Among UofL’s contributions to in Boston, Nov. 3-7, were two invited presentations, oral research presentations, panel discussions and poster presentations. In all, UofL School of Medicine faculty and staff participated in nine oral presentation events and three poster presentations during the conference, which brings deans, faculty, researchers, administrators, residents and students from medical schools across the United States and Canada together to network and share insights on academic medicine.

School of Medicine Dean Toni Ganzel, MD, MBA, delivered a presentation on the initiative to the Council of Deans on Friday, Nov. 3, and participated in a panel discussion, “Resilience and Well-Being: Are We Walking the Walk or Just Talking the Talk?” on Saturday. Being Well is a series of resources and programs to promote health, resiliency and compassion among the students, residents, faculty and staff of the UofL School of Medicine.

Dave McIntosh, PhD, associate dean for urban health innovation and chief diversity officer for the School of Medicine, discussed “Promoting Retention and Empowerment of Underrepresented Minorities in Medical ����ֱ��” in an invited presentation on Sunday, Nov. 5. Susan Sawning, MSSW, director of undergraduate medical education research, delivered a second invitation presentation on “LGBT Curriculum Integration: Demonstration Projects.”

As chair of the Southern Group on ����ֱ�� Affairs (SGEA), Karen “Sam” Miller, PhD, director of graduate medical education and research, presided over the SGEA Members Open Business Meeting.

At that meeting, Sawning, Laura Weingartner, PhD, research manager, and the other members of steering committee were recognized as winners of the 2017 SGEA Innovation in Medical ����ֱ�� Award for “eQuality: Leading Medical ����ֱ�� to Deliver Equitable Quality Care for all People, Inclusive of Identity, Development, or Expression of Gender/Sex/Sexuality.”

A complete list of the presentations by UofL at the conference is below.

• A Comprehensive Being Well Initiative: University of Louisville School of Medicine. Council of Deans Ignite Presentation – Toni Ganzel.
• Resilience and Well-Being: Are We Walking the Walk or Just Talking the Talk?  Panel Discussion – Toni Ganzel.
• Highlights in Medical ����ֱ�� Innovation: Professionalism Session. Moderated by Susan Sawning.
• Promoting Retention and Empowerment of Underrepresented Minorities in Medical ����ֱ��. AAMC Invited Presentation – Dave McIntosh.
• Outcomes of eQuality: an Integrated, Comprehensive Undergraduate ����ֱ�� Program for LGBT-Health Training. Research Oral Presentation. Authors: Susan Sawning, Amy Holthouser, Stacie Steinbock, Laura Weingartner, Leslee Martin, Katie Leslie, V. Faye Jones, Emily Noonan, Elizabeth Cash, M. Ann Shaw. Presenter: Susan Sawning. Moderated by Stacie Steinbock.
• Announcement of the winner of the 2017 SGEA Innovations in Medical ����ֱ�� Award:�� As the winner of the 2017 SGEA Innovation in Medical ����ֱ�� Award, Susan Sawning, Laura Weingartner, the eQuality Steering Committee and the UofL School of Medicine will be recognized at the SGEA Business Meeting for their project “eQuality: Leading Medical ����ֱ�� to Deliver Equitable Quality Care for all People, Inclusive of Identity, Development, or Expression of Gender/Sex/Sexuality.”
• SGEA Members Open Business Meeting – Karen Miller, SGEA chair, will preside over the meeting.
• LGBT Curriculum Integration: Demonstration Projects. AAMC Invited Presentation – Susan Sawning.
• RIME Keynote Address: Damon Tweedy, MD, author of “Black Man in a White Coat.” Presided by Karen Miller, Chair of the Research in Medical ����ֱ�� (RIME) Selection Committee.
• RIME Discussion “Self-Directed Learning.” Moderated by Leslee Martin, UofL’s director of medical education.
• Highlights in Medical ����ֱ�� Research Session. Moderated by Karen Miller.
• Being Well: A Comprehensive Wellness and Burnout Prevention Initiative at the University of Louisville. Authors: Susan Sawning, Jon Klein, Toni Ganzel, Karan Chavis, Laura Weingartner, M. Ann Shaw. Presenter: Leslee Martin and Susan Sawning.
• Comparing Apples to Apples: Do Distinction Track Medical Students Enjoy Superior Residency Match Outcomes than non-Track Students? Authors: M. Ann Shaw, Susan Sawning, Shelley Gibson, Emily Carr, Mary Carter. Presenters: M. Ann Shaw and Susan Sawning.
• Intergroup Contact Theory Increases Student Understanding of LGBT Health Disparities and Comfort with LGBT Patients. Authors: Emily Noonan, Laura Weingartner, Susan Sawning, Stacie Steinbock, Jennifer Stephens, Charles Kodner, Chaz Briscoe, Amy Holthouser, V. Faye Jones, Katie Leslie, Leslee Martin, M. Ann Shaw. Presenters: Susan Sawning and Stacie Steinbock.

