chambers also discussed the role health care institutions can play in achieving this.

“It is my hope that, in all hospitals across Boston and the Commonwealth, every patient receives the same bedside manner and quality of care, regardless of their gender expression, gender identity or sexual orientation,” he said.

The event, sponsored by the Brigham Health LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group, also honored this year’s winners of the LGBT Leadership Awards:

• Maureen Fagan, DNP, MHA, WCNP-BC, FNP-BC, associate chief nurse in the Connors Center for Women and Newborns and executive director of the Center for Patients and Families, BWH
• Ed Liston-Kraft, PhD, vice president of Professional and Clinical Services, BWFH

To learn more about the Brigham Health LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group, contact Pothik Chatterjee at  bwhclgbt@brigham.harvard.edu.

Healthcare Quality and Safety Conference, Oct. 16 and 17
This annual two-day educational experience, hosted by Brigham Health and Harvard Medical School, is for clinicians and administrators who plan, manage and support quality and safety initiatives. Customize your learning experience by choosing from 29 practical breakout sessions that explore proven best practices for improving quality and safety. Visit BWHSafetyMatters.org for more information. Monday, Oct. 16, and Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.

OHS Flu Vaccine Clinic Schedule
All BWH personnel are required to receive an annual flu shot by Friday, Dec. 1. Individuals who have a medical contraindication to the flu vaccine or those with sincerely held religious beliefs may quality for an exemption. A list of upcoming flu vaccine clinics and more resources are available at BWHPikeNotes.org. Appointments may also be scheduled with OHS by calling 617-732-6034.

Nominate a Colleague for the Brigham Way
Every day, BWHers go above and beyond to make the hospital a better place for all who come through our doors. There are hundreds of ways, both big and small, that employees care for our patients, visitors and each other. Tell us about how you or one of your colleagues goes the extra mile and your nomination could be featured on BWHPikeNotes.org and TV screens across the distributed campus. Email your nominations to TheBrighamWay@partners.org. Learn more about the Brigham Way at BWHPikeNotes.org.

Nursing Town Hall meetings
Join Maddy Pearson, MSN, MA, RN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer and vice president of Patient Care Services, for a series of open forums to hear updates and ask questions. Wednesday, Oct. 18, 5-6 p.m. and 9-10 p.m. in the Zinner Breakout Room; Friday, Oct. 20, noon-1 p.m. in the Duncan Reid Conference Room; and Monday, Oct. 30, noon-1 p.m. in Bornstein Amphitheater (for ambulatory nursing).

Beginning Monday, Oct. 16, at 6 a.m., crews will begin a year-long construction project to relocate the BWH helipad from the roof of the Connors Center for Women and Newborns to the roof of the Tower. This move will accommodate the future Boston Children’s Hospital tower project and facilitate future BWH mid-campus development.

The project will require the temporary shutdown of two service elevators at a time over the next several months during construction.

Because priority in the elevators will be given to patient transport during this time, staff are encouraged to seek alternate routes and use the stairs when going fewer than four floors, if possible.

Here’s what you need to know about the project and how the construction period will affect Tower elevator usage.

• Once the project is complete next year, all four service elevators will again be accessible to staff.
• On Oct. 16, at 6 a.m., two of the four service elevators will be closed for the duration of the construction.
• If you need to use an elevator to get to L1, L2 or the upper Pike, use elevators M or K.
• Staff who need to deliver small loads to the Tower should use the Tower visitor elevator that will be dedicated for service use.
• Signage will be posted near the Tower elevator bays on the Pike as well as those on each floor in the Tower.

For more information about the project, visit BWHPikeNotes.org.

The BRIght Futures Prize supports BWH investigators as they work to answer provocative questions or solve vexing problems in medicine. Now in its sixth year, the competition allows voters from the Brigham and beyond to determine the winner of the competition’s $100,000 prize.

In this edition of BWH Bulletin, meet this year’s three finalists and learn more about how they hope to translate scientific discoveries into clinical therapies for patients here and around the world. The BRIght Futures Prize will be presented at Discover Brigham on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Learn more about Dr. Lee’s project below and cast your vote at brightfuturesprize.org.

Yuhan Lee, PhD, Materials Scientist, Division of Engineering in Medicine

What problem are you trying to solve?

YL: The Type 2 diabetes epidemic is growing at an alarming rate: Every six seconds, someone dies from diabetes and its complications. There are many drugs available for treatment of diabetes, but diabetes management remains challenging. Poorly controlled diabetes leads to many health problems, including blindness, limb amputation and renal failure. Recently, surgeons have found that surgically rerouting the gastrointestinal tract can completely reverse diabetes. However, many patients with diabetes do not qualify for the surgeries or choose not to have them due to risks. There is an urgent need to deliver the benefits of bariatric surgery for patients with Type 2 diabetes but in a safer, noninvasive way.

What is your solution?

YL: Our idea is to package all the benefits of the surgery into a small pill. Before a meal, a patient could swallow a pill containing a substance that would coat the stomach and intestine, forming a temporary physical barrier. This blocks nutrient contact in the bowel during the meal and lowers blood glucose. The effect is similar to the results from surgery, but after a few hours the coating clears out from the gut. This solution is appealing because it’s safe and reversible, and stays only in the applied region rather than circulating throughout the body.

For more than six years, we have been developing a compound we call “LuCI,” short for Luminal Coating of Intestine. LuCI is a dried powder that can be ingested in the form of a pill or in a capsule. After patients take LuCI, it forms a viscus, sticky liquid that coats in the gut. In animal studies, this coating significantly reduced blood sugar levels for several hours after a meal with just one dose. Also, LuCI is based on an FDA-approved compound, which makes it much more likely that it will be safe to take.

How will your research project benefit people?

YL: Diabetes is recognized as a global epidemic affecting 450 million people worldwide, with this number estimated to increase to 640 million by 2040. While many medications are available, fewer than half of patients who take them achieve appropriate blood sugar control. More challenging, three out of four patients who have diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries where access to some of the newer, more expensive mediations is limited. LuCI provides an alternative, more affordable therapeutic option that can be taken orally, and without systemic absorption, while providing the benefits of a major surgery.

Collaborators and Affiliations

Jeffrey Karp, PhD, biomedical engineer and principal investigator, Division of Engineering in Medicine

Ali Tavakkoli, MD, gastrointestinal surgeon and principal investigator, Department of Surgery

The BRIght Futures Prize supports BWH investigators as they work to answer provocative questions or solve vexing problems in medicine. Now in its sixth year, the competition allows voters from the Brigham and beyond to determine the winner of the competition’s $100,000 prize.

In this edition of BWH Bulletin, meet this year’s three finalists and learn more about how they hope to translate scientific discoveries into clinical therapies for patients here and around the world. The BRIght Futures Prize will be presented at Discover Brigham on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Learn more about Dr. Cho’s project below and cast your vote at brightfuturesprize.org.

Choi-Fong Cho, PhD, Neuroscientist, Department of Neurosurgery

What problem are you trying to solve?

