Alumni Celebration

Addressing Health Disparities through Community Partnerships - Maiyia Kasouaher, PhD, Community Engagement Lead, Program in Health Disparities Research
Monday, October 19 | 11 a.m.
This session is an overview of the research and activities in the Program in Health Disparities Research (PHDR), a program of the Medical School housed in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Dr. Kasouaher will highlight one of the PHDR projects that is partnering with communities to provide culturally and linguistically specific COVID-19 messages to community elders. 
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COVID-19 Trials, Bioassays, Databases and AI - Christopher Tignanelli, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery
Monday, October 19 | 3 p.m.
Learn about the various COVID-19 projects that the Minnesota Critical Care Outcomes Research Effort, led by Dr. Tignanelli, has undertaken. The group oversees two funded COVID-19 randomized control trials, has a large biospecimen repository, has developed a real time living database which has resulted in many high impact publications, and has leveraged the vast amount of COVID-19 data to fuel artificial intelligence projects in natural language processing and computer vision.  Dr. Tignanelli will present an overview of these projects from a high level and invite questions from the medical alumni community.  
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Oshkii Ayaawag (Our Youth) - Anna Wirta Kosobuski, EdD, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences, Duluth Campus
Tuesday, October 20 | 11:00 a.m.
Native American youth bear an inordinate share of our state’s mental and behavioral health disorders and associated mortalities, yet there is inadequate access to services and available therapies are often ineffective. Of late, this has been exacerbated by the emergence of COVID-19; its full impact on the wellbeing of Native American youth is yet unknown.  In this webinar, attendees will learn about Dr. Wirta Kosobuski's rapid response grant that supports mental health resilience and coping mechanisms of tribal adolescents of the Bois Forte community.
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State of Medical Education - Mark Rosenberg, MD, Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs
Tuesday, October 20 | 2 p.m.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted medical education. In-person classes and clinical rotations were urgently canceled and there has been a historic and unprecedented migration to online teaching. The dedication, ingenuity, and hard work needed to accomplish this reflects the commitment and skill of our educators and tenacity of our students. This session will discuss the impact of COVID-19 and provide an update on where things stand now. Other updates will include our newly opened Health Sciences Education Center, innovations in clinical education, and accomplishments of our students.
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Rapid Development of a Sustainable Diagnostic COVID Test for Minnesota - Andrew Nelson, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Wednesday, October 21 | noon
Dr. Nelson will share how his team built a laboratory developed test in five days to address the test shortage in March and refined and adapted that test over time to deal with shifting supply chains and increasing demand.  He will provide an overview of the research efforts his team has supported, including validation of other assays and sample types, support of clinical trials, and support of MDH virus sequencing and contact tracing efforts.
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See the Next-generation Health Sciences Education Center: A Virtual Journey to the Vanguard of Health Sciences Education - University of Minnesota Foundation
Thursday, October 22 | 1 p.m.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the University of Minnesota’s brand new Health Sciences Education Center. Hear from the visionary leaders transforming health education for tomorrow’s innovative care providers.  Hosted by the University of Minnesota Foundation. 
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Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Medical School - Ana Núñez, MD, FACP, Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Thursday, October 22 | 3 p.m.
The Medical School strives to create an atmosphere where differences are valued and celebrated, knowing institutional diversity fuels the advancement of knowledge, promotes improved patient care and fosters excellence. We especially strive to have our community better reflect the broad range of identities in our state, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, national origin, religious practice, socioeconomic status, and rural or first generation status.  Dr. Núñez will outline activities addressing and advancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion of faculty, staff, and students within the Medical School, invite questions from participants, and highlight the ways alumni can contribute to these initiatives.
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Medical School Alumni Town Hall - Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, Dean of Medical School, Vice President for Clinical Affairs
Friday, October 23 | 10 a.m.
Dr. Jakub Tolar, dean of the Medical School and vice president for clinical affairs, will share his vision for moving the Medical School forward, from adapting approaches to education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with the new Health Sciences Education Center to our work on diversity, equity and inclusion matters within our institution. Time will be allotted for Q&A from alumni. 
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