Wellness Chronicle - Creighton University School of Medicine

Vol XIII No.2 Winter 2009
In This Issue:
MINDFUL PRACTICE
FROM MARCIA- 3
THE BATTLE AGAINST
STRESS - 7
BIRTH
ANNOUNCEMENT - 9
LOBO AND
SETON - 10
THE WELLNESSCHRONICLE
Shared V!ion and Values
Creighton University
and St. Joseph’s
Announce Opening of
Only Catholic Medical
School in the West
In the face of a national physician shortage, new medical schools and affiliations are
cropping up throughout the country. Few, however, will offer students an experience
as unique as that offered through St. Joseph’s newest academic endeavor.
This summer, the hospital and Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha
formally announced plans to operate a joint medical school campus in Phoenix
beginning in 2010. The Creighton University School of Medicine at St. Joseph's
Hospital and Medical Center, part of CHW, will become the only Catholic medical
school campus located west of Omaha and one of only five in the nation.
So much in common
To some, the affiliation between a university in the Midwest and an Arizona hospital
might seem incongruous. But, in reality, the two institutions share many similarities.
“St. Joseph’s talked to both local and national medical schools to find a partner
whose mission and vision aligned with ours,” says Charles Daschbach, MD,
director of Academic Affairs at St. Joseph’s. “Early on in our discussions with
Creighton, we found a strong compatibility in our commitment to the under-served
and excellence in education and research.”
While both are well-established Catholic institutions (St. Joseph’s was founded by
the Sisters of Mercy in 1895, and Creighton by the Jesuits in 1878), that’s only the
first common bond. Perhaps even more significant is the commitment to community
service for which each institution is known.
continued on pg.2
theWellnessChronicle 1

THE WELLNESS
CHRONICLE
STAFF
FACULTY ADVISOR
Dr. Michael Kavan, Ph.D.
EDITORS IN CHIEF
Maryal Concepcion
Roberto Cervantes
THIS ISSUE’S AUTHORS
Michelle Millard
Linda Pappas
Marcia Cusic
Kim Truong
Amanda Oertli
Allison Rasband-Lindquist
David Nash
Lindsey Minion
Article Contents:
SHARED VISION AND VALUES 1
MINDFUL PRACTICE 4
MAGIS CLINIC 5
THE LEARNING CYCLE 6
THE BATTLE AGAINST STRESS 7
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT 9
LOBO AND SETON 10
ALL PROFESSIONAL 10
THE BIG NEWS 11
Shared Vision and Values - continued from pg. 1
In fact, both are recent recipients of the Association of American Medical
Colleges’ Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Service. St.
Joseph’s dedication to the community spans more than a century, while
Creighton’s medical students must demonstrate a strong record of community
service before being accepted. Then, while studying at Creighton, the medical
students operate the Magis Clinic, a free health clinic in Omaha.
Another shared bond is a commitment to
high-quality education and research.
Ranked among the most “wired”
universities, Creighton has set the bar
high in terms of innovative teaching from
faculty as well as learning-effort
expectations from students in this unique
educational affiliation with St. Joseph’s, says Dr. Daschbach.
Thuy Koll (m3)
Energizer bunnies
Teaching medical students is nothing new to St. Joseph’s. The hospital hosts students
from more than 60 institutions on a rotating basis. There are about 25 medical
students on campus at any given time. Once the Creighton affiliation is fully
implemented, that number will jump to more than 100. And that’s a good thing, for
plenty of reasons. “Medical students energize teaching hospitals,” explains Dr. Daschbach. “The opportunity to shape
young physicians in their earliest clinical experiences energizes all of us, especially nurses, other support staff, and
faculty.”
Teaching hospitals also count on this positive energy to attract residents, and where physicians complete their residency is
a good indicator of where they will end up practicing medicine in the long run. This is good news in a state that has a
growing physician shortage.
Reaping the benefits
Creighton students started coming to St. Joseph’s for month-long rotations in a handful of specialties in 2005, and the
hospital is already reaping the benefits of the partnership. Danielle Potter, MD, is a first-year OB/GYN resident at St.
