Medical Education Commons^™

Beyond Screening In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Domain-Standardized, Measure-Flexible Framework For Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment, Etiane Navarro

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder in which cognitive, behavioral, language, and social-cognitive changes may occur across clinical phenotypes, including the ALS-frontotemporal spectrum. Neuropsychological assessment is important for characterizing nonmotor manifestations and identifying changes relevant to autonomy, everyday functioning, and clinical management. This systematic review examined literature identified through APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and supplementary searching to characterize neuropsychological domains, measures, phenotype-related findings, and disease-specific limitations relevant to comprehensive assessment. Two hundred records underwent title and abstract screening, 150 reports were reviewed in full text, and 61 resources were retained for synthesis. ALS-specific screening instruments, including …

Beyond Screening In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Domain-Standardized, Measure-Flexible Framework For Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment, Etiane Navarro

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder in which cognitive, behavioral, language, and social-cognitive changes may occur across clinical phenotypes, including the ALS-frontotemporal spectrum. Neuropsychological assessment is important for characterizing nonmotor manifestations and identifying changes relevant to autonomy, everyday functioning, and clinical management. This systematic review examined literature identified through APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and supplementary searching to characterize neuropsychological domains, measures, phenotype-related findings, and disease-specific limitations relevant to comprehensive assessment. Two hundred records underwent title and abstract screening, 150 reports were reviewed in full text, and 61 resources were retained for synthesis. ALS-specific screening instruments, including …

Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium (Pps, Elmiron) Maculopathy Demonstrates The Importance Of Coordinated Care From A Low Vision Perspective, Charlotte I. Spada Od, Stephanie Schmiedecke Barbieri Od, Patricia Sanchez Diaz Dvm, Phd, Jeffrey Rabin Od, Phd

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS, Elmiron®) is a widely used medication to reduce pain caused by interstitial cystitis, a bladder disorder most often affecting females. PPS maculopathy is a novel form of toxic retinal disease often not recognized or mistaken for other retinal conditions such as macular degeneration due to the initial similarities on fundus exam. However, when visualized using fundus autofluorescence, affected eyes show characteristic hyper/hypo-autofluorescent patterns.

Case report: A patient taking PPS for 10 years presented with macular changes and complaints of blurry vision and nyctalopia. Clinical, electrodiagnostic, and genetic testing were performed including fundus autofluorescence and …

Training Apart, Together: Team Dynamics In Individual Sports And Surgical Residency, W. Jack Palmer, Dylan Bertoni, Elizabeth E. Cottrill, Colin T. Huntley

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

Surgeons in training share notable parallels with competitive athletes, including rigorous training, skill specialization, and functioning under pressure. Surgical educators have leveraged this comparison, incorporating techniques from sports psychology, such as mental imagery and mindfulness, to improve trainees' individual performance and well-being. Surgical trainees and athletes both rely on effective teamwork for optimal outcomes, suggesting that residency leaders can glean valuable team-level insights from sports psychology. This article examines how the structure of surgical residency influences team dynamics, using concepts from sports psychology to identify evidence-based strategies for improving program cohesion and resident well-being. The surgical literature typically conceptualizes surgery …

Building A Mini Medical School: An Evidence-Based Framework For Health Science Education Outreach, Alexandra S. Hausmann, Shirley F. Delair, Liliana P. Bronner

Medical Student Summer Research Program

No abstract provided.

Next Steps In Advancing Pediatric Care In Southern Nevada, The Lincy Institute

Lincy Institute Events

The Lincy Institute released new research evaluating the Southern Nevada pediatric care ecosystem. The report, "An Evaluation of Southern Nevada’s Pediatric Care Ecosystem," offers recommendations to develop a stronger and more coordinated pediatric care ecosystem before the stand-alone children’s hospital being developed by Intermountain Health opens in 2030 and identifies the components of an integrated statewide network to provide all of Nevada’s children with access to high-quality care. The event also featured panel discussions with pediatric care providers and policymakers.