CFC: Advanced brain cancers including glioblastoma, are often incurable and have a high mortality rate. Patients typically undergo surgery, followed by chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both. But even with this aggressive treatment strategy, the survival rate of patients has only improved slightly, from 11 months (with no treatment) to 14.6 months from the time of diagnosis. It is impossible to completely remove aggressive brain cancer cells by surgery because these cells invade the surrounding normal brain tissue and cannot be easily identified. Cancer drugs administered via the bloodstream are often unable to reach these cells, as the cells are protected by a highly evolved barrier called the blood-brain barrier, which isolates brain tissues from foreign molecules introduced through the blood stream. Our mission is to address these dire clinical challenges by developing new targeted therapies that can effectively cross the blood-brain barrier and selectively seek out and destroy brain tumor cells.

What is your solution?

CFC: We have developed a unique molecule that can cross the blood-brain barrier, as well as identify and home in on brain cancer cells. This allows us to target only the tumor cells without harming healthy tissue. This tumor-homing “smart missile” is called BTP-7.

Our target is a protein signature that is present only on the surface of brain cancer cells; this is not found in healthy tissue. BTP-7 binds to this protein and then becomes internalized by the brain cancer cells. Our plan is to chemically fuse a chemotherapeutic drug or imaging agent onto BTP-7 –  like attaching a warhead onto a missile. We will generate many different BTP-7 missiles containing various types of anti-cancer drugs or imaging agents to enable us to selectively visualize and destroy the tumor.

How will your research project benefit people?

CFC: Conventional chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the body and can also damage normal healthy cells, causing severe side effects in patients. Improving our ability to direct these drugs specifically to the tumor should enable us to increase treatment effectiveness while reducing the unwanted side effects of chemotherapy. Findings from our research could help us develop the next generation of therapeutics to extend the lives of patients with advanced brain cancer, as well as improve the quality of life of the patients and their families. Ultimately, we aim to advance precision medicine in neuro-oncology and abolish brain cancer in the future.

Collaborators and Affiliations

E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, chair of Neurosurgery

Bradley Pentelute, PhD, associate professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Marcelo DiCarli, MD, chief of Nuclear Medicine

Sean Lawler, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Neurosurgery

The BRIght Futures Prize supports BWH investigators as they work to answer provocative questions or solve vexing problems in medicine. Now in its sixth year, the competition allows voters from the Brigham and beyond to determine the winner of the competition’s $100,000 prize.

In this edition of BWH Bulletin, meet this year’s three finalists and learn more about how they hope to translate scientific discoveries into clinical therapies for patients here and around the world. The BRIght Futures Prize will be presented at Discover Brigham on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Learn more about Dr. Bubrick’s project below and cast your vote at brightfuturesprize.org.

Ellen Bubrick, MD, Neurologist, Division of Epilepsy

EB: Epilepsy, a disorder of recurrent seizures, is one of the most common neurologic disorders, affecting approximately 3 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide. Some patients with epilepsy become seizurefree with medication, but more than one-third of patients have persistent seizures, despite taking medication. Ongoing seizures can be very debilitating and even deadly, with more people dying each year of seizure-related injuries than from breast cancer. This patient population also has higher rates of depression and anxiety, overall lower quality of life, accidental death and an elevated suicide rate. Patients are also at risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), a fatal complication that can take the lives of both adults and children with epilepsy.

Despite this, epilepsy research remains largely underfunded, and few new treatments are in the pipeline. We know, however, that becoming seizure-free earlier in the course of the disease may lessen the cognitive, behavioral and psychosocial problems experienced by epilepsy patients.

Many of these patients have few to no options to stop their seizures; medications are not effective, and only a small percentage of patients are eligible for epilepsy surgery. Several invasive devices have been shown to be somewhat beneficial, though these are limited to very specific patient populations and responses vary.

What is your solution?

EB: We want to bring low-intensity, focused ultrasound to patients who are suffering from epileptic seizures. High-intensity focused ultrasound has been hugely successful in treating other diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and brain tumors. The modified version with low intensity is a safe, noninvasive technique that works by neuromodulation, or mechanical disruption of brain networks, to treat the brain cells causing the seizures. This new form of ultrasound technology has not yet been offered to patients with epilepsy. We want to conduct a clinical trial to test this option as a treatment for patients who do not respond to medications.

How will your research project benefit people?

EB: This is likely to be a huge breakthrough in the treatment of epilepsy, especially for those patients who do not achieve seizure control with medications. This is a first-of-its-kind technology that may be able to provide patients with this devastating disorder some relief from seizures. It is also likely to be helpful in many other neurologic disorders, offering relief from the suffering that millions of patients experience.

Collaborators and Affiliations:

Nathan McDannold, PhD, research director, Therapeutic Ultrasound Lab and Focused Ultrasound Surgery

Spencer Brinker, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Radiology

On Sept. 27, BWHers gathered in Stoneman Centennial Park and Miller Atrium to honor and celebrate colleagues who will be leaving the Brigham as part of the Voluntary Retirement Opportunity or workflow redesign.

Click here to view more photos

Get Your Flu Shot: Oct. 2-6, Neville House
Occupational Health Services offers seasonal flu vaccinations to all personnel at no cost. The next employee flu shot clinic will be held Monday, Oct. 2-Friday, Oct. 6, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., in the first-floor lobby of the Neville House, 10 Vining St. All BWH personnel are required to receive a flu shot by Friday, Dec. 1. Learn more.

National Coming Out Day at BWH, Oct. 10
Celebrate the third annual National Coming Out Day and LGBT Leadership Awards ceremony at BWH. This year’s keynote speaker is Sam Chambers, LGBT liaison to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. The 2017 LGBT Leadership Awards will also be presented to this year’s winners in honor of their contributions to LGBT health, diversity and inclusion. Light appetizers and refreshments will be served. Tuesday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., in Carrie Hall.

Brookline Ave. Water and Sewer Project
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission begins a year-long project on Friday, Sept. 29 to upgrade water, sewer and drainage systems serving Longwood. The work, expected to be completed in November 2018, will require the temporary closure of sections of Brookline Avenue. Work will be conducted outside of rush hour, but delays are still expected. Please plan to monitor traffic conditions in the area and allow extra time for travel to and from the main campus. Learn more.

Emergency Preparedness On-Call Pager
All employees can page #34747 to notify BWH Emergency Preparedness of any incident related to the hospital that would require emergency coordination, communication and/or resource management. These scenarios may include life-threatening situations, facility incidents or any other emergency that affects the hospital. To reach the BWH Page Operator, call
617-732-6660.

BWH and the departments of Support Services and Central Transport Services mourn the loss of Director Jeanne Barton, who passed away suddenly on Sept. 19. 

Widely regarded as a committed mentor and admired leader, Ms. Barton worked at the Brigham for more than 16 years. She served as director of Support Services for the last 10 years. Last fall, Ms. Barton also took on the role of overseeing Central Transport Services at BWH.

Born in Boston and raised in Milton, Ms. Barton, of Chelmsford, graduated from Milton High School in 1971 and Quincy College in 1973. She had planned to retire this fall.

As director of Support Services, Ms. Barton worked closely with many colleagues from several departments.