Joseph’s and a Creighton alumna.
continued on pg.3
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Shared Vision and Values - continued from pg. 2
She completed rotations at St. Joseph’s during her
third and fourth years of medical school at Creighton
and was happy to return to the hospital as a resident
this summer. From a student perspective, she thinks
that the geographic arrangement of the new medical
school will offer some distinct advantages.
“Not only is it a benefit to students to get to
experience two different environments, but they will
be exposed to different patient populations as well,”
says Dr. Potter. “For example, there’s a larger
Hispanic population in Phoenix than there is in
Omaha, so students are seeing a different clinical
spectrum. I think it’s an added benefit to their
education.”
Dan Farber (m3)
The class of 2014
The selection process for the first class of 42 students
is just getting underway. Beginning in July 2010,
those students will spend their first two years
receiving classroom instruction in Omaha and then
will spend their third and fourth years doing clinical
rotations at St. Joseph’s. The first Phoenix medical
student class will graduate in 2014.
As the program progresses, St. Joseph’s is looking
forward to becoming a more integral part of the
Creighton team, even before students arrive for their
third-year rotations. For starters, the medical school
and the hospital will appoint an associate dean,
whose primary role will be to oversee the regional
medical campus and ensure that all LCME (Liaison
Committee on Medical Education) requirements are
being met by early next year. From there, even more
benefits will fall into place. Creighton has very
competitive pharmacy and nursing schools, and
further opportunities will be explored.
“Many of our faculty members already have clinical
appointments with Creighton, but we look forward to
playing a larger role on the Creighton team, whether
through the student selection process or participating
in lectures or by collaborating on research,” says
John Boyd, MD, St. Joseph’s chief medical officer.
“Eventually, we will have representation on all key
committees, which will lead to scholarly activity
growth, education growth, and curricular growth.”
At the same time, St. Joseph’s will continue its
academic and research relationships with the
University of Arizona College of Medicine, Arizona
State University, the Translational Genomics
Research Institute, and more than 20 other medical
schools.
“The new partnership with Creighton demonstrates
our commitment to medical education at all levels,”
says Linda Hunt, service area president for Catholic
Healthcare West Arizona and president and CEO of
St. Joseph’s.
Kim Daniel (m3)
Reprinted with permission from the editor of St. Joseph’s
Magazine, Catherine Menor.
theWellnessChronicle 3

Mindful Practice:
Working on the Perfect
Life
by
Marcia Shadle-Cusic
Mindfulness refers to a quality of
awareness that includes the ability
to pay attention in a particular
way - on purpose, in the present
moment, and non-judgmentally. It
is the ability to notice, observe
and experience bodily sensations,
thoughts and feelings even if they
may be unpleasant, acting with
awareness and attention (not being
on autopilot), and focusing on the
experience at hand.
As busy people, practicing
mindfulness reminds us to pay
attention to the leaves crunching
beneath our feet, to the warmth of
our first cup of coffee on a cold
day, to the response we receive
when we greet another person
with, "How are you?"
When we practice mindfulness we
are filling our spirits up with
goodness; we are building up our
reserves for what will happen on a
particular day.
Mindfulness, in many ways, can
be explained in the Jesuit value of
"Finding God in all things." When
we allow ourselves to be in the
moment, we can take away from
that moment wisdom, pleasure,
relaxation, understanding of
ourselves and of others. Practicing
mindfulness can lead to
greater awareness and a more
enlightened life. If practice makes
perfect, then perhaps practicing
mindfulness may lead us to the
perfect life!
May God continue to bless all of our
lives,
~Marcia
Mindfulness Practice
Session:
Working on the Perfect
LIfe
Location:
Marcia’s Office.
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Magis Clinic - Pediatric Vaccination Clinic
by Kim Truong and Allison Rasband-Lindquist
75 Children: Smiling and ready for
school this fall after attending the
Magis Pediatric Vaccination Clinics!
This past summer, Magis sponsored two Pediatric Back-to-School Vaccination
Clinics, one in North and one in South Omaha. Children were offered free
school physicals, immunizations, and backpacks filled with colorful new
school supplies.
