
Faculty-Student Partnerships Lead to Socially-Responsive Medical Education
April 16, 2021
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for social justice across the globe, the Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Evaluation on the Duluth Campus reflect on their collaborations with medical students for education reform.

First Geriatric Center in India Inaugurated at U of M Partner Institution
April 14, 2021
The first geriatric center in India, located in Bangalore, has been recently inaugurated at the St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, a University of Minnesota Medical School partner institution.

New NIH Grant Helps Close Education Gap Among Native American Youth During COVID-19 Pandemic
March 30, 2021
Dr. Anna Wirta Kosobuski in the Department of Biomedical Sciences on the Duluth campus aims to meet the critical need for resources among Native American youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical Discovery Team Awarded $7.5M to Improve Knowledge of Indigenous Cultural Understandings of Dementia Care
March 12, 2021
The National Institute on Aging awarded the grant to the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team who will address dementia disparities by examining how culture and community impact the dementia illness experience.
Dr. Elizabeth Lusczek Seeks Other Disability Champions in Medical School
March 10, 2021
Dr. Elizabeth Lusczek shares her experience with cerebral palsy in a call to identify people who will join her to champion disability as part of the Medical School’s DEI efforts.
Celebrating Women’s History Month: Dr. Rahel Nardos & Other Highlights
March 10, 2021
This month, the University of Minnesota Medical School is shining extra light on the women of the past, present and future whose vision and passion positively impacts the field of medicine every day.

Drs. Pratt, Thomas Receive CWIMS Award for Advancing Gender Equity and Inclusion in Medicine and Science
March 1, 2021
This award recognizes an individual within the Center for Women in Medicine and Science Action Groups who has made significant contributions to the advancement of gender equity and inclusion at the University of Minnesota, Medical School.
Using Relational Coaching to Advance Equity in the Medical Field
March 8, 2021
Abigail Gadea, MSW, MPP, LISW, has worked as a relational coach and trainer supporting middle school educators in building stronger relationships in their classrooms and is looking to engage in conversations to explore this model's potential and possibilities of partnership with the Medical School.

PhD Candidate Helps Create #BlackinCancer Virtual Community
February 18, 2021
Ralph White III, a fourth-year graduate student, has helped establish a new organization, called Black in Cancer, focused on teaching others about cancer, particularly in the Black community, and creating a common, virtual space for Black scientists working on cancer research.

New Toolkit Aims to Teach Palliative Care Providers Culturally Responsive Communications Skills
February 15, 2021
Jennifer Needle, MD, MPH, an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, is conducting qualitative research to build educational materials and a “communication toolkit” for pediatric palliative care providers when they’re working with Somali, Native American, Latinx and Hmong communities.

Dr. Alexandra Zachwieja Blends Anatomy with an Anthropological Perspective
January 25, 2021
Alexandra Zachwieja, PhD, in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, blends her passion for the classroom and international research on human origins to bring an anthropological perspective to teaching anatomy at the Medical School’s Duluth campus.

BIRCWH Scholar is Studying Sex Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptom Progression and Presentation
January 20, 2021
Catherine Burrows, PhD, LP, in the Department of Pediatrics, has been appointed as a NIH K12 Building Interdisciplinary Research Career in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Scholar, where she will focus on characterizing sex differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptom progression and presentation.

Two Medical Students Use Grant Funding to Study Disparate Health Equity Issues
January 15, 2021
Medical research can encompass a wide variety of ideas and scientific processes. It can lead to new discoveries, inform best practices for clinical care and confront challenges within healthcare systems.

To Embody the Joy of Practice
January 14, 2021
Jon Hallberg, MD; Maren Olson, MD, MPH MEd; and Ben Trappey, MD, lead the new CFAM focused on storytelling in medicine as an outlet to reduce physician burnout and promote the joy of practice.

‘Social Medicine on Air’ Podcast Hopes to Build Community and Provide a Platform for Conversation
January 6, 2021
Brendan Johnson, a University of Minnesota Medical School student, and two of his collaborators are producing “Social Medicine On Air,” a podcast that has already published over a dozen episodes on topics like medical ethics during a pandemic, medical activism, antiracist medicine and teenage motherhood, just to name a few.

Addressing the Growing Challenge of Dementia Care in Rural Minnesota
December 17, 2020
Kristen Jacklin, PhD, and Wayne Warry, PhD, both from the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, recently received a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the Academic Investment Research Program to establish a research center focused on addressing the growing challenge of dementia care needs in rural Minnesota.

