SMPH Intranet
For the School of Medicine and Public Health Community

In the Know Quick Links – Week of May 2, 2022

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For everyone    For researchers    For medical educators and clinicians

Anti-racism and/or diversity, equity and inclusion

Resources for everyone

COVID-19 operational updates:

  • Mask updates in SMPH: Effective March 12, masks are no longer required in most campus spaces, including many in SMPH. However, masks are still required in some areas of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR), such as its entrance, central elevators, basement, and patient imaging areas, due to patient care occurring in these spaces. Masks are also still required inside the Clinical Teaching and Assessment Center on the third floor of the Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC) to enable clinical simulation learning scenarios for health professions students. Pay attention to signage to know if a mask is still required in a specific area. See this map’s highlighted areas to know where to wear a mask in WIMR and HSLC.
    • Be respectful of individual choices about mask wearing. As a school of medicine and public health, we join the Chancellor in encouraging those who want to continue to wear masks to do so.
    • See this latest Q&A from campus on the mask policy changes.
    • When you work or learn in a health care setting, follow the requirements of that health system. When in UW Health facilities, the VA Medical Center, or engaged in patient care or clinical learning in our statewide campus locations, follow the requirements in that setting. See this mask guidance update sent to UW Health employees on March 4.
    • Questions about mask use in SMPH can be directed to smphcovid19@med.wisc.edu.
  • Workspace personal protective equipment (PPE): Order items like face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, mask fitters, or face shields from the MDS warehouse through ShopUW+ (available at no cost to campus units until existing inventory is distributed). Contact your department fiscal specialist for help. For questions on accessing ShopUW+, contact your department fiscal representative or the Dean’s Office transaction team.
  • A cart with PPE is in the HSLC atrium near room 1335 (see photo). Employees are welcome to take supplies for their unit. Hand sanitizer dispensers are present in all common areas and building entrances.
  • UW Health COVID-19 requirements, announcements, and alerts for employees and affiliate individuals are available on U-Connect (requires UW Health login or VPN to access). Read more

Non-COVID policy, procedure, guidance, and operational news:

  • Policy released: SMPH Policy 4070, Influenza Vaccination, details the school’s requirement for all employees and students to either receive an annual vaccine or provide a waiver by a deadline established at the beginning of the flu vaccine season. While the influenza vaccination requirement is longstanding, this SMPH policy brings into one document important information about how it relates to employees and learners. Read the policy
  • SMPH policies have a new digital home: In January 2021, the UW–Madison Policy Library launched as a repository for nearly 900 policies that are university-wide in scope, bringing policies together in one place so users can quickly locate the most accurate, up-to-date version of a policy. It now also houses the 36 official policies of the School of Medicine and Public Health. Read more
  • Wisconsin Medicine launches “The Future Needs Us Now” campaign: Wisconsin Medicine is the philanthropic partnership between SMPH and UW Health. Together, we are embarking on an ambitious, comprehensive philanthropic campaign to raise $500 million from 100,000 donors by the end of 2025. The campaign is launching publicly on May 2, with the chance to learn more and take advantage of a generous dollar-for-dollar match opportunity. Read more
  • UW Health cybersecurity update for Citrix users: Starting in late January and into February, multi-factor authentication (MFA) became required for UW Health Citrix users from additional locations outside the UW Health network, including SMPH and all of the UW–Madison campus. Read more
  • Important IT update for those who log in to the UW Health network: If your work duties require logging into the UW Health network using UW Health-issued credentials, new password requirements are coming May 4. The UW Health password length requirement will change from 8 to 16 characters. UW–Madison NetID passwords are not affected by this change. Read more
  • Important IT update for those who log in to the UW Health network: To help protect UW Health and its staff against cyberattacks, UW Health will block access to personal email systems that are not owned by UW Health or UW-Madison, effective May 18. This applies to the UW Health internal network only, not the SMPH network. UW Health staff will be able to connect a personal device to UW Health’s Free Wi-Fi or use their cellular internet service to access non-work-related email. Read more

Gathering, giving, and connecting:

  • Faculty/Staff Spring Meeting recap: The presentation and video recording of last Wednesday’s meeting are now available. Save the date for the Faculty/Staff Fall Meeting on Monday, Oct. 24.
  • The results from the SMPH Community Pulse survey are being analyzed and released. Continue checking this page as more are announced and shared with the SMPH community. The results will help chart future workplace climate improvement and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the school.

Leadership searches:

  • Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Chair of Neuroscience: A profile of the opportunity is available, including a downloadable PDF. Please consider recommending this opportunity to qualified colleagues and sending in nominations. To receive full consideration, applications should be submitted by May 15. Read more
  • Candidate visits for the next Chair of the Department of Pediatrics are currently taking place from April through early May. See the Leadership Search page for information on the candidate academic presentations and town halls.

