A Retrospective Analysis of Leadership, Awardees, and Member Gender Representation of the Canadian Society for Immunology.

The Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI) established a formal Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee with the goal of providing EDI advocacy and leadership within the CSI, as well as in the broader scientific community. A first task of this committee was to review the publicly available historical data on gender representation within the CSI's membership, leadership, award recipients, and conference chairs/presenters as a step in establishing a baseline reference point and monitoring the trajectory of future success in achieving true inclusion. We found that, except for overall membership and a specific subset of awards, all categories showed a historical bias toward men, particularly prior to 2010. Bias persists in various categories, evident even in recent years. However, we note an encouraging trend toward greater gender parity, particularly in the roles of President, symposium presenters, and workshop chairs, especially from 2017 onward. We present these findings as well as our recommendations to enhance inclusivity. These include a more comprehensive collection and secure storage of self-identification data, emphasis on EDI as an essential component of all annual meeting activities, and innovative measures of outreach, collaboration, and leadership with the aim of making the CSI a model for improving EDI in other professional research societies.

La paradoja del Premio Nobel: premios Nobel, no premios nobles / Nobel Prize paradox: Nobel Prize, not a noble prize

El Premio Nobel es uno de los premios más deseados en ciencia y más conocidos en la sociedad. Sin embargo, su reputación no está exenta de complejidades, incluidas las limitaciones para los galardonados y los prejuicios en las nominaciones. Navegar por el delicado equilibrio entre el reconocimiento y los impactos concretos de las contribuciones premiadas debería ofrecer una idea de la importancia del premio más allá del mero prestigio y su valor monetario. Si bien otros premios pueden presumir de mayores recompensas financieras, a menudo carecen del mismo nivel de prestigio. La inclusión de figuras públicas como galardonadas y la amplia cobertura mediática en torno al Premio Nobel elevan aún más su importancia percibida, aunque esto podría ocultar una realidad más matizada. Asimismo, las asociaciones positivas vinculadas al nombre «Nobel» que se asemejan al adjetivo «noble» pueden realzar el prestigio del premio. Esta sutil conexión con la «nobleza» añade una capa de honor y distinción al premio, contribuyendo a su importancia y prestigio percibidos. Además, la sobrerrepresentación de premios Nobel de países específicos provoca un escrutinio sobre el cumplimiento del testamento del Nobel, que prioriza las contribuciones al bienestar global. Esta discrepancia plantea dudas sobre la inclusión y el impacto global del premio.(AU)

The Nobel Prize is one of the most sought-after awards in science and society. However, its reputation is not without complexities, including constraints on laureates and biases in nominations. Navigating the delicate balance between recognition and the tangible impacts of awarded contributions should offer insight into the Prize's significance beyond mere prestige and monetary value. While other awards may boast higher financial rewards, they often lack the same level of prestige. The inclusion of public figures as laureates and the extensive media coverage surrounding the Nobel Prize may further elevate its perceived importance, though this may hide a more nuanced reality. Additionally, the positive associations linked to the name “Nobel” resembling the adjective “noble” can enhance the award's prestige. This subtle connection to “nobility” adds a layer of honor and distinction to the Prize, contributing to its perceived significance and prestige. Moreover, the overrepresentation of Nobel laureates from specific countries prompts scrutiny over the fulfillment of Nobel's testament, which prioritizes contributions to global well-being. This discrepancy raises questions about the inclusivity and global impact of the Prize.(AU)

Medical school origins of award-winning physicians; analysis of a complete national dataset.

