MedEdPORTAL© March 2023 Highlights

MedEdPORTAL is a peer-reviewed journal of teaching and learning resources in the health professions, published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in partnership with the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).

MedEdPORTAL and ADEA invite educators to submit stand-alone teaching or learning modules that have been tested in the classroom, preclinical laboratory or clinic educational materials that aim to improve patient care. The learners must include training or practicing physicians or dentists (e.g., professional school, residency, faculty development, continuing professional development) and may include trainees or practitioners across the health professions.

The vision of MedEdPORTAL is to:

• Serve as the premier clearinghouse of high-quality, peer-reviewed health education tools;
• Promote interprofessional collaboration by facilitating the open exchange of educational resources across the health professions; and
• Equip health professionals across the continuum with effective and efficient educational resources to improve patient care.

Assistance Preparing Your Teaching Resources for Publication in MedEdPORTAL

If you have questions about publishing your stand-alone teaching modules in MedEdPORTAL, please don’t hesitate to contact ADEA’s MedEdPORTAL Associate Editor, Paul Edwards at pcedward@iu.edu.

In addition, AAMC offers a monthly webinar series hosted by the editorial teams of AAMC’s two peer-reviewed journals, Academic Medicine and MedEdPORTAL. Sessions cover the importance of publishing your education scholarship and practical suggestions for how to do so successfully, improving your writing, and navigating the peer-review and publication processes. Sessions include interactive exercises and Q&A with the editorial teams. Information on these webinars is available here.

Special Collections and Call for Submissions

In addition to general submissions focused on dental and medical education, MedEdPORTAL invites authors to submit their works for publication to the following Special Collections:

Anti-racism in Medicine

As a journal of health professions educational resources, it is MedEdPORTAL’s responsibility to name racism as a barrier to equity and to work toward dismantling systems of oppression within our profession through training and education. The MedEdPORTAL Anti-racism in Medicine Collection provides educators with practice-based, peer-reviewed resources to teach anti-racist knowledge and clinical skills, elevate the educational scholarship of anti-racist curricula and aims to convene a community of collaborators dedicated to the elimination of racism within medical education.

MedEdPORTAL seeks teaching activities and assessment approaches directly related to:

• Racism
• Microaggressions
• Trauma-informed care
• Implicit bias, health disparities, and/or social determinants of health where racism is a significant component 

Language-Appropriate Health Care and Medical Language Education Collection

Recognizing the paucity of existing curricula that teaches students and practitioners how to provide equitable patient-centered language-appropriate care, this collection provides educators with practice-based, peer-reviewed resources to teach:

1. Language-concordant clinical and communication skills relevant to specific populations with NELP (e.g., medical Spanish, medical Korean, or other focused medical language educational interventions),

   2. Clinical strategies to effectively communicate with patients who have conditions affecting sensory or cognitive function (e.g., deafness, visual impairment, aphasia, autism), and

   3. Knowledge and clinical skills needed to access and collaborate with medical interpreters and other health care team members (e.g., patient navigators, community health workers, etc.) who can enhance language-appropriate care. 

Emerging Didactic and Clinical Technologies in Dental Education Collection

The number of emerging technologies that have the potential to improve educational delivery and patient care in dental medicine is expanding at a rapid rate. Examples include genomic dental medicine, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, advanced diagnostic technologies, classroom learning technologies, virtual reality, computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacturing, robotics, digital treatment planning, emerging technologic approaches to disease diagnosis and management, electronic health record advances, and artificial intelligence. Incorporating these emerging didactic and clinical technologies into the classroom is critical to the education of future dentists.

MedEdPORTAL invites authors to submit their works for publication in this special collection.

For questions related to this Call for Submissions, please contact Paul C. Edwards, D.D.S., M.Sc., MedEdPORTAL Associate Editor, at pcedward@iu.edu.

Featured MedEdPORTAL Publications

Highlights of recent MedEdPORTAL publications of interest to the dental education community. These resources, selected by ADEA’s MedEdPORTAL Associate Editor, Dr. Edwards, cover a range of topics published as stand-alone teaching or learning modules that have been implemented and evaluated in health education settings.

Say My Name: Understanding the Power of Names, Correct Pronunciation and Personal Narratives

Salma Dali, M.D., Anaid Atasuntseva, Ph.D., Megha Shankar, M.D., Eve Ayeroff, M.D., Malorie Holmes, M.D., Christina Johnson, M.D., Abdullah Sulieman Terkawi, M.D., M.S., Beth Beadle, M.D., Joon Chang, M.D., Kathleen Boyd, M.D., Tamara Dunn, M.D.

As noted by the authors of this educational resource, names are a reflection of one’s identity. As a result, mispronunciation of names can undermine one’s identity, lead to feelings of marginalization and can be experienced as a microaggression. Recognizing the necessity for more education on how to properly pronounce names, this educational resource highlights the importance of proper name pronunciation and discusses best practices for properly stating someone’s name in academic, clinical and educational settings.

Designed as a 60-minute workshop, this educational resource includes a PowerPoint slide deck that covers four objectives (examining the importance of name pronunciation in identity affirmation; illustrating historical instances of racism that contribute to name mispronunciation; highlighting resources to engage in productive conversations around name pronunciation; and applying name affirmation tools to case scenarios in clinical and educational settings), a facilitator guide for hosting small group case-based discussions with embedded cases, a handout for participants containing online name pronunciation tools and references and a post-workshop evaluation tool.

The authors of this resource also provide several practical suggestions for properly addressing people in the health care setting, including asking patients and colleagues how they prefer to be addressed, taking a more formal approach when in doubt, reviewing patient records for formal, religious or educational titles and recording a patient’s name preferences in the electronic health record.

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy Through a Comprehensive Resident Vaccine Curriculum

Zarina S. Norton, M.D., Kaitlyn B. Olson, M.D., Sandra M. Sanguino, M.D., M.P.H.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several state dental boards have authorized dentists to administer COVID-19 and other vaccinations to their patients. For example, in Indiana, dentists are authorized to administer 20 common vaccines in addition to the COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, despite increased availability of health care providers able to provide vaccinations, vaccine hesitancy persists and has led to an increase in the resurgence of several vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States, including measles and mumps. As highlighted by the authors, studies suggest one in eight parents have refused at least one recommended vaccine for their children. The WHO lists vaccine hesitancy among the top 10 threats to global health. Fortunately, there is strong evidence that robust vaccine recommendations by a trusted health care provider can increase patient vaccine confidence and compliance.

This educational resource consists of four interactive 40-minute sessions delivered to residents over a 10-month period. These sessions comprise an overview of recommended childhood vaccines, common vaccine misconceptions and a review of communication skills to overcome vaccine hesitancy incorporating an opportunity to practice these skills through role-playing. Included in this module are PowerPoint slide decks supporting the four interactive sessions, a facilitator guide and pre- and post-tests for assessing participant knowledge and comfort level. Resources for conducting and assessing a standardized patient encounter are also provided.

Published on February 8, 2023