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Promoting diversity in the scientific workforce is crucial for harnessing the potential of available talent and ensuring equitable access to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEM-M) careers. We have developed an innovative program called Postbaccalaureate Research Opportunity to Promote Equity in Learning (PROPEL) that provides scientific and career development training for postbaccalaureate scholars from historically excluded backgrounds in STEM-M fields with an interest in pursuing a PhD or MD/PhD degree. Our program is distinct from other postbaccalaureate programs in that scholars are hired by individual labs rather than funded centrally by the program. This funding mechanism removes the idea that central funding is necessary to encourage faculty to train diverse scholars and allows the program to scale dynamically according to the needs of the scientific community. The PROPEL program started in 2020 with six scholars and has since grown to an enrollment of over 100, making it the largest postbaccalaureate program for biomedical research in the country. Here, we describe the program structure and curriculum, our strategy for recruitment, the enrollment trends, the program demographics, metrics of scholar engagement, and outcomes for scholars who completed the program in 2023. Our experience demonstrates the strong demand from both scholars and faculty for programming of this type and describes the feasibility of implementation.

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OBJECTIVE: Diabetes-related care makes up approximately 24% of outpatient clinic visits. Therefore, confidence and understanding of diabetes management is necessary for family medicine residents. METHODS: We developed a combined lecture and simulation lab curriculum utilizing a registered nurse and pharmacist to deliver education to 20 family medicine learners. Pre and post surveys of the educational material were completed in 2 sections including one gauging medical knowledge and a second part gauging level of comfort. RESULTS: Of the learners who participated, fourteen completed the pre-post surveys. Most (53%) respondents improved their scores, while 20% scored the same 27% scored worse. The overall average score increased 57% to 70% and improvement was statistically significant (P < .05). All learners improved confidence by at least 1 point. CONCLUSION: An interprofessional team utilizing a lecture curriculum focusing on providing education on effective prescribing, medication safety profiles, and resource availability, showed improvement in confidence but mixed knowledge benefit. Further modifications to the curriculum may yield further educational gains.

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INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of smoking, including heated tobacco products (HTPs), among Japanese dentists was reported to be 16.5%, significantly higher than that among Japanese physicians and United States dentists. However, large-scale studies on smoking cessation implementation based on dentists' smoking status and perceptions since the introduction of HTPs are lacking. Therefore, we aimed to investigate and assess dentists' attitudes toward smoking, including HTP use and smoking cessation, according to smoking status. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire comprising six major items was mailed to 3883 dentists who were members of the Aichi Dental Association in August 2019. The primary outcome was smoking cessation status. The secondary outcome was the impact of smoking on intervention for smoking cessation. This study was reported using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. RESULTS: Among the 1317 (42%) dentists analyzed, men were more positive toward smoking than women. Current and former smokers were more positive about smoking than never smokers/users, regardless of the tobacco product type. Additionally, the current smoker group using conventional cigarettes was less likely to ask for their patients' smoking status than the never smoker group. Furthermore, the current smoker (OR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.3-3.1 vs never smoker) and HTP user (OR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-3.1 vs never user) groups were less likely to engage in smoking cessation than the never smoker/user groups, regardless of the tobacco product type. CONCLUSIONS: Since the smoking status of dentists affects the implementation of smoking cessation interventions, it is crucial to encourage them to quit using all tobacco products to promote smoking cessation interventions in dental practice. Additionally, providing proper smoking prevention education to dentists is an important task.

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted college student learning both globally and nationally. Current literature points to decreases in social connectedness, adverse mental health outcomes, and decreased overall learning outcomes; however, there are limited findings from higher education institutions within the Bay Area, California. There are also limited studies that examine the COVID-19 impact among public health graduate students, especially to understand how the pandemic renewed their interest in the field. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on graduate student learning experiences, social connectedness and mental health within the Master of Public Health program at San José State University in San Jose, California. Methods: We employed a convergent mixed-methods design using a survey that quantitatively assessed student learning experiences through a retrospective pre-and post-design, and a semi-structured interview guide that qualitatively assessed student learning experiences and its relationship with mental health and social connectedness using a phenomenological design. Data were collected between September 2022 and June 2023 and analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: A total of 22 students completed the survey and four participated in follow-up semi-structured interviews. Of the 22, 12(54%) were among the 18-29-year age group, 9(41%) identified as Asian, 21(95%) identified as female, and 9(41%) identified as a first-generation college student. When comparing survey responses, the median change in learning experiences pre and during-pandemic were statistically significant across several areas such as student ability to stay organized (p < 0.0001), participate actively in class (p < 0.001), retain course material (p < 0.0001), collaborate with peers (p < 0.0001), and maintain a sense of connection with their cohort (p = 0.0001) and broader campus community (p < 0.0001). Semi-structured interviews further revealed the following six themes: (1) Consistent faculty support; (2) Sense of community; (3) Reduced social connectedness; (4) Impact on mental health; (5) Deeper public health understanding; and (6) Facilitators and barriers. Conclusion: Educational practitioners are encouraged to offer hybrid academic programs and establish resource infrastructures that provide students with social and mental wellness support when transitioning to different learning modalities.

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BACKGROUND: Armed conflict and war are public health disasters. Public health action has a crucial role in conflict-related emergencies and rehabilitation but also in war prevention and peace promotion. Translating this into public health training and competencies has just started to emerge, especially in Europe. METHODS: We conducted a Scoping Review to map and identify the role of public health education and training of public health workforce relating to the prevention of war and promoting peace, as reflected in the scientific literature. We searched in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science Core Collections as well as the reference list of included material in English, German and Polish. Focusing initially on the European region, we later expanded the search outside of Europe. RESULTS: We included 7 publications from opinion pieces to an empirical assessment of curricula and training. The educational programs were predominantly short-term and extra-curricular in postgraduate courses addressing both public health professionals in conflict-affected countries as well as countries not directly affected by war. Publications focused on public health action in times of war, without specifying the context and type of war or armed conflict. Competencies taught focused on emergency response and multi-disciplinary collaboration during emergencies, frequently drawing on experience and examples from natural disaster and disease outbreak management. CONCLUSIONS: The scientific discourse on competences in public health education for times of war and for the promotion of peace, predominately focuses on immediate emergency response actions. The prevention of war and the promotion of peace are missing foci, that need to feature more prominently in public health training. Public Health Education and training should ensure that war prevention and peace promotion, as well as public health action in times of war, are included in their competencies for public health professionals.

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The purpose of this paper is to provide a description and evaluation of a graduate-level Health Services Research Methods course offered at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. This three-credit, round-table discussion-style course introduces students to fundamental concepts in healthcare study design and teaches them how to design and critique example studies for a variety of commonly encountered study designs. The course is assessed through essay-style examinations, development of a research proposal, and low-stakes weekly assignments. Twenty-seven students have completed the course in the past five years. Feedback from student course surveys was almost unanimously positive, with few meaningful suggestions for improvement. The description and evaluation of a graduate-level Health Services Research Methods course at one institution indicates that students had a largely favorable experience with the course. Considerations for future revisions to the course are discussed alongside other lessons learned.

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The use of simulators in veterinary education has been increasing over the last few years. This is fundamental for surgical classes, as simulators can provide a better learning environment for the students. Two procedures commonly taught in veterinary surgical practical classes are nephrectomy and cystotomy. However, the lack of simulators for use in these classes limits the training options to the use of cadavers, which have a number of associated disadvantages, including the potential for autolysis. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the value of a simple nephrectomy and cystotomy simulator that could replace the use of cadavers in surgical practical classes. The simulator, which represented the abdominal cavity, bladder, kidneys, ureter, vessels and adipose tissue, was constructed by using synthetic materials. To evaluate its usefulness and acceptance by the students, the learning outcomes and student satisfaction, for both the simulator and an ethically sourced dog cadaver, were compared. The students completed a Likert scale questionnaire, and the answers were evaluated by using the Diagnostic Content Validation (DCV) model. The simulator was well accepted by the students, with the best scores achieved for the ureter divulsion and ligation procedures; good results were also recorded for the kidney vessel ligature and urinary bladder suture practice. The scores showed that the simulator provided an acceptable experience during the training process and increased the confidence of the students in performing the procedure.

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Chemical risk assessment still primarily relies on extrapolation of data from high-confidence in vivo studies. Emerging 21st Century Toxicology tools and approaches have potential to figure more prominently in chemical risk assessment, but many challenges in translating this research into assessments remain. One of these tools, the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) Wiki provides a framework to map and evaluate adverse chemical dynamics, that is the biochemical and physiological effects that occur after chemical exposure. The AOP-guided targeted review of relevant literature, described here, shares similarities with a doctoral thesis or literature review but forces critical evaluation of each step in a pathway including those of central dogma. Additionally, it provides valuable translational regulatory relevance. Data gaps identified through this process can be targeted areas of study in the thesis itself to increase translational relevance. One of the challenges with this tool is that many AOPs are under- or undeveloped. To help fill this need, a concerted effort by subject matter experts to speed the development of AOPs supported under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) framework would benefit this translational problem. As a case study, we present our experience developing AOP 460: Antagonism of Smoothened receptor leading to orofacial clefting (OECD AOP workplan project 1.101) as part of a graduate literature review. AOP development offers clear benefits to the regulatory and academic communities and increased dissemination of AOPs replete with the most current state of scientific knowledge will promote research translation and increased risk assessment capabilities.

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Although religion once played a central role in sociological inquiry, today it has fallen from prominence and now occupies a marginal space in the field. Sociologists of religion suggest that this neglect can be explained by the unusual irreligiosity of academia. However, some are hopeful that changes to graduate training and other institutional interventions can overcome this propensity and encourage more sociological engagement with religion, one of the most influential forces in contemporary society. Drawing on a new dataset of 473 sociology graduate students in the top 25 departments in the United States, we assess how personal secularity and departmental support for religious inquiry predict sociological engagement with religion. Personal secularity is a strong predictor of the decision to study religion and of the overall perception of the relevance of religion in contemporary society. Coming from a department where religion is discussed and faculty pursue research on religion predicts the perception of religion's relevance for the secular majority. Our findings contribute to the understanding of sociological knowledge creation and how individual and institutional proclivities-together-shape what we deem important enough to study.

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The current demand on health services requires that nurses play a key role, by adapting their competencies to different fields and complexity levels. The approach of situations presented by critically ill patients underpins the need for development of specialised competencies in specific areas such as patient safety, prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections, performance of specific techniques and interventions, autonomous medication management or the use of technology, among others. Spain relies on a specialist training programme that is unique worldwide. Training admission is managed through a contract as a "Resident Nurse Intern" (EIR, Enfermera Interna Residente), provided by regional healthcare services. Only 6 specialities have been established and developed, in an uneven manner and with a short provision of places, annually. Given that the specialization in critical care nursing does not exist, nurses usually self-fund their postgraduate training to enhance their opportunities career development. The development of a speciality for critical care nursing is a priority. The models proposed advocate for creating nursing roles that could cover the systemic gaps through the expansion of their competencies and the introduction of procedures that fit nursing into advanced practice, which could be achieved through Advanced Accreditation Diplomas. Simultaneously, it would be convenient to analyse how and why such a dynamic discipline in some countries became stuck in anachronistic models of the Spanish healthcare system. This analysis might contribute to move forward on the development of areas of improvement in terms of service access and quality of care.

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OBJECTIVES: Health systems that apply artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the roles of healthcare providers, including those of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) providers. These professionals are required to utilize informatics knowledge and skills to deliver quality care, necessitating a high level of informatics competencies, which should be developed through well-structured courses. The purpose of this study is to assess the informatics competency scale scores of DNP students and to provide recommendations for enhancing the informatics curriculum. METHODS: An online informatics course was offered to students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to DNP program, and their informatics competency, which includes three subscales, was evaluated. Online survey data were collected from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022 using the "Self-Assessment of Informatics Competency Scale for Health Professionals." RESULTS: An analysis of 127 student responses revealed that students demonstrated competence in overall informatics competency and in one subscale: "applied computer skills (clinical informatics)." They showed proficiency in the "basic computer skills" and the "role" subscales. However, they reported lower competency in managing data and integrating standard terminology into their practice. CONCLUSIONS: The findings offer detailed insights into the current informatics competencies of DNP students and can inform informatics educators on how to enhance their courses. As healthcare institutions increasingly depend on AI applications, it is imperative for informatics educators to include AI-related content in their curricula.

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Given the rise in demand for online, graduate degree programs there is a need to guide program planning and evaluation professionals within institutions of higher education to utilize continuous quality improvement (CQI) strategies. Using principles of design thinking and CQI, the purpose of this case study was to describe a CQI project that sought to develop a better understanding of adult students' experience progressing through their plan of study in an online doctoral program. As part of the CQI project, value stream mapping (VSM) was used to gain visibility and perspective on the actions required by faculty and staff to guide students through their plan of study. The VSM process provided information that led to conversations that furthered the CQI efforts and led to changes in the adult education program that would benefit all students. Improvement processes that lead to better quality and more positive experiences for users are valuable. This case study demonstrates the processes, challenges, lessons, and future directions in the use of VSM to better understand online graduate programs designed for adult learners.

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How likely are engineering PhD graduates to get a tenure-track faculty position in the United States? To answer this question, we analyzed aggregated yearly data on PhD graduates and tenure-track/tenured faculty members across all engineering disciplines from 2006 to 2021, obtained from the American Society of Engineering Education. The average likelihood for securing a tenure-track faculty position for engineering overall during this 16-year period was 12.4% (range = 10.9-18.5%), implying that roughly 1 in 8 PhD graduates attain such positions. After a significant decline from 18.5 to 10.9% between 2006 and 2014 (R2 = 0.62; P < 0.05), a trend consistent with a period of rising competition, the outlook has since stabilized between 11.3 and 12% (R2 = 0.04; P > 0.05). Given that most engineering PhD graduates will never secure a tenure-track faculty position, emphasizing alternative career tracks during doctoral training could align expectations better with reality.

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BACKGROUND:  Completion of a research assignment is a requirement for specialist training in South Africa. Difficulty with completion delays graduation and the supply of family physicians. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of registrars with their research in postgraduate family medicine training programmes. METHODS:  An explorative descriptive qualitative study. Extreme case purposive sampling selected registrars who had and had not completed their research on time, from all nine training programmes. Saturation was achieved after 12 semi-structured interviews. The framework method was used for data analysis, assisted by ATLAS.ti software. RESULTS:  The assumption of prior learning by teachers and supervisors contributed to a sense of being overwhelmed and stressed. Teaching modules should be more standardised and focussed on the practical tasks and skills, rather than didactic theory. Lengthy provincial and ethics processes, and lack of institutional support, such as scholarly services and financial support, caused delays. The expertise of the supervisor was important, and the registrar-supervisor relationship should be constructive, collaborative and responsive. The individual research experience was dependent on choosing a feasible project and having dedicated time. The balancing of personal, professional and academic responsibilities was challenging. CONCLUSION:  Training programmes should revise the teaching of research and improve institutional processes. Supervisors need to become more responsive, with adequate expertise. Provincial support is needed for streamlined approval and dedicated research time.Contribution: The study highlights ways in which teaching, and completion of research can be improved, to increase the supply of family physicians to the country.

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To effectively address the staggering burden of mental illness, clinical psychological science will need to face some uncomfortable truths about current training practices. In a commentary authored by 23 current or recent trainees, Palitsky and colleagues highlight a number of urgent challenges facing today's clinical interns. They provide a thoughtful framework for reform, with specific recommendations and guiding questions for a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Key suggestions are applicable to the entire sequence of clinical training. While there is cause for cautious optimism, overcoming these systemic barriers will require a coordinated, all-hands approach and a more collaborative approach to policy-making.

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Objective: Doctoral education is a cornerstone in the training of clinical neuropsychologists. However, we know little about perceptions, practices, and needs of the faculty who oversee doctoral training in clinical neuropsychology (CN). Method: Seventy-one faculty from 45 doctoral programs providing CN training completed at least part of a survey assessing characteristics of their programs, current training practices and views, and challenges to CN doctoral training. Results: Over half of CN faculty reported having zero or only one CN colleague. CN faculty reported that the goals of CN doctoral training are research training, clinical training, and acquisition of knowledge and skills reflected in the Houston Conference Guidelines (HCG). CN faculty reported that doctoral trainees obtain more clinical hours than faculty would like and endorsed alternative clinical metrics, including competency-based ratings. CN faculty are divided about the benefits of a required two-year postdoctoral CN fellowship. Conclusions: The HCG states that specialization in CN begins at the doctoral level. CN faculty in doctoral programs are fully immersed in the early development and education of future CN researchers and practitioners. Tensions between clinical and research training in CN at the doctoral level-and student overemphasis on accruing clinical hours-might place CN at risk for failing to make research innovations necessary for our field to evolve and thrive. More CN doctoral faculty are needed to serve as mentors to students, especially for students from backgrounds that have been historically excluded and marginalized. A greater voice from CN doctoral faculty in CN governance is needed.

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Introducción: Perfeccionar las habilidades de comunicación y comprensión del inglés en los momentos actuales es una necesidad indispensable para aquellos que realizan estudios de maestría y doctorado, pues les permite divulgar los resultados de sus investigaciones con mayor precisión, así como asimilar claramente la literatura especializada que consulten. Objetivo: Analizar algunas de las principales estrategias de traducción empleadas por los participantes en el curso de comprensión y comunicación de los resultados de investigación. Métodos: Se realizó una investigación educativa en el periodo 2021-2022 en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Cienfuegos, para lo cual se seleccionó una muestra de 42 profesionales, matriculados en los programas de formación doctoral en ciencias biomédicas, estomatológicas y psicológicas. A tal efecto, se empleó la observación como método para describir el proceso de entrenamiento en traducción de textos médicos del inglés al español. Resultados: La estrategia más empleada por los doctorandos fue la traducción literal, que se halló en los 107 fragmentos analizados y en 86,9 % de estos fue la única aplicada; a esta le siguió la transposición (70,0 %). Los calcos léxicos constituyeron la estrategia menos usada, pues solo figuraron en 11,2 % de los textos médicos traducidos del inglés al español. Conclusiones: Las estrategias más utilizadas fueron la traducción literal y la transposición, lo cual se debe a que las estructuras léxicas y sintácticas sirven de base para establecer analogías entre los idiomas español e inglés y, por tanto, facilitan la reexpresión que conlleva el proceso de traducción.

Introduction: Improving communication and understanding skills in English at present is an indispensable necessity for those who conduct masters and doctorate studies, since they allow them to disclose the results of research with more precision, as well as to clearly assimilate the specialized literature. Objective: To analyze some of the main translation strategies used by the participants in the course about understanding and communication research results. Methods: An educational study was carried out in the period 2021-2022 at the University of Medical Sciences in Cienfuegos, with a sample of 42 professionals enrolled in doctoral training programs of biomedical, stomatological and psychological sciences. For this purpose, observation was used as a method to describe the training process in translation of medical texts from English to Spanish. Results: The most used strategy by doctorate students was literal translation, which was found in the 107 fragments analyzed, and it was the only one applied in 86.9% of the cases; followed by transposition (70.0%). Lexical calque was the least used strategy, as it only appeared in 11.2% of the medical texts translated from English to Spanish. Conclusions: The most used strategies were literal translation and transposition, which is due to the fact that lexical and syntactic structures serve as a basis for establishing analogies between Spanish and English languages and, therefore, facilitate the re-expression involved in translation process.