During the Florence Clinic, kids were taught Body Basics using sheep eyes
and hearts and human bones! In addition, the kids played on a fire truck and
learned about fire safety from the Omaha Fire Department.
At the end of the day, over 75 pediatric patients were seen and examined by
our physician and student volunteers! Children ranged in ages from 2 to
16-years-old, most of whom were uninsured or underinsured. Of the 110
backpacks given away, over 30 went to recently immigrated children.
Thank you M1s through M4s for all your support and generosity! It is only
with your help that the Magis Clinic can continue running great programs
such as the Pediatric Vaccination Clinics! This has been an extremely
successful year for Magis and we are looking forward to many more!
Pediatric patients show off their new backpacks
stuffed with colorful school supplies!
Pediatric patients excitedly show off their
sheep eye dissections at the Pediatric
Vaccination Clinic!
theWellnessChronicle 5

The Learning Cycle
By Linda Pappas
The cycle that we go through to learn something is
not something that most of us ever give much
thought. We can learn how to be more effective as
learners if we do pause to reflect on what happens.
How do we grow those dendrites and create the
massive neural networks that help us to answer that
exam question correctly? Dr. John Pelley, who spoke
at Vital Signs this semester, referred to the book “The
Art of Changing the Brain” by James Zull, (2000,
Stylus). In that book Zull describes David Kolb’s
Learning Cycle. That cycle is described as a four
step process which Zull explains happens in four
parts of the brain:
1. Concrete experience—take in information though the senses (lecture, podcast, lab). It is happening in the
parietal lobes.
2. Reflective observation—compare information with stored knowledge to determine if it is new or already
known (taking notes). It is happening in the temporal lobes.
3. Generalizations and abstract concepts—connect the new information with what is known, find new
possibilities, ask questions about significance, decide on probability (class discussions, looking up supporting
materials, referring to old notes). It is happening in the prefrontal lobes.
4. Active testing of generalizations—do something with the new information (explain it to someone, solve a
problem with it, draw a concept map or a table or rewrite it in condensed form). It takes place in your frontal
lobes.
This cycle never stops because all active testing becomes new input to remember. The problem is that the cycle
is usually short–circuited in students who only memorize. What do you do to “make the information your own”?
Create a concept map, a flow chart, a summary sheet. Answer practice questions, discuss with peers or faculty,
practice not only making note cards, but quiz yourself by grouping them. Look up information that you don’t
understand in greater detail, breaking up detail memorization into shorter bursts of time. Dr. Pelley states that
you are passive if you are looking “at” or listening “to” and active if you are looking “for” or listening “for”.
There is not one right way to be active with or own the information in front of us but it’s finding the one(s) that
works for you is the key.
theWellnessChronicle 6

The Battle Against STRESS
By Michelle Millard
Stressed? Here are a few diagnostic signs that stress may be getting the better of you:
• You wish your computer could reboot you
• You find a documentary on prison life in Turkey
relaxing
• You’ve pedaled to the corner before remembering
you’re on a stationary bike
• You think the four major food groups are red meat,
caffeine, alcohol and chocolate
• When friends call to ask how you’ve been, you scream
“Get off my back”
• You explore the possibility of espresso as an I.V. drip
• You listen to relaxation tapes at high speed
If you had a dollar for every time you heard or uttered the word “stress” throughout your medical education,
you would probably graduate debt-free! It is a common malady in our culture as a whole and particularly in
your culture as medical students. Sometimes the competition is not so much about who got a better grade, but
rather who is dealing with more stress. You might hear, “You think you’re stressed? Let me tell you what I
have to deal with…” It becomes like a modern badge of honor----but it is one that is killing us!
Stress is a term used to describe the wear and tear on us emotionally and physically due to everyday tensions
and pressures. While change, illness, relationship problems and financial issues are common sources of stress,
recent research shows that it’s the daily hassles, like too many e-mails, traffic slow-downs or waiting in line that
do us in. In reality, stress is a 6 inch problem that is found right between our ears; in other words, it is how we
perceive the demands in our life that create stress for us and the emotional response that results from our
interpretation. When you perceive something as stressful, the body perceives it as a threat and your
sympathetic nervous system charges you up to prepare for battle with increased heart rate, shallow breathing,
tense muscles and approximately 1300 other physiological changes. At the same time, the parasympathetic
nervous system, upon seeing that studying for a test is not necessarily life threatening, tries to slow you down.
