The Division hosted Australian family doctor Johanna Lynch, PhD MBBS, Grad Cert (Health Sciences), FRACGP FASPM, for a series of five presentations on November 17th-Nov 19th. Dr Lynch is the Immediate Past President and Advisor to the Australian Society for Psychological Medicine and Senior Lecturer with The University of Queensland’s General Practice Clinical Unit. Her presentations focused on the three inter-related topics of Whole Person Care, Trauma Informed Care and the Craft of the Generalist, drawing on concepts from her work as a general practitioner, certified trauma therapist and her dissertation on the ‘sense of safety’ as a whole-person approach to distress, a common transdisciplinary language that to fully meet patients’ needs and help practitioners care for themselves.
Dr Lynch presented to the Duke Outpatient Clinic interdisciplinary team, residents and faculty from the Medicine-Psychiatry residency program. Following her presentation, Dr. Jeff Lee, a fifth year Med-Psych resident who coordinated the session reacted, “I appreciated Dr. Lynch’s ability to synthesize many of the core concepts that we are trained in Med-Psych, including acknowledging the role of both historical factors (e.g., trauma) and current environmental factors (e.g., racism). Her concept and goal of creating a sense of safety for patients is refreshing and pivotal in a healthcare environment that often forgets the individual.”
Dr. Lynch presented an evening session at the GIM Division headquarters. Dr. Karen Goldstein noted: “It resonated with my clinical practice and experience with patients, giving language to patterns that commonly bubble up. The biggest thing I took away was the importance of creating a safe and trustworthy environment during clinical encounters.” Division Chief Will Yancy noted her comments on how trauma frequently colors how we see people’s personalities, their family traits, and their culture. These factors can help clinicians reframe how we perceive people around us when we factor in trauma.
She also presented noon conference for the Internal Medicine residents. Dr. Roshini Srinivasan, a first year Internal Medicine resident added: “I was very drawn to Dr. Lynch's approachable presentation style, rooted in honoring not only the patient in front of us, but also us, as the provider, and the dyad working together to achieve healing. I especially appreciated the actionable steps and strategies to employ in promoting a sense of safety even within a single clinical encounter.”
Overall, Dr. Lynch's visit was a memorable few days for those in attendance and another international partnership for Duke Health and GIM. Reflecting on her visit, Dr. Lynch commented that “It was wonderful to be welcomed by clinicians at Duke who are working so diligently to care for the whole person within their context and community. Seeing your part of the world during fall was also such a beautiful part of our journey. Thanks to all who contributed to make it a success.”
Her visit to Duke was funded by the Case Western Reserve University Suburban Health Center Foundation as part of their annual Wisdom of Practice lecture.
You can find more information about Dr Lynch’s work (including her book) or free resources on the Sense of Safety Theoretical Framework at these websites: www.drjohannalynch.com or www.senseofsafety.com. Please feel free to reach out to Dr Lynch through her LinkedIn page.