Dr. Allen Oldfather Whipple (1881-1963): Namesake of the pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Allen O. Whipple was an American surgeon who popularized the pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) for periampullary cancer, which remains the gold standard for pancreatic tumor resections. Whipple was educated at Princeton University (B.S., 1904) and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (M.D., 1908). He swiftly ascended the academic ranks, culminating in his appointment as Professor of Surgery at Columbia and Director of Surgical Services at Presbyterian Hospital in 1921. Whipple published three criteria (Whipple's triad) for evaluating hyperinsulinism secondary to pancreatic insulinoma. He also revived interest in portocaval anastomosis to reduce portal hypertension, determining it to be a consequence of liver disease. During his 40-year career, Whipple introduced the concept of multidisciplinary teams and prospective data collection. He also shaped the structure of surgical training as President of the American Surgical Association and Chairman of the American Board of Surgery. Beyond the walls of the operating room, Whipple was a Renaissance Man whose childhood in Persia (Iran) engendered a lifelong interest in the region's art, culture, history, and medicine. Dr. Allen Oldfather Whipple is remembered as a pioneering physician and surgeon beloved by those who trained under him.

Higher-Order Assessment in Gross Anatomy: A Comparison of Performance on Higher- Versus Lower-Order Anatomy Questions between Undergraduate and First-Year Medical Students.

Gross anatomy is considered by many the backbone of medical education. While learning anatomy has a reputation of requiring mainly rote memorization, modern day anatomy education often involves instruction and assessment at cognitive levels that foster higher-order thinking. In many instances, these higher-order anatomical concepts are taught to graduate students in healthcare-related fields, such as medicine. At this level, students are expected to apply and analyze anatomical information since that is what will ultimately be expected of them as professionals. In contrast, undergraduate anatomy education is typically more introductory in nature and often takes place in the setting of a large-enrollment course that serves as a prerequisite for many health sciences degree programs. In this study, variables related to the assessment of higher-order concepts in clinical anatomy were compared between first-year medical students and undergraduate students enrolled in an upper-level human gross anatomy course. Results demonstrate that undergraduate students perform lower than medical students overall, but the degree of difference in how they perform on higher- versus lower-order questions is comparable. The most notable exception is on practical examinations, where undergraduate students tend to struggle more with applying and analyzing information. Exploration of additional variables provides insight into how the cognitive level being assessed affects the time it takes to answer a question and how different practical examination question types and formats influence student performance. Findings presented in this study have implications for designing anatomy courses and underscore the importance of blueprinting assessments.

Medical student retention of embryonic development: impact of the dimensions added by multimedia tutorials.

The purpose of this project was to develop Web-based learning modules that combine (1) animated 3D graphics; (2) 3D models that a student can manipulate independently; (3) passage of time in embryonic development; and (4) animated 2D graphics, including 2D cross-sections that represent different "slices" of the embryo, and animate in parallel. These elements were presented in two tutorials, one depicting embryonic folding and the other showing development of the nervous system after neural tube formation. The goal was to enhance the traditional teaching format-lecture combined with printed diagrams, text, and existing computer animations-with customized, guided, Web-based learning modules that surpassed existing resources. To assess module effectiveness, we compared quiz performance of control groups who attended lecture and did not use a supporting module, with study groups who used a module in addition to attending lecture. We also assessed our students' long-term retention of the material, comparing classes who had used the module with students from a previous year that had not seen the module. Our data analysis suggests that students who used a module performed better than those given only traditional resources if they used the module after they were already somewhat familiar with the material. The findings suggest that our modules-and possibly computer-assisted-instruction modules in general-are more useful if used toward the later stages of learning, rather than as an initial resource. Furthermore, our data suggest that the animation aids in long-term retention. Both medical students at the University of Cincinnati and medical faculty from across the country commented favorably on their experiences with the embryonic development modules.