Panel 1 - Pediatric Care Providers

Moderator — Tina Quigley, Project Facilitator, The Lincy Institute

Panelists — Lisa …

An Evaluation Of Southern Nevada’S Pediatric Care Ecosystem, David Damore, Tina Quigley, Nick Fiore

Policy Briefs and Reports

In 2024, The Lincy Institute and the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation released a report prepared by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach detailing the case for a stand-alone children’s hospital in Southern Nevada. Shortly thereafter, Intermountain Health announced it would build Nevada’s first such facility in Las Vegas, expected to open in 2030. To complement the hospital’s development, The Lincy Institute undertook an independent evaluation of the regional pediatric care landscape. The analysis draws on secondary data and discussions with advocates, health system administrators, practitioners, and providers. The report examines:

• Fiscal, resource, and workforce challenges underlying Nevada’s poor population-level pediatric …

Using An Automated Evaluation System To Improve Medical Student Evaluation Response Rate And Reduce Administrative Burden, Chaiya Laoteppitaks, Alisha Agarwal, Jason Gonzalez, Nina Mingioni, Xiao C. Zhang

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Email reminders facilitate timely task completion but can create substantial administrative burdens for clerkship staff. In our emergency medicine (EM) clerkship, third-year medical students initiate digital evaluation requests after each clinical shift, requiring frequent manual reminders to maintain completion rates. The time-intensive nature of this process highlights the need for a more efficient and scalable approach.

METHODS: This multi-site, pre-post study evaluated clinical performance evaluation completion rates and time to completion during the required EM clerkship over 48 weeks before and after implementation of an automated reminder system in September 2024. The system integrated existing survey functionality with Microsoft …

Evaluating Medical Student Geriatric Competency Using A 5ms-Based Assessment Tool, Lauren R. Hersh Md, Amy Cunningham Phd, Mph, Xiya Wu Md

Cooper Rowan Medical Journal

INTRODUCTION

Driven by an aging Baby Boomer generation, the United States is navigating a demographic transformation with far-reaching implications that include increased demand for chronic disease management and long-term care as well as increased stress on both healthcare costs and infrastructure. Generating a workforce competent in the delivery of care to older patients with complex, multimorbid conditions is fundamental to addressing this shift. Recognizing that the development of primary and specialty care physicians skilled in geriatric care begins in medical school, the American Geriatric Society developed minimum competencies grounded in the Geriatric 5Ms (Mind, Mobility, Medication, Multicomplexity, and …

Diversity Among Academic Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine Faculty Across Us Residency Programs, Terence L. Thomas, Alexander Zavitsanos, Claude Regis, John Czarnicki, Harrison S. Fellheimer, Gabriel I. Onor, William Justice, Jalen Broome, Damon V. Briggs, Edward S. Chang, Meghan Bishop, Christopher C. Dodson

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: Despite growing attention to workforce diversity in orthopaedic surgery, limited data exist describing the demographic composition of academic sports medicine faculty. This study examines the diversity of sports medicine fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgery faculty across US orthopaedic surgery residency training programs.

METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of all ACGME-accredited orthopaedic surgery sports medicine faculty was conducted. Faculty data included sex, race, level of professorship, residency attended, year of residency graduation, and h-index. Underrepresented in Orthopaedics (URiO) was defined as non-White and non-Asian by race and all women. Descriptive statistics were performed.

RESULTS: A total of 812 sports medicine-fellowship trained faculty were …

Independent Associations With Research Productivity Among U.S. Academic Ophthalmologists Using The Us-Aofd, Brenton T. Bicknell, Josephine Rudd Zhong Manis, Yejin Heo, Haley Chishom, Lance Dzubinski, Taylor L. Aaserud, Alvina Liang, Shayan Massoumi, Thanushri Srikantha, John Stoffer, Guihua Zhai, Basil K. Williams Jr, Steven E. Brooks, Robert Tauscher

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Scholarly productivity is a key marker of achievement in academic ophthalmology, influencing promotion, research support, and leadership opportunities. Prior studies have reported variation by gender, subspecialty, and rank, but few applied regression methods to identify independent predictors.

Purpose: To evaluate demographic, academic, and subspecialty factors associated with research productivity among U.S. academic ophthalmologists and to identify independent predictors through multivariable regression.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 4,028 ophthalmologists across 126 accredited U.S. residency programs using the U.S. Academic Ophthalmology Faculty Database (US-AOFD). Faculty demographics and academic information were obtained from institutional websites, and bibliometric data (publications, …

