Dr. Chris Candler: AAMC MedEdPORTAL editor. Dr. Candler was our first Journal Club speaker of the year. The Medical Education Research and Evaluation Group, meets every Thursday from 10:15 to 11:45. However, they set the last Thursday of the month aside from 12-1 for guest speakers.




Dr. Clarence Braddock, Associate Dean of Medical Education, welcomed our guest and set the tone for the presentation.

Dr. David Fetterman introduced the Dr. Candler mentioning that he was Associate Dean at the University of Oklahoma before moving to the AAMC. He was also co-director of HEAL. (Dr. Candler's presentation was recorded for those unable to attend.)



Dr. Candler spoke about role of education scholarship and how it should be evaluated. His work builds on the Carnegie Foundation's commitment to the scholarship of teaching.

Dr. Candler provided the group with both an historical context for the scholarship of teaching and some of the latest thinking on the topic. In addition, he demonstrated how MedEdPORTAL is a powerful conduit for publishing in this area, particularly given it is a refereed online journal.

Dr. Candler's presentation stimulated a lively discussion.



There was even speculation about documenting (and in this case analyzing "chunked and coded" video recordings of) teaching as a form of scholarship.

The discussion after the session was also extremely productive. New publication ideas were generated, which were particularly meaningful and relevant given that the ideas were generated with the editor of the journal present.

Colleagues in attendance came from SUMMIT, clerkships, courses, standardized patient programs, evaluation, and various fellowships and residencies.

By way of background, Drs. Braddock, Candler, and Fetterman met with Dr. David Stevenson, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs before Dr. Candler's presentation. The focus was on the importance of education research and MedEdPORTAL as a vehicle to contribute to that literature. More to the point, the discussion revolved around the legitimacy of this kind of scholarship and need to ensure that A&P committees understand and value the scholarship of teaching.

Dr. Stevenson assured Drs. Braddock and Fetterman that he would bring this to all of the A&P committees and Dean Pizzo as well.

Dr. Fetterman concluded Dr. Candler's visit with a brief tour of the campus including the Rodin sculptures and returning full circle at the Clark Center.

Mock Presentations. The next couple of months are booked up with practice sessions, in preparation for our professional association meeting presentations. Two of the more pressing deadlines are for the AAMC and AEA in November.

The September 20th session focused on the AEA session titled, "Using Empowerment Evaluation to Facilitate Organizational Transformation: A Stanford University Medical Center Case Example." The focus is both on the method of empowerment evaluation and crossing boundaries across the medical school curriculum and the hospital, in order to provide a coherent and consistent educational message. (Often students have to "unlearn" what they learned in medical school once they begin their residencies. The aim of our overall effort is to reinforce what was learned throughout the entire educational experience.)

The critique was friendly but focused and extremely helpful. The process was engaging - we did not even notice the time go by. (Speaking of time, look at that clock in the picture on the left top of the screen. How may meetings do you go to that run over well into lunch and folks are still completely absorbed and refining their insights and ideas?)

To best use the group's time for critique, the panel meet before the research meeting to solidify their ideas concerning the themes they wanted to highlight for their session.

MedEdPORTAL. Dr. Chris Candler, the editor of the AAMC's online journal, will be speaking in the School of Medicine on September 21, 2007. The topic will be: "What is Education Scholarship and How Should it Be Evaluated?"

This presentation conforms to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement on Teaching's commitment to scholarship on teaching. According to the Foundation: “The scholarship of teaching must not be confused with ongoing study of one's discipline, which is expected of all faculty. This specialized scholarship, which only some faculty will pursue, involves sustained inquiry into teaching practices and students' learning in ways that allow other educators to build on one's findings. Scholarship of teaching is directed toward other teachers, in one's field and beyond.”

The talk will be located in the Clark Center Room 361. This invited speaker is endorsed by Dean's Pizzo, Stevenson, Prober, Braddock, and Curet. The event is sponsored by the Office of Medical Education, the Division of Evaluation, and the Medical Education and Evaluation Research Group. Contact Dr. David Fetterman, Director of Evaluation, for details concerning the event. (Lunch will be provided and the talk will be taped in case you are unable to attend.)

MedEdPORTAL Submissions. Dr. Nevins requested feedback on his plans to submit a series of MedEdPORTAL submissions at our September 6, 2007 research and evaluation meeting. He provided an LCD presentation concerning his planned submissions. In the process, his presentation became transformed into a group review and critique. It was engaging and productive.

Many of the group's recommended changes were made on screen in front of the group. It was quite empowering because the recommended changes were made in real time and in front of the group.

This presentation was also an excellent demonstration of how the group provides feedback on work in progress. In addition, the discussion helped make the transition to a discussion about education scholarship and the upcoming visit by Dr. Chris Candler, the editor of MedEdPORTAL. The talk will be in the School of Medicine on September 21, 2007. It will be held in the Clark Center from 12:00 to 1:00 in room 361.