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InSight
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Student-Run Free Clinic Offers
Students Training, Life Lessons
On a recent Saturday at the Student-Run Free Clinic, Josie
Volovetz (’19) learned that the patient for which she was
caring had been beaten unconscious at a party not long before.
Although the woman hadn’t come to the clinic for issues
related to that incident, Josie felt compelled to dig deeper.
“I learned a lot of skills from working with the social work
students at the clinic,” says Josie, who has spent nearly a year
at the clinic as both a clinician and a case manager.
As snippets of the story were uncovered — and based on some
of the comments the patient made — Josie suspected the
patient was suffering from psychological trauma and referred
her to a counselor.
Often this is the case. Patients come to the clinic for a specific
issue, and an unaddressed concern, such as a psychological
issue or domestic violence, is uncovered. In those cases, the
students help educate patients and make referrals.
Students vie for limited spots
The Student-Run Free Clinic was founded and is operated by
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine students.
Students from CCLCM and other Case schools, including
nursing and social work, volunteer at the clinic, which is held
every other Saturday. The student spots are highly competitive.
Most students have the chance to volunteer at the clinic for
only one, maybe two semesters.
The clinic is located inside the Free Medical Clinic of Greater
Cleveland and offers free care for acute issues to anyone who
needs it. Most patients come to the clinic for physical exams
for work or school.
A clinic patient is first seen by an interdisciplinary team of
students who conduct an interview and take vital signs. Next,
the patient is moved to an exam room and seen by a junior or
senior student clinician. After the exam, the student clinician
presents the findings to the attending physician, who generally
is an internal medicine or family practice physician from
Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals or MetroHealth Medical
Center. With the exception of a few staff members, everyone at
the clinic is a volunteer.
January 2016
Senior students do double duty
Stuart Zeltzer (’16), who began volunteering at the clinic as a senior clinician, is
responsible not only for patient care, but also for teaching and mentoring the junior
students. “As a senior, I’m responsible for knowing what the younger students need
to learn. We’re trained in how to establish learning goals and engage in feedback
and assessment — much the way we are learning in medical school.”
For Stuart, serving as a senior clinician gives him the opportunity to take more
responsibility with patients as well, such as creating a care plan patients can
agree to. “We try to take as much responsibility with patients as possible, even
when a situation becomes challenging. You don’t want to push a problem onto the
attending,” says Stuart.
Patients offer life lessons
Providing healthcare to patients who may not otherwise receive it is the most
rewarding part of the experience for Bob Sun (’19). He recently cared for a
patient who came in for a physical, sporting one arm in a sling and another arm
bandaged. When Bob inquired, he learned the patient had been shot a few weeks
back during a fight.
“It’s one thing to learn about racial, social and economic disparities in the
classroom. It’s another thing altogether to be able to speak to those who are living
it — to listen to the lived experiences of the marginalized and underserved,”
says Bob.
Students help fund the clinic
The Student-Run Free Clinic complements the care provided at the Free Clinic
during the week and essentially expands access for patients. Because nearly all the
clinicians who man the clinic on Saturdays are volunteers, the cost to open those
two extra days every month is nominal.
Still, the students try to cover all the costs of operating their clinic, mainly through
their annual benefit show called Doc Opera. Each year, Case and CCLCM students
donate the proceeds from the show to both the Free Clinic and the Student-Run
Free Clinic. Over the years, the students have raised thousands of dollars to benefit
the clinics. This year, the show will be celebrating its 32nd anniversary.
More than a place for underserved community members to receive free healthcare,
the Student-Run Free Clinic allows students from various disciplines to forge
collaborative relationships and work together to care for patients, just like in the
“real world.” Students also gain crucial wisdom, ranging from clinical care to
communication, and have an opportunity to test and refine their teaching skills.
Perhaps most important, the students connect with people in the community,
sometimes making an impact greater than they had imagined, and other times
recognizing that they themselves are the ones who have been changed.
View a short video on the Student-run Free Clinic.
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
InSight | 2
NEWS
How Does CCLCM Rate?
Most Faculty Feel a Sense of Pride in the CCLCM Program
During late summer, 505 members of the professional staff
who participated in teaching or assessment activities were
surveyed using a web-based evaluation system to discover
their perceptions about the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College
of Medicine. More than 60 percent of the group (310
members) responded to the survey.
The selection criteria for respondents included active
participation during the 2014-15 curriculum year in one or
more of these areas:
•Preceptors, small group facilitators, seminar/journal
club facilitators, thesis committee members or
physician advisors.
•Course directors, thread leaders, PBL case writers,
CAPP graders, OSCE raters or CCLCM administrators.
•Members of the Basic Core Committees, Basic Science
Education Committee, Clinical Education Committee,
Curriculum Steering Council, Foundations of Clinical
Medicine Committee, Medical Student Promotion and
Review Committee or Research Education Committee.
There were many positive takeaways from the survey.
Nearly all respondents believe the CCLCM program
enhances the reputation of Cleveland Clinic, and 93
percent of respondents said they enjoy teaching medical
students and have a sense of pride in the CCLCM program.
