Perspectives
A Word From the President
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Building a Framework for Clinician Well-Being and Resilience
by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO
Viewpoints
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Humanism Increasingly Important in a Changing Health Care Landscape
by Richard I. Levin, MD, President and CEO of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation
As the academic medicine community faces new demands, maintaining a human connection with our patients is more crucial than ever.
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.
Back in 2003, researchers surveyed thousands of medical residents on cross-cultural care, attempting to tease out a clearer picture of the residents’ ability to practice medicine in ways that could eventually narrow health disparities.
The results, published in 2005 in JAMA, found that while nearly all respondents believed it was important to address cultural issues in care delivery, fewer than half felt well prepared to treat patients from diverse cultures, underserved populations or different socioeconomic classes, and racial and ethnic minority groups. The findings “set the stage” for developing a disparities-focused curriculum for graduate medical education (GME) that was practical, actionable, and discipline specific, said Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, one of the study’s authors.
“It’s important that medical students get a good foundation in this topic,” said Betancourt, director of the Disparities Solution Center and multicultural education at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. “But as a med student, it’s still fairly theoretical. It’s in the GME space that you develop habits and behaviors, and that’s why it’s essential that we really embed this in resident education.”
Academic Medicine in the News
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Caring for Pediatric Cancer Patients During a Storm
During Hurricane Harvey, Tim Porea, associate professor of pediatrics – hematology and oncology and clinical director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, led a team of 15 faculty and fellows who coordinated care for patients who were unable to come to appointments and for about 80 children who were hospitalized during the storm.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
PupilScreen Aims to Allow Concussion Detection With a Smartphone
University of Washington researchers are developing the first smartphone app that is capable of objectively detecting concussion and other traumatic brain injuries in the field—on the sidelines of a sports game, on a battlefield, or in the home of an elderly person prone to falls.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
From Burnout to Balance
Eastern Virginia Medical School is implementing a set of new resources to relieve the pressures and stresses that accompany medical education and training in an effort to help students and residents avoid burnout.