In the Know Quick Links – Week of March 29, 2021

Timely information to help build community within SMPH:

Resources for everyone

    • Vaccination updates from UW–Madison and UW Health: 
      • All UW–Madison employees, including student employees and employees working both in-person and remotely, are currently eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has announced all individuals ages 16 and older will become eligible for the vaccine on April 5. UW–Madison encourages all employees and eligible students who are interested in vaccination to seek appointments both on and off campus.
      • More contagious variants of COVID-19 are being found around the country and within Wisconsin. The university strongly discourages travel, even for people who are vaccinated. If you must travel, take precautions to reduce your risk.
      • For more details, please read the recent update to employees and students.
      • UW Health information for patients including COVID-19 vaccination scheduling dashboard
      • UW Health (for UW Health and dual UW Health/SMPH employees) summary on U-Connect.
      • Safer Badgers/COVID-19 Testing updates and health/safety information:
        • Enforcement of Badger Badge restrictions related to university building access is in effect. Your Badger Badge must be green (access granted) to be in compliance to enter a campus facility. 
        • Employees and students who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be excused from routine on-campus testing. Your Badger Badge in the Safer Badgers app will remain green/Building Access Granted unless you report symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.
        • Individuals vaccinated by University Health Services will not need to submit proof of vaccination for this exemption. Your badge will turn green automatically and you should receive a message telling you this is due to your vaccination status.
        • If you have been vaccinated elsewhere, you must submit proof of vaccination. Follow these instructions for uploading vaccination records — however, UHS is aware that some people are experiencing difficulty retrieving records from the Wisconsin Immunization Registry and is working with state and local public health agencies to troubleshoot. It can take up to five business days for the record to be reflected in your MyUHS account.
        • Vaccinated individuals must continue to wear face coverings in public and in working and learning environments. This aligns with guidance from the CDC and public health and safety requirements of UW–Madison, the state, and Public Health Madison & Dane County. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe.
        • UW–Madison workplace safety training for spring semester: All employees are expected to complete the COVID-19 Spring Semester Training, available at hr.wisc.edu/covid19/workplace-training.
        • Changes to PPE ordering: SMPH is no longer handling orders of personal protective equipment (PPE). Instead, submit PPE orders to central campus Materials Distribution Services (MDS). There is no cost to units for PPE needed for on-site work. Read more
      • Travel and summer activity updates from campus:
        • A key change to the UW–Madison sponsored travel policy is that employees, graduate and professional students, and undergraduates participating in in-person research or instructional field activities no longer need prior approval for single-day trips using ground transportation outside of Wisconsin. All employee, graduate student, and undergraduate ground travel that includes an overnight stay, regardless of destination, as well as all domestic and international air travel, remains restricted. Read more 
        • Guidance about summer on-campus activities was released. Read more
      • A message from Dean Golden provides more guidelines for in-person events:  