“CCLCM is a great medical school. I am excited to serve
another year with CCLCM,” said one faculty member.
Some key findings from this survey include:
•95 percent of faculty agreed that the CCLCM program
enhanced the Cleveland Clinic’s overall reputation.
•Faculty indicated they were intellectually stimulated
by their CCLCM work (92 percent) and contributed to
implementation of CCLCM program (70 percent).
•83 percent indicated that they improved their ability to
give trainees targeted, constructive feedback.
•81 percent of respondents indicated their department
chairs valued their CCLCM activities.
•74 percent of respondents indicated that they hold a
faculty appointment, the second highest amount over
the previous six years.
•74 percent of respondents think the CCLCM program
helps to attract “academic” staff recruits and
residents/fellows.
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
•The majority of faculty surveyed planned to maintain
(71 percent) or increase (19 percent) their involvement
with the CCLCM program next year.
•64 percent agreed that CCLCM appropriately recognized
faculty for their contributions to the CCLCM program
— an 11-percentage point decrease compared to the
2013 faculty survey.
•The 61 percent response rate in 2015 exceeded the
rate obtained for the 2013 survey by 20 percent.
•52 percent of respondents indicated more formal
communication is needed about the CCLCM program.
•Faculty reported having significant (29 percent),
moderate (41 percent), or minimal (29 percent)
involvement with the CCLCM program during the
past year.
Faculty offered numerous positive comments regarding
the CCLCM program, many of which centered on the
students.
“One of the great privileges of my life has been my
association with the CCLCM.”
“I very much enjoy my participation in the CCLCM
program. I find it very challenging and rewarding.”
“The school is a trust asset to Cleveland Clinic and
working with these students is a true pleasure.”
“It is a great program and I always felt proud to
describe our program to my fellow scientists at other
universities.”
Evaluation Manager Michaela Stiber organized the survey
and Senior Evaluation Manager Jeffrey Shivak, MEd,
reported the findings.
We appreciate receiving feedback from our faculty about
the CCLCM program. This input helps us improve the
educational program and monitor important institutional
outcomes. A full copy of the report is available to anyone
wishing to view it. Please contact Director of Evaluation
Beth Bierer, PhD, or Evaluation Managers Jeffrey Shivak,
MEd, or Michaela Stiber with your request.
InSight | 3
Get Engaged!
If you are a young professional (between the ages of 21 and 40) in Cleveland, consider
getting involved in Engage! Cleveland (E!C). This new organization helps young
professionals connect to various organizations, nonprofits, events, businesses and others to
help them become better integrated into the city.
E!C is not a membership organization; they invite all young professionals to come out and
get engaged as they please. The group hosts many events throughout the year including
those involving the arts, sports and culture.
A few upcoming events include a Tasting & Tour Event at Hofbrauhaus, Cleveland Cavaliers
game and the 3rd Annual Cleveland Young Professionals Week.
View a full calendar of events and learn how you can get involved!
CCLCM Faculty: Three Questions
Leonard Calabrese, DO
Director, Foundations of Clinical Medicine Seminars 3 and 4/5
Q: What inspires you to teach?
I love doing this because I learn so much! Teaching, especially
humanities, has given me an opportunity to cultivate my own reflective
practices. Also, I can tell you how much I have learned from hearing
the stories of life and medicine from the students and my colleagues.
Q: What’s one lesson you wish you would have learned in college/
medical school?
Wow, hard question. I feel so lucky and feel so much younger now
than I did 10 or 20 years ago (at least intellectually but also in terms
of my Real Age, with credit to Dr. Mike Roizen). If I try to analyze why,
I think that I have come to learn that less is more, that faster is not
always better and that simplicity in life is energizing. I hope I can keep
it up.
Q: If I weren’t a physician at Cleveland Clinic and a faculty member at
CCLCM, I would be ….
Can’t answer this question. I was born to do this.
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
InSight | 4
ACCOLADES
Faculty Members Work Toward Becoming Exceptional Educators
Distinguished Educator Level I Certificate
The following faculty members have completed all the requirements for the Distinguished
Educator Level I Certificate Program during the program year ending December 2015.
These faculty participated in “Essentials Program for Health Professions Educators”
sessions on teaching, learning and assessment; completed a pre- and post-observation
reflection; and participated in an observed educational session with feedback:
Jeffrey Brown, DO
Do Gyun Kim, MD
Darlene Lobel, MD
Vinni Makin, MD
Jinesh Patel, MD
Marina Perez-Fournier, MD
Jane Wey, MD
Distinguished Educator Level II Certificate
This program is designed for professional staff who have already obtained the DE Level
1 Certificate and wish to build on that experience by designing and implementing a
scholarly project. The DE II certificate is awarded after successful completion of a four- to
six-month mentored project, which can include creating an educational research proposal;
developing and implementing a needs assessment; reviewing scholarly literature on a
topic of interest; and developing a scholarly paper or book chapter. Congratulations to:
Renato Samala, MD
REALL Resident Development Award
The REALL Resident Development Award is presented to faculty who have participated
in the Resident Educator And Life-long Learner (REALL) Program and implemented
at least three REALL modules for their residency programs. These modules instruct
residents on key aspects of being teachers and life-long learners. Topics that are reviewed
include Giving Feedback, Observation Skills, Clinical Teaching and Self Regulation.