Katie Fillipon, MS, RN, OCN, FNP, interim associate chief nurse for Oncology and Medicine, worked closely with Ms. Barton for the last 10 years. Describing her as a true friend and mentor, Fillipon said Ms. Barton always looked out for her co-workers and advocated for patients and families.

“She would do anything for anyone,” Fillipon said. “She always checked in with her colleagues to see what needed to be done to better care for patients. Whether it was finding the right person to change a lightbulb in a hallway or contacting someone to clean a patient room, she constantly supported her colleagues and did whatever she could to ensure we could consistently provide safe patient care.”

Fillipon met Ms. Barton when she first started out at the Brigham as a staff nurse in 2002. As Fillipon became a nurse educator and later a nurse director for Tower 7ABD, she learned from Ms. Barton about the value of hard work and the importance of personal connections.

Julia Sinclair, MBA, senior vice president of Clinical Services, described her colleague as a leader who was incredibly devoted to her job.

“Jeanne set a great example of what it means to be dedicated to one’s job and organization, to her fellow employees and to patients,” Sinclair said. “She was a present, caring and visible leader, and consistently reminded her staff of their important mission to support the patient experience.”

Molly Boyce, senior director of Clinical Services, admired Ms. Barton for always knowing how to seize the day.

“Jeanne made the most of each moment,” Boyce said. “She had built many great relationships in the hospital and was a friend to so many. Her relationships allowed her to quickly get tasks accomplished. Jeanne spent most of her time walking the floors, talking with staff to determine what needed to be done and making sure those needs were met.”

Chevelle Wright, Operations manager in Support Services, also praised Ms. Barton’s leadership skills and dedication to her colleagues.

“I could always count on her for advice on how to best handle or approach a situation,” Wright said. “She kept the lines of communication open and always had my back. I miss her dearly.”

Outside of work, Ms. Barton enjoyed traveling, country and western music, and cheering on her beloved New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.

Ms. Barton is survived by her husband, Michael Manor; sister, Maureen Savage; and nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ms. Barton’s memory may be made to the Charles Hamilton Savage Scholarship Fund, Town of Milton, PO Box 350, Milton, Mass., 02186.

From left: Ron Walls, Betsy Nabel and Michael VanRooyen admire a portrait of Walls by artist Warren Prosperi.

During a ceremony filled equally with warm tributes, moving dedications and lighthearted roasting, colleagues and loved ones celebrated Ron M. Walls, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Brigham Health, before unveiling his portrait in Bornstein Amphitheater on Sept. 25. The portrait honors his contributions as founding chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine.

As a physician, leader and mentor, Walls has left a lasting impression on all those who have had the privilege of working with him, said Michael VanRooyen, MD, MPH, chair of Emergency Medicine. 

“Ron, as your colleagues, friends and mentees from around the Brigham, the state, the nation and the world, we really admire everything you’ve done,” VanRooyen said. “You’ve done more for the field of emergency medicine than maybe anyone else has. Certainly, at the Brigham, you’ve made it what it is today.”

Walls joined BWH as the inaugural chair of Emergency Medicine in 1993, eventually growing the faculty of emergency medicine specialists from four physicians to more than 60. He played critical leadership roles in the formation of BWH’s first Emergency Medicine residency program and the academic Department of Emergency Medicine at HMS.

In 2006, he became the first emergency physician promoted to the rank of professor at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and was named the Neskey Family Professor of Emergency Medicine in 2014. Walls was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2015.

Brigham Health President Betsy Nabel, MD, thanked Walls for his commitment and vision as a member of the executive leadership team.

“Shortly after I arrived, Ron came into my office, rolled up his shirtsleeves and said, ‘I want to help make the Brigham a better place.’ I quickly saw that Ron was a man of his word,” Nabel said. “He had great ideas, but he wasn’t just an academic – he could operate, implement and get things done. I knew right away this was a partnership that would serve the Brigham very well.”

Later in the ceremony, Walls’ three children, Andrew, Blake and Alexa, shared fun memories, old family photos and personal reflections about their father.

“He’s still the first person we call to share good news and the first person that we consult when times aren’t so good,” said Alexa. “Teacher, coach, mentor and leader of so many of these adventures – he means so many things to us and to our entire family. Every single bit of that was above and beyond all the professional accomplishments we’re here to honor today.”

Addressing Walls directly, Blake told his father he has been a tremendous role model for so many people.

“Dad, you have spent your whole life telling the three of us how proud you are of us, but I wanted to say we’re equally proud of you,” he said. “It’s not just the three of us up here who feel this way. It’s everyone in this room who has seen you climb, achieve and make it to the next level. We love you, and we’re so proud of you.”

Andrew Walls, MD, who recently joined the Brigham’s Department of Dermatology faculty, shared his deep admiration for his father’s humility, perspective and commitment to always putting family first.

“He’s always there for us. He has never said, ‘Sorry, I can’t. I have a work thing to do.’ As a doting grandfather, this continues to be true. Work can always wait. Tea parties can’t,” Andrew said. “I would bet that he was the only Harvard Medical School professor or COO in all of Boston at Chuck E. Cheese last weekend because that’s where the grandkids wanted to go.”

Turning to his father, Andrew added: “We love you, and we’re so proud of you. You are the father that I strive to be every day.”

Before the portrait’s unveiling, Walls thanked his family, colleagues, mentors and friends for their support and guidance over the years.

“Being in the same room with these great founders, pioneers of medicine, was something to which I never dared to aspire, and so I cherish it all the more,” Walls said, gesturing to the portraits of former hospital leaders that adorn Bornstein. “I wouldn’t be here today if not for the people who helped me along the way.”

Flu Shot Clinics Start Sept. 23
All BWH personnel are required to receive an annual flu shot by Friday, Dec. 1. Occupational Health Services (OHS) offers seasonal flu vaccinations to all personnel at no cost. Click here to view a schedule of OHS flu vaccine clinics. The first clinic will be held Saturday, Sept. 23-Friday, Sept. 29, 6:30 a.m.-4 p.m., in the Shaprio Center, Miller Atrium, second floor.

HUBWeek at BWH, Oct. 11
During HubWeek, “Inside the Brigham: Innovation in Action,” discover innovation happening within Brigham Health through an interactive scavenger hunt. You will have the opportunity to learn about breakthrough research and cutting-edge technologies by finding Brigham Health clinicians, researchers and staff, using the Brigham’s new indoor navigation tool. End your scavenger hunt by hearing pitches from this year’s BRIght Futures finalists and networking with the Brigham community and the greater Boston innovation ecosystem. Click here to register and learn more. The event is Wednesday, Oct. 11, 3-6 p.m., at BWH.

Peter Mauch, MD

BWH and the Department of Radiation Oncology mourn the loss of Peter Mauch, MD, associate chair of Radiation Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) and first incumbent Distinguished Chair in Radiation Oncology at BWH, who passed away on Sept. 8 following an extended illness. He was 70.

Renowned as much for his groundbreaking contributions to medicine as his gentleness and warmth as a colleague, friend and physician, Dr. Mauch was beloved and admired by colleagues and patients – sometimes even before they had met him.