BACKGROUND: Educators and medical students share the same objective of achieving success in medical practice. Both groups consider doctors' successes to include optimum patient care outcomes and positive career progressions. Accordingly, identifying common educational features of such high-achieving doctors facilitates the generation of excellence amongst future medical trainees. In this study we use data from the British clinical merit award schemes as outcome measures in order to identify medical school origins of doctors who have achieved national or international prominence. METHODS: Britain has Clinical Excellence Awards/Distinction Awards schemes that financially reward all National Health Service doctors in England, Scotland and Wales who are classified as high achievers. We used these outcome measures in a quantitative observational analysis of the 2019-20 dataset of all 901 national award-winning doctors. Where appropriate, Pearson's Chi-Square test was applied. RESULTS: The top five medical schools (London university medical schools, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge) were responsible for 51.2% of the physician merit award-winners in the 2019-20 round, despite the dataset representing 85 medical schools. 91.4% of the physician merit award-winners were from European medical schools. The lowest national award-winners (tier 3) originated from 61 medical schools representing six continents. International medical graduates comprised 11.4% of all award-winners. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of physicians who were national merit award-winners originated from only five, apparently overrepresented, UK university medical schools. In contrast, there was a greater diversity in medical school origin among the lower grade national merit awards; the largest number of international medical graduates were in these tier 3 awards (13.3%). As well as ranking educationally successful university medical schools, this study assists UK and international students, by providing a roadmap for rational decision making when selecting physician and non-physician medical education pathways that are more likely to fulfil their career ambitions.

Medical school origins of award-winning psychiatrists; analysis of a complete national dataset.

BACKGROUND: Britain attracts doctors from all over the world to work in the National Health Service. Elucidating the educational backgrounds of award-winning doctors working in the country is potentially an important medical education issue and a merit award audit. Using the British clinical merit award schemes as outcome measures, we identify medical school origins of award-winning doctors who have been identified as having achieved national or international prominence. METHODS: The Clinical Excellence Awards/Distinction Awards schemes select doctors in Britain who are classified as high achievers, with categories for national prominence and above. We used this outcome measure in a quantitative observational analysis of the 2019-20 dataset of all 901 award-winning doctors. Pearson's Chi-Square test was used where appropriate. RESULTS: Five university medical schools (London university medical schools, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Cambridge) accounted for 59.1% of the psychiatrist award-winning doctors in the 2019 round, despite the dataset representing 85 medical schools. 84.1% of the psychiatrist award-winners were from European medical schools, compared to 92.1% of the non-psychiatrist award-winners. International medical graduates accounted for 22.7% of the award-winning psychiatrists. Psychiatrists with the lower grade national awards came from a more diverse educational background of 17 medical schools. IMGs represented diverse medical schools from five continents and were most represented in the lowest grade of national merit awards at 24.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the award-winning psychiatrists originated from only five medical schools. A greater diversity of medical school origin existed for the lowest grade national psychiatrist award-winners. International medical graduates contributed substantially to these award-winners; psychiatrist award-winners were more likely to be international medical graduates (22.7%) than non-psychiatrist award-winners (10.8%). This study not only indicates educational centres associated with the production of award-winners but also provides students with a roadmap for rational decision making when selecting medical schools.

A Structured Home Health and Hospice Clinical Rotation and Onboarding Model to Address the Nursing Shortage.

North Carolina home health and hospice agencies are experiencing serious shortages of registered nurses (RNs), particularly in rural areas. These shortages can negatively impact patients and families by delaying access to care and possibly resulting in avoidable hospitalizations/rehospitalizations. Many home health and hospice agencies do not hire newly graduated RNs due to limited patient care experience, limited or no opportunity for home health/hospice clinical rotations, and the autonomous nature of providing care in the home. The Hospice and Home Health Foundation of North Carolina was awarded a $468,196 3-year grant, and, in collaboration with key stakeholders, developed a model for clinical rotation experiences in home health and hospice settings for RN students as well as an onboarding model for newly graduated RNs. Seven home health and hospice project partner agencies were selected to pilot the models. This article describes program implementation and evaluation. We used a survey method and site visit interviews to assess program effectiveness. Students provided positive feedback about the clinical rotation and more than 80% indicated their clinical rotation met "most" or "almost all" of their learning needs. The focus group interviews provided substantive anecdotal examples to validate the survey results.