Increasing the Representation of Minority Students in the Biomedical Workforce: the ReTOOL Program.

With the growing burden of cancer in minority populations and limited progress in eliminating cancer disparities, it has become important to develop a diverse oncology workforce in basic, clinical, and behavioral research who will address cancer disparities and increase the participation of minority populations in clinical trials. To address the lack of well-trained underrepresented minority cancer scientists in Florida, the University of Florida collaborated with Florida A&M University in 2012 to establish the Florida Prostate Cancer Research Training Opportunities for Outstanding Leaders (ReTOOL) Program. Since 2012, the ReTOOL program has expanded to (1) cover all areas of cancer disparities; (2) offer training opportunities to minority students from all historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Florida; and (3) successfully secure both intramural and extramural federal funding to continuously provide research training opportunities for minority students in Florida. Focusing primarily on training Black students, the ReTOOL model includes culturally sensitive recruitment, mentorship, didactic curriculum, networking, and hands on experience in cancer research. This paper discusses the lessons learned from administering the ReTOOL program for 5 years, which includes having the right inputs (such as majority-minority institutions partnership, funding, faculty advisors, committed mentors, culturally competent staff, and standardized program requirements) and processes (such as pipeline approach, structured applications system, didactic curriculum, research experience, and continuous mentoring) for an effective research training program. The program impact is an increase in the pool of underrepresented minority candidates with scientific and academic career progression paths focused on reducing cancer health disparities.

Cultivating critical thinking in the clinical learning environment.

The dental education knowledge base suggests a lack of understanding and research about how to teach critical thinking skills in the clinical learning environment. The acquisition of critical thinking skills is essential to the development of future practitioners, yet difficult to measure quantitatively. This study used qualitative research methods to assess the frequency and nature of teaching critical thinking skills in the University of Florida College of Dentistry predoctoral student clinics. Thirteen faculty and forty-four students in six clinics (oral diagnosis/treatment planning, endodontics, periodontology, operative dentistry, prosthodontics, and emergency care/oral surgery) were observed by an independent evaluator. Critical thinking skills were infrequently taught, and teacher-dominated instruction predominated. The findings underscore the need for thoughtful curriculum planning prior to predoctoral clinical instruction and periodic appraisal of clinical instruction. Suggestions for improving critical thinking in the clinical learning environment are presented.

Cognitive and learning styles as predictors of success on the National Board Dental Examination.

Using a deidentified retrospective dataset of three cohorts of matriculated dental students, we measured the degree to which selected student attributes, the Learning Type Measure, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and Dental Admission Test subtests scores predicted passage on the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE), Parts I and II. Gender, Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, and the Dental Admission Test subtests for academic average and biology were found to be predictive of passing the NBDE Part I. Gender, a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (thinking over feeling), and the Dental Admission Test subtests on reading and biology were found to be predictive of passing the NBDE Part II. The Learning Type Measure was not found to be predictive of passing the NBDE Part I or Part II. This study holds implications for heightening faculty members' awareness of students' aptitude and cognitive attributes, for teaching, and for the admissions process.