Thank You, Banner – University Medicine Family Medicine Clinic at South Campus Staff for Your Dedication
On Saturdays May 8 and 15, Banner – University Medicine Family Medicine Clinic at South Campus ran a testing site for COVID-19, opening their schedule to approximately 200 people. Staff worked hard to support this endeavor and gave up their Saturdays to support our community. Thank you all for coming together and working as a team!
Dr. Francine Gachupin Receives $2.8M Grant to Develop Family-Based Intervention Program
The new grant, “Achieving American Indian Youth Energy and Mental Health Balance,” is led by Francine Gachupin, PhD, MPH, associate professor. The study aims to develop a culturally relevant and community-led intervention to support and improve the health of American Indian youth – and reduce their risk for obesity and related metabolic diseases – through the adoption of healthier behaviors.
Dr. Paul Gordon Biking across Midwest on Health Care ‘Listening Tour’ Paul Gordon, MD, MPH, professor, has embarked on a multi-state bicycle “listening tour” to hear what people in rural areas of the United States think about the U.S. health care system. “We hope to learn how participants’ views of our current health care policy might influence their voting in 2020. Of course, we are also interested to learn how the current pandemic has affected their views about our health care system, as well,” said Dr. Gordon.
Residents Present at 'RSPP Scholarly Day'
On May 14, third-year family medicine residents shared the results of their Resident Scholarly Project Program research projects. They described their insights from projects focused on practice improvement, addressing the health of special populations and resident education. They also discussed the successes and challenges conducting their scholarly work. The Best Poster Award winner was Dr. Josh Blessing for the project, “Medical Staff and Provider Opinions on Expanding Clinic Hours.” The People’s Choice Award was awarded to Dr. Erica Kumala for the project, “The Healthy Self Project: Evaluation of Utility of Mind-Body Therapies for Stress Management in High School Students.” Dr. Blessing’s mentors were Drs. Anthony Arnold and Joe Gerald. Dr. Kumala’s mentors were Drs. Mari Ricker and Leila Ali-Akbarian. On July 9, FCM will host the second half of Resident Scholarly Day when the rising third year residents share their research works-in-progress. View presentation>>
'Adapting Virtually': Ongoing Webinar Series Promotes Virtual Approaches to Employment Support
The Sonoran UCEDD is conducting webinars focused on increasing competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities. Since April, the Adapting Virtually to Provide Employment Support webinar series has brought together state agency representatives, service providers, individuals, and families to learn about innovative approaches and engage in conversation to address the issues impacting employment services and outcomes in the state.
FLEXcast - The Faculty Learning Exchange Mari Ricker, MD, associate professor, together with Allie Min, MD, FACEP, associate professor, and Amber Rice, MD, assistant professor, of the UArizona Department of Emergency Medicine, discuss their experiences, challenges, and successes in their professional growth and bring attention to resources in literature and in the community. FLEXcast is dedicated to sharing ideas and practices for career development and well-being for faculty.
FACULTY PROMOTIONS – CONGRATS!
Karyn Kolman, MD, Promoted to Associate Professor, Clinical Scholar Track Dr. Kolman's academic focus is on clinical education, both at the medical student and resident levels. She is interested in educational initiatives that help create and maintain a safe and productive learning environment. Her presentations and publications have included tools to improve medical knowledge, feedback and evaluation, as well as quality improvement. Dr. Kolman continues to serve as an instructor for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine's (STFM) Residency Faculty Fundamentals Certificate Program. She is also a member of the STFM Task Force on Protected Non-Clinical Time for Residency Faculty.
Steven Paul, MD, Promoted to Professor, Clinical Scholar Track Dr. Paul’s research is with adaptic (para) athletes, their unique injuries and concussion management. He also studies and recommends guidelines for pre-participation screening for collegiate club sports. He continues to write the sports medicine in-training exam and edits the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine's (AMSSM) AMSSM Sports Medicine CAQ Study Guide. He is senior series editor for a new series with AMSSM and Healthy Learning: ‘Essentials,’ with the inaugural issue: “Sleep Insights” due in May. He also is working on “Sports pharmacology of psychiatry and behavioral medicine” in Netter Sport Medicine 3rd Edition.
Jessie Pettit, MD, Promoted to Associate Professor, Clinical Scholar Track Dr. Pettit's academic focus is on maternal child health, integrative medicine, and residency education. She is an international board certified lactation consultant and incorporates this training into her research and educational curriculum. Dr. Pettit is the residency program director for the Alvernon Family Medicine Residency Program, as well as the medical director for the Tucson Family Advocacy Program, a medical-legal partnership aimed at connecting patients in the clinical setting to legal resources.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHT: Alicia Allen, PhD, MPH
Alicia Allen, PhD, MPH, assistant professor, began working in clinical research on substance use disorders in 2001 as an undergrad. This experience prompted her to obtain her master's degree in community health education, graduate certification in addiction studies and doctorate in social and behavioral epidemiology. Her research focuses on topics that occur in the intersection between substance misuse and women's health. View video >>
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT: Naomi Young, MD
A Navajo Department of Health COVID-19 video features Naomi Young, MD, resident alumni of the Family Medicine Residency at South Campus class of 2016. Thank you for your service, Dr. Young! View Video >>
NEW STAFF — WELCOME!
Taylor Hedges, CHES, started on May 4 as a wellness coach for TIP (Targeted Investment Program). She will be working with the behavioral medicine team hired under TIP to provide care management, wellness coaching, navigation of internal and community resources, and SDOH (social determinants of health) needs at Banner – University Medicine Family Medicine Clinic at South Campus.
McGrew, C., MacCallum, D. S., Narducci, D., Nuti, R., Calabrese, L., Dimeff, R., Paul, S., Poddar, S. K., Rao, A., McKeag, D. (2019). AMSSM Position Statement Update: Blood-Borne Pathogens in the Context of Sports Participation. Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000738. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000738
Thank You, Banner – University Medicine Family Medicine Clinic at South Campus Staff for Your Dedication
Dr. Francine Gachupin Receives $2.8M Grant to Develop Family-Based Intervention Program 
Dr. Paul Gordon Biking across Midwest on Health Care ‘Listening Tour’ 
Residents Present at 'RSPP Scholarly Day'
'Adapting Virtually': Ongoing Webinar Series Promotes Virtual Approaches to Employment Support 
FLEXcast - The Faculty Learning Exchange
Karyn Kolman, MD, Promoted to Associate Professor, Clinical Scholar Track
Steven Paul, MD, Promoted to Professor, Clinical Scholar Track
Taylor Hedges, CHES, started on May 4 as a wellness coach for TIP (Targeted Investment Program). She will be working with the behavioral medicine team hired under TIP to provide care management, wellness coaching, navigation of internal and community resources, and SDOH (