Daphne Haas-Kogan, MD, chair of Radiation Oncology, recalled taking her oral board exam in radiation oncology as a resident nearly two decades ago and quoting “Mauch et al.” in the section on lymphoma, an area in which Dr. Mauch was regarded worldwide as an expert.

“I credit my passing the boards to that reference, and so it has been since then: Dr. Mauch has been a guardian angel for his patients, residents, colleagues, department and institution, and even residents he had never met taking their oral boards,” said Haas-Kogan. “With moral fortitude, kindness, integrity and bravery, he brought the best out in others – inspiring and challenging us to be better physicians, colleagues and human beings.”

Andrea Ng, MD, of Radiation Oncology, shared a similar experience from her days as a medical student, assigned to research Hodgkin lymphoma.

“It seemed that every single paper was written by this man Peter Mauch,” she said. “Little did I know he would become a pivotal person in my life, helping shape my career path and serving as a source of support each step of the way.”

Although a giant in his field, Dr. Mauch remained humble and approachable. The personal connections he forged were authentic and deep, recalled Lynn Lopes, RN, OCN, a clinical nurse in Radiation Oncology.

“Peter was kind and compassionate,” Lopes said. “We had a collaborative approach in caring for our wonderful patients. He was loved and respected by his patients and colleagues.”

Lissette Biggs, scheduling coordinator in Radiation Oncology, also cherished her close connection with Dr. Mauch, whom she worked with for almost 20 years. Dr. Mauch would often take time to sit with her to eat lunch, talk or ask for advice, she said.

“He was a great friend – somebody I grew to know and care about like family,” Biggs said.

Patients’ faces lit up when they saw him, and they continued to return for yearly follow-up long after their treatment ended, sometimes for decades.

“He was an exceptional person and physician, and I will miss him very much,” noted Ann LaCasce, MD, of Medical Oncology. Added Arnold Freedman, MD, also of Medical Oncology: “He was a great colleague to us all. We lost a very special person.”

Dr. Mauch’s career spanned more than 40 years at DF/BWCC and included innumerable clinical, research and teaching contributions during that time.

Among those achievements was a database he created that catalogued all Hodgkin lymphoma patients treated in the Longwood Medical Area since the late 1960s. As time went on, it grew into one of largest and most well-maintained Hodgkin lymphoma databases in the country. An invaluable resource for clinicians and researchers, its data has led to countless discoveries, shaped treatment approaches, brought to light serious late complications of cancer treatment and provided insight for prospective clinical trial participants.

In addition to his busy clinical practice – seeing hundreds of new lymphoma patients each year from around the world – Dr. Mauch maintained a full-time research laboratory and trained scores of students, residents, early-career faculty members and scientists. In honor of his substantial mentorship contributions, the department established the Peter Mauch Radiation Oncology Fellowship for Junior Faculty. The award is part of the Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowship Program for Scholars in Medicine.

Dr. Mauch is survived by his wife, Barbara Rodríguez, daughter, Natalia, and son, Julián; brothers Jonathan and David; and nieces and nephews.

I am proud to say I’ve worked at Brigham and Women’s for more than 25 years.

In addition to having many “firsts” to its credit, Brigham and Women’s has an incredibly dedicated medical staff. The way the medical teams at BWH responded on the day of the Boston Marathon bombings, with very little time to prepare, was beyond amazing. In addition, the hospital’s humanitarian efforts in the U.S. and around the globe are exemplary.

I will also remember with fondness the Service Awards and Partners in Excellence ceremonies, the “On My Own Time” events, Street Beat summer festivals and ice cream socials. These events brought all hospital employees together and made them feel appreciated. More than anything, I will miss my co-workers and all the wonderful people I have met over the years – my “Brigham family.”

Louise Whitehouse, Administrative Assistant and Residency Coordinator, Division of Oral Medicine and Dentistry

My favorite memory is from the first year the Brigham held a Christmas decorating contest. It was around 2005. One of my co-workers, Erica, asked if I would help her decorate MRI Associates on the Pike. We had a blast! We dragged everyone into participating.

We even saved empty bottles of gadolinium – MRI contrast – that we cleaned, painted, decorated and hung on our office tree as ornaments. The paint wouldn’t dry quickly, so Erica and I both ended up bringing the bottles home to dry them in the oven. What an endeavor! Our husbands thought we were crazy, but they helped us anyway, and MRI on the Pike never looked better for the holiday season. We were all very proud of our efforts, even if we didn’t win the contest. I saved two of the bottles, and I hang them every year on our family Christmas tree.

Therese Winger, RT (R)(MR), Radiologic Technologist, Brigham and Women’s MRI West Bridgewater

As I reflect on my almost 18 years working here, I think about all the wonderful memories I’ve shared with my colleagues: dancing to fun tunes during the Security and Parking annual Awards Night dinner, dressing up as a polar bear to collect donations for Toys for Tots, and celebrating with colleagues at ice cream socials. These are the kinds of memories that will last a lifetime.

Most importantly, I’ve loved working every day to protect BWH from the outside in. From serving on BWH’s Infant Security Team to chasing down alleged fugitives on hospital property, my number one priority has always been to keep the Brigham safe. I was extremely humbled and honored to be recognized for this commitment early on in my career here, when I was named BWH Employee of the Month my first month on the job. I also feel so fortunate that I’ve had outstanding mentors at the Brigham.

In just a few days, I will begin a new chapter in my life. I look forward to spending more time with family, especially my children and grandchildren. Thank you for everything, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. I have made lifelong friends whom I’ll cherish forever. When I walk out of the Brigham after my final shift, I’ll be telling myself that it’s not “goodbye.” It’s “see you later.” A big piece of my heart will always remain on Francis Street.

Earl Strong, Exterior Operations Supervisor, Security and Parking

I remember being hired here in 1981. I was so happy to be back in the city after being in the suburbs for a couple of years. I immediately felt like I was where I was supposed to be. I knew that this would be the place for me to stay after having moved around to a few different jobs – the welcoming staff and the happiness that radiated through the hospital, even though we didn’t have a cafeteria yet. I still think joining BWH was the best decision of my nursing career.

I have been at the hospital long enough to have completed two degrees, published a peer-reviewed article, completed my ANCC certification in pain management nursing and become a geriatric resource nurse. I was supported by the hospital and my peers the whole way. 

The memories I will carry with me are those of the most extraordinary people that I have worked with along the way – dedicated to patients and each other. It has truly been a privilege to be a part of the team.

Hallie Greenberg, MS-PREP, BSN, RNC, Clinical Nurse Educator, Connors 7, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

My favorite memory is Family Day, an annual event for staff and their families held around the late 1970s. I remember school buses pulling up in front of the hospital to pick up families and take them to Curry College for our annual picnic. Everybody had a great time – DJs playing music, games for the children and plenty of food. Those were the good old days. Later on, Street Beat came on the scene.