Department of Neuroscience Seeks to Expand ‘Diversity of Thought’
December 16, 2020
Drs. Paul Mermelstein and Robert Meisel from the Department of Neuroscience received a $250,000 per year grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, called "A Longitudinal Mentoring Approach to Increase Diversity Among Researchers of Neurological Disorders," to study the problem in detail and develop tangible solutions.

‘Collaborator-in-Chief’ — Meet the Inaugural Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
December 14, 2020
Ana Núñez, MD, FACP, vice dean for diversity, equity and inclusion for the Medical School and professor in the Department of Medicine, details her experience during her first few months in office. She describes how she’s become a “collaborator-in-chief.”

Mentoring Native American Youth Toward Careers in Medicine
December 8, 2020
Since 1987, the Center of American Indian and Minority Health (CAIMH) has been dedicated to mentoring Indigenous youth throughout the upper Midwest at each level of their education and beyond.

Medical School To Incorporate Restorative Justice and Offer New Path to Healing
December 4, 2020
Six people associated with the University of Minnesota Medical School are involved with an Association of American Medical Colleges pilot program on restorative justice practices. Restorative justice is a process that facilitates community engagement, communication and a new approach to reparations from harm.

Researchers Control for Different Health Conditions While Studying Potential Racial Bias in COVID-19 Treatment
November 24, 2020
Jason Ricco, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, and co-collaborators will study the role of implicit bias among providers and health care teams in regards to the acute care for BIPOC patients infected with COVID-19.

New Healthcare Disparities Grant Draws Attention to Retention Issues Among Underrepresented Groups of Medical Trainees
November 23, 2020
Taj Mustapha, MD, assistant professor in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, is studying how unfairness manifests during medical training, where it is prevalent and who is most affected. The research will build a tool to better measure how fairness impacts learners from typically underrepresented backgrounds.

The Origin & Significance of Land Grant Universities
November 17, 2020
Join us for a virtual panel discussion about the origin and significance of being a land grant University, hosted by the Center of American Indian and Minority Health.

Medical Student Minority Scholarship Created ‘Pipeline to Medicine’
November 17, 2020
Alesandra Mendoza, a fourth-year medical student, received the Mary Tate Scholarship, which recognizes the efforts of students underrepresented in medicine with a demonstrated interest in working with underserved populations.

Elder in Residence Seeks to Rebuild Trust in Medicine Among Tribal Populations
November 11, 2020
Rick J. Smith, a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and long-time leader for the American Indian Learning Resource Center at the U of M Duluth, is now the Elder in Residence, who is building an Elder Advisory Board, charged with ensuring safe and culturally respectful research from the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team on diabetes and dementia.

Scholarship Focused on Minority Women Makes Duluth Student’s Education Reality
November 6, 2020
Courtney Cotsonas, a first-year medical student, chose the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, honoring her family’s legacy as traditional healers in tribal communities. She is the recipient of the Buechner Native American and African American Women Scholarship.

‘Oshkii Ayaawag’: Empowering Native American Youth During COVID-19
October 8, 2020
Anna Wirta Kosobuski, EdD, in the Department of Biomedical Sciences on the Duluth campus, received a CO:VID grant to identify elements for effective, culturally-grounded therapy models for Native American youth.

Health Disparities Study Tests Mobile App’s Effectiveness in Treating Alcohol Use Disorder
October 2, 2020
Christopher Warlick, MD, PhD, in the Department of Urology, leads a team in partnership with SupDoc, a virtual healthcare app, to develop a tailored module that may be helpful in reducing racial health disparities among patients with alcohol use disorder.

CWIMS Earns One of Four National Awards from the Association of American Medical Colleges
October 1, 2020
The Medical School’s Center for Women in Medicine and Science received the “Emerging Leadership Award for an Organization” from the AAMC’s Group on Women in Medicine and Science. Fellow recipients include representatives from Harvard Medical School, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine.

Hippocrates Cafe to Debut in First-Ever TV Episode, ‘Reflections on the Pandemic’
September 9, 2020
Dr. Jon Hallberg, in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, partnered with Twin Cities Public Television to produce “Hippocrates Cafe: Reflections on the Pandemic,” an hour-long episode dedicated to healthcare and frontline workers that is designed to educate, entertain and inspire viewers during the pandemic.