Resources for researchers

  • Funding available for maternal and child health projects: The Wisconsin Partnership Program is accepting applications from Community Lead Organizations for its Strengthening Community Solutions to Improve Maternal and Infant Health funding opportunity. Grant awards will be for a maximum of $150,000 for up to two years. Apply by May 9. Read more
  • The UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and All of Us-UW offer vouchers to researchers for the All of Us Research Workbench: The Workbench includes genomic results, surveys, demographic data, and electronic health records from almost 100,000 participants. This is a great opportunity for those interested in discovering disease-related patterns in a population that mirrors the diversity of the United States. Learn more about the voucher program and how to apply. Note that funds must be expended by June 30, 2022.
  • National Academy of Medicine (NAM) seeks nominations for its new Fellowship to Advance State Health Policy: The fellowship aims to provide talented, early-career health science scholars from Wisconsin with the opportunity to experience and participate in evidence-based health care or public health studies that improve the care and access to care of patients in domestic and global health care systems. The nomination deadline is June 1. Learn more
  • New recommended training for those working in laboratory environments: A new training from UW Environment, Health & Safety specifically for SMPH can help orient or refresh lab members on how we approach safety on our campus and school regarding facilities, operations, and personnel. The training is recommended for anyone working in a lab environment, including research staff, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates. Find the training here 
  • In-person high school student summer research: Beginning June 15, high school students may engage in in-person research internships or summer research projects involving SMPH investigators or investigators from other schools and colleges who are working in facilities managed by SMPH. The school will continue to monitor data and projections on COVID-19 cases on campus and in the community and announce changes if necessary.
  • Principal Investigators: The SMPH Office of Research is your information source for funding opportunities. Bookmark these links:

Resources for medical educators and clinicians

  • Register for Medical Education Day, which will be on Thursday, May 19 at 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Health Sciences Learning Center: The event will feature Ana Núñez, MD, professor of general internal medicine and vice dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Minnesota, and explore challenges and opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical education. It will also feature the Dean’s Teaching Awards and Research Mentorship Award, a poster session, and small group workshop sessions on teaching and learning. This event is free and open to all SMPH faculty and staff. Register by Thursday, May 12
  • The Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ) seeks candidates for its next Editor-in-Chief: The editor will succeed Sarina Schrager, MD, MS, who has been appointed editor-in-chief of Family Medicine, the official journal of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. WMJ is an indexed, peer-reviewed journal published through a collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. To learn more about candidate qualifications and the application process, visit the WMJ website. Apply by May 13.
  • Announcement for users who access the UW Health U-Learn application: If your work duties require you to access the UW Health U-Learn application, UW Health will be enabling multi-factor authentication for this application on April 21, 2022, at 5 p.m. If you have not done so, make sure you enroll in the UW Health Wisconsin MFA service to avoid access issues. Read more
  • National Academy of Medicine (NAM) seeks nominations for its new Fellowship to Advance State Health Policy: The fellowship aims to provide talented, early-career health science scholars from Wisconsin with the opportunity to experience and participate in evidence-based health care or public health studies that improve the care and access to care of patients in domestic and global health care systems. The nomination deadline is June 1. Learn more
  • The Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ) published five new papers online recently including research by SMPH faculty and learners that examines genetic providers’ perspectives on the utility and effectiveness of telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. WMJ is a peer-reviewed, indexed journal owned jointly by SMPH and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Read more and subscribe here

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

  • National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons is May 5: Community partners of the school’s Native American Center for Health Professions are putting on an event on Thursday, May 5 from noon-2 p.m. at the Wisconsin State Capitol. View the flyer
  • Office of Diversity and Equity Transformation launches Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at SMPH: ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with organizational mission, values, goals, business practices, and objectives. ERGs do this by focusing on the experience and perspectives of people of a particular race, ethnic or cultural background, gender, gender identity, religion, age cohort, sexual orientation, history of disabilities, military services, or similar parameters. This program, which has been operating successfully at UW Health for two years, is now open to SMPH employees. Learn more
  • Inclusion of learners with disabilities: In a commentary published in Academic Medicine, Dean Robert N. Golden, MD, and Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Elizabeth Petty, MD, urge medical schools to provide inclusive education for learners with physical and sensory disabilities. Read more
  • Looking for insights on inclusive language? Read the SMPH Presenter’s Guide. Originally written by a group of medical students in fall 2019, it is reviewed annually, revised as needed, and has been endorsed by the Building Community Steering Committee. The Presenter’s Guide gives examples of how to talk about underrepresented identities in medicine. Read the guide
  • New resources added to the Racial Equity Tools collection: Racial Equity Tools is a website designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. It offers resources, research, tips, curricula, and ideas for people who want to increase their understanding and to aid those working for racial justice in systems, organizations, communities, and society at large. Search the collection and see the expanded RET Glossary.
  • Treaties: How we come to be where we are: View the recording with Ho-Chunk Nation’s leading legal experts about treaties and how our ongoing nation-to-nation agreements with the Ho-Chunk Nation are fundamental to daily life here at Teejop (day-JOPE), the place currently known as Madison, Wisconsin. Watch the video and read more