Bernetta Smith, Call Operator, Food Services

Employee Farewell Celebration, Sept. 27
To celebrate and say farewell to colleagues who are leaving as part of the Voluntary Retirement Offering (VRO) or workflow redesign, two events will be held Wednesday, Sept. 27, for all staff. Visit Stoneman Centennial Park from noon-2:30 p.m., or the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, Miller Atrium, second floor, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. These events will feature refreshments, photo booths, music and lawn games (at the noon event). Learn more at BWHPikeNotes.org.

HealthStream Mandatory Courses, Sept. 30
BWH requires all employees to comply with mandatory education requirements as related to job role. The 2017 Annual Mandatory Education courses are due Saturday, Sept. 30. Content can be accessed at Partners Applications > Utilities > HealthStream. Refer to the troubleshooting guide or contact the IS Service Desk at 617-732-5927 for more information. For course assignment questions and issues, email BWHHealthStream@partners.org. Allow 48 hours for response and resolution.

BWH Stepping Strong Marathon Team
Join the 2018 BWH Stepping Strong Marathon Team. Funds raised benefit The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at BWH. Established by the Reny family to honor the BWH caregivers who saved the life and limbs of their daughter, Gillian, following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the center is dedicated to transforming trauma research and care so patients like Gillian can step strong again. Learn more and apply at bwhmarathonteam.org.

Host a High School Intern
The Center for Community Health and Health Equity (CCHHE) is looking for dedicated mentors for its Student Success Jobs Program. Students work in a department for seven to 10 hours a week after school while gaining knowledge from passionate BWH staff. Students begin work mid-October and are paid through CCHHE. To learn more, email rluz@bwh.harvard.edu or call 617-264-8739.

BWH and the Department of Food Services mourn the loss of Manar Alsebai, executive chef, who passed away suddenly on Sept. 6. He was 53.

Widely regarded as a beloved mentor in the department, Chef Alsebai joined the Brigham more than seven years ago. He is remembered by the Brigham community for his warmth, his vibrant personality and his love for teaching others.

Susan Langill, RD, LDN, Brigham Health Food Services director, described Chef Alsebai as an “exceptional human being.”

“He was empathic, selfless and hardworking,” Langill said. “I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with him.”

Chef Manar was dedicated to enhancing the patient dining experience and ensuring that it was always equal to the level of care patients received at the Brigham.

In addition to his role as executive chef, Chef Alsebai, of Milton, enjoyed participating in monthly cooking demonstrations on the Tower 2 mezzanine along with colleagues from the Department of Nutrition, where they prepared heart-healthy meals together.

Chef Manar also loved celebrating fun occasions with his Food Services colleagues. From handing out Cracker Jacks at the Garden Cafe during a Red Sox opening-day game to serving up Hawaiian-themed foods during a staff luau, he always sought to bring joy and excitement to everyday moments, many of his colleagues said.

In 2013, Chef Manar and colleagues were honored at the Massachusetts Health Council Awards Gala with the “Chef’s Choice” award for their fish taco bowl.

Marcelo Almeida, lead cook in Food Services, had worked closely with Chef Manar for more than seven years. They participated in many food competitions together, including the one in 2013. Describing Chef Manar as one of his “best friends,” Almeida said it has been difficult coming to work and not seeing Chef Manar in the kitchen.

“He motivated me every single day,” Almeida said, adding that he will forever cherish the moments they shared together. “He was like my brother.”

Almeida and Chef Manar often chatted about their love for cooking.

Peter Lamb, director of Food Services, said that Chef Manar was a mentor to his colleagues in Food Services and that he led by example.

“If you were to walk through our kitchens right now, you would witness his legacy: a well-organized and heartfelt workplace,” Lamb said. “That’s a gift from our dearly loved executive chef.”

Outside of the kitchen, Chef Manar enjoyed spending time with his family, swimming, painting and growing vegetables in his garden.

Chef Manar is survived by his wife, Debbie, and daughters, Shareen and Ayla.

A 529 college savings plan has been established for the Alsebai family. Those who would like to contribute can visit ugift529.com. Use code J7J-99N to allocate your donation.

If you have an idea for improving health care in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), data science, cognitive computation or machine learning that has the potential to turn into a commercial project, the organizers of the Partners HealthCare Innovation Discovery Grants Program (IDG) want to hear from you.

Now in its third year, the IDG awards provide funding for proof-of-concept and validation studies for ideas that have the potential for commercialization. Ten projects will be funded in 2018 for up to $50,000 each, inclusive of 15 percent for indirect costs.

Pre-proposals are due on Sept. 25 and will be evaluated on a variety of factors, including the potential health care impact, the probability of meeting milestones during the award period, the likelihood that success would lead to further development (either through a spinoff company or industry partnership) and the potential for attracting further investment. All staff are invited to apply.

AI is a relatively new term in the field of biomedical research, and the IDG team is ready to answer applicants’ questions, said Lesley Watts, director of Administration and Finance at the Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC). The good news is that the field is fairly broad.

If you’re not sure if your idea is the right fit – or if it is far enough along to seek grant funding – it is still a good idea to reach out, she said.

Watts, who is part of the Partners Innovation team, has compiled a list of contacts that applicants can access to discuss their ideas and identify possible next steps.

“We included all the resources that investigators could turn to and say, ‘I know there is a good idea in here – I just don’t know what to do with it or how to make it into a reality,’” she said.

Watts noted the IDG Program has rated very highly with the investigators who have participated in it over the past two years. During two earlier rounds of the IDG Program, $2 million was awarded to 30 promising projects. For more information, click here.

OHS Flu Vaccine Clinic Schedule
Starting with this flu season, all BWH personnel will be required to receive an annual flu shot by Friday, Dec. 1. Occupational Health Services (OHS) offers seasonal flu vaccinations to all personnel at no cost. Click here to view a schedule of upcoming OHS flu vaccine clinics.

National Recovery Month
Every September, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors National Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who recover. The 2017 theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Strengthen Families and Communities.” Several events will be hosted across Brigham Health throughout September in honor of Recovery Month. Click here to view a full calendar of events.

Sepsis Awareness Day, Sept. 20
Visit a table on the Tower 2 mezzanine, across from the Shop on the Pike, during Sepsis Awareness Day and learn more about the signs and symptoms of sepsis and how it’s treated. There will be educational materials, games and prizes. The event is led by the Brigham Health Sepsis Task Force. Wednesday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

HUBweek at the Brigham, Oct. 11
Explore innovation within Brigham Health through an interactive scavenger hunt where you will have the opportunity to discover breakthrough research and cutting-edge technologies by locating BWH clinicians, researchers and staff using the Brigham’s new indoor navigation tool. During your adventure, you’ll have a chance to win various prizes. End your scavenger hunt by hearing pitches from this year’s BRIght Futures finalists. Wednesday, Oct. 11, 3-6 p.m. Learn more.

What’s happening in your corner of the Brigham? Share your photos of BWH celebrations, events, presentations and more with The Week in Photos. No photography expertise is required – even smartphone photos can be shared. Email your submission to BWHBulletin@partners.org.

Note: Any photos with patients must have proper consent. Be mindful of private information that could inadvertently appear in the background of your photo.

Andrew Ward

Each summer, Brigham Health welcomes a new class of Deland Fellows in Health Care and Society, who participate in a one-year administrative experience that prepares early-career professionals to be leaders of health care institutions. Fellows work closely with a member of the senior leadership team who serves as their mentor.