        • A form to request exemptions to campus event policy restrictions on a case-by-case basis is forthcoming. However, exemptions will be rare. In-person SMPH degree program graduate recognition events will not be approved.  
        • In addition, if an in-person event is approved, leaders and supervisors may not require or exert pressure on any SMPH employee or learner to attend or support any in-person event. (Employees can be expected to do remote work related to in-person events.) If a university employee believes they are being pressured to attend an event, they should report the situation to SMPH Employee Relations.
      • Furlough reminder: Employees with furlough time obligations must record that time no later than June 30. An online calculator is available for checking your furlough balance. (Please note that only hours already approved by your supervisor will be reflected; hours that are pending approval will not be included).
      • Payroll schedule and benefits deductions changes coming in 2021: Beginning in April, employees who are currently paid biweekly will have most deductions for benefits split evenly over the first two biweekly paychecks each month. Beginning in July, employees who are paid monthly will be moved to a biweekly pay schedule. See more information here, including about informational forums on May 4, May 13, and May 17. Read more
      • Medical Physics leadership search visits currently underway: Visit the leadership search candidate page for details on Medical Physics candidates. Visits have ended for the Chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, but recordings of the visits are available. Passwords to access video recordings are “Neuroscience2021,” “MedMicroImm2021,” and “MedicalPhysics2021” for each respective search.
      • Executive director of SMPH Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association position now open: The online position profile contains extensive information on this opportunity and a PDF is also available for download. Please consider recommending this opportunity to colleagues in the field of alumni relations and send suggestions to the search committee co-chairs. The application closes April 28. Read more 
      • The SMPH All Staff Forum will occur on April 8 from 10-11:30 a.m. This event is co-hosted by the SMPH University Staff Issues Committee (USIC), SMPH Committee on Academic Staff Issues (CASI), and Hope Broadus, JD, Associate Dean for Human Resources. The session will be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing. Read more
      • The Office of Strategic Consulting will host the 22nd annual Showcase event on April 8. Showcase provides an opportunity for colleagues from across the UW–Madison campus to share best practices, learn from each other’s successes, and connect. The all-day event is free and open to faculty, staff, students, and community members. Register to attend the event here.
      • The Global Health Symposium on April 14 is titled “Fostering Resilience Through Indigenous Wisdom & Scientific Knowledge.” The event, which is co-sponsored by the Native American Center for Health Professions, will bring together a diverse set of speakers, and they hope the UW and community faculty, staff, clinicians and students will submit virtual poster presentations. New this year: A student poster contest with $500 scholarship prizes. Read more
      • The Spring Faculty/Staff meeting will occur on Monday, April 26 at 4:30 p.m. Ring in spring by hearing the latest updates from school leaders and submitting your questions for discussion.
      • Big changes coming soon to MDS/Shop@UW system and other payment processes: In mid-April, MDS/Shop@UW will transition to ShopUW+. Read more
      • Mark your calendars: The next Hot Topics in Public Health Symposium is titled “Climate Change as a Public Health Emergency” and will be held on Wednesday, April 28 at 4-5:30 p.m. Read more and submit a question

