Perspectives
A Word From the President
Monday, July 24, 2017
A Leadership Forum on Diversity and Inclusion
by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO
In June, approximately 70 academic medicine leaders representing all AAMC affinity groups gathered in Washington, D.C., for our 2017 Leadership Forum, “Achieving Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Academic Medicine.” Six months previously, at Learn Serve Lead: The AAMC Annual Meeting, Joan Reede, MD, professor of medicine and dean for diversity and community partnership at Harvard Medical School and chair of the AAMC Group on Diversity and Inclusion, challenged AAMC group leaders to view the work of all our groups, from those focused on business affairs and institutional advancement to our groups on research and faculty, through the lens of diversity and inclusion. This year’s Leadership Forum took that challenge as our focus, and the result was a robust conversation about the ways in which we as individuals and representatives of our institutions can actively work toward creating diverse and inclusive organizations focused on solving the profound health disparities in our communities.
Viewpoints
Monday, July 24, 2017
Humility, Empathy Required to Create Inclusive Research Culture
by Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI, and Victoria Villalta-Gil, PhD
Why are racial and ethnic minorities less likely than the general population to participate in clinical trials? Researchers have tried several strategies to get these populations involved, and while some have been successful, minority participation in clinical research remains low. However, by making an effort to understand the cultural and historical factors at play and involving minority groups in solutions, investigators can go a long way toward encouraging underrepresented groups to participate in clinical trials.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Effective Advocacy: Applying What I Learned on the Hill
by Karen Fisher, JD, AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer
Successful advocacy depends on continuous engagement and ongoing relationships, AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer Karen Fisher, JD, writes in a Viewpoint.
In early May, fourth-year medical students at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine tested their surgical skills and knowledge at a residency prep event known as the Surgical Olympics. Faculty member Christian Jones, MD, MS, said he especially looks forward to the day’s final event—a Jeopardy-style competition.
“That’s one of the best parts; I get to play Alex Trebek,” said Jones, assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The Surgical Olympics wrap up a week-long, voluntary boot camp for Johns Hopkins students who are about to begin surgical internships. While it certainly has its fun moments, the event has a serious mission: to better prepare graduating medical students for the rigors of residency. The Johns Hopkins boot camp is part of a nationwide pilot project that is testing a new residency prep curriculum specifically for incoming surgical interns. The pilot is a collaboration of the American College of Surgeons, Association of Program Directors in Surgery, and the Association for Surgical Education.
Academic Medicine in the News
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Chicago Area Gets First New Emergency Medicine Residency Program in 20 Years
Rush University Medical Center has launched a new emergency medicine residency program with 12 physicians in the first class. When fully staffed, the program will have 36 trainees who will learn all aspects of emergency medicine with a particular focus on disaster preparedness and the use of analytics to measure efficiency and outcomes.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Patient Receives 3-D Printed Skull After Traumatic Brain Injury
Gaurav Gupta, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, performed emergency surgery to relieve brain swelling on Chris Cahill, 35, of New Brunswick, N.J., removing part of Cahill's skull. While the plan was to replace the skull once the swelling subsided, it was infected and thus unusable. Gupta decided the best solution to replace the missing skull bone was to use 3-D printing.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Understanding the Aging Brain
University of Florida Health researchers are looking to slow or avert age-related cognitive decline. Their efforts include National Institute of Aging-funded research into transcranial direct current stimulation and cognitive training, as well as basic-science investigations into the effect of lifestyle interventions on brain network functions in animal models.