Communication during a global pandemic: The utility of a professional society listserv and journal

Evaluating the DR-ED Listserv as a Medical Education Networking and Support Tool

“…The COVID-19 pandemic provided the context for demonstrating how a virtual network such as DR-ED can sustain communication and community when the world is shut down to in-person communication, teaching, and learning. Subscribers also used the listserv to share knowledge and resources about COVID-19 as an emergent health crisis, discussing shared problems, solutions, and resources around learning environment policy and procedural changes resulting from changing pandemic protocols (Bailey & Sanfilippo, 2022). The breadth of medical education topics addressed through the listserv and its use during the pandemic demonstrates how nimble the platform can be for addressing common or emergent problems across the medical education continuum.…”

“…Earlier listserv evaluations, based on message content analysis and/or user surveys or interviews, have most frequently focused on understanding the thematic content of user messages (Burg et al, 2012; Kumar et al, 2012; Kurtz-Rossi et al, 2017; Lucas, 2011; Mavis & Brocato, 1998; Murty et al, 2012; Trinacty et al, 2014; Worth & Patrick, 1997) and/or how listservs contribute to user professional development (Bailey & Sanfilippo, 2022; Blanchard, 2006; Hew & Hara, 2008; Murty et al, 2012; Rolls et al, 2016). Fewer studies have focused on describing user characteristics (Kuziemsky et al, 2015; Mavis & Brocato, 1998; Thompson & Penprase, 2004; Trinacty et al, 2014; Worth & Patrick, 1997) or how listservs contribute to collegial networking (Blanchard, 2006; Kuziemsky et al, 2015; Murty et al, 2012; Rolls et al, 2016; Worth & Patrick, 1997).…”