Action learning and public health pedagogy: Student reflections from an experiential public health course.

Introduction: Applied practice experiences are essential components of the Masters of Public Health (MPH) curriculum. The objective of this study was to examine students' perspectives on the skills and expertise they developed in an MPH course offering applied practice opportunities. Methods: Of 236 students who took the course from 2008 to 2018, email addresses were obtained for 212 and 104 completed the consent form. Following consent, reflection essays were de-identified and analyzed using a rapid qualitative analysis approach. The essays addressed students' learning experiences and application of the competencies for MPH programs set by the Council for Education in Public Health (CEPH). Deductive and inductive analytical lenses were used to identify the key lessons learned by each cohort of students. Semi-structured guides and matrixes for essay analysis were created using assignment instructions and CEPH competencies. Results: Although the reflection paper assignment varied across the years, commonalities were observed in the student reflections. Key themes included turning theory into practice, navigating the complex environment of public health practice, skill building, critical self-reflection, challenges encountered, and elements that facilitated project success. Students reported developing practical skills, such as planning for independent research (e.g., preparing for institutional review board (IRB) submission, consulting with faculty and other experts), identifying realistic approaches for data extraction during chart reviews and analyses of electronic medical records, and disseminating findings for diverse stakeholders and audiences. Students also reported strengthening cross-cutting skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving that were useful for navigating power dynamics and balancing competing interests and expectations. Students explored their identity as public health professionals as they navigated the dynamics of public health practice. Conclusion: The applied practice experience served as a valuable tool for knowledge and skills acquisition. Moreover, it served as an opportunity for students to engage with the unique organizational cultures of their respective community partners and to deepen their understanding the complexities of conducting meaningful community-engaged research. Implications: This study demonstrates the utility of analyzing students' critical self-reflections as a tool for exploring learning experiences when training future public health professionals. The findings can help educators design future applied practice experiences.

Supporting mental health and productivity within labs.

Laboratories are the central workplace for academic scientists and can play a key role in supporting psychological safety, mental health, and well-being. We provide strategies to build inclusive structures within laboratories and support mental health for all members.

Challenges for graduate students' mentors during COVID-19 pandemic.

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic results in the suspension of universities' academic laboratory activities. This brought a difficult time for graduate students majored in molecular biology and their mentors, since the student's thesis progress relies on the data from wet experiments in the lab. Even facing the challenges during the pandemic, mentors could still play an active role. This COVID-19 crisis requires mentors to have more thinking, innovation, and sharing in guiding graduate students.

Adaptive strategies to conduct participant-centric structured virtual group discussions for postgraduate students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the wake of COVID-19, the postgraduate activities in physiology were shifted from live (face-to-face teaching) to virtual mode. This transition posed a challenge to postgraduate students and faculty moderators, especially for participant-centric group discussion, wherein face-to-face interaction contributes significantly to active learner engagement. To bridge the gap between live group discussion (GD) and virtual GD in the conventional format (VGD), we implemented an innovative yet feasible multistep approach of conducting structured virtual group discussion (sVGD). It involved priming of students during the preparatory phase and incorporation of the Tuckman model of group dynamics, which consists of sequential substages of forming, storming, norming, and performing into the virtual format. Unsupervised synchronous and asynchronous, as well as supervised synchronous interactions within and in between the minigroups in a structured way, led to active engagement of students with one another and the moderator, despite the constraints imposed by the virtual format. After establishing the feasibility of the approach during the first GD (sVGD-1), sVGD-2 was conducted, further refining the approach, and feedback was obtained from the postgraduate students. Pre-GD feedback revealed that the live session was preferred over virtual for the conduct of GD, whereas both live GD and sVGD were perceived to be more effective than VGD in the post-GD feedback. Such pedagogical innovations may also help to address the challenges posed in traditional teaching across the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in medical education and beyond during such unforeseeable circumstances.

Characterizing standardized patients and genetic counseling graduate education.

