Perspectives
A Word From the President
Friday, October 12, 2018
Spiraling drug costs and threats to the 340B program hurt patients
by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO
What Americans think about medical schools and teaching hospitals
by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO
Viewpoints
Monday, September 10, 2018
Healing the healers
by Jay M. Behel, PhD, and Adrienne S. Lawson, EdD
A disturbing number of students report being mistreated at some point during medical school. Restorative justice — an approach that brings together offenders and victims for honest dialogue — just might help.
Monday, August 13, 2018
“Until one day I stood on a bridge, looking down”
by Leonard Su, MD
A physician sounds the alarm on mental illness and his own escape from the depths of despair.
As a first-year resident at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), Travus White, MD, stood in a trauma bay, directing a team rushing to save a toddler with a life-threatening allergic reaction. As adrenaline coursed through his body, White scanned nearby carts for treatments. None, when administered, seemed to have any effect.
“What I remember the most was that the respiratory therapist kept saying, ‘He’s not breathing, he’s not breathing, he’s not breathing!’” notes White. But he pressed on, using the algorithm he’d learned in training. Soon the patient responded, and White shook off the stress as if waking from a dream.
In fact, the whole scenario had happened in White’s mind — thanks to a pair of virtual reality (VR) goggles and software developed with the help of CHLA educators. The patient and emergency staff were merely animations programmed to respond realistically to trainees’ split-second decisions.
Academic Medicine in the News
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Florida health system plays vital role in patient care after hurricane
When Hurricane Michael made landfall, University of Florida Health Shands Hospital accepted more than 30 patients from storm-damaged hospitals in the Florida panhandle by both ambulance and helicopter. After the medical evacuations from other hospitals were complete, helicopter flight crews were called on to assist with rescue operations.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
New consortium to focus on awareness of and research into pain management
University of Connecticut (UConn) Health, the UConn Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Jackson Laboratory have created the Connecticut Pain Consortium, the first pain research and education collaboration in Connecticut. The consortium focuses on initiatives that conduct research, collect data, and raise awareness about pain management, along with developing a curriculum around pain management and research for health care providers.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Medical school launches program to address workforce diversity
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences launched the GW Health Careers Opportunity Program, an initiative to introduce local high school students to a health sciences-focused curriculum and address regional health care disparities. The program also enhances post-baccalaureate training for students from disadvantaged backgrounds with guaranteed admission pathways into graduate health professions programs.
