Becoming outstanding educators: What do they say contributed to success?

Aspiring medical educators and their advisors often lack clarity about career paths. To provide guidance to faculty pursuing careers as educators, we sought to explore perceived factors that contributed to the career development of outstanding medical educators. Using a thematic analysis, investigators at two institutions interviewed 39 full or associate professor physician faculty with prominent roles as medical educators in 2016. The social cognitive career theory (SCCT) informed the interview guide. Investigators developed the codebook and performed iterative analysis using qualitative methods. Extensive team discussion generated the final themes. Eight themes emerged related to preparation, early successes, mentors, networks, faculty development, balance, work environment, and multiple identities. Preparation led to early successes, which served as "launch points," while mentors, networks, and faculty development programs served as career accelerators to open more opportunities, and a supportive work environment was an additional enabler of this pathway. Educators who reported balance between work and outside interests described boundary setting as well as selectively choosing new opportunities to establish boundaries in mid-career. Participants described multiple professional identities, and clinician and educator identities tended to merge and reinforce each other as careers progressed. This study revealed common themes describing trajectories of success among medical educators. These themes aligned with the SCCT, and typically replayed and spiraled over the course of the educators' careers. These findings resonate with other studies, lending credence to an approach to career development that can be shared with junior faculty who are exploring careers in medical education.

Immunological characterization of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis.

BACKGROUND: The specific cellular immunological characteristics of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis have not been defined. METHODS: BAL fluid from patients living in a coccidioidomycosis-endemic region of Arizona who were undergoing bronchoscopy because of pulmonary infiltrates was analyzed. Mononuclear cells from BAL fluid and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were incubated with the coccidioidal antigen T27K in vitro, and cellular immunological assays were performed. RESULTS: Forty-six patients were studied. Twelve received a diagnosis of acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis, 17 received other diagnoses, and 17 had no diagnosis established. There was an increased proportion of polyfunctional CD8(+) T cells after antigen stimulation from subjects with coccidioidomycosis as compared to those with another diagnosis (P = .025). In cells collected from BAL fluid and in PBMCs, the concentrations of interferon γ, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin 17 (IL-17) were all significantly increased in samples from those with acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis, compared with the other 2 groups (for all, P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: When incubated in vitro with a coccidioidal antigen preparation, cells from both BAL fluid and peripheral blood obtained from patients with pulmonary coccidioidomycosis demonstrated specific cellular immune responses, including expression of IL-17.