Standardized patients (SPs) are laypersons trained to portray patients, family members, and others in a consistent, measurable manner to teach and assess healthcare students, and to provide practice for emotionally and medically challenging cases. SP methodology has been studied with practicing genetic counselors; however, there is minimal empirical evidence characterizing its use in genetic counseling (GC) education. The Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) Standards of Accreditation for Graduate Programs in Genetic Counseling include SP sessions as one way to achieve up to 20% of the 50 participatory cases required for graduation. The purpose of the current project was to determine the scope, frequency, and timing of SP methodology in ACGC-accredited programs to establish baseline usage, which happened prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A 40-item investigator-created survey was developed to document the scope and frequency of SP use among programs. The survey was distributed through the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors' (AGCPD) listserv to 43 accredited and 6 programs under development. Surveys were analyzed from 25 accredited programs (response rate = 58%). Seventeen of these programs report inclusion of SP methodology in the curricula (68%), of which 13 report working with an established SP program. SPs are used predominantly for role-plays (70.6%), individualized instruction and remediation (29.4%), and for other reasons such as lecture demonstration, final examinations, practicing skills, and assessing students' goals. Sixteen of the participating programs use SPs to give GC students experience disclosing positive test results. Other details vary among the GC programs including the use of trained SPs, volunteer or paid SPs, actors with and without SP training, or GC students acting as patients. This study demonstrates that GC program SP experiences differ, but are largely viewed as valuable by the programs. Many GC programs report using SP encounters to create multiple opportunities for students to practice and refine clinical skills similar to SPs in medical school.

Making it to the PhD: Gender and student performance in sub-Saharan Africa.

Women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) impedes progress in solving Africa's complex development problems. As in other regions, women's participation in STEM drops progressively moving up the education and career ladder, with women currently constituting 30% of Africa's STEM researchers. This study elucidates gender-based differences in PhD performance using new survey data from 227 alumni of STEM PhD programs in 17 African countries. We find that, compared to their male counterparts, sampled women had about one less paper accepted for publication during their doctoral studies and took about half a year longer to finish their PhD training. Negative binomial regression models provide insights on the observed differences in women's and men's PhD performance. Results indicate that the correlates of publication productivity and time to PhD completion are very similar for women and men, but some gender-based differences are observed. For publication output, we find that good supervision had a stronger impact for men than women; and getting married during the PhD reduced women's publication productivity but increased that of men. Becoming a parent during the PhD training was a key reason that women took longer to complete the PhD, according to our results. Findings suggest that having a female supervisor, attending an institution with gender policies in place, and pursuing the PhD in a department where sexual harassment by faculty was perceived as uncommon were enabling factors for women's timely completion of their doctoral studies. Two priority interventions emerge from this study: (1) family-friendly policies and facilities that are supportive of women's roles as wives and mothers and (2) fostering broader linkages and networks for women in STEM, including ensuring mentoring and supervisory support that is tailored to their specific needs and circumstances.

Toward a common understanding of competencies for health technology assessment: enhancing educational and training programs around the globe.

BACKGROUND: Depending on the health system context and the demands of relevant stakeholders in countries, the need, organizational structure, and prerequisites for enabling capacity building and development in health technology assessment (HTA) will vary. Core competencies are instrumental in this and include essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs). They provide building blocks for delivering high-quality and effective practices of HTA. We aimed to systematically explore and develop an overview of the core competencies necessary for HTA. METHODS: This study was conducted during 2016-19 using different methods in a structured manner. We drew concepts of KSAs from various literature sources, surveyed universities and HTA professionals, and conducted expert workshops to arrive at a common understanding of the required competencies. RESULTS: The terminology for KSAs defining competencies in HTA programs has been clarified. In addition, a list of competencies offered through different educational and training programs has been created. The surveys provided clarity on a common understanding of KSAs among HTA stakeholders. Thereafter, a set of competencies was described and classified according to the HTA domains. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that there is diversity in HTA programs offered by educational institutions. The content of the programs varies due to differences between countries regarding the level of HTA development and the need for HTA, including the understanding of what HTA is. The preparation of a competency checklist or a "menu" of options mirroring the diversity of HTA will ensure that the specific needs of the HTA community will be covered.