The Efficacy Of Transversus Abdominis Plane Block As An Adjunct To Spinal Anesthesia For Cesarean Delivery: An Evidence Synthesis And Implementation Toolkit, Alyssa Hebert, Alex Potts, Gabriela Robertson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Postoperative pain hinders cesarean delivery recovery and overall patient experience. Although spinal anesthesia with intrathecal opioids remains the standard of practice, associated side effects and concerns regarding opioid exposure highlight the need for effective opioid-sparing strategies. Anesthesia providers play a critical role in advancing postoperative pain management through evidence-based protocol development, provider education, and interdisciplinary collaboration to optimize maternal outcomes. The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block provides somatic analgesia to the anterior abdominal wall by targeting the thoracolumbar nerves (T6–L1) and has increasingly been incorporated into multimodal postoperative pain management strategies for abdominal surgery. Nevertheless, a gap remains in obstetric …

Impact Of Music On Patient Comfort During Mr Scans: A Literature Review, He Yan

Radiologic Sciences

Purpose To investigate the influence of auditory stimuli on patient comfort levels during magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, with particular emphasis on indicators of distress, duration of patient positioning, and utilization of emergency signaling devices.

Method An integrative literature review was undertaken utilizing peer-reviewed research articles sourced from journals within the fields of radiology, music therapy, and clinical practice. A comprehensive search was conducted across databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Oxford Academic employing keywords including MR anxiety, music therapy, and patient comfort.

Results The body of literature consistently indicated that auditory stimuli significantly mitigate patient anxiety and distress in …

Wellness Literature Review – 2025, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Clinician well-being remains a persistent challenge, with ongoing burnout and psychological distress despite efforts by systems and individuals. This Journal of Wellness annual review covers studies published in 2025.

Methods: The Editors searched PubMed and Google Scholar for prospective and interventional studies / clinical trials in humans, with focus on well-being. Authors utilized artificial intelligence (AI)–based large language model (LLM) (ChatGPT, OpenAI^TM) to assist with preliminary identification of relevant studies, however authors noted significant AI-associated errors and outright misrepresentations requiring hand curated product generation and manual PubMed searches.

Literature in Review: We continue to appreciate a shift …

The Primary Care Brief Intervention Competency Assessment Tool (Bi-Cat): Examining Reliability And Validity, Arielle Guillod

Dissertations

Within primary care, the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model integrates behavioral health services into medical settings through brief, population‑based interventions delivered by behavioral health consultants (BHCs). Although effective performance in this role requires competencies distinct from traditional mental health practice, few psychometrically sound tools exist to assess clinical skills in primary care. The Brief Intervention Competency Assessment Tool (BICAT) is commonly used for this purpose but lacks published evidence supporting its reliability and validity. This dissertation examined the psychometric properties of the BICAT across two studies. Study 1 evaluated factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity in a heterogeneous …

Perspective On Lessons Not Learned: From Coley’S Toxins To Microbial Drug Delivery, Guidance For Institutional Review Boards (Irbs), Brian P. Hanley, Alejandro J. Betancourt, Gustavo Gross, Wilbur (Bo) Bowne

School of Medicine Publications

The bacterial and toxin methods of cancer treatment date back 130 years. This paradigm rests on nonspecific bacterial-toxin-generated immunotherapy. This high-risk oncology research is experiencing a renaissance of methods that are among the most effective yet. Glioblastomas and other resistant cancers are the modern touchpoint, because of remission history following sepsis. Spurred by recent research deaths, we discuss protocols IRBs should consider in live bacterial or synthetic immuno-stimulatory trials. Human systemic inflammatory response syndrome immunology is unique due to non-functioning SIGLEC-13 and 17, which control excessive Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) signaling. This is not a technicality like human CD8+/CD4+ T …

Fractured Focus: Understanding Stress In Second-Year Radiologic Science Students Across Alabama, Kelsi Clotfelter

Honors Theses

Higher education is a period of rapid transition and growing responsibility, where stress often becomes a routine part of students’ lives. In health professional programs, the combined demands of intensive coursework and clinical training can intensify emotional strain and negatively affect overall well-being. Radiography students experience uniquely high levels of academic, clinical, and emotional stress due to the simultaneous demands of didactic coursework, competency-based clinical training, and high-stakes professional expectations. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was employed to evaluate the prevalence, sources, and perceived impact of stress among second-year radiography students across multiple Alabama institutions with the goal of identifying strategies …

Skin Is In: Promoting Breastfeeding Through Immediate Cesarean Skin-To-Skin, Autumn Spencer

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists identify immediate, uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact as a standard of care that improves neonatal stability, breastfeeding outcomes, and maternal satisfaction. Despite these recommendations, timely initiation following cesarean birth remains inconsistent. At the project site, skin-to-skin initiation averaged 72 minutes after birth, exceeding the 10-minute benchmark, and exclusive breastfeeding rates were below the national standard of 70%. Contributing barriers included workflow variability, unclear role expectations, and inconsistent communication.