This is the third story in a three-part series introducing BWH Bulletin readers to this year’s Deland Fellows. This week, meet Andrew Ward, MS, MBA.

Name: Andrew Ward, MS, MBA

Hometown: Costa Mesa, Calif.

Executive mentor: David McCready, Senior Vice President for Surgical, Procedural and Imaging Services, and Facilities and Operations

Previous role: Most recently, I was a full-time student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Prior to that, I spent three and a half years working at the Amundsen Group, a boutique consulting practice focused on developing sales and marketing strategies for pharmaceutical companies.

What drew you to BWH? I knew the breadth of operations at BWH would provide me with an amazing opportunity to learn about many different areas in health care delivery, while the investment that senior leadership make in the Deland Fellowship ensured that I would have incredible mentors to help me grow and develop as a person. Also, my wife is from Belmont, so working in Boston was a plus.

What are you looking forward to working on? While I am interested in exploring as much of Brigham Health as possible, I am especially interested in working on projects that relate to clinical operations, population health management and the commercialization of Brigham research.

Your dream job: Although I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, I know that I’m only interested in health care and that I’m most excited when I feel a sense of ownership in my work. This leads me to believe that I’ll be happiest if I can one day manage my own suite of departments at a hospital or a drug portfolio at a pharmaceutical company.

Fun facts about you: As part of my move, I decided to ride my bike from Chicago to Boston. It took 13 days and totaled more than 1,200 miles.

PIE Awards: Nominate Your Colleagues

The Partners in Excellence awards program recognizes our star performers – those whose efforts have gone above and beyond over the past year. Individual and team nominations are being accepted. Team nominations should consist of 25 or fewer people. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Sept. 15. Visit pulse.partners.org/pienominations to access the nomination form and learn more.

Join the Fall Activity Step Challenge

BWH is partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield’s ahealthyme website to promote a more active workforce and competing with other Partners HealthCare institutions to see who can take the most steps. Staff who sign up for the six-week challenge will use a pedometer or Fitbit to keep track of their steps and then enter them on the website or through the HealthyNow app. The institution with the highest step average per active participant will win. Enrollment opens Monday, Sept. 11. The challenge begins Monday, Sept. 18, and continues through Monday, Oct. 30. Learn more.

Join the Boston Heart Walk, Sept. 9

Join Brigham Health for the American Heart Association’s 2017 Boston Heart Walk. To join a team or to donate, email Merilyn Holmes at meholmes@bwh.harvard.edu or call 857-307-1990. The walk is Saturday, Sept. 9, at the DCR Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade.

POP-Up STRATUS, Sept. 12

Join the STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation in celebrating the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s inaugural Healthcare Simulation Week, Sept. 11-15. On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., stop by and meet the STRATUS team at the Tower 2 mezzanine at 75 Francis St. to learn about medical simulation, explore skills training equipment and simulation gadgets, and get an up-close look at the manikins (patient simulators) used at STRATUS.

Members of the Brigham Health executive leadership team welcome representatives from Boao Evergrande International Hospital in affiliation with Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Physicians from a new hospital opening in China spent a week at BWH and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) last month to observe both institutions’ approach to providing high-quality care.

For the last two years, Brigham Health has provided strategic guidance as Evergrande Health develops a nationwide health care system in China. Evergrande’s first hospital, Boao Evergrande International Hospital in affiliation with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is scheduled to open in 2018. The new hospital, located in China’s Hainan province, will specialize in oncology, initially focusing on breast cancer. BWH and DFCI are working in collaboration to advise Evergrande on both clinical and operational aspects of providing care.

Led by the Brigham Health Business Development and Strategic Initiatives (BDSI) group, more than 50 experts in clinical specialties and hospital functions from the Brigham have been part of the Evergrande Health collaboration since 2015.

Most recently, the visiting physicians sought to learn how BWH approaches all facets of hospital operations, including environmental services, quality and safety, pharmacy, nursing and more. They received tours of the Emergency Department, Medical Intensive Care Unit and Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO) suite. The visitors also met with clinical leaders at DFCI, an essential partner in developing a multidisciplinary model of cancer care at the hospital in Boao.

“Improving and expanding health care locally and internationally is integral to our mission and supports our financial health, and this collaboration with our expert BWH and DFCI colleagues is a great example of what’s possible,” said Mark Davis, MD, MS, BDSI executive director.

David Keyes

Each summer, Brigham Health welcomes a new class of Deland Fellows in Health Care and Society, who participate in a one-year administrative experience that prepares early-career professionals to be leaders of health care institutions. Fellows work closely with a member of the senior leadership team who serves as their mentor.

This is the second story in a three-part series introducing BWH Bulletin readers to this year’s Deland Fellows. This week, meet David Keyes, MS.

Name: David Keyes

Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.

Executive mentor: Chief Financial Officer Chris Dunleavy, MBA, CPA

Previous role: Most recently, I studied Healthcare Management at Johns Hopkins University while working as the senior manager of Strategy and Analytics at the American Academy of PAs, the national professional organization for physician assistants.

What drew you to BWH? The Brigham family is all about challenging, supporting and working together to solve the issues that face health care. I was drawn to the Brigham because of this culture of collaborative innovation and the people who push that work forward – both of which make me optimistic about the future of health care.

What are you looking forward to working on? I am excited to contribute to many of the important initiatives that are enabling the Brigham to realize its vision of a healthier world. In terms of specific projects, I am looking forward to working on expanding access to care through the development of the new ambulatory clinic in Westwood. In addition, I am excited to be involved in projects that leverage data and technology to deliver care efficiently and effectively. Of course, the success of these projects depends on a strong financial foundation, so I hope to learn how to develop financially sustainable solutions to health care challenges.

Your dream job: My dream job is to build health care teams that can solve problems and achieve improved patient outcomes. During the fellowship, I am hoping to explore where those teams can have the biggest impact.

Fun facts about you: My parents always kept my four siblings and me busy with sports and music. I continue to enjoy both by playing soccer, running and going to concerts and Red Sox games.

PeopleSoft Upgrade Update, Aug. 21

On Monday, Aug. 21, there will be an upgrade to a new version of PeopleSoft that will offer a better, more user-friendly experience for employees. The upgrade will require PeopleSoft downtime from Thursday, Aug. 17, 3 p.m., through Monday, Aug. 21, 5 a.m. Learn more.

Partners Clinicians Day, Sept. 16

Partners Clinicians Day provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships with colleagues across Partners. The day will include a Partners update, presentation of the Samuel O. Thier Award for Physician Leadership and the H. Richard Nesson Awards for Collaboration, Innovation and Excellence, and teaching sessions. Saturday, Sept. 16, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Partners HealthCare at Assembly Row, 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville. Register to attend by Friday, Aug. 18. Learn more and register here.

Healthcare Quality and Safety Conference, Oct. 16-17

This annual two-day educational experience, hosted by Brigham Health and Harvard Medical School, is for clinicians and administrators who plan, manage and support quality and safety initiatives. Oct. 16-17 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The early-registration discount expires Wednesday, Sept. 20. Visit BWHSafetyMatters.org for more information.

Discover Brigham, Call for Abstracts

An interactive poster session at Discover Brigham enables researchers to showcase their innovative work. The call for abstracts is open online. The submission deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m. Visit discoverbrigham.org/call-for-abstracts to learn more and apply. This year’s Discover Brigham will be held on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Brigham Health IS has been upgrading all Partners standard-build workstations and laptops with Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus, which includes the 2016 versions of commonly used software applications, such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The refresh began in May and will continue through this fall.

While it might take some time to get used to new user interfaces, most of the core features and functions you use every day remain intact and familiar. In addition, the update introduces several handy new features. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of the latest version of your Office applications. Learn more about the Office 365 ProPlus upgrade.

“Tell Me What You Want to Do”

Tired of hunting through multiple layers of menus to find a specific function? Let Microsoft find it for you. Look for the little lightbulb icon at the top of the screen in any of the Office 2016 application and start typing your intended action where it says “Tell me what you want to do.” Tip: Use Alt+Q on your keyboard as a shortcut.

Outlook: Email Attachments Get Smarter

Few among us have managed to avoid the embarrassment that comes with hastily typing these words in an email: “Sorry, I forgot to include the attachment in my last email. Here it is!” Fortunately, Outlook 2016 has your back. If your email includes a phrase like “see attached” or “here’s the attachment,” but you neglected to attach a file, a pop-up message will alert you when you try to send the message.

PowerPoint Designer Helps Make Slides Stylish

When you insert a picture into a slide, PowerPoint will now bring up several “Design Ideas” on the right side of the screen to help make your presentation look more polished. The options vary based on which theme you have selected in the “Design” tab.

Can’t Find Your Office Apps? Pin Them to the Taskbar

After your workstation is upgraded, your Office applications will be accessible directly from the Windows Start menu. They will no longer be in the Microsoft Office folder. Want to save yourself a few clicks? Try pinning them to your taskbar (the horizontal strip at the bottom of your screen) for one-click access. You can do that by right clicking the application icon (when the program is running or on the Start menu) and selecting “Pin this program to taskbar.” Alternatively, you can drag and drop the icon from the Start menu to the taskbar.

Work in the Cloud

Brigham Health’s software license for Office 365 ProPlus includes web-based versions of the Office application suite, which can be accessed at office.com after logging in with your BWH email address. In addition, saving files to your cloud-based OneDrive directory allows you to access those files from either your desktop or the online Office portal. To save a file in the cloud, choose “OneDrive – Partners HealthCare” as the location from the “Save As” menu.

Faith Makka

Each summer, Brigham Health welcomes a new class of Deland Fellows in Health Care and Society, who participate in a one-year administrative experience that prepares early-career professionals to be leaders of health care institutions. Each fellow works closely with a member of the senior leadership team who serves as their mentor.

BWH Bulletin will introduce you to this year’s three Deland Fellows in a series of articles, beginning with Faith Makka, MSN, MPH.

Name: Faith Makka, MSN, MPH

Hometown: Abuja, Nigeria

Executive mentor: Wanda McClain, MBA

Previous role: I am a recent graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health, where I studied health management. Prior to that, I was a full-time nurse practitioner working in an inpatient, general medicine service in underserved, community hospitals in rural New Mexico and Texas.

What drew you to BWH? The Brigham is truly a center of excellence and at the cutting edge of innovation, research, science, technology and care delivery. I knew my experience as an administrative fellow at BWH would be unparalleled and immensely enriching. Additionally, being here is a full-circle experience for me, as my first encounter with the Brigham dates back to 2010, when my sister was a patient here. She received spectacular care from specialists and nurses, so BWH has always had a special place in my heart.

What are you looking forward to working on? I’m excited to work on projects related to clinical operations, quality and process improvement, community engagement and patient experience. I also want to explore finance and analytics. As I explore projects from an administrative/management perspective, it remains equally important to me to stay tethered to the front lines of care delivery.

Your dream job: I hope to be able to successfully develop and manage a fully functional health facility from the ground up in an underserved area, with the goals of improving access to quality health care and mitigating health disparities.

Fun facts about you: I love to explore new cultures, and I’d like to think of myself as a citizen of the world. I have traveled to 24 countries and counting. I also love to scuba dive. Most recently, I went scuba diving in the Red Sea in Egypt, off Cozumel in Mexico and in the Indian Ocean off the Maldives.

From left: Tour guide Sunday Kapange and BWH’s Aaron Waxman celebrate reaching the highest summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

After 10 days, 55 miles of hiking, 19,341 feet of elevation and 2,200 photos, Aaron Waxman, MD, PhD, says climbing to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa was an experience he will never forget.

Last month, Waxman, director of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program, combined his love for medicine and the outdoors by joining a group of hikers age 65 and older. Their goal? To conquer Kilimanjaro, one of the Seven Summits – the seven highest mountains of the world’s seven continents – and the world’s tallest freestanding mountain.

An avid hiker and outdoorsman, Waxman participated as the group’s expedition doctor. For 11 days, he ensured the hikers were healthy enough to continue the journey each day.

“It was the climb of a lifetime,” Waxman said. “I felt I had the responsibility of making sure we all got to the top of the mountain safely. It was heartwarming to see the expression on every hiker’s face as they approached the peak. I was proud of everyone because they never gave up.”

Waxman and the group completed the hike through World Wide Trekking (WWT), an adventure travel company focused on safety, comfort and giving back to the communities hikers visit. Although the conventional path up Kilimanjaro is a seven-day hike, the WWT excursion is accomplished over 11 days, providing a more relaxed pace and more time to adapt to altitude changes.

Hike Farther, Hike Stronger

Last year, Waxman was invited to be the group’s expedition doctor by WWT founder Dean Cardinale and former NBC “Today” show medical correspondent Art Ulene, MD, who collaborated with WWT on developing the experience for older adults. In December, Waxman contacted the trip’s participants, who ranged in age from 65 to 81, to introduce himself and offer recommendations on how to medically and physically prepare for the trip. He sent an exercise regimen that he often gives his Brigham patients and shared guidance about required vaccinations and use of medications.

Reaching out to the participants before the trip was beneficial, Waxman said, because it gave him an opportunity to learn more about each of the hikers, their abilities and medical issues. While on the trip, the hikers found it reassuring to have a physician available at all times, Waxman said.

During the climb, some hikers experienced minor medical issues, such as headaches and orthopaedic concerns, but overall the group remained healthy, Waxman said.

“We made accommodations for our hikers and did everything we could to help them get through the difficult points of the hike,” Waxman said. “It was inspiring to see each hiker accomplish his or her goals and help each other along the way.”

While in Africa, Waxman also visited the Kilimanjaro Kids Community orphanage in Tanzania with his wife, Sue Goldie, MD, MPH, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and board chair of the Human Outreach Project, a nonprofit affiliated with WWT. The charitable organization arranges opportunities for climbers to give back to communities surrounding expedition sites in remote areas of Africa, Asia and South America.

