Scaling Up: Adapting a Phage-Hunting Course to Increase Participation of First-Year Students in Research.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Staub NL
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4909335 | biostudies-literature | 2016
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Scaling Up: Adapting a Phage-Hunting Course to Increase Participation of First-Year Students in Research.
Staub Nancy L NL Poxleitner Marianne M Braley Amanda A Smith-Flores Helen H Pribbenow Christine M CM Jaworski Leslie L Lopatto David D Anders Kirk R KR
CBE life sciences education 20160101 2
Authentic research experiences are valuable components of effective undergraduate education. Research experiences during the first years of college are especially critical to increase persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. The Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) model provides a high-impact research experience to first-year students but is usually available to a limited number of students, and its imp ...[more]
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Project description:UnlabelledEngaging large numbers of undergraduates in authentic scientific discovery is desirable but difficult to achieve. We have developed a general model in which faculty and teaching assistants from diverse academic institutions are trained to teach a research course for first-year undergraduate students focused on bacteriophage discovery and genomics. The course is situated within a broader scientific context aimed at understanding viral diversity, such that faculty and students are collaborators with established researchers in the field. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) course has been widely implemented and has been taken by over 4,800 students at 73 institutions. We show here that this alliance-sourced model not only substantially advances the field of phage genomics but also stimulates students' interest in science, positively influences academic achievement, and enhances persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Broad application of this model by integrating other research areas with large numbers of early-career undergraduate students has the potential to be transformative in science education and research training.ImportanceEngagement of undergraduate students in scientific research at early stages in their careers presents an opportunity to excite students about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and promote continued interests in these areas. Many excellent course-based undergraduate research experiences have been developed, but scaling these to a broader impact with larger numbers of students is challenging. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance Phage Hunting Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program takes advantage of the huge size and diversity of the bacteriophage population to engage students in discovery of new viruses, genome annotation, and comparative genomics, with strong impacts on bacteriophage research, increased persistence in STEM fields, and student self-identification with learning gains, motivation, attitude, and career aspirations.
| S-EPMC3950523 | biostudies-literature
Project description:INTRODUCTION:Scaling-up is essential to ensure universal access of effective health interventions. Scaling-up is a complex process, which occurs across diverse systems and contexts with no one-size-fits-all approach. To date, little attention has been paid to the process of scaling-up in how to make adaptations for local fit. The aim of this research is to develop theory on what actions can be used to make adaptations to health interventions for local fit when scaling-up across diverse contexts that will have practical application for implementers involved in scaling-up. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:Given the complexity of this subject, a realist review methodology was selected. Specifically, realist review emphasises an iterative, non-linear process, whereby the review is refined as it progresses. The identification of how the context may activate mechanisms to achieve outcomes is used to generate theories on what works for whom in what circumstances. This protocol will describe the first completed stage of development of an initial programme theory framework, which identified potential actions, contexts, mechanisms and outcomes that could be used to make adaptations when scaling-up. It will then outline the methods for future stages of the review which will focus on identifying case examples of scale-up and adaptation in practice. This realist review consists of six stages: (i) clarifying scope and development of a theoretical framework, (ii) developing a search strategy, (iii) selection and appraisal, (iv) data extraction, (v) data synthesis and analysis and (vi) further theory refinement with stakeholders. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:This review will develop theory on how adaptations can be made when scaling-up. Findings will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal and through stakeholder engagement as part of the research process. Ethical approval has been received through Health Policy and Management/Centre for Global Health Research Ethics Committee of Trinity College Dublin.
| S-EPMC6347947 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Phage therapy is becoming a widely recognized alternative for fighting pathogenic bacteria due to increasing antibiotic resistance problems. However, one of the common concerns related to the use of phages is the evolution of bacterial resistance against the phages, putatively disabling the treatment. Experimental adaptation of the phage (phage training) to infect a resistant host has been used to combat this problem. Yet, there is very little information on the trade-offs of phage infectivity and host range. Here we co-cultured a myophage FCV-1 with its host, the fish pathogen Flavobacteriumcolumnare, in lake water and monitored the interaction for a one-month period. Phage resistance was detected within one day of co-culture in the majority of the bacterial isolates (16 out of the 18 co-evolved clones). The primary phage resistance mechanism suggests defense via surface modifications, as the phage numbers rose in the first two days of the experiment and remained stable thereafter. However, one bacterial isolate had acquired a spacer in its CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat)-Cas locus, indicating that also CRISPR-Cas defense was employed in the phage-host interactions. After a week of co-culture, a phage isolate was obtained that was able to infect 18 out of the 32 otherwise resistant clones isolated during the experiment. Phage genome sequencing revealed several mutations in two open reading frames (ORFs) likely to be involved in the regained infectivity of the evolved phage. Their location in the genome suggests that they encode tail genes. Characterization of this evolved phage, however, showed a direct cost for the ability to infect several otherwise resistant clones-adsorption was significantly lower than in the ancestral phage. This work describes a method for adapting the phