Using Medical Students as Champions Against Misinformation During a Global Pandemic

Tesema, Naomi; Collison, Maggie; Luo, Catherine

doi:10.1097/acm.0000000000004368

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…IMPACT additionally partnered with multiple academic institutions in the Chicagoland area to launch key educational initiatives. At the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, it developed and launched a new course on misinformation and science communication for early-year medical students; one of the students’ final projects was featured [ 18 ] at a national symposium sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges [ 19 ]. Students at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois also participated in an op-ed accelerator, which has resulted in over 12 op-eds with student first authors.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering Health Care Workers on Social Media to Bolster Trust in Science and Vaccination During the Pandemic: Making IMPACT Using a Place-Based Approach

Jain¹,

Dhaon²,

Majmudar³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background Given the widespread and concerted efforts to propagate health misinformation on social media, particularly centered around vaccination during the pandemic, many groups of clinicians and scientists were organized on social media to tackle misinformation and promote vaccination, using a national or international lens. Although documenting the impact of such social media efforts, particularly at the community level, can be challenging, a more hyperlocal or “place-based approach” for social media campaigns could be effective in tackling misinformation and improving public health outcomes at a community level. Objective We aimed to describe and document the effectiveness of a place-based strategy for a coordinated group of Chicago health care workers on social media to tackle misinformation and improve vaccination rates in the communities they serve. Methods The Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team (IMPACT) was founded in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with representatives from major academic teaching hospitals in Chicago (eg, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Illinois, and Rush University) and community-based organizations. Through crowdsourcing on multiple social media platforms (eg, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) with a place-based approach, IMPACT engaged grassroots networks of thousands of Illinois health care workers and the public to identify gaps, needs, and viewpoints to improve local health care delivery during the pandemic. Results To address vaccine misinformation, IMPACT created 8 “myth debunking” infographics and a “vaccine information series” of 14 infographics that have generated >340,000 impressions and informed the development of vaccine education for the Chicago Public Libraries. IMPACT delivered 13 policy letters focusing on different topics, such as health care worker personal protective equipment, universal masking, and vaccination, with >4000 health care workers signatures collected through social media and delivered to policy makers; it published over 50 op-eds on COVID-19 topics in high-impact news outlets and contributed to >200 local and national news features. Using the crowdsourcing approach on IMPACT social media channels, IMPACT mobilized health care and lay volunteers to staff >400 vaccine events for >120,000 individuals, many in Chicago’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. The group’s recommendations have influenced public health awareness campaigns and initiatives, as well as research, advocacy, and policy recommendations, and they have been recognized with local and national awards. Conclusions A coordinated group of health care workers on social media, using a hyperlocal place-based approach, can not only work together to address misinformation but also collaborate to boost vaccination rates in their surrounding communities.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering Health Care Workers on Social Media to Bolster Trust in Science and Vaccination During the Pandemic: Making IMPACT Using a Place-Based Approach

Jain¹,

Dhaon²,

Majmudar³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…8 Other trainees sought to combat widespread misinformation through patient-centered messaging and developing easy-to-digest infographics and visual aids. 9 Collectively, these initiatives have demonstrated the powerful impact trainees can have throughout medical education and practice.…”

Section: Public Health and Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Student-Led Initiatives and Advocacy in Academic Medicine: Empowering the Leaders of Tomorrow

Forrest¹,

Geraghty²

2022

Academic Medicine

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Trainees’ value as effective leaders within academic medicine has been increasingly recognized. From their perspective as adult learners who enter medical education from diverse backgrounds, trainees offer significant value to the teaching, learning, and practice of medicine. As such, trainees have developed and led various successful initiatives throughout academic medicine. In this Invited Commentary, 2 medical students with national leadership roles provide their perspectives on how student-led initiatives and advocacy can help push academic medicine forward. The authors first provide an overview of the success of student-led initiatives throughout medical education as evidenced by the Trainee-Authored Letters to the Editor in this issue, highlighting the unique contributions and perspectives of trainees in the development and implementation of new initiatives or ways of thinking. Although trainees add value to many areas in academic medicine, here the authors highlight 4 current areas that align with Association of American Medical Colleges priorities: (1) public health emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) equity, inclusion, and diversity; (3) wellness and resilience amongst trainees and health care providers; and (4) recent changes to the United States Medical Licensing Examination and the transition to residency. By sharing their experiences with student-led initiatives within each of these domains, the authors provide lessons learned and discuss successes and obstacles encountered along the way. Overall, there is a critical need for increased engagement of trainees in medical education. Empowering trainees now ensures the academic medicine leaders of tomorrow are prepared to face the challenges that await them.

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Using Medical Students as Champions Against Misinformation During a Global Pandemic

Cited by 2 publications

References 1 publication

Empowering Health Care Workers on Social Media to Bolster Trust in Science and Vaccination During the Pandemic: Making IMPACT Using a Place-Based Approach

Empowering Health Care Workers on Social Media to Bolster Trust in Science and Vaccination During the Pandemic: Making IMPACT Using a Place-Based Approach

Student-Led Initiatives and Advocacy in Academic Medicine: Empowering the Leaders of Tomorrow

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