At the orphanage, Waxman performed medical exams for each child and helped staff organize the children’s medical records.

Waxman said the trip and the people he met throughout the journey inspired him every step of the way.

“A hike like this changes you a little bit for the better,” he said. “This was one of the hardest and greatest things I’ve ever done.”

Joint Commission Window Now Open
The Joint Commission can arrive unannounced anytime in the next 18 months (July 2017 to January 2019). Regulations focus on quality and patient safety, and how patients are cared for each day should be reflective of that. Learn more by visiting the Continual Readiness page on PikeNotes. For compliance questions, contact Clinical Compliance at 617-264-3005.

Back-to-School Drive
Help children in our local communities by donating new, unused school supplies and backpacks for K-8 students. All contributions to the drive, organized by Ishmael Rivera, of Pat’s Place, will go directly to families in need. Donations may be dropped off at Pat’s Place in a collection box until Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 5 p.m. View a list of requested items. Monetary donations are welcome. To learn more, visit Pat’s Place or email bridgefpto@gmail.com.

Free LGBT Health Care Webinars
Help BWH earn recognition as a leader in LGBT health care by viewing a webinar for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index Trainings on the Center for Affiliated Learning about patient-centered care for LGBT patients. Understanding and respecting the diverse perspectives, needs and concerns of our patients are vital to providing the highest-quality care. Training must be completed by Saturday, Sept. 30. When creating a new account, use Security Keyword – HRC and Facility ID – 55683. Learn more.

Voluntary Retirement Opportunity (VRO) Application Deadline: Aug. 4
Brigham Health has offered a voluntary retirement opportunity (VRO) to a group of employees in an effort to honor those who are considering retirement and right-size our workforce. Eligible staff who received an application packet in the mail and would like to accept the VRO must mail the necessary forms by Friday, Aug. 4. Learn more.

BWH, the Department of Medicine and the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy mourn the loss of Richard Johannes, MD, who passed away suddenly on July 12. He was 70.

Dr. Johannes joined the Department of Medicine in April 2002, holding a faculty appointment as an associate physician.

Richard Blumberg, MD, chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, remembered Dr. Johannes’ warm smile and cheerful outlook.

“We will forever remember Dick as an extraordinarily kind person,” Blumberg said.

In addition to his compassion and thoughtfulness, Dr. Johannes was also beloved by colleagues for his steadfast support and mentorship.

“He was known to be a wizard with statistics and was always available for clinical advice to our faculty for epidemiology of morbidity, mortality and studies relative to infection control,” Blumberg said. “He was also a devoted mentor. Dick was a tremendous human being who is irreplaceable and will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.”

Frederick Makrauer, MD, a gastroenterologist at BWH, knew Dr. Johannes well. Describing him as a gifted physician-investigator, Makrauer said his friend and colleague was highly skilled in the three fundamentals of academic medicine: research, teaching and patient care.

“His most endearing legacy, recognized by family, patients and colleagues alike, was a fourth strength: his humanity,” Makrauer said. “He demonstrated all those special traits associated with his Midwestern upbringing – kindness, humility, lack of ostentation and an intense interest in others.”

Well-known as an outstanding leader, Dr. Johannes also served as vice president for Medical Informatics at Becton Dickinson and Co. He was also actively serving as the vice president of Clinical Research with CareFusion. Prior to his tenure at CareFusion, he was vice president of Clinical Development and director of Physician Office Software at Datamedic Corporation.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Johannes held leadership roles at Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering, where he directed and taught advanced topics in artificial intelligence. He also was the director and founder of the Computer Science laboratory, as well as co-director of Research Methods.

Dr. Johannes received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins and later obtained a master’s in engineering.

Dr. Johannes is survived by his wife, Catherine “Kay” (Bishop) Johannes, and his children, Caleb, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Claire, of Cambridge; Jennifer Phillips, of Chicago; and Joshua Phillips, of Milwaukee.

From left: Kyla Nieder, Caitlin Murphy, S. Rice and Troy Askew

Brigham Security Sgt. Troy Askew and officer S. Rice knew something wasn’t right when they observed a man inspecting a rack filled with bicycles outside of the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center earlier this month.

Trusting their instincts, Askew and Rice alerted Security dispatch as well as BWH Security Investigator Kyla Nieder.

After reviewing camera footage of the man, Nieder informed her colleagues that the person in question matched the description of a suspect who had allegedly been involved with several bike thefts throughout the Longwood Medical Area in recent weeks.

Askew and Rice approached the man and accompanied him to the corner of Francis and Binney streets, where he was questioned by Nieder and Security Investigations Manager William Barrett.

According to Nieder, the man admitted to stealing bikes in the area during the interview. BWH Security informed all area hospitals, Boston Police and several local colleges about the encounter.

“It took a team to solve this case,” said Askew. “Every single one of us played an important role.”

Nieder agreed, saying the best part of her job is being able to see cases be resolved.

This situation is also a good reminder for getting the word out about bike security and safety, says Security Specialist Caitlin Murphy.

On average, close to 10 bikes are stolen on BWH property each year. When investigating those thefts, Nieder said many of the stolen bikes had been secured with cable and chain locks, which thieves can easily cut. To prevent theft from a bike rack, the Security team recommends securing a bike frame directly to the rack with a U-lock instead. They also recommend using one of the secure bike cages on campus.

“We encourage staff to bike to and from work if they can, so we want to do everything in our power to ensure their property remains secure while they’re at work,” Nieder said.

To use the 5 Francis St. or BTM cages, staff must fill out a registration form. To access the BTM form, click here. To access the 5 Francis St. garage form, click here. Staff may also stop by the Security and Parking office in the Neville House to fill out these forms. Call Security and Parking at 617-732-5877 with questions.

PeopleSoft Upgrade Coming July 24
On Monday, July 24, PeopleSoft will be upgraded to offer a more user-friendly experience. Note that Taleo, accessible through the Partners Application Menu, will still be available during the PeopleSoft downtime. The upgrade will require downtime starting Thursday, July 20, at 3 p.m. through Monday, July 24, at 5 a.m. Learn more.

What to Do if the Media Contacts You
Per BWH policy, all staff must contact Communication & Public Affairs at 617-525-6370 or page the department’s on-call staff member at 617-732-6660, pager #13160, before responding to a media inquiry. A member of the BWH Media Relations team must approve all requests for interviews, whether via phone, email or in person, and must escort any media personnel (broadcast and print) and photographers while on site. Learn more.

Coffee with Wanda McClain, Aug. 3
The BWH Young Professionals group welcomes Wanda McClain, MPA, vice president of Community Health and Health Equity, to its next coffee with hospital leadership. McClain will talk about her career path and role at BWH, as well as her advice for young professionals. Registration is required. Thursday, Aug. 3, 7:30-8:30 a.m., in the Deland Board Room. Register here.

‘The Week in Photos’: Share Your Snapshots
What’s happening in your corner of the Brigham? Share your photos of BWH celebrations, events, presentations and more with The Week in Photos. Email your submission to BWHBulletin@partners.org. Note: Any photos with patients must have proper consent. Be mindful of private information that could inadvertently appear in the background of your photo.