In May 2020, the Coalition for Physician Accountability’s Work Group on Medical Students in the Class of 2021 Moving Across Institutions for Post Graduate Training (WG) released its final report and recommendations. These recommendations pertain to away rotations, virtual interviews, Electronic Residency Application Service opening for programs and the overall residency timeline, and general communications and attempt to provide clarity and level the playing field during the 2020–2021 residency application cycle. The WG’s aims include promoting professional accountability by improving the quality, efficiency, and continuity of the education, training, and assessment of physicians. The authors argue the first 3 WG recommendations may disproportionately impact candidates from historically excluded and underrepresented groups in medicine (HEURGMs) and may affect an institution’s ability to ensure equity in the selection of residency applicants and, thus, warrant further consideration. The authors examine these recommendations from a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) perspective. For each of the first 3 WG recommendations, the authors highlight new opportunities created by the recommendations and detail challenges that programs must carefully navigate to ensure equity for all candidates. The authors also recommend solutions to guide programs as they address these challenges, meet new common program requirements, and attempt to promote equity for HEURGMs. Finally, the authors recommend that after the 2020–2021 recruitment cycle, the medical education community evaluate DEI-related outcomes of both the WG’s and the authors’ recommendations and incorporate the findings into future application cycles.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterized by a left ventricular ejection fraction of 50% or greater. While heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is well-characterized and has numerous treatment options, HFpEF remains poorly understood. HFpEF has long been termed diastolic dysfunction, because it was thought that fibrosis and impaired relaxation of the left ventricle could alone explain the underlying pathophysiology. However, recent research has identified additional mechanisms that influence HFpEF, specifically metabolic disorders and proinflammatory conditions. Despite this recent progress in elucidating the pathophysiology, there are still no approved treatment options that increase survival in patients with HFpEF. In the context of limited pharmacological options, stem cell therapy and cardiac biomarkers have emerged as potential breakthroughs in the treatment of HFpEF, but there has not yet been a review of their potential. This review evaluates the potential of cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the treatment of HFpEF. CDCs have shown promise, with a placebo-controlled animal trial demonstrating an increase in survival and a marked improvement in left ventricular end diastolic filling among the group treated with intracoronary infusion of CDCs. Additionally, with the newfound understanding of HFpEF pathophysiology, studies have also investigated the role MSCs and EPCs play in the inflammation associated with HFpEF, as well as the potential benefit these stem cells would bring to the treatment of HFpEF. While clinical trials are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of these therapies, we offer insight into their potential, as well as a comprehensive summary of the pertinent clinical studies that are currently in progress. Embase, Ovid Medline, and PubMed were used to search all relevant literature for this review.
Background Despite having well‐described benefits, diversifying the physician workforce has been an ongoing challenge. Within emergency medicine (EM), multiple professional organizations have identified expanding diversity and inclusion as top priorities. The following is a description of an interactive session held at the SAEM annual meeting addressing recruitment strategies for underrepresented in medicine (URiM) and sexual and gender minority (SGM) students into EM. Methods During the session, the authors provided an overview of the current state of diversity in EM. In the small‐group portion of the session, a facilitator helped characterize the challenges programs face in recruiting URiM and SGM students. These challenges were described during three distinct phases of the recruitment process: (1) preinterview, (2) interview day, and (3) postinterview. Results Our facilitated small‐group session allowed for discussing the challenges faced by various programs in recruiting a diverse group of trainees. Common challenges in the preinterview and interview day included messaging and visibility as well as funding and support. Postinterview challenges included communication and the ranking process. Through this exercise, we were able to collaboratively share ideas on tangible solutions that programs may use to overcome their specific challenges. Conclusions Given the importance of intentionality in diversifying the physician workforce, the authors describe successful strategies implemented within one residency program and those shared by session participants to overcome recruitment challenges.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.