La educación de posgrado ante el nuevo escenario generado por la COVID-19 / Postgraduate education before the new circumstances created by COVID-19

Introducción: La respuesta dada por el Gobierno cubano y la ciencia a la situación epidemiológica que vivimos y al enfrentamiento de los problemas fundamentales del desarrollo del país, motiva a la reflexión y a un accionar más resuelto sobre qué se necesita hacer en el posgrado para contribuir con soluciones válidas, sostenidas, innovadoras y aplicables a esos problemas. Objetivos: Exponer algunas reflexiones y acciones ante el nuevo escenario generado por la COVID-19 y los problemas del desarrollo del país desde la perspectiva de la educación de posgrado. Posicionamiento del autor: El posgrado se enfrentará a problemas más complejos, al romperse las limitaciones disciplinares, sobre la base de sólidos fundamentos científicos y tecnológicos, lo que da lugar a soluciones innovadoras, estratégicas y comprometidas con la sociedad y su desarrollo en la construcción de un socialismo próspero y sostenible. Sin embargo, para lograr esto, la continuidad en la formación profesional del más alto nivel no es suficiente. Hay que considerar los disímiles procesos de ciencia, tecnología e innovación que tienen lugar en el posgrado, cuyos productos repercuten en el bienestar de la sociedad, en su desarrollo; de ahí su marcada y necesaria pertinencia. Conclusiones: El posgrado resulta necesaria y esencialmente innovador, por lo cual requiere de una mirada profunda y no concebirlo solo como el estudio del alto nivel, porque en este hay ciencia, tecnología, innovación y generación de conocimiento. Se requiere de acciones concretas emergentes con carácter acentuado ante el nuevo escenario creado por la COVID-19 y la necesidad de seguir desarrollando el país(AU)

Introduction: The response given by the Cuban Government and by science before the epidemiological situation we are going through, and before the confrontation of the fundamental concerns of the country's development, motivates reflection and more resolute action on what needs to be done in postgraduate studies to contribute to valid, sustained, innovative and applicable solutions to these problems. Objective: To present, from the perspective of postgraduate education, some reflections and actions in the face of the new circumstances produced by COVID-19 and the concerns regarding the country's development. Author's position: Postgraduate education will face more complex problems, by breaking disciplinary limitations, upon the basis of solid scientific and technological foundations, which gives rise to innovative, strategic solutions committed to society and its development in the construction of prosperous and sustainable socialism. However, to achieve this, continuity in professional training at the highest level is not enough. We must consider dissimilar processes of science, technology and innovation that take place in postgraduate studies, whose products have an impact on the well-being of society, as well as on its development; hence, its marked and necessary relevance. Conclusions: Postgraduate training is necessary and essentially innovative, a reason why it requires a deep look and not to be conceived only as high-level education, because it involves science, technology, innovation and generation of knowledge. Specific emerging actions are required, with an accentuated character based on the new circumstances created by COVID-19 and the need to continue developing the country(AU)

Does Dosing of Pediatric Experiential Learning Impact the Development of Clinical Reasoning, Self-Efficacy, and Critical Thinking in DPT Students?

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to explore the changes in clinical reasoning, self-efficacy, and critical thinking of a group of Doctor of Physical (DPT) students who completed a high and low dose of pediatric experiential learning (EL) as a component of their semester-long pediatric course. METHODS: A convenience sample of students at two DPT programs in the United States were recruited. A pre-test post-test comparison group design was used to examine the change in students' clinical reasoning, self-efficacy, and critical thinking following completion of a pediatric course that contained a high or low dose of EL. Students completed the Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning, Physical Therapy Self-Efficacy Scale, and Health Science Reasoning Test during the first and last weeks of the semester. Students in the high-dose group reported a significant increase (p=0.000) over time in self-perceived clinical reasoning and self-efficacy. Overall critical thinking abilities significantly improved (p=0.044) over time in both groups. CONCLUSION: A high dose of pediatric EL seems to aid students in the development of self-perceived clinical reasoning and self-efficacy. Providing students with EL opportunities prior to pediatric rotations may help to bolster these important skills, leading to improved clinical performance.

