WELLNESS

about

Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Lifespan’s Office of Graduate Medical Education are committed to the wellness of physicians, staff, and trainees. Promoting physician wellness is a specific focus of the Med-Peds, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics residency programs, and each program has its own wellness committee. 

MED-PEDS FAMILY

  • Brown Med-Peds is a family! We have frequent get-togethers, where residents’ families and significant others are always welcome!
  • FareWelcome is an annual Med-Peds event held every June to celebrate a heartfelt farewell to our graduating PGY4 residents while extending the warmest welcome to our incoming PGY1 residents.
  • Med-peds residents and faculty get together for lunch and group didactics at our weekly Med-Peds Forum. 
  • Med-peds residents participate in program retreats for Med-Peds, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics.
  • PGY1 residents receive an extra week of vacation at the end of their first year–traditionally these residents spend at least part of their week renting a beach house in southern Rhode Island!
  • Other events include switch parties, which are informal residency events held upon rotation switches between Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and multiple other get-togethers throughout the year, including the holiday party trifecta (Med-Peds, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics)! 

MENTAL
HEALTH

  • Med-Peds residents have multiple supports in place for promoting mental health, including protected time for opt-out counseling sessions for PGY1 residents, resident support groups on both Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, self-care articles in our Med-Peds newsletter (the SOAP Note), and frequent dedicated wellness events for residents. 
  • Med-Peds residents are matched with a Med-Peds core faculty advisor at the start of their residency training, meeting together at least twice yearly for support and guidance. 
  • There are many free and discounted opportunities available to residents through Brown and Lifespan, including a free academic pass for The New York Times, free online access to Rosetta Stone’s language learning software, and multiple community discounts with the Brown Card and Lifespan’s Perks at Work. 

meditation & massage

  • At both Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, there are renovated meditation rooms removed from but still close to patient care areas where residents can take time to pause, reflect, and recharge.
  • Medical teams at The Miriam Hospital receive instruction about the theory and practice of massage therapy one day per week, and may receive a once-weekly revitalizing massage from our massage therapists. 

Arts & humanities

  • Multiple Med-Peds residents and faculty are active writers of narrative medicine. A few of our published pieces include work in JAMA’s A Piece of My Mind and the Rhode Island Medical Journal by Betsy Toll, retired MP Core Faculty; NEJM’s Perspective by Justin Berk, MP Core Faculty; JGIM’s Perspective by Matt Lorenz, MP Core Faculty; and NMPRA’s Perspective by Ashley Nguyen, PGY4, and Ann Ding, MP Class of 2022. 
  • There are active book clubs in Med-Peds, Pediatrics, and Internal Medicine. 
  • Ann Ding, MP Class of 2022, founded “Progress Notes: An Evening of Breath Sounds and Irregular Rhythms”, an open mic night dedicated to music, poetry, and spoken word by local healthcare providers.
  • Several other initiatives related to the arts and humanities are discussed on the Internal Medicine residency website. 

healing power of paint

Betsy Toll, retired MP Core Faculty, instituted the incredible art that decorates the Medicine Pediatrics Primary Care Clinic. The idea started with patients painting their own faces or other meaningful symbols. “We believe the faces convey important messages to our patients, trainees, and staff: We love your creations. We also value and care for you. We want you to feel at home here, regardless of your birthplace or circumstances. We hope this beautiful art and the people and places it evokes will help you, alone and together with us, to dream about your health, your life, and your future” (Source: The Healing Power of Paint, JAMA 2017). This project has grown into a residency legacy project, featuring tiles from Med-Peds faculty and residents over the 20+ years of our program.