Aim of the Project: The aim of the project was to improve infant and maternal …

Pyogenic Liver Abscess Associated With Acute Hepatitis A And Burkholderia Cepacia Sepsis In A Child: A Rare Case Report, Anjali M, Poonam Wade, Snehal Sahebrao Kasbe, Neha Bhongale

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Pyogenic liver abscess is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening infection in children. Although it is usually associated with underlying predisposing conditions, its occurrence in association with acute hepatitis A is infrequently reported.

We report a case of a 4-year-old male child who presented with fever, jaundice, and abdominal distension and was diagnosed with pyogenic liver abscess associated with concurrent hepatitis A infection and Burkholderia cepacia complex sepsis.

This case underscores the need to consider secondary bacterial infection in children with hepatitis A who have persistent fever or an unexpected clinical course despite appropriate supportive care. Although jaundice may initially be …

Social Phobia, Coping Strategies, And Socio-Demographic Associations Among Late Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ezhilan B U, Jesymol Joy, Smitha Chandrashekarappa Dr.

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background: Adolescence is a transitional period from childhood to adulthood, often marked by psychological challenges such as social anxiety, also known as social phobia. It is characterized by excessive fear of social interactions and can lead to impaired functioning or depression. Globally, its prevalence ranges from 6-10% in developed countries and 10-44% in developing countries. Coping strategies play a crucial role in managing social phobia, varying by individual characteristics. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of social phobia, identify coping strategies, and evaluate their association with socio-demographic factors among late adolescents.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted …

Assessment And Intervention For Health Behavior Change In Primary Care Across The Lifespan: A Guide For Residents In Primary Care Specialties, Stacy A. Ogbeide, Alexis Ramos, Bridget Murphy, Angel Ogbeide

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

More than 45% of Americans have at least 1 chronic disease, with chronic disease also being a leading cause of death in the United States. In primary care settings, about 75% of visits are for management of multiple chronic diseases. Due to the increasing medical complexity of patients who present to primary care, these numbers make it more challenging for Primary Care Clinicians (PCCs) to manage these conditions alone and point to the need for innovative solutions to chronic disease care. One evidence-based innovation is team-based care to improve the treatment of these conditions. Clinicians such as clinical pharmacists, registered …

Dnp Final Report: Enhancing Radiation Oncology Training For Advanced Practice Providers, Katherine A. Bukolt

DNP Final Reports

Background: Rising cancer incidence and improved survivorship are straining the oncology workforce, increasing reliance on Advanced Practice Providers (APPs). However, there is a lack of standardized educational resources for APP radiation oncology training across practice settings. Most APPs receive variable, resource-dependent, and on-the-job training. Evidence shows that the lack of standardized training leads to gaps in foundational knowledge, reduced confidence in toxicity management, inconsistent role development, and variable satisfaction with training and transition into practice.

Purpose: This quality improvement project evaluated the feasibility of implementing an 18-module Advanced Practice Radiation Oncology (APRO) asynchronous online curriculum to standardize APP radiation oncology …

Surviving Sepsis 2026: Key Updates, Amanda Rawa, Katherine Ghattas

Transformative Medicine

The 2026 update to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines introduces several important changes in the management of sepsis and septic shock, with a greater focus on tailoring treatment to individual patients. Notable updates include lower blood pressure targets for older adults with septic shock, continued support for early fluid resuscitation, the selective use of rapid diagnostic testing to guide antibiotic therapy, and increased flexibility in vasopressor selection for patients with cardiac dysfunction. These recommendations are based on emerging evidence aimed at improving patient outcomes while reducing unnecessary interventions and treatment-related complications. Overall, the updated guidelines reinforce a more personalized approach …

From Fly On The Wall To Future Colleagues: Best Practice Recommendations For Medical Student Shadowing Programs, Molly Estes, Danielle Matonis, Mckenna Knych, Brian Barbas, Ronnie Ren, William Dixon, Michael Pasirstein, Xiao C. Zhang, Kaitlin Bowers, Ravi R. Chauhan, Laryssa A. Patti

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Physician shadowing is a common component of early medical education and frequently represents students' first exposure to clinical practice. Despite its prevalence, existing guidance primarily targets learners rather than physicians supervising shadowing experiences. This gap is especially relevant in the emergency department (ED), where high patient acuity, workflow demands, and complex clinical environments create challenges for providing safe and meaningful observational learning. We sought to develop consensus-based best practice recommendations for ED faculty supervising medical student shadowing.