At the University of Louisville, Koru Mindfulness classes have been available to students, staff and faculty for more than a year through and . To expand the opportunities for students, as well as staff and faculty, 15 individuals from UofL and more than 30 around the nation received Koru Mindfulness instructor training at the UofL School of Medicine. Throughout three days, the trainees advanced their understanding of Koru and practiced teaching it to others.

The course was led by Holly Rogers, MD, founder of the Center for Koru Mindfulness and a psychiatrist at Counseling and Psychological Services at Duke University. Rogers and her colleague, Margaret Maytan, developed Koru Mindfulness to help the students she encountered in the counseling center at Duke. Rogers defines mindfulness as paying attention without judgment to the present experience, and she said it is a very important skill for emerging adults – anyone age 18 to 29.

“Mindfulness helps them get in touch with what is authentically true and meaningful so they can make these decisions not based on what their peers say, what the media says or what their parents say, but they can figure out what is meaningful to them,” Rogers said. “They are at a time of life where self-knowledge is really useful and mindfulness is most important for self-knowledge. I’ve been teaching Koru for 10 or 11 years. I have so many stories of students who come back and say, ‘This really changed my life.’”

Rogers and a researcher formerly at Duke, Jeffrey Greeson, PhD, conducted a of 90 university students in 2012 and 2013 to determine Koru’s effectiveness in improving the students’ stress levels, sleep and self-compassion. Students who took the course reported less stress, better sleep, and improved self-compassion compared with those who had not yet attended the classes.

Rogers believes Koru appeals to individuals in this age group thanks to a relatively short program of four weekly classes of just 75 minutes. Although meditation has its origins in Buddhism, Rogers said Koru is a secular approach to mindfulness, and does not include a spiritual component. However, she said many students incorporate the techniques into their own spiritual practice.

The UofL School of Medicine hosted the training program in conjunction with “Being Well,” a multifaceted initiative for members of the UofL School of Medicine community that includes resources and programs to promote health, resiliency and compassion for oneself and others. Trainees included 15 faculty, staff and students from both campuses of UofL, as well as individuals from the University of Kentucky, Berea College and Bellarmine University in Kentucky, and from 13 other states and Canada.

Susan Sawning, MSSW, director of Undergraduate Medical ����ֱ�� Research at the UofL School of Medicine, attended the instructor training after she found mindfulness personally helpful for fostering resilience and decreasing stress.

“Self-care is an essential part of leadership development and is important in each of our various roles. When we are not in tune with our wellbeing, it is very challenging to lead, to teach, to be fully present in our care for others,” Sawning said.

She hopes to teach mindfulness courses for faculty and staff as well as students in the school of medicine to help them cope with the stresses of varied obligations and the demands of medicine.

“A culture change is needed in medicine. We must cultivate an environment that promotes wellness and community. I am grateful to our leadership for making Being Well a top priority for our faculty, staff and students and am pleased to see Koru Mindfulness offered at our School of Medicine,” Sawning said.

Students can register for Koru classes at .

Faculty and staff members can register at .