Congratulations to this year’s awardee:
Rita Pappas, MD
Please congratulate these physicians for their dedication toward becoming exceptional
educators. Learn more about faculty development opportunities.
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
InSight | 5
ROUND UP
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Foot
A group of CCLCM students and faculty went to the Ravens
v. Browns game on Nov. 30. Even though the Browns lost –
but by only six points! – the group enjoyed the mild weather,
camaraderie and cheering for the home team.
From left: Jacob Christ (’18), Vishnu Ganesan (’17), Michael Tee (’17),
Anne Runkle (’17), Clare Landefeld (’18), James Young, MD,
Kathryn Lavelle, PhD, Jessica Ray (’17) and Christopher Loftus (’16).
Back row: Thomas Hurst (’16), Fabrizio Galimberti (’16), Marina Li (’16),
Aaron McBride (’19), Albert Feeny (’20), James Young, MD, and
Brett Graham (’20).
Front row: Michael Tee (’17), Vishnu Ganesan (’17), Elizabeth Shay (’20),
Kika Clore-Gronenborn (’20) and Caroline Franke (’20).
Back row: Clare Landefeld (’18), James Young, MD, Rebecca Achey (’18),
Jacob Christ (’18), Daniel Li (’18) and Anna Faris (’19).
Front row: Christopher Loftus (’16), Rachel Baird (’19), Bob Sun (’19)
and Alex Chaitoff (’19).
A group of medical students from the class of 2020 and
CCLCM faculty tried to stay focused on metabolic liver
diseases, but it was game day for Ohio State v. Michigan
State, and football fever had already taken hold.
Showing off school colors.
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
From left, Janet Adegboye, Anthony Tavill, MD, Bret Lashner, MD,
Stella Bell, Rob Borden, Nikhil Gupta, Kaitlin Keenan and Anne Kim.
InSight | 6
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni Match to Prestigious Programs
Two alumni return to Cleveland Clinic
We’re delighted to report that several of our CCLCM alumni have matched to prestigious training
programs around the country, and two are returning to Cleveland Clinic to train in cardiology.
George Cater, MD (’13)
matched to the University of
Pittsburgh for cardiology.
Robert Koeth, MD (’12)
matched to Cleveland Clinic for
cardiology.
Jake Decker, MD (‘13) will
be the primary care chief
medical resident at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center in
Boston for 2016-17.
Preethi Mani, MD (’13)
matched to Cleveland Clinic
for cardiology. Dr. Mani is
excited to be returning to
Cleveland Clinic to strengthen
the relationships she built
as a medical student and to
hopefully give back to CCLCM,
she says.
Peter Hanna, MD (’13)
matched to the University
of California, Los Angeles
for cardiology. He writes
that he matched into the
UCLA Specialty Training and
Advanced Research (STAR)
program and is hoping to
pursue a PhD in genetics.
He has been impressed by
and learned a lot from his
co-residents and the faculty
at University of California,
San Francisco. “I remain very
thankful for the opportunity to
have trained at CCLCM and
believe I was well-prepared for
residency,” he says.
Dennis Hsu, MD (‘13)
matched to Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center for
hematology/oncology.
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Brian Nolan, MD (‘13)
matched in pediatric
rheumatology at Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia, his
top-ranked program. “None
of this would be possible
without having been granted
the opportunity to learn and
grow at CCLCM, and I’m
overwhelmed at the debt of
gratitude I have towards the
faculty and my colleagues. I
look back with only the fondest
of memories, and somewhat
in awe, still, at how my
education was prioritized and
personalized in my time at
CCLCM,” he says.
InSight | 7
ALUMNI UPDATE
Alumnus Touts Benefits of Plant-based Lifestyle
CCLCM alumnus Sara Lappé MD, MS (’09), recently
published “Why Cutting Back on Red Meat Is Good for
You – and Your Kids” on U.S. News Health, touting the
numerous health benefits of a adopting a plant-based
lifestyle.
Following her pediatric residency at Duke University
Children’s Hospital, Dr. Lappé joined Cleveland Clinic,
where she serves as the medical director of the Be Well
Kids Clinic, a weight management clinic at Cleveland
Clinic Children’s. She and her husband, Jason (’09), a
cardiology fellow at Cleveland Clinic, have two daughters.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
March 3, 2016
Annual Education Retreat
CWRU, Tinkham Veale Center
March 21-24, 2016
OSCEs for Year Twos
Alumni: Share Your News
We’d like to hear about what you’ve been doing
since graduation. If you have news to share
(maybe you’re involved in an interesting research
project or you recently returned from a global
health mission), please email Laura Greenwald at
greenwl@ccf.org.
Laura R. Greenwald, MBA, Managing Editor
Kathryn Eurich, Writer
Thomas A. Fenn, Art Director
© Cleveland Clinic Foundation 2016
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
InSight | 8