      Resources for researchers

      • COVID-19 funding opportunity: A new COVID-19 Response Research and Education Grant Program from the Wisconsin Partnership Program will provide up to $1.2 million to support faculty-led projects to address the state’s ongoing health needs and the long-term impacts of COVID-19. Letters of intent are due April 8Read more and submit a proposal
      • Principal Investigators: The SMPH Office of Research is your information source for funding opportunities. Bookmark these links:
      • Employees working in clinical research, particularly those new to their role, are invited to an Orientation to Research at UW course. This introduction to the research infrastructure at the university will be held on April 7 from 10-11 a.m. via Zoom. Read more and register
      • The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education is taking applications for the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. The deadline for internal review is April 15. The program provides funding to outstanding young investigators working to advance human health. Read more
      • The next Health Equity & Diversity Lunch & Learn Series session titled “Decolonizing Care in Health Equity” will occur noon to 1:00 p.m. on April 22. Register
      • All are invited to attend the 15th Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium. The event will be on April 14. Read more and register
      • Drug development funding opportunity — Submit a project proposal to WARF Therapeutics by April 5. The program collaborates with researchers working on translational research with a validated target and therapeutic disease hypothesis to advance their project closer to clinical testing — a “bench to bedside” approach. Learn more and submit

      Resources for medical educators and clinicians

      • Happy Doctors’ Day on March 30! We appreciate all doctors who have risen to meet the incredible challenges of the past year to care for their patients, community, and each other. All 17 clinical department chairs shared their messages of gratitude in this video. Their common message is simple yet powerful: thank you.
      • Gone for one year but never forgotten: Today we remember Beth Potter, MD, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, and her husband Robin Carre, PhD, who passed away a year ago. Read more in this new memorial, which includes news of a meeting room being named after Potter at Wingra Clinic. Also, the department invites all to participate in a virtual 5k run/walk in the couple’s honor.  
      • Faculty physicians: take action now to fulfill maintenance of certification (MOC) requirements by the end of the year. Earn MOC Part 4 credit for quality improvement work you’ve completed related to COVID-19 or other topics. Get started today by responding to this intake form, and direct questions to Cathy Means. The following courses are approved for MOC part 2 credit:
      • Faculty physicians: this year’s U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals and Specialties” annual survey will be conducted soon through Doximity. Watch for your survey invitation from Doximity in late February through March 2021, and cast your vote for UW Health clinical specialty programs. A high reputational score can make a difference in rankings. Our academic medical center is usually a high performer in the data-driven categories, so if we turn out our vote, we can make a difference in the outcome.
      • Save the Date: SMPH Medical Education Day will occur on May 27, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. as a virtual event featuring keynote speaker Cynthia Nebel, PhD, of Vanderbilt University. The event is open to all SMPH faculty and staff and will feature professional development opportunities, engaging workshops and oral presentation sessions that highlight education initiatives and innovation. Registration and agenda will be announced in mid-April. Read more

      Upcoming Events: Anti-Racism and/or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

      • In addition to original research, brief reports, and editorial content focusing on the impact of race and racism on health, the latest issue of the Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ) features artwork submitted by 10 artists, including four SMPH faculty and staff members. View paintings, photography, and digital design submitted by Lisa Lathrop, Ryan McAdams, MD, S.V. Medaris, and Elizabeth Petty, MD, in the online gallery. Access the entire issue here
      • The 7th Annual Minority Health Month event from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute called “Breaking the Silence: Addressing Dementia in Communities of Color” is being held virtually on Thursday, April 15 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Hosted by the institute’s Regional Milwaukee Office, the event will feature a keynote by Jonathan D. Jackson, PhD, founder and executive director of the Community Access, Recruitment, and Engagement Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required. Learn more and register 
      • SMPH Spring 2021 Initiative: Advance Health by Acting Against Racism. A new webpage for this initiative serves as the one-stop-shop for our anti-racism events this spring, as well as others on campus and resources for further learning.
      • Reflecting on work/life matters in dual-MD households: All are welcome to join a talk by Dr. Yolanda Becker, professor of surgery at University of Chicago Medicine, on Tuesday April 6 at noon-1 p.m. in connection with her virtual visit to SMPH as the 2021 AOA Dr. David de Harter and Diane de Harter Visiting Professor. Dr. Becker will present a talk titled “A jigsaw puzzle without the side pieces: Thoughts about piecing together two careers in dual-physician households,” followed by a Q&A session. The event is hosted by the SMPH Group on Women in Medicine & Science (GWIMS). Read more and submit a question
      • Save the date for the SMPH Diversity Summit on April 20 from 4-6:30 p.m. The virtual event will feature keynote speaker Elena V. Rios, MD, MSPH, FACP, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association and President of the National Hispanic Health Foundation. Registration is now open and all are encouraged to submit a question for the Q&A discussion. The event is co-sponsored by SMPH and UW Health and part of the SMPH Spring 2021 Initiative: Advance Health by Acting Against Racism.
      • The next Health Equity & Diversity Lunch & Learn Series session titled “Decolonizing Care in Health Equity” will occur noon to 1:00 p.m. on April 22. Register
      • The Building Community/Ebling Library Book & Film Discussion Club has scheduled discussions on two books: Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code  (originally scheduled for March 24, but since postponed) and Money, Marriage, and Madness: The Life of Anna Ott on Wednesday, April 21 at noon. To register for these discussions and to get access to an electronic version of the either book, please visit the Book & Film Discussion Club website. Participants need not read the entire book to join in on the discussions.
      • Health reporting undergraduate internship: In a new partnership, the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (Wisconsin ADRC) has agreed to fund an eight-week, full-time summer internship to cover important issues around health, wellness, health equity, aging and more health-related topics for Madison365, the state’s leading online news outlet for communities of color. Read more