Building Research Capacity at the Unit Level
William Anderson, PhD
Office of Medical Education Research and Development, Michigan State University

Most osteopathic education programs are facing the expectation of additional faculty research and scholarly productivity. But how can that be done when faculty are also facing additional demands for teaching and clinical service? There is a way.

The overall goal of this workshop is to provide participants with practical, literature-based “best practices” for establishing research and scholarly activity at the unit level. Specifically, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the components of an effective research and scholarly program at the unit level.
2. Diagnose their unit’s research strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
3. Develop a strategic plan for increasing research and scholarship at the unit level.

Dr. Anderson is best known for creating the Primary Care Faculty Development Fellowship Program, the nation’s first true primary care fellowship program designed to prepare new faculty for full-time roles in academic medicine. Dr. Anderson has also served as principal investigator for numerous NCAA-funded national research studies. His research interests focus on medical faculty career development, establishing research programs, and substance use by college athletes. He is author or more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and workshops.

Mind, Body, Spirit Connections to Health and Wellness
William Morris, DO
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michael Kuchera, DO
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

This workshop is a personal growth workshop that looks at mind, body and spirit connections to health and wellness. Presenters also will discuss how these concepts relate to the osteopathic philosophy of patient care. Participants will have the opportunity to explore concrete ideas of how these concepts can be integrated into personal health and well–being.

Collaboration across all areas of osteopathic medical education has the potential to strengthen programming, enhance quality and foster innovation. In this general session, participants will have the opportunity to explore the role that AACOM’s Councils play in collaboration, as well as look at how collaboration impacts quality and innovation, especially for those groups who may not be directly involved in educational programming.

Councils Meet
All Council meetings are open meetings and will attract other conference attendees based on their publicized agenda items

Board of Deans (BOD) Retreat
Council of Osteopathic Medical Admissions Officers (COMAO)
Council of Development and Alumni Relations Professionals (Dev–Alum)
Council of Information Technology (CIT)
Council of Osteopathic Medical Educators (COME)
Council of Osteopathic Medical Librarians (Librarians)
Council of Osteopathic Medical Student Services Officers (COMSSO)
Marketing and Communications Advisory Council (MAC)

This session is designed for all individuals associated with osteopathic medical education programs.

Individual educational programs along the full continuum of OME will highlight their best practices. Examples of topics include faculty development, curriculum, student wellness programs, community education programs, OMM integration projects, student clinics, etc. Posters should be relevant to some aspect of medical education. No basic or clinical science research posters will be included in this session.

Featuring refreshments and posters for 40 exciting best practices from COMs!

General Session:
“Competency–Based Education: One of the Factors Changing the Face of Education”
Clara Lovett, Ph.D.,
President of the American Association of Higher Education

Dr. Lovett will explore the impact of major trends in undergraduate education, including competency–based education and the changing demographics of students.

Competency–Based Medical Education
Hershey Bell, MD
Assistant Dean of Faculty Development, LECOM

Dr. Bell will explore the implications and applications of competency-based education in medical education programs.

Plenary Sessions
Session 1:
Articulating and Measuring Competencies Across the Continuum of Osteopathic Medical Education
(Medical Education Track, Part 1)

Paul Krueger, DO, UMDNJ
Peter Dane, DO, OUCOM
Jerry Alexander, Ph.D.UNTHSC
Karen Steele, DO, WVSOM

This session is designed for medical educators in all programs along the continuum.
It will explore the importance of, and the barriers involved in, developing and measuring
learning objectives that specify behavioral outcomes for a given cognate area at the
end of pre–clinical, clinical, and residency training.

Session 2:
The Role of Research in Osteopathic Medical Education
(Research in Education Track, Part 1)

Steven Straus, MD
Director, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine;
Helen Burstin, MD,
Director of the Center for Primary Care, Prevention and Clinical Partnerships for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
David Moore
Executive Director of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding and
Associate Vice President, Office of Governmental Relations for the AAMC

This session looks at the role of research in osteopathic medical education and in providing quality programming. Participants from a broad range of disciplines, including those who are involved in non–educational areas will learn why research across all areas is important to the continued and enhanced success of osteopathic medical schools. This session is appropriate for all Council members and conference attendees as it focuses on the broader issue of the role of research in osteopathic medical education and on why research across all areas needs to be a priority for colleges of osteopathic medicine.

Session 3:
Integrating Data Across Multiple Programs and Institutions
(Technology in Education Track, Part 1)

Michael Adelman, DO, WVSOM
Howard Teitelbaum, DO, MPH, Ph.D, AACOM
Arnold Hassen, PhD, WVSOM

Data plays a critical role in osteopathic medical education. Many osteopathic medical schools are now part of parent institutions that house multiple health professions education programs. Even within the osteopathic medical school, many institutions have difficulty using data collected in one area in other areas of the college. How can back–end systems be developed that allow data to be easily transported and accessed within the osteopathic medical school, across programs in the parent institutions, and across other colleges of osteopathic medicine.

Session 4:
Preparing Students for COMLEX PE

John Gimpel, DO, Med, Dennis Dowling, DO, NBOME
Judith Edinger, MSEd, OUCOM
Steven Laird, DO, KCOM
Mildred Savidge, PhD, UNECOM
Stephanie Schuler, WVSOM

This session is designed for educators involved in teaching and assessing the skills that
will be evaluated through the COMLEX PE. It will also be of interest to student
affairs personnel as this is an issue of great concern to students. This session will present varying views on the issue, including current programs that will be used to prepare students for the exam.

Session 5:
Collaborating with Allopathic Medical Schools and Graduate Medical Education Programs

John Bulger, DO

As more osteopathic medical students enter clinical clerkships in predominantly allopathic facilities and allopathic graduate medical education programs each year, collaboration between osteopathic and allopathic institutions becomes more critical to the success of osteopathic medical education. Explore how the two professions can work together to train osteopathic medical students in a way that preserves the distinctiveness of the osteopathic approach to health care, as well as educates allopathic physicians and medical students about the benefits of the osteopathic approach to patient care. This session also looks at ways to work with allopathic physicians and medical students in the training environment who want to learn more about osteopathic medical care.

Lunch – Collaborate With Your Colleagues
This lunch provides another opportunity to connect with your colleagues from other osteopathic medical schools. No formal program will be presented.

Plenary Sessions Resume

Session 6:
The Accreditation Link to Organizational Quality Improvements
Medical Education Track, Part 2

Richard Winn, EdD, Western Association of Schools and Colleges

This session is designed for educators and administrators who design and implement all aspects of medical education programs. The session will focus on organizational quality improvements as an alternative to the traditional school accreditation process.

Session 7:
Developing a Culture of Research in Osteopathic Medical Institutions
(Researcher Education Track, Part 2)

Boyd Bowden, DO, Vice Chair AOA Council on Research
William Anderson, Ph.D., Office of Medical Education Research and Development, MSU

Fostering a culture of research has been a consistent challenge for osteopathic medical schools. This session will look at developing the infrastructure necessary to foster a culture of broad–based research in osteopathic medical schools.

Session 8:
Determining and Assessing Student Technology Competencies Across the Continuum of Osteopathic Medical Education
(Technology in Education Track, Part 2)

Scott Helf, DO, WesternU
Paul Zimnik, DO, Cine-Med: Solutions for Medical Education
Bruce Dubin, DO, JD, UNTHSC

This session is designed for information technology specialists and educators. The session will focus on the importance of, and practical considerations in, determining and assessing student technology competencies.

Session 9:
Towards a Comprehensive Approach: The Collaboration of Admissions and Student Affairs in Financial Aid

Patricia Burnett, PhD, Ann Brieck, MA
OUCOM

This session is designed for student affairs, admissions, financial aid, and alumni officers. As personal financial management for aspiring and young physicians is becoming more complex, this presentation will demonstrate how to tap into the unique knowledge and skills of the Financial Aid Office to support the Admissions, Retention, and Alumni functions.

Session 10:
Understanding Research Findings: A Lay Person’s Approach

A primer on research for non–researchers. Regardless of each participant’s job at a college of osteopathic medicine, this session looks at the basics of understanding research studies. This session will include a checklist to help non–researchers evaluate research studies for purposes that are unique to their specific discipline.

Session 11:
Standardizing the Curriculum for Clinical Clerkships: An Appropriate Goal? An Achievable Goal? Are Core Competencies Part of the Solution?
(Medical Education Track, Part 3)

G. Barry Robbins, DO, KCOM
Joseph McNerney, DO, TUCOM
William Morris, DO, UNECOM

This session is designed for educators who prepare students for, implement, and build
on student’s clinical clerkships during undergraduate medical education. The session
will focus on issues related to a standardized curriculum and using the seven core competencies, as affirmed by the AOA Task Force on Core Competencies, as the common basis for undergraduate osteopathic clinical clerkships.

Session 12:
Developing Research Competencies: Charting the Course
(Research in Education Track, Part 3)

Keith Watson, DO, OUCOM

Osteopathic medical students consistently report that they do not receive enough instruction in understanding and conducting research. How do osteopathic medical schools help students understand the role of research and master basic research competencies? This session explores methods to help osteopathic medical schools set benchmarks for research competencies in the curriculum.

Session 13:
Defining a 21st Century Model for Undergraduate Osteopathic Medical Education
(Cognitive Science Track, Part 1)

Frank J. Papa, DO, Ph.D, UNTHSC

While medical schools can easily demonstrate that content is current, they routinely utilize curricular design and instructional processes grounded in principles from the 19th century. The characteristics distinguishing 21st from 20th century medical education will involve curricular design principles, and, instructional approaches grounded in the cognitive sciences. Medically–oriented cognitive sciences research strongly suggests that the development of clinical competence and expertise requires the imparting of carefully organized, problem–specific knowledge bases. This session will describe a curricular model and educational technologies that enable faculty to rapidly design, carefully construct, and impart, Web–based, problem–specific knowledge bases.

Session 14:
Implications of FERPA: How Does it Affect Medical Education

Learn from the US Department of Education how The Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) affects your college in the wake of the Patriot Act.

Michael Adelman, DO (Moderator)
Hershey Bell, MD, LECOM
Frank Papa, DO, PhD, UNTNSC

Competency–based education is one of the most talked about aspects of medical education today. Join us as we explore the pros and cons of competency–based medical education in this lively debate format.

10-11

Session 15:
Collaboration on Public Policy Issues

Michael Dyer, JD, AACOM, Shawn Martin, AOA

Explore collaboration as critical to advancing public policy? Join our government relations staff as they discuss collaboration in this arena and update you on current issues on the Hill.

Session 16:
Constructing a Problem–Specific Knowledge Base
(Cognitive Science Track, Part 2)

Frank J. Papa, DO, PhD, UNTNSC

This session will provide faculty with an opportunity to apply their newly acquired understanding of cognitive sciences research towards the construction of a problem–specific knowledge base using two Web–based instructional technologies. Participants will design a pilot program that can move the osteopathic profession into a position of leadership by developing the first 21st century undergraduate medical curriculum.

Session 17:
Fundraising: Strategies for Working With Foundations and Corporations

This session explores strategies for garnering donations from foundations and corporations.

Session 18:
NBOME Update

Boyd R. Buser, DO, FACOFP, Chairman of the Board
Frederick G. Meoli, DO, FACOS, President
John Gimpel, DO, Vice President for Clinical Skills Testing
Linjun Shen, PhD, Vice President for Testing and Research

This session is designed for all individuals related to osteopathic medical education
programs. The session will focus on updates from the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, including COMLEX PE.

Session 19:
Dealing with IRB Issues: Panel Discussion

Bernard Schwetz, DVM, PhD, Director of Office of Human Research Protection, DHHS
Jane Dumsha, MS, PCOM
David Yens, PhD, NYCOM

Focus on issues of use of subject data: identifiers (permanently identified information), confidentiality, privacy; need for permission.

Session 20:
Implementing a Peer-Led Stress Management Program for Medical Students

Susan Redland, PhD, Michael Pollak, PhD
OSUCOM

This session will provide participants with the information and materials necessary to implement a peer-led stress management program for first-year medical students. During the past 16 years, more than 1,200 students have participated voluntarily in this program and have given it high evaluation ratings. The program is delivered by pairs of trained second-year medical students who co-lead small groups of first-year students, under the supervision of two faculty members.

Board of Deans – Lunch

Board of Deans Meeting Continues