It’s like having one foot on the gas and the other on the brake, resulting in a rather bumpy ride. When stress
becomes the norm, your body forgets to slow down the heart rate, breathe deeply and relax the muscles.
Because it’s not made to withstand that kind of “alert status” indefinitely, the body lets us know through
headaches, stomach aches, irritation, chocolate-gorging, insomnia and friends and family running for cover!
The really big problem is, especially for medical students, stress inhibits cortical function; in other words, you
are definitely not “in the zone” when it comes to learning and recalling information.
continued on pg.8
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The battle against Stress - continued from pg. 7
First, it’s important to understand your stress and
secondly, do something about it! Intervening in a
stress response can have many benefits: better sleep,
increased energy, friends who actually like to be
around you and amazingly… increased cortical
function! So… a few ideas about nipping that stress
in the bud:
Balance: The best investment you can make in your
academic and personal life is to attain some kind of
balance between academic work and the rest of your
life. If you study 10 hours a day, you’re likely to
burn out. Work out, go to church, linger in the
grocery store, watch a movie or hang out with
friends. Make sure to sleep, eat well and get some
exercise. You will be more focused and productive
upon coming back to studying. If, on the other hand,
you are waiting to study until the 10 hours before the
test, make a choice to focus and put the time in, even
if you don’t feel like it. Balance will make you more
productive, help you perform better and keep you
sane. Your grades will benefit and your friends and
family will thank you for it.
Reframe: One way to intervene in stress is to
cognitively reframe your assessment of the situation.
For example, if you are caught in traffic, you might
think, “This is horrible, I’m wasting all this time in
traffic and I need to be studying.” Instead of
allowing that interpretation of a traffic jam (over
which you have no control) to create frustration and
irritation in you (which will decrease late cortical
functioning), try to reframe the situation by saying,
“This traffic is bad, but I’m going to use my time to
mentally review material from class or relax and
listen to music.” Then, when you get to the point of
studying, you’ll be good to go. Learn to control what
you can control and let go of what you can’t!
Biofeedback: We have a biofeedback program that
helps measure heart rate variability, reflecting
whether your sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous systems are fighting with each other (if
they’re erratic and out of sync) or working with each
BANG
HEAD
HERE
other (if they’re synchronized and coherent). An
electronic sensor provides feedback into what’s going
on physiologically with you. A simple 3-step
technique is learned and practiced to change both the
emotions attached to stressful situations and the
physiology resulting from stress, helping you reach
coherence and find your “zone”. The result is a tool
not just to manage the effects of stress, but to
circumvent stress and is something that you can use
in the middle of a test, in a fight with your girl/
boyfriend or waiting in line at the grocery store.
Interested? Contact Patti to set up an appointment
with Michele at (402) 280-2905.
Learn the technique that can make a difference in
your life and wellbeing.
theWellnessChronicle 8

Dear Creighton Bluejay family-
Birth Announcement
by Lindsey Minion
We would like to announce to the newest member of the CUSOM family: cancer SUCKs. She
was born on November 10th at 12pm in Room 452 (our first meeting). With loving parents to
guide her, she will grow up into a strong member of this family. Dr. Martha Gentry-Nielsen has
graciously accepted to be her god-mother and nurture her under her guidance. We look forward
to watching her grow and attain her milestones of service, volunteerism, clinical experiences,
and research opportunities.