METHODS: We conducted a modified Delphi study using an online survey platform to achieve panelist consensus. Ten emergency medicine educators with a …

Quality In Action: A Systematic Approach To Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection Prevention, Jennifer E. Jones, Maggie Simons, Sherri Hoard, Gabriel Laney, Adam Nicholson, Victoria Springvloed, Tracy James, Erica Tuffs

Posters

Central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are a major source of morbidity, mortality, and increased healthcare costs in hospitalized patients. Reducing CLABSI rates requires more than isolated interventions; it demands a coordinated, multi-disciplinary strategy that addresses clinical practice, workflow and organizational culture.

Exploring Moral Distress In Pediatric Residents: Impact Of Structured Debriefing And Insights From Qualitative Interviews, Aashish Shah, Sarah Fleishaker, Danielle Key, Linda Tewksbury, Ami Shah, Kelley Groves

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Financial Implications Of Vascular Surgery Conference Fees, Alexandra Kats, Gerard M. Martin, Sanath Patil, Joshua R. Chen, Paul J. Dimuzio, Dawn Salvatore, Michael Nooromid, Babak Abai

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Conferences are an important venue for trainees and students to engage in scholarly activities and networking. However, cost presents a significant consideration for students looking to attend conferences as institutional funding varies. In this study, we analyze the attendance costs of vascular conferences.

METHODS: Thirty-one vascular surgery conferences were identified with 12 regional and 6 national, and 13 international. Invitation-only conferences were excluded from the analysis. Cost of attendance was stratified by early and regular registration timing and attending, trainee, and student status. Additionally, conference websites were queried individually for scholarship opportunities. Data was presented descriptively and compared using …

Screen-Based Simulation Assessment For Emergency Medicine Learners: A Rapid Review, Patrick Zeniecki, Rebecca Kamens, Jared Kilpatrick, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Xiao C. Zhang

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Simulation has played a vital role in training medical professionals. The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted the need for physically distant educational assessment methods. Screen-based simulation (SBS) demonstrates one alternative to traditional in-person simulation methods to assess learners clinical reasoning and communication skills. This study aims to compare in-person simulation to SBS as assessment methods in Emergency Medicine (EM).

METHODS: A rapid review literature search methodology of an electronic database (PubMed) was performed in February 2022 with search terms such as "Computer Simulation," "Patient Simulation," "Simulation Training," "Education, Distance," "Virtual OSCE," "Academic Performance," or "Emergency Medicine." Reference lists of relevant …

Agreement Among Experienced Physical Therapist Clinicians In Naming Nystagmus: A Mixed-Methods Study Design, Lori Ann Leineke, Alessandra N. Garcia, Bridget Eubanks

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Labeling nystagmus requires clinicians to consider multiple aspects of its presentation. The extent to which physical therapists (PTs) use consistent terminology for describing nystagmus is unknown. Recommendations for proper terminology exist, but adherence during clinical assessment has not been determined. This study investigated whether PTs with advanced vestibular rehabilitation skills and training consistently use standardized vocabulary to describe nystagmus patterns. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study utilized an online survey methodology, which included eight free-response questions. Participants viewed videos of nystagmus through Infrared or Frenzel goggles and documented their observations. A codebook of responses was created for each question, …

Enhancing Emergency Department Preparedness For Amniotic Fluid Embolism Through Evidence-Based Simulation Training, Olivia M. Smoak

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Maternal mortality in the United States remains a significant and worsening public health concern, with increasing reliance on emergency departments (EDs) as access points for maternal care. Emergency clinicians are therefore more likely to encounter high-acuity obstetric emergencies, including maternal cardiac arrest and amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), yet often receive limited formal training in these conditions. Simulation-based education, interdisciplinary training, and cognitive aids have been identified as effective strategies to improve performance in high-risk, low-frequency events.

The purpose of the evidence-based practice project was to evaluate whether an interdisciplinary simulation with obstetric-led debrief and introduction of the AFE checklist improves …