Effort Yields a Campus-Wide Forum

hen Alex Llanos, M.D., was an internal medicine resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital, he knew he was interested in pursuing a specialty in cardiology. He was lucky—he knew where he wanted to go in his medical career. But there are many medical students and residents who need more information and are eager to learn more about the medicine and science involved in cardiovascular health.

So Llanos, now a cardiology fellow at Emory University, along with medical student Shannon Haliko and internal medicine residents Dylan Steen, M.D., Carlos Cardero, M.D., and Pankaj Khurana, M.D., created the Cardiovascular Disease Forum (CDF), a group dedicated to promoting awareness and collaboration in ongoing cardiovascular efforts at UM/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.

The CDF holds journal clubs every two weeks, which are coordinated by Steen, Haliko, and Gordon Chen, M.D., and moderated by different faculty members of the Miller School of Medicine. The CDF also hosts a monthly interdisciplinary conference in which experts discuss the latest developments in the study of cardiovascular diseases and treatments. The audience includes a diverse group of clinical physicians, basic scientists, residents, and students and is open to any member of the Miller School who is interested in cardiovascular disease, research, and treatment. The first meeting, held in October, drew more than 100 attendees.

One of the key ideas behind the creation of the forum is the opportunity to facilitate one-on-one interactions between Miller School faculty and medical students and residents. Journal clubs enable CDF members to absorb information and discuss topics of interest with Miller School attending physicians without the distractions of medical rounds.

Organizers Steen, Haliko, and—long-distance—Llanos aim to have a comprehensive Web site up and running early this year (www.cdfmiami.org) as well as to continue to grow the number of UM/Jackson faculty, students, and staff interested in forum activities. A daylong research event is also in the works for the spring. “This is the only resident organization with such a large audience and enthusiastic supporters, and it has endless potential for growth,” Steen says.

Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Miller School, who helped found the CDF, is impressed by the commitment of the group. “This was a true grassroots effort, and I think they’re doing a great job.”