LGBT trainees and HCPs contribute significantly to services, programs, and scholarship focused on LGBT communities. LGBT individuals report a desire for a workplace environment that encourages and supports diversity across sexual orientation and gender identities. Institutional policies and programming that facilitate LGBT inclusion and visibility in academia may lead to greater faculty work satisfaction and productivity, higher retention and supportive role modeling and mentoring for the health professions pipeline.

Histology is a traditional core basic science component of most medical and dental education programs and presents a didactic challenge for many students. Identifying students that are likely to struggle with histology would allow for early intervention to support and encourage their learning success. To identify student characteristics that are associated with learning success in histology, three first-year medical school classes at the University of Michigan (>440 students) were surveyed about their educational background, attitudes toward learning histology, and their use of histology learning strategies and resources. These characteristics were linked with the students' quiz and examination results in histology. Students who reported previous experience in histology or pathology and hold science or biomedical science college degrees usually did well in histology. Learning success in histology was also positively associated with students' perception that histology is important for their professional career. Other positive indicators were in-person participation in teacher-guided learning experiences, specifically lecture and laboratory sessions. In contrast, students who relied on watching histology lectures by video rather than going to lectures in-person performed significantly worse. These characteristics and learning strategies of students who did well in this very visual and challenging study subject should be of help for identifying and advising students early, who might be at risk of failing a histology course or component.

Histology or microanatomy is an integral component of most first year medical curricula. As histology is heavily based on the review and analysis of images, modern educational resources are increasingly used for teaching this subject. These novel didactic approaches often supplement more traditional offerings of the material, such as lectures and laboratory sessions. After completion of their M1 histology component, University of Michigan medical students participated in a voluntary survey about their study habits and their use of various histology learning resources and how this usage changed over time. The data presented in this analysis demonstrate a strong preference of these students for studying histology with electronic rather than traditional learning resources. In particular, students' use of scheduled didactic opportunities decreased over the progression of the course. Students also exhibited a strong inclination to study histology individually rather than in study groups. These reported insights in students' preferences suggest a need to develop and update educational tools for teaching this very visual subject.

Background Public health measures to control the COVID‐19 pandemic have led to feelings of loneliness among older adults, which, prior to COVID, has been associated with subsequent morbidity and mortality. We sought to identify differences in feelings of loneliness, sadness, and social disconnection early in the pandemic across racial groups, and possible mitigating factors. Methods We performed a cross‐sectional analysis using the weighted nationally‐representative Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey COVID‐19 supplement, collected summer 2020. We included all Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older who did not respond by proxy. We examined changes in loneliness, sadness, or feelings of social disconnection. Multivariable logistic regression models accounted for sociodemographic variables, access to primary care and the internet, and history of depression or dementia. Results Among 8125 beneficiaries, representative of 43.7 million Medicare beneficiaries, 22.6% reported loneliness or sadness, and 37.1% feeling socially disconnected. In fully‐adjusted models, Hispanic/Latinx beneficiaries were most likely to report loneliness or sadness (OR = 1.3, CI: 1.02–1.65; p = 0.02) and Black beneficiaries were least likely to report feeling socially disconnected (OR = 0.55; CI: 0.42–0.73; p < 0.001). Internet access was associated with increased odds of both (OR = 1.29, 95 CI: 1.07–1.56; p = 0.009; and OR = 1.42, 95 CI: 1.24–1.63; p < 0.001, respectively). Access to primary care was associated with lower odds of both (OR = 0.77, 95 CI: 0.61–0.96; p = 0.02; and OR = 0.72, 95 CI: 0.61–0.87; p < 0.001). Conclusions Loneliness, sadness, and feelings of social disconnection were common among older Medicare beneficiaries early in the COVID‐19 pandemic. Differences by race/ethnicity may be driven by different living structures and social networks, and warrant further study. Policy makers and clinicians should consider facilitating connection by phone or in person, as internet access did not diminish feelings of loneliness, particularly for those living alone. Access to primary care, and tools for clinicians to address loneliness should be prioritized.