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Geri Spotlight: Megan Rathfon and Christina Keny
The Geriatrics Spotlight initiative fosters community building within the Division, especially during this age of hybrid/remote work where it can be challenging to find ways to interact with colleagues outside of your immediate teams. This is a way for Division members to learn more about all the wonderful work we’re doing!
This week, we get to know our division clinical staff, Megan Rathfon (pictured left) and fellow, Christina Keny (pictured right).
Role: Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Coordinator, Inpatient Geriatrics Service
Joined Division: 2017 after working in the Division of Palliative Medicine since 2010
Work site: UCSF Parnassus
Email: [email protected]
Interviewed by Christina Keny over Zoom
About Megan’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Currently, Megan is focused on implementing the non-pharm delirium care bundle on our floor. This is exciting because it involves the participation of bedside nurses and patient care assistants and aims to reduce risk of delirium in hospitalized patients. She’s also assisting in writing the related journal article.
Megan’s current work also involves collaborating with staff to meet our unit's IAP goals of decreased CAUTIs, HAPIs, and falls.
These projects contribute to the Division by optimizing inpatient care for older adults and thus minimizing harms to hospitalized individuals. Megan’s work helps patients maintain physical and cognitive function while hospitalized so they can return to the community upon discharge. The projects also promote geriatric-focused care hospital-wide.
Megan’s favorite aspects of her current role are meeting and spending time with a diverse group of older adults and working with and learning from her Geriatrics colleagues.
What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
One professional goal of Megan’s this year is to attain the APRN specialty certification in gerontology – the APRN Gerontological Specialist - Certified (GS-C) through Gerontology Nursing Certification Commission (GNCC). More distant goals are to become certified in wound care and to obtain a DNP or PhD.
More about Megan
What are you happiest doing in your free time?
Megan loves spending her free time hiking, backpacking, camping, travelling, or hanging out with family.
What is the best advice you’ve ever heard?
“The only constant in life is change, so get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
What are some causes you care about?
Megan cares about environmental protection, human rights, especially as it relates to healthcare, and independent journalism.
What would be your backup career?
Megan would be an ecologist or marine biologist.
Role: Doctoral Candidate and VA Quality Scholars Fellow
Joined Division: July 2021
Work site: UCSF Parnassus, SFVAHCS, and from home in Los Gatos, CA
Email: [email protected]
Interviewed by Megan Rathfon over Zoom
About Christina’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Christina’s primary research project is her dissertation, "Virtual Reality to Decrease Postoperative Pain in Older Adults Following Elective Major Surgery: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study." She is also working on examining the feasibility of implementing an evidence based psychosocial intervention for older surgical patients with depressive symptoms with Dr. Victoria Tang at UCSF.
These projects will contribute to the Division and geriatric surgical care by informing new and innovative ways to improve patient centered outcomes in older adults who have surgery.
Christina's favorite aspect about her role is getting to conduct research guided by amazing mentors in the Division.
What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
Christina aims to complete the PhD program by Spring 2024 and to start a postdoctoral program by the Summer of 2024.
More about Christina
Any “fun facts” about you that not many people know?
Christina can bake the most amazing giant cinnamon rolls.
What are you happiest doing in your free time?
Christina loves taking her giant Saint Bernard dogs on hikes and long walks.
What would your backup career be?
Christina would be excited to consider working for a healthcare tech company.
What else would you like us to know about you?
The decision to return to pursue her doctoral degree did not occur until Christina was already working as an RN for almost 20 years. She has extensive experience in the implementation of evidence based practices, quality improvement, patient safety, healthcare leadership, and human-centered design.
Dr. Urmimala Sarkar is the recipient of the ZSFG Mentoring Award
Congratulations to Dr. Urmimala Sarkar!
Dr. Urmimala Sarkar is the 2019 recipient of the ZSFG Mentoring Award!
This award is given to a Medicine faculty member in recognition of his/her exemplary contributions in mentoring students, postgraduate trainees or faculty members. Mentoring achievements may pertain to clinical, educational or research activities or a combination of these areas.
The ZSFG Medicine Education Committee solicits nominations from ZSFG-based Medicine faculty and all Medicine residents for candidates whom they feel exemplify these qualities. The Committee would like to share just some of the comments received from faculty and residents who nominated and voted for Dr. Urmimala Sarkar:
There is no faculty more deserving of this award than Dr. Sarkar, who has made mentoring a career priority and has fostered the success of countless students, residents, researchers, and junior faculty. While there are many things that are remarkable about her mentoring style, 3 specific points come to mind. First, she is an active mentor and actively seeks to foster the success of those around her and engages them in a proactive way. Second, her mentorship spans multiple divisions at ZSFG, multiple domains at UCSF, and even mentors others all over the country. Third and perhaps most importantly, she seeks to provide not only work-specific mentorship but also really tries to support her mentees with their success in life generally-- personally and professionally. Thank you Dr. Sarkar!
I am extremely excited to nominate my mentor, Urmimala Sakar, for the Mentoring Award. Since joining UCSF in 2011 as a research fellow, I have had been very fortunate to work with some of the most prominent and respected faculty members at this institution. Urmimala is by far the most versatile mentor I have worked with. She is a complete mentor. She has mentored me over the past three years as a Junior Faculty clinician researcher. She has mentored me in writing multiple first-author manuscripts. She invited me to co-lead a successful grant application as Joint Principal Investigator to lead a randomized control trial of technology tool to assist safe-net primary care physicians in their diagnostic decision-making process. She has been a career mentor, a personal mentor, and a fierce advocate for me. As a career and personal mentor, she has implemented a tailored program with specific tools to help me with time management, goal setting, and research productivity. What distinguishes Urmimala as a mentor is that she exemplifies the art of team building and leadership. She has an uncanny methodical way of making everyone on her team feel uniquely valuable in a way that is extremely motivating and uplifting. It is with great pleasure that I nominate her for this Mentoring Award.
Dr. Sarkar has been an integral part of DGIM, but her work extends beyond both her clinical and research productivity. She has gone above and beyond to mentor numerous trainees, residents, and faculty members with regards to their career trajectories and how to navigate the UCSF system. She cares deeply with regards to gender equity in the world of academia and has taught valuable lessons and has coached many (including myself) on how to advocate for oneself even when the cards are stacked up against you. She takes her work very seriously and spends time outside of her already busy schedule to listen and mentor so many people! It truly is amazing! She deserves recognition.
The 2019 ZSFG Medicine Faculty Awards will be presented on Tuesday, May 21, at 1 pm in Carr Auditorium following Medicine Grand Rounds.