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Supported by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the Passing the Torch program strives to equip faculty with a variety of humanistic skills through experiential learning methods. As one of twelve participating program sites, the UNC School of Medicine is part of a larger cohort of medical institutions working toward helping faculty become better role models. Sites are in the process of evaluating program outcomes and hope to publish their learnings.

The program, active at UNC since 2011, began with Dr. Amy Weil (Internal Medicine) with prior support from Dr. Jennifer Howell (OBGYN) and Dr. Nadia Charguia (Psychiatry).  Currently, the program is led by Dr. Jennifer McEntee (Internal Medicine).


Jennifer McEnteeJennifer McEntee, MD, MPH, MAEd is an Assistant Professor and board certified in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine and Palliative Care and Hospice Medicine. Dr. McEntee is an attending physician in UNC’s adult and palliative care and hospice programs. She is also a hospitalist and is the Associate Chief of Operations at UNC Hillsborough for the hospitalist division. Most recently, Dr. McEntee was elected to the AOE Leadership Council in 2020 for a three-year term.

Dr. McEntee received her medical degree from the University of Oklahoma. She also received her Masters in Public Health in International health from Tulane University School of Public Health and her Masters in Arts in Education from the University of Notre Dame. She received her residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UNC and completed her fellowship in Palliative Care and Hospice Medicine at Duke. She is passionate about medical education and improving access and providing health care to all.


References

Gilligan MC,  Osterberg LG, Rider EA   Derse AR,  Weil AB,  Litzelman DK,  Dunne DW,  Hafler JP,  Plews-Ogan M,  Frankel RM,  Branch WT Jr., Views of institutional leaders on maintaining humanism in today’s practice. Patient Educ Couns. (PMID:31097330)24 Apr 2019DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.04.025

Rider, Elizabeth A, Gilligan, MaryAnn C., Osterberg, Lars G., Litzelman, Debra K., Plews-Ogan, Margaret, Weil, Amy B., Dunne, Dana W. Hafler, Janet Pl, May, Natalie B., Derse, Arthur B. Frankel, Richard M and William T. Branch, Healthcare at the Crossroads: The Need to Shape an Organizational Culture of Humanistic Teaching and Practice J Gen Intern Med 33(7):1092–9 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-018-4470-2

Jones, A, Li, T, Zomorodi, M, Broadhurst, R and Amy Weil. Straddling care and education: Developing interprofessional collaboration through a hotspotting service learning project. Healthcare (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2018.02.001

Dotters-Katz, S., Chuang, A., Weil, A., and J Howell. Developing a pilot curriculum to foster humanism among graduate medical trainees. J Edu Health Promot 2018, 7:2

Branch, William T. Jr, MD,  Frankel, Richard M. PhD, Hafler, Janet P. EdD, Weil, Amy B. MD,  Gilligan, MaryAnn C. MD, MPH, Litzelman, Debra K. MD, Plews-Ogan, Margaret MD, Rider, Elizabeth A. MSW, MD, Osterberg, Lars G. MD, MPH, Dunne, Dana MD, May, Natalie B. PhD, Derse, Arthur R. MD, JD A Multi-Institutional Longitudinal Faculty Development Program in Humanism Supports the Professional Development of Faculty Teachers Academic Medicine: October 03, 2017; DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000001940

Branch Jr., W. T., Weil, A. B., Gilligan, M. C., Litzelman, D. K., Hafler, J. P., Plews-Ogan, M., Frankel, R. M. (2017). How Physicians Draw Satisfaction and Overcome Barriers in their Practices: “It Sustains Me.” Patient Education and Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2017.06.004

Osterberg LG, Swigris R, Weil A, Branch W. Highly Influential Teachers: Recognizing our Unsung Heros. Medical Education MED-2015-0258.R1

Barnhill, J, Kimel-Scott, K, Fisher, J. and Amy B. Weil. Trauma Informed Care: Helping the Healthcare Team Thrive. In: Gerber MR, ed. Trauma-Informed Healthcare Approaches: A Guide for Primary Care. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature; 2019:197-214.

Branch WT. Jr. et al. Supporting the moral development of medical students. J Gen Intern Med. 2000; 15: 505-510

Branch WT Jr, Frankel R, Gracey CF, Haidet PM, Weissmann PF, Cantey P, Mitchell GA, Inui TS. A good clinician and a caring person: longitudinal faculty development and the enhancement of the human dimensions of care. Acad Med 2009; 84: 117-25.

Weissmann PF, Branch, WT Jr., Gracey CF, Haidet P, Frankel RM. Rolemodeling Humanistic Behavior: Learning Bedside Manner from the Experts. Acad Med 2006; 81: 661-67

Gracey CF, Haidet P, Branch WT Jr, Weissmann P, Kern DE, Mitchell G, Frankel R, Inui T. Precepting Humanism: Strategies for Fostering the Human Dimensions of Care in Ambulatory Settings. Acad Med 2005; 80: 21-28.