Medical Education Day showcases health professions education research, innovation
Students in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University — as well as students from other health sciences disciplines — shared their research and networked with other students and faculty during a celebration of health professions education on April 4.
“Creative work, innovation and interprofessional collaboration are all happening right here at the Brody School of Medicine and we are highlighting those efforts here today,” said event moderator Jill Sutton, a clinical associate professor in Brody’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “It is an exciting time to be in medical education and all of it can benefit our learners as well as our community and our stakeholders.”
Second-year Brody School of Medicine student Taha Lodhi discusses his poster presentation during Medical Education Day on April 4. (ECU photos by Ben Abel)
The ninth annual Medical Education Day showcased 26 undergraduate and graduate projects related to health care and research. The event, held at ECU’s East Carolina Heart Institute, featured innovative projects by faculty, staff, students and residents in areas including curriculum, teaching and educational research and leadership.
This year’s theme was interprofessional collaboration; the event featured a keynote address by Alan Dow of Virginia Commonwealth University titled, “Can Interprofessional Practice Save Us in Health Care?” Dow’s presentation defined trends in loneliness and burnout among health care professionals and illustrated how increasing interprofessional connection can improve practitioner well-being and health outcomes. Dow is interim division chief, division of hospital medicine, assistant vice president of health sciences for interprofessional education and collaborative care, president and CEO, UHS-PEP, VCU Health continuing education, and is the Seymour and Ruth Perlin Professor of Medicine and Health Administration at VCU.
Students earned accolades for their work during the event. Ryan Dickerson, third-year medical student and Medical Education and Teaching scholar, earned the Outstanding Podium Presentation award for his presentation, “Use of Supplemental Spaced Digital Image Identification Improves Student Performance on Medical Neuroanatomy Digital Practical Exams.”
Jared Barkes, fourth-year medical student and Medical Education and Teaching Scholar won podium runner-up for his research, “Incorporating Combined Near-Peer and Peer-to-Peer Teaching into the Pediatric Clerkship to Increase Student Exam Performance and Preparation for Residency.”
The first place poster award went to fourth-year medical student Alexandra Doherty, Medical Education and Teaching Scholar, for her project, “Near-Peer Created Full-Length Practice Laboratory Practicals in Gross Anatomy and Embryology: Medical Student Support and Perceived Impact on Emotional Well-Being.” Second place poster was awarded to Rachel Stiglitz, third-year medical student and Research Scholar, for her presentation, “APEx pilot program — group educational sessions for pregnant adolescents on caretaking for themselves and their infants.” Taha Lodhi, third-year medical student and LINC Scholar, was awarded third place poster for his research “Evaluating Second-Year Medical Student Perceptions of a Combined Anki Deck for Spaced Reptation-Based Pathology Course Study.”
The Hypothesis Testing award was given to Kelly Davis, fourth-year medical student and Medical Education and Teaching Scholar and the Hot Topic award went to Mark Hand in the College of Nursing.
“This year’s event united ECU’s Health Science Campus through the celebration of educational research and innovation in medical and health professions education,” said Jenna Garris, executive director, of Brody’s REACH Initiative. “Moving forward, it is our vision to build an interprofessional network of faculty, staff and learners to promote educational excellence across ECU’s Health Sciences Campus.”
A complete list of award recipients, podium and poster presentations is available online.
Alexandra Doherty, M3 student, and K. Ryan Dickerson, M2 student at the Brody School of Medicine, discuss their poster presentation.
Mark Hand, a nursing professor at the ECU College of Nursing, discusses his research poster with Shannon Powell, also from the CON, during the Brody Medical Education Day.