In just her short time here with us, she has already become an active participant in Creighton
University’s Relay for Life program—sponsoring two teams and raising funds for the American
Cancer Society’s number one fundraising opportunity happening March 26, 2010. This year,
Relay for Life is the official sponsor of birthdays and to honor that cause we are celebrating
with this birth announcement. Many people have already RSVP’d to the Relay for Life
birthday party: Ellen Klocker, Erin Fuchs, Lindsey Minion, Kelly Mracheck, Bridgette Pudwill,
and Kathleen Tinley (Team cancer SUCKs 2012), and Kate Tepper, Mark Ettel, Melissa Fox,
Evan Kirschner, Sandy Lieu, Brittany Murphy, Adam O’Toole, Jared Routh, and Catherine
Weaver (Team cancer SUCKs 2013). Currently donations collected for the American Cancer
Society, 2012 with 570.00, and 2013 with 155.00.
We all know that it takes a village to raise a child, so what can you do to help? I am so glad you
asked Creighton Bluejays. You can join our teams by simply going to: relayforlife.org/
creightonune. Donations/birthday presents are more than welcome by clicking on the donate
link and searching for our teams: cancer SUCKs 2012 and cancer SUCKs 2013.
Our precocious child is involved in even more activities! Not only does she want to support the
American Cancer Society, but also support cancer patients by volunteering with hospice. If you
are interested in volunteering with Alegent Hospice please email Lindsey at
lindseyminion@creighton.edu.
The next training dates are in February.
Stay tuned for more details – other opportunities to volunteer will be coming your way next
semester.
Lovingly, The Moms (Ellen Klocker, Lindsey Minion, Bridgette Pudwill, and Kathleen
Tinley)
theWellnessChronicle 9

Lobo and Seton By David Nash
Here comes Seton, a hunter and lover.
He follows the howls, gun on his shoulder.
Looking for Lobo, the King of the Hunters.
Northern New Mexico, the untamed wild.
Wanted by ranchers, humans, and cattle.
In his hunt he fancied the chickens
Dancing in the prairies, diving in burrows.
Looking for Lobo. Hunting this heathen.
He fell in love with the wild, learning its secrets.
Torn by obsession of naturalist and hunter.
If only this land could be left alone.
His job left undone.
In the end this demon, no demon at all.
In one last stand, challenged Seton with his call.
Humiliated and beaten, Seton continued
Without regard for the beautiful. Vision tunneled.
He fought to the end,
Destroying Lobo and his lover.
This is how the King of the wolves
Was torn from lands made of dust and blood.
This is how the West was won.
All Professional by Amanda Oertli
All professional baby, the all girls flag football team finished
their season on November 9 with a final record of 2-4-0.
Lucky for them, the wins came at crucial periods allowing
them to advance to the semi-finals with an overall finish of
3rd in the league. To make it to the semi's, All Professional
played one man down beating Occupational Hazard 12-0. It
was a team effort with a powerful defense to hold
Occupational Hazard from ever advancing the ball on All
Professional's side of the field. Unfortunately, the soccer
stadium did not bare well for All Pro, losing 0-19 to Bust a
Move. A punt return gone wrong almost took out teammate
Kady Milow, but her toughness (and lack of alternates)
allowed her to finish the game. Hopefully next time the ref
will not be dating one of the opponent’s teammates.
I would like to thank all the girls who came out for flag
football this year: Kady Milow (M4), Maurine Gross (M3),
Carrie Stoy (M2), Tina Oertli (M2), Kelli Gates (M1), Tracy
Wells (D2), Jessica Mae (L1), and Mary Tran (Accel
Nursing). While we did have our shining moments and not so
shining, we definitely had a lot of fun and laughs together! It
was a great team to be a part of during my M4 year.
From L to R: Jessica, Tracy, Kelli, Kady
Kneeling from L to R: Amanda, Carrie, Tina
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BALANCE
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The BIG news...
Ann Packard (M3) and Grant Bender
were engaged on Oct. 24th and plan to
marry on June 11, 2010 in Mexico for
lovely beach wedding!
Erika Wahl (M4) and her
husband Jason Wahl are expecting
their first baby on March 18, 2010
(Match Day!)
Gina Holte (M4) and Jared Routh
(M1) were engaged on Oct. 17th and
plan to marry in June 2011 in Omaha!
Kate Tepper (M1) and Drew Forrester
were engaged on Oct. 18 and plan to
marry in St. Louis in June of 2011!
theWellnessChronicle 12