Understanding Student Preferences in the Selection of a Graduate Allied Health Program: A Conjoint Analysis Study.

ISSUE: As the healthcare landscape rapidly changes, graduate allied health programs must position themselves to educate the next generation of healthcare professionals in a highly competitive landscape. No studies have directly measured the relative importance of attributes in program selection by prospective healthcare students. METHODS: We surveyed graduate healthcare management program applicants in the 2018 admissions cycle (n=512) to determine which attributes were most important in program choice. We utilized conjoint analysis to estimate utilities and importance scores of six attributes: program ranking, cost, work experience, geography, distance to home, and salary. We then conducted a market simulation to predict relative market share of academic programs. OUTCOMES: The most important attribute to prospective students was the projected starting salary, with US News and World Report ranking and tuition cost the second and third most important attributes, respectively. Each attribute was relatively inelastic respective to tuition cost. CONCLUSION: While future leaders placed the most value on earnings when selecting a program, they also valued rankings and cost. By focusing on these factors, programs can target their marketing efforts to recruit the best potential future healthcare leaders, while this method can be replicated to gauge the most important relative attributes for a variety of healthcare professions.

Identifying Fall Prevention Content in Graduate Healthcare Curricula.

ISSUE: An interprofessional team-based approach to fall prevention is advocated to address the public health issue of fall-related injuries. The purpose of this study was to analyze fall-related curricular content across graduate physician assistant, nursing, occupational therapy, and physical therapy healthcare programs. METHODS: The research team conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of fall risk, assessment, and intervention content in graduate program textbooks, curricular narrative, and course objectives. OUTCOME: The four curricular themes identified were universal fall risks, varied assessments, discipline-based interventions, and minimal interprofessional approaches. All curricula universally covered fall risks. Curricular coverage of fall assessment varied by discipline. The physician assistant and nursing curricula focused on assessing fall risk and safety, while the occupational and physical therapy covered standardized functional assessments. The disciplines of physical and occupational therapy provided curricular instruction in restorative or compensatory interventions. All curricula included the interventions of patient and caregiver education and environmental modifications. Curricular coverage of an interprofessional approach to fall prevention was minimal. CONCLUSION: This study identified universal fall risks, varied fall assessments, and discipline-based fall interventions across four graduate healthcare curricula. There was minimal evidence of education in an interprofessional approach to fall prevention.

Preparing Students to Serve a Refugee Population Through a Health-Focused Interprofessional Education Experience.

Refugees may arrive to their destination country with complex mental and physical health challenges. However, healthcare providers often are unprepared to manage refugees' health-related challenges. An interprofessional team of faculty developed an interprofessional education (IPE) training to help prepare health professions students to address refugees' health needs. This paper describes the development and assessment of the training. A three-hour case-based training was created with the following format: online pre-assessment; introduction; radio story about the experience of local refugees; pre-recorded presentation about healthcare in a detention facility; interprofessional group work in small teams; large group discussion; profession-specific group reflections; and online post-assessment. The training was implemented twice (across two successive years), and an investigation of the study participants' self-perceived learning was completed after each training. In the first training, 62 participants (representing medicine, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, and social work) completed the assessments. In the second training, 151 participants (representing medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, public health, and social work) completed the assessments. In each study, a statistically significant increase in each of four outcome variables was found at post-assessment. The findings of each study suggested that perceived learning about refugees' health and health care improved after participation in a three-hour IPE training.

Actionable recommendations from trainees to improve science training.

Over the past 20 years, a series of reports written by groups of senior researchers and administrators have recommended changes to improve the training environments for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the United States. However, academic institutions and departments have largely failed to implement these recommendations, which has exacerbated the problems faced by these trainees. Here, based on input from trainees at different career stages, we outline seven practical changes that academic institutions and departments can make to improve their training environments.

