ME in US medical school curricula

I didnt see a thread on this but if one exists, could this be merged in?

A US medical school, Quinnipiac Medical School, has announced the creation of an endowed chair in family medicine as a result of a donation from a person with ME. As part of his role, the chair intends to bring focus and awareness to ME, including by establishing it in the medical school curricula.

An article is here and the full press release is below

This medical school is in Connecticut, not far from Jackson Labs.

Press Release
Subject: Dr. Howard Selinger appointed Carol L. and Gustave Sirot Endowed Chair of Family Medicine at Quinnipiac University

For immediate release

Caption: Dr. Howard Selinger. Photo by Autumn Driscoll of Quinnipiac University

Dr. Howard Selinger appointed Carol L. and Gustave Sirot Endowed Chair of Family Medicine at Quinnipiac University

North Haven, Connecticut – Dec. 11, 2018 – Dr. Howard Selinger has been appointed the Carol L. and Gustave Sirot Endowed Chair of Family Medicine at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, according to an announcement made today by Dr. Bruce Koeppen, dean of the medical school.

“The School of Medicine is dedicated to training physicians who will treat the entire person,” Koeppen said. “Therefore, I can think of no one more deserving than Dr. Selinger to hold the Carol L. and Gustave Sirot Endowed Chair in Family Medicine. Throughout his career, Dr. Selinger has been a leader and advocate for family medicine. This endowed chair not only recognizes his many accomplishments, but also his vision for primary care and especially family medicine.”

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is a complicated and often misunderstood disorder characterized by a substantial impairment in functioning, a worsening of symptoms following previously tolerated mental or physical activities and extreme fatigue. As chair, Selinger said he is committed to raising awareness and educating Quinnipiac medical students about the treatment of the disorder. He believes the Netter school will become the first to incorporate such formal clinical training into its curriculum.

“True to Carol and Gustave Sirot's vision, we will bring acknowledgement and validation to the many, many patients who suffer in the shadows, isolated from the living and breathing world, with ME/CFS,” Selinger said.

Most often, ME/CFS completely interrupts daily living; in fact, 25 percent of sufferers end up bedridden at some point. Usually, a number of other symptoms are present, including cognitive impairment, dizziness when upright, chronic pain and extreme sleep disturbances.

Carol Sirot knows firsthand how debilitating ME/CFS can be. “Of the 20 or so common complaints, I have all of them but one,” she said. “This illness has a profound effect on your life. So, in recent years I decided that I was going to make it part of my legacy to help other people who suffer with it, too.”

Funds from a generous gift she made to Quinnipiac in 2016 are being used to raise awareness and understanding of ME/CFS among Quinnipiac students, the public and medical professionals and to focus on improving both diagnosis and treatment. She also hopes the illness eventually will get more respect.

For many years, much of the medical establishment dismissed ME/CFS as being psychologically based — or all in a patient’s head.

Selinger said he believes that perception has affected the amount of funding allocated to research ME/CFS, which is believed to affect an estimated 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans, according to the Institute of Medicine. Other diseases, including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and end-stage renal disease, affect fewer people, but attract more research dollars.

“All of the aforementioned diseases are included in medical education curriculum in various forms,” Selinger said. “The lack of curriculum exposure in medical school and clinical exposure in residency programs and teaching hospitals have most likely contributed to the misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment of ME/CFS. At the Netter School, we plan to change this by creating a new curriculum for our medical school students.”

About the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
The medical school, which opened in 2013, develops physicians to become integral members of patient-centered health care teams, working closely with other health professionals to provide comprehensive care. The faculty members and administrators are renowned educators, scholars and experts in their respective medical specialties. The school’s curriculum, which includes clinical experience and research opportunities, is taught by faculty members who strive to provide a solid foundation in medical sciences. The medical school is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The school is also authorized by the state of Connecticut to award the MD degree. The school is a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Clinical affiliations include St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport and Trinity Health-New England, Inc., as well as many other hospitals. The school is named for Dr. Frank H. Netter, a world-renowned medical illustrator whose drawings and atlases have educated medical students for decades. For more information, please visit qu.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook at www.facebook.com/QuinnipiacUNews and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1074364181523116032

 

It sounds a good thing but I am a bit wary of the comment:

Sirot’s gift supports the development of case studies where students work in interprofessional teams to diagnose and treat CFS. “This makes sense because athletic trainers, occupational therapists, physical therapists and social workers are the ones who will be working with the patients in the community, in their home and at their work, to help them learn to live successfully with this diagnosis,”...

What are athletic trainers doing here? GET? How do you 'help patients to learn' how to live successfully when nobody knows how to do that better than the patients? I hope there is some realism involved.

 

My initial interpretation, pending further information, is that this could be anywhere from good to disastrous. It all depends on the details.

 

I appreciate the concern, especially with the athletic trainers comment. But I've talked to Dr. Selinger and found that he has well educated himself on the disastrous history of this disease and understands the problems with GET and exercise, the IOM report and the paradigm shift that is beginning to occur. Dr. Selinger also worked with Dr. Ken Friedman, one of the ME/CFS pediatric primer authors and the father of an ME patient, to arrange for a CME presentation at the fall meeting of the Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians.

Regarding helping patients to live with the disease - one way medical providers could make a difference would be by teaching patients about PEM and pacing - patients should not have to figure that out on their own and risk getting worse until they do. Providers could also help patients access accommodations in school, access to support services, etc.

Edited to add: didnt mean to imply that teaching is all that providers can do

 

https://www.newhavenbiz.com/article...udy-of-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-to-curriculum

 

didn't know where to post this:
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Case-Based Learning Module
Authors: Stephen J. Gluckman, MD

it's on Medscapre and linked to on CDC website

has anyone looked at it?
https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/927906

@EducateME

 

From: Dr. Marc-Alexander Fluks


Source: Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN)
Date: 21 januari 2022
URL: https://www.echn.org/events/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/
Ref: https://www.echn.org/physicians/howard-selinger/

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
------------------------

Did you know that an estimated 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans suffer
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? If you have been feeling tired for at least 6
months and no amount of rest can help, you are not alone. You might be
suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. Join Family Medicine Physician,
Howard Selinger for a discussion about chronic fatigue and its
debilitating symptoms. He will discuss how difficult it is to diagnose
chronic fatigue and how that may result in visits to multiple
specialists. Lastly he will discuss reasons you may be suffering from
Chronic Fatigue and ways in which this ailment can be treated.

This program will be held in the Auditorium at Manchester Memorial
Hospital.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
71 Haynes Street, Manchester, Connecticut, USA
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Status: Open
Seats Remaining: 40
Event Cost: Free

 

And maybe Dr Selinger can explain that this is not a disease of feeling tired?

 

If that was only what it was ........

 

I saw this post today. Searched for Dr. Selinger and found this thread so I'm posting it here.

(but perhaps it should be in a new thread?)
Integrating ME/CFS into an undergraduate curriculum: experience from a US medical school

https://mecfs-med-ed.org/2023/04/28...rriculum-experience-from-a-us-medical-school/

There's a video on the website, a recording of a talk Dr. Selinger gave to the Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association on April 16. (I have not watched it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQzfoZ_x30g

 

I have set up a thread on this org here:
https://www.s4me.info/threads/me-cf...lgic-encephalomyelitis-chronic-fatigue.33222/