Bush Foundation Awards Medical Fellowships to Minnesota Physicians

The Bush Foundation, St. Paul, has awarded its 2004 Bush Medical Fellowships to 13 physicians, including ten in the Twin Cities, two in Greater Minnesota and one in Wisconsin. Those selected include a doctor who wants to reform the residency training system for physicians and another who plans to study forensic medicine to help the living victims of assault. Several recipients plan to study and incorporate the medical traditions of other cultures into their practice and two will study ways to improve how physicians relieve patients’ physical discomfort and care for the dying.

The annual fellowships provide the opportunity for physicians to spend from three to 12 months learning new clinical and leadership skills. The fellowship pays a stipend, travel and educational expenses for completion of a plan of study. Medical fellows are chosen because their new skills will help fill an important medical need in the community.

Recipients of the 2004 Bush Medical Fellowships are:

• Dr. Joseph Amberg, St. Paul, a specialist in internal medicine and palliative medicine, will use his fellowship to gain additional skills and knowledge in the care of patients with advanced disease or chronic illness and will establish himself as a leader among the growing group of palliative care specialists in this area.
     
• Dr. Mary Carr, Woodbury, a specialist in emergency medicine, will train at the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office to learn to collect forensic evidence for legal purposes to assist the living victims of assault.
     
• Dr. William Dikel, St. Louis Park, a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry, will study school mental health practices with a focus on early intervention approaches for inner-city and minority students.
      
• Dr. Joel Furda, Rhinelander, Wis., a specialist in internal medicine, will use his fellowship to develop additional skills in cardiology to better serve the large elderly population in his community.
      
• Dr. Carol Grabowski, Minnetonka, a radiation oncologist, will use her fellowship to study palliative care and hospice medicine and to pursue enhanced leadership and teaching skills.
     
• Dr. Rosa Marroquin, Golden Valley, a specialist in family practice, will use her fellowship to return to her cultural roots through a study of the influence of cultural and spiritual beliefs on the delivery of health care in the Latino community.
      
• Dr. Michael McCarthy, Arlington, Minn., a specialist in family practice, will use his fellowship to gain increased knowledge in the field of chemical dependency and become certified in addiction medicine.
      
• Dr. Carl Patow, Eden Prairie, a medical educator with HealthPartners, will use his fellowship to acquire the knowledge, leadership skills and policy expertise to pioneer the reform of post-graduate physicians (residents) in Minnesota. Patow’s specialty is otolaryngology.
      
• Dr. John Pryor, Minnetonka, will use his fellowship to complete an executive MBA degree to develop budgeting, management and policy skills to improve medical education by focusing on systems and communications between the University of Minnesota and the Fairview health system. Pryor is a specialist in urology.
     
• Dr. Paul Seel, North Oaks, a nephrologist, will study ways to improve the management of chronic diseases, especially chronic kidney disease.
     
• Dr. Donald Starzinski, Brainerd, is a neurologist and psychiatrist who will study traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, Tai Chi and herbal medicine so that it can be incorporated into the treatment of patients at the Minnesota State Hospital in Brainerd.
     
• Dr. Deborah Waldron, Hopkins, is a pediatrician who will use her fellowship to acquire the knowledge and skills to administer public health programs that promote and preserve the health and wellness of urban American Indian children and their families.
      
• Dr. Mary Wilkins, a family practice specialist in Golden Valley, will use her fellowship to develop expertise in adolescent mental health to provide improved access to students needing help. She will advocate in the community for better adolescent mental health services and deepen the commitment of family practice physicians to provide community-based mental health services.

The Bush Foundation established the Bush Medical Fellows program in 1979 to enhance community health in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and northwestern Wisconsin through the professional and personal development of selected physician leaders. Each year up to 15 physicians receive the fellowships, which enable them to take a leave of absence from their practices to pursue personal and professional goals that address the health needs of their communities. Their programs are self-designed and -monitored. More than 225 physicians and their communities have benefited from this program over the years. For more information about the program, visit the Bush Foundation’s Web site.

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