TSMD September Newsletter
September Greetings
My grandfather, Andrew Schmidt, was the postmaster of my hometown of Belleville, Illinois. A small community in St. Clair County in Southeastern Illinois, Belleville claimed a population of only about 30,000 residents when my grandfather was responsible for the post office's daily operations.
Family lore says that it was at the post office that he met my grandmother, Marie, and wooed her by reciting the Gettysburg Address by heart. When they traveled together, as my grandparents loved to do, he always picked up a postcard to send to the clerks back home.
In one postcard sent on August 17th, 1928, he wrote, “Greetings from Andy. Home tomorrow.” The front of the postcard was a photograph of another post office, one in Ontario. He addressed it to “P.O. Clerks, Belleville, Illinois.”
Now, 92 years after my grandfather sent that postcard back home to his clerks, the Postal Service is in trouble. I wonder now what he’d think about the plight facing the United States Postal Service.
My family has always taken great pride in the postal service and our ties to it, the great connection it facilitates, carrying mail to every resident of the United States, regardless of income or zip code. It is a crucial part of American democracy. If you care about it, too, here are some things you can do to help the Postal Service right now.
Take the time to think about your community's needs in the coming weeks and where you may be able to step in to meet a need. I hope you’ll also take the time to think about what you need to thrive in the months ahead. Don’t be afraid to ask for the things you need.
Spotlight on Dr. Valerie Dobiesz
This month, I am so pleased to share a little bit about the work of my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Valerie Dobiesz.
Dr. Dobiesz is an emergency medicine physician at the Brigham & Women's Hospital. There, she serves as the Director of Internal Programs at STRATUS Center for Medical Education and Director for the International Fellowship in Clinical Simulation.
Among the many positions she holds, she is co-director and co-creator of Special Deliveries, a national course to improve the clinical skills and knowledge of emergency medicine providers for vaginal deliveries.
Dr. Dobiesz has a long history of working diligently to advance women and those underrepresented in medicine through advocacy, activism, mentoring, and community engagement. She served as Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on the Status of Women at Harvard Medical School, is a founding member and on the leadership council for the Harvard Medical School Women in Emergency Medicine that serves to promote the academic productivity, advancement, promotion, and well-being of women emergency medicine faculty at HMS. She is also the Director of Women's Leadership Initiative in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital.
After completing medical school at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, she completed her residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and her Masters of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
She is a national and international lecturer and is senior co-editor of a Manual of Obstetrical Emergencies and co-editor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. As a co-author, her work can be found in over 60 book chapters and peer-reviewed publications. Additionally, she has worked extensively to develop emergency medicine and conducting needs assessments in several countries around the world.
Dr. Dobiesz's research has proved her to be a great champion of improving maternal health. Her incredible contributions to maternal health include her work as the principal inventor on an autotransfusion device designed to treat critical postpartum hemorrhages in low resource settings.
Among her many honors, most recently, she is the recipient of the Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine's Momentum Award. She was also named the Harvard Emergency Medicine Residency Program's Faculty Mentor of the Year for the past three consecutive years.
Around the Web
The Importance of the Post Office to American Democracy
“The Post has been integral to America since colonial days. Among the first concerted acts of the patriots—like Jefferson and Adams and thousands of others—was that they created underground postal systems to dodge British spies in the 1760s and 1770s. These were called the Committees of Correspondence. And then the patriots created the Constitutional Post in 1774, which became the Post Office Department in 1775, a year before the Declaration. So, it’s really the oldest government agency. The whole idea of a communication system is woven into the DNA of America right from the beginning.”
4 changes doctors have made to better treat Covid-19 patients
“There is a lot that has changed. We’ve made amazing progress,” Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, the chief of the infectious disease division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, told me in a phone interview last week. “Many of us do have the sense that we’ve gotten better at what we’re doing, and we are seeing less mortality, even among older hospitalized patients with COVID-19.”
COVID-19 deaths among Americans 65 and older peaked the week of April 15, when nearly 13,800 people in that age bracket died. In the first week of August, about 2,300 people over 65 died. At the same time, the number of confirmed cases was roughly twice as high as it was in the spring. (Again, these comparisons aren’t perfect, but the difference in death rates is stark.)
The Power of Low-Stakes Productivity
“The solution isn’t practicing ‘self-care’ or slapping on a chia-pudding mask. It’s shifting our focus to small wins. ‘During this extraordinary time, we have to realize that everyone now has an additional part-time job that might be called Citizen of the Covid-19 Pandemic,’ said Teresa Amabile, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and co-author of ‘The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work.’
This COVID-19 citizenry is all about monitoring and safeguarding our health and safety, reviewing the flood of information about the virus, carefully managing our finances, offering emotional support and social contact, and educating and caring for our children while working full-time, among other responsibilities.”
Where to find me
At the end of last month, I was pleased to take part in a panel discussion for the Florida College of Emergency Physicians Symposium by the Sea 2020. Alongside doctors Drs. Dakota Lane, Tracy McIntosh, Innocent Akujuobi, and Yaritza Arriaga, I participated in a panel called "Allyship and Dialogue: Moving on from "What Can I Do?” I was honored to be the Moderator for the Women in Medicine Forum, as well.
On August 20th, I spoke to the Harvard Leadership Seminar on Generations in the Workplace.
On September 16th, I will be speaking at the Florida College of Emergency Physicians Life after Residency program: “It should be about you: Self Care is a requirement.“
On September 24th, I’ll be speaking to the AdventHealth Emergency Medicine Residency in Orlando, Florida.
Interested in having me speak at a virtual event or give a remote presentation? Get in touch!
Stay in touch.
I’d love to know what you’re up to and how you’re doing. Send me an email at hello@tracysansonmd.com or connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.
P.S. Are you ready to vote?
As we approach November 3rd, here’s a comprehensive guide on when and how to vote in each state.
Wishing you a month full of rest and connection,
Tracy