APS Publications Podcast

Drama-Enhanced Medical Physiology Tutorials

Listen to the latest APS Publications Podcast as Seán Roe, Mary K. McGahon, Sharon Parkinson, Etain Tansey, and Paul Murphy discuss an innovative approach to medical education encouraging drama students to take on the role of simulated patients. A cross-disciplinary learning experience not to be missed! This podcast and paper detail how physiology tutorials for early years medical students are transformed by taking the clinical case off the two-dimensional page and instead having the case scenario acted by drama students. This adds context and authenticity. The benefits are twofold: emphasizing the importance of physiology to the budding clinician and embedding empathy and compassion from the earliest points in a clinician’s career.

 

A cross-disciplinary approach to learning medical physiology and behavioral skills involving drama students performing as simulated patients

Seán Roe, Mary K. McGahon, Sharon Parkinson, Etain Tansey, and Paul Murphy

Advances in Physiology Education, Published 1 June 2024

Alignment of Learning Objectives in Medical Physiology

In this APS Publications Podcast, Lisa Carney Anderson discusses the findings from the paper "Alignment of learning objectives, assessments, and active learning to promote critical thinking in a first-year medical physiology course." This paper highlights the authors' introduction of formative assessments and study techniques to first-year medical students in a physiology course. Mastery of learning objectives was emphasized as the key to success. The students were asked how they studied physiology through an anonymous online survey and focus group interviews. The students enjoyed physiology but had difficulty with exam expectations. Helping students use learning objectives to guide their study may lead to improved exam scores. It may also help administrators meet their curriculum goals.

 

Alignment of learning objectives, assessments, and active learning to promote critical thinking in a first-year medical physiology course: lessons learned

Lisa Carney Anderson and Carolina Fernandez-Branson

Advances in Physiology Education, Published 1 June 2024

Lung miRNA & cytokine expression in HDM challenged FCG mice

In this APS Publications Podcast, Sarah Commodore delves into a study titled "Lung proinflammatory microRNA and cytokine expression in a mouse model of allergic inflammation: role of sex chromosome complement and gonadal hormones." This research explores how microRNAs (miRNAs), which are crucial in gene regulation and environmental interactions, might contribute to sex differences in allergic responses and lung diseases.

The study employed a targeted omics approach to examine how gonadal hormones and chromosomal components influence lung responses to allergen exposure. The findings suggest that sex hormones play a significant role in regulating miRNA expression and proinflammatory markers during allergic airway inflammation. This indicates a complex interplay between genetic (sex chromosome complement) and hormonal factors in shaping immune responses in the lungs.

 

Lung proinflammatory microRNA and cytokine expression in a mouse model of allergic inflammation: role of sex chromosome complement and gonadal hormones

Sarah Commodore, Carolyn Damilola Ekpruke, Dustin Rousselle, Rachel Alford, Maksat Babayev, Shikha Sharma, Aaron Buechlein, Douglas B. Rusch, and Patricia Silveyra

Physiological Genomics 2024 56:2, 179-193

Cracking the Code: Using Educational Gaming for High-Level Thinking in Physiology Education

Tune in to the latest APS Publications Podcast episode where authors Joel Roberts and Jonathan P. Dyhr dive into the world of using gaming as an educational tool! They discuss how a simple word game engaged students in higher level thinking about physiology, making learning fun and challenging.

 

Joel Roberts, Lise A. Johnson, and Jonathan P. Dyhr Cracking the code: using educational gaming for high-level thinking in physiology education  Advances in Physiology Education, Published 13 March 2024

 

Teaching the Tutors: Use of an OSTE to Train Medical Students to be Peer Tutors

In this episode of the APS Publications Podcast, Judith Litvin highlights the recently published education research titled "Teaching the tutors: use of an OSTE to train medical students to be peer tutors." This novel application of the Objective Structured Teaching Examination (OSTE) was done to enhance tutors’ skills as valued members of our integrated academic support program. The OSTE provided feedback to the tutors and enabled us to identify a need for enhanced tutor training in active learning strategies. The OSTE can be adapted for use in other health science educational programs to enhance their training programs and to assess tutors' skills in preparation for their role.

 

Christian Schill, Samantha Panich, Mary F. Barbe, Maryellen E. Gusic, and Judith Litvin Teaching the tutors: use of an OSTE to train medical students to be peer tutors Advances in Physiology Education, Published 24 April 2024

FAOPS 2023 Teaching Workshop and Education Symposium

In this episode of the APS Publications Podcast, Jae Boum Youm highlights the authors' comprehensive report on the 10th Federation of the Asian and Oceanian Physiological Societies Congress (FAOPS 2023) Teaching Workshop and Education Symposium. This year marked a significant milestone in physiology education, focusing on innovative and inclusive teaching methods post-COVID-19. The meeting united educators and experts to redefine physiology teaching, covering inclusive, student-centered learning, humanities integration, and collaboration between basic science educators and clinical educators. It also emphasized the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI)-based evaluation tools, augmented reality (AR) goggles, and apps like Slido, Kahoot, Vevox, Miro, and Padlet in creating interactive, technology-driven learning environments. These technologies align with the evolving needs of modern medical education by providing real-time camera image analysis for human skeleton modeling, gesture recognition systems for physical rehabilitation, and imitation games, as well as facilitating discussion, visualization, and student engagement through interactive quizzes, polls, and case-based flipped classroom approaches. (Note: AI-generated voice was used to record parts of this episode.)

 

Jae Boum Youm, Hyun Goo Woo, and Noriyuki Koibuchi A comprehensive report on the FAOPS 2023 teaching workshop and education symposium Advances in Physiology Education, Published 23 April 2024

Pharmamemory: An Interactive Learning Tool

In this episode of The APS Publications podcast, coauthors Frederick Miller and Ryan Jones introduce PharmaMemory: an innovative, interactive web application designed to facilitate learning autonomic physiology and pharmacology. Recognizing the challenges medical students face in grasping complex topics like autonomic pharmacology within tight timeframes, they developed PharmaMemory (www.pharmamemory.com) as a solution. PharmaMemory (www.pharmamemory.com) is a free web application that interactively depicts the effects of high-yield autonomic drugs on the human body.

 

Timothy Rosencrans, Ryan Jones, Daniel Griffin, India Loyd, Anna Grady, Mary Moon, and Frederick Miller PharmaMemory: an interactive, animated web application for learning autonomic physiology and pharmacology

Advances in Physiology Education, Published online 30 April 2024 DOI: 10.1152/advan.00214.2022

The EMPOWER Program: A History and Guide for Increasing Diversity using Integrated Research and Education

In this episode of The APS Publications Podcast, Adrienne Lester King discusses the Empower Program. The Engaging Multidisciplinary Professional Opportunities for Women in Environmental Research (EMPOWER) program is a one-of-a-kind research summer experience for minority female high school students in the state of Georgia. In addition, this program provides high school teachers with hands-on experiences that can be adapted to use in the classrooms. This combination of lab and field research immerses participants in understanding urban environmental exposures and their health effects. The EMPOWER program was established to meet the critical need for increasing diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

 

Adrienne Lester King,Cristi Bell-Huff,Collins Airhihenbuwa,Susan Ogletree, and Christa Wright The EMPOWER program: a history and guide for increasing diversity using integrated research and education

Advances in Physiology Education, Published online 24 April 2024