Tuesday, December 04, 2018

Little-known health workers, coming soon to a hospital near you

Community health workers live in patients' neighborhoods, see their problems firsthand, and are steeped in local resources. And now they are increasingly collaborating with hospitals to combat poverty and chronic disease.

Friday, December 07, 2018

Medical schools are becoming more diverse

Women comprised more than half of applicants and enrollees in 2018, new AAMC data reveal.

Diversity, Cultural Competency

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Small changes, big results: How five hospitals are drastically improving care

Relatively small actions at these academic medical centers have led to significant successes, from increasing the use of generic medicines to lowering the risk of in-hospital cardiac arrests.

Clinical Care Delivery, Innovation

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Progress in predicting suicide

For decades, the goal of identifying those most at risk of ending their lives has remained elusive. Finally, it may be within sight.

Innovation, Patient Care

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Is there a doctor on board?

When you’re traveling for the holidays, you might hear the call go out for an in-flight medical emergency. If you decide to respond, here’s what you’re likely to encounter — and the resources you’ll have at your disposal.

Patient Safety, Clinical Care Delivery

Friday, November 16, 2018

Labor pains: The OB-GYN shortage

Half of U.S. counties lack a single OB-GYN, and some women’s lives are endangered by long treks for much-needed care. What leaders in academic medicine are doing to recruit and retain this vital workforce — and protect patients' health.

Health Equity, Women in Medicine and Science

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

When the perpetrators are patients

Most female physicians have stories about “those patients.” In the #MeToo era, here’s what teaching hospitals and medical schools are doing to protect their own.

Professionalism, Workforce

Perspectives

A Word From the President

by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO

The AAMC’s president and CEO looks back on how far academic medicine has come — and ahead to its future heights.

by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO

Addressing high prescription drug costs and ptoetcting the 340B Drug Pricing Program are critical to improving the health of patients and communities, says AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, MD.

by Dennis S Charney, MD

After a near-fatal attack, a medical school dean found his own resiliency. Here’s how he did it — and the wisdom he offers others.

by Joseph Wright, MD, MPH

Physical pain, depression, anxiety, even suicide: the effects of bullying are profound. How academic medicine can — and must — help those who suffer.

Innovations in Academic Medicine

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Exposing vulnerabilities: How hackers could target your medical devices

Pacemakers, insulin pumps, and more are potential prey for malicious hacking. What leaders are doing to safeguard medical devices and the complex systems that support them.

The first warning came not from researchers or from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It came from a hacker named Jay Radcliffe.

Radcliffe, who has diabetes, was curious to see if he could hack his implantable insulin pump. At the Black Hat USA security conference in 2011, he demonstrated that it wasn’t difficult to take control of an insulin pump and deliver a lethal dose to a patient.

A year later, another hacker showed that pacemakers were also vulnerable to attack. Using a laptop, he demonstrated that it was possible to send a lethal electric shock to a patient via a pacemaker. A third hacker turned his attention to drug infusion pumps. They too could be tinkered with to administer dangerous or fatal doses of drugs to a patient.

Tuesday, October 02, 2018

Students learn to treat pain, with and without opioids

As the opioid epidemic claims even more lives, medical schools are rethinking how they teach students to manage patients’ pain. The result? A better understanding of the nature of pain, addiction, and substance use disorder.

Clinical Care Delivery, Patient Care

Academic Medicine in the News

Thursday, December 06, 2018

Medical students learn about healthy aging

The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University has launched a Geriatrics and Healthy Aging curriculum, which ensures that medical students are trained throughout their four-year program to treat the unique health needs of older adults.

Thursday, December 06, 2018

Researchers develop new AI technology to screen X-rays

A new study by Stanford University College of Medicine used an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to screen chest X-rays for more than a dozen types of disease, including masses, enlarged hearts, and collapsed lungs. For 11 of the 14 pathologies, the AI algorithm made correct diagnoses at the same rate as radiologists or better.

Thursday, December 06, 2018

Schools of medicine and dentistry collaborate on new curriculum

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry have developed a new interprofessional course for third- and fourth-year students to educate them about the ways in which medical and dental professionals can collaborate to improve health outcomes for their patients.

Videos

Doctors dish out nutrition

A growing number of culinary medicine courses teach students how to cook healthfully and share dietary tips with patients. Find out why participants in one program are eating it up.

Play Video

In Brief

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

AAMC and AHA file suit over HHS OPPS rule

Yesterday the AAMC, the American Hospital Association (AHA), and three hospital plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over reduced payments for off-campus hospital outpatient clinic visits in the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) final rule. “It is alarming that CMS continues to propose cuts that will harm the teaching hospitals that provide care to the most vulnerable patients, including Medicare beneficiaries,” said Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC president and CEO.

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

AAMC survey examines postbaccalaureate premed programs

A new AAMC Analysis in Brief discusses the results of a national survey of U.S. postbaccalaureate premedical programs. The results show that programs vary considerably in selection criteria, curriculum design, and tuition, which have implications for both policy and practice.

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

Interprofessional Professional Collaborative develops professionalism assessment tool

The Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative (IPC), of which the AAMC is a collaborating organization, has developed an Interprofessional Professionalism Assessment. The tool measures observable behaviors of health care professionals in training that demonstrate professionalism and collaboration. The IPC has also created an online toolkit to facilitate interprofessional professionalism.

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

In memoriam: Hal Fallon, MD

Harold (Hal) Fallon, MD, former dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, passed away on Nov. 17 at the age of 87. During his long and distinguished career, Dr. Fallon served as chairman of medicine at the Medical College of Virginia, secretary of the Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Medicine, and chair of the American College of Physicians Board of Regents.

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

On the move: Kevin Behrns, MD

Kevin Behrns, MD, dean of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs, will step down effective Dec. 31. Robert Willmott, MD, vice dean for medical affairs, will serve as acting dean and vice president effective Jan. 1, 2019.

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

On the move: Robert Suskind, MD

Robert Suskind, MD, founding dean of the California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine, has retired, effective Nov. 19. Peter Eveland, EdD, associate dean of student affairs and admissions, will serve as interim dean while a national search is conducted.