Road map for capacity building and development for biomedical sciences in Kenya.

There is an effort to develop a critical mass of biomedical researchers in low middle-income countries by funding organizations and academic institutions in high-income countries. This involves providing short- and/or long-term training. Short-term training encompasses acquiring competencies in any or a combination of fieldwork, proposal/grant writing, laboratory techniques, data management, statistical approaches for data analyses and dissemination of research findings. Long-term training involves acquisition of an array of competencies that results into an award of a Master's or PhD degree or acceptance into post-doctoral training programs. The author is motivated to write this article to create awareness on this capacity building effort and more importantly provide much needed guidance to potential graduate students considering pursuing long-term training careers in biomedical sciences and global health from Kenya.

Maintaining Core Values in Postgraduate Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The novel coronavirus identified in 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted pharmacy graduate and postgraduate education. This crisis has resulted in a cosmic shift in the administration of these programs to ensure core values are sustained. Adjustments may be needed at a minimum to ensure that postgraduate trainees complete program requirements while maintaining safety. Moving forward, additional issues may arise that will need to be addressed such as admissions and program onboarding, acclimating students to new training environments, and managing inadequate resources for distance education, distance practice, and remote versus in-person research opportunities.

The VaRP Project: qualitative evaluation of the training effectiveness of Post Graduate Specializations for health professionals.

INTRODUCTION: The healthcare professionals' specialized training has a positive impact on professional values, patient's outcome, and promotion of evidence-based practices. To raise the educational standard, the University of Parma has created Post Graduate Specializations which, in addition to learning sector-specific techniques and skills, include the acquisition of soft skills. Aim of the study is investigating the perception of the tutors dedicated to the organization, management, and teaching of the Post Graduate Specializations on the skills gained and the changes achieved in clinical practice, training, and research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Qualitative research was carried out through a semi-structured interview to 11 tutors who have been coordinating the Post Graduate Specializations. RESULTS: The Qualitative analysis developed "thick" descriptions characterized by analytical density and interpretative richness. The emerging thematic nuclei were: General/unpredicted aspects, Professional empowerment, Satisfaction, Professional outcomes, Limits of the Post Graduate Specializations, and Development areas. CONCLUSIONS: We identified the most effective areas of the Post Graduate Specializations that emerged consistently from the interviews. We hypothesized that the values and mission the Scientific Board, are effectively lived and championed in the everyday activities of the Post Graduate Specializations. Some domains still need to be furtherly developed, as the professional record, the absence of a "follow up" relationship with former students, and the effective management of workload both for students and tutors. The rise of these limits, can be particularly fruitful, as it gives the chance to identify the development trajectory the post-graduate trainings should pursue to raise the standard of excellence.

Health service psychology education and training in the time of COVID-19: Challenges and opportunities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to health service psychology (HSP) education and training but also presents tremendous opportunities for growth that will persist well past the resolution of this public health crisis. The present article addresses three aims in understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by the HSP education and training community. First, it describes challenges to HSP education and training created by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the need to maintain the integrity of training; facilitate trainee progress; continue clinical service delivery; manage the safety and wellbeing of trainees, faculty, staff, and clients/patients; and adhere to national and local emergency orders. Second, the article summarizes guidance from training organization leadership regarding training program and clinical site responses to these challenges. Several principle-based recommendations called upon training programs to prioritize trainees and their training needs, while urging balance and flexibility in meeting the multiple demands of training programs, institutions, and the public. Third, the article discusses key opportunities for improvement in HSP education and training, including more effective use of competency evaluations; distance technologies in therapy, supervision, and admissions; and reconsideration of internship and degree timing and HSP's identity as a health care profession; and the potential for comprehensive review and redesign of HSP education and training. Embracing these opportunities may help ensure that HSP education and training is preparing its graduates to meet the psychological health care needs of the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).