Medical Education Research
Research in medical education is a priority for the College of Medicine. To ensure that students, as well as future residents, successfully acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors of world-class physicians, the COM follows students' progress through the Knowledge Management System. This system captures data from the curriculum. From this data, information regarding best teaching and learning methods, methods of assessment, areas of curricular strengths, and areas needing improvement will be identified. The impact of curricular change the COM matures, as well as the introduction of novel teaching and assessment methods, can be monitored and analyzed for effectiveness in meeting the objectives for students and the program as a whole. In addition, ongoing research in medical education provides faculty opportunities for professional development and collaboration with other academic institutions.
Key Research Areas
- Healthgames Research: A proposal was submitted to examine the utility of using game-based technologies to develop an effective, motivating practice environment for the acquisition and maintenance of relapse prevention skills for individuals with alcohol use disorders. This collaborative project involves faculty from the Department of Medical Education, Institute for Simulation Technology, and Clinical Faculty from the Veteran's Administration.(Funding pending review, Robert Woods Johnson Foundation)
- National Children’s Study:
The COM is partnering with other medical schools around the state, as well as local health care providers and the Department of Health to submit a proposal for inclusion of Orange County in the National Children's Study. This study will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the study is to improve the health and well-being of children. The study defines "environment" broadly and will take a number of issues into account, including:
- Natural and man-made environment factors
- Biological and chemical factors
- Physical surroundings
- Social factors
- Behavioral influences and outcomes
- Genetics
- Cultural and family influences and differences
- Geographic locations
Researchers will analyze how these elements interact with each other and what helpful and/or harmful effects they might have on children's health. By studying children through their different phases of growth and development, researchers will be better able to understand the role of these factors on health and disease. The study will also allow scientists to find the differences that exist between groups of people, in terms of their health, health care access, disease occurrence, and other issues, so that these differences or disparities can be addressed. (Proposal in preparation, NIH-NICHD-NCS-08-12) - Other Research: The COM is currently anticipating the release of "Requests for Proposals" pertaining to physician history taking skills with regards to substance abuse and harm-reduction programs, and for the development of a consortium to identify early signs of and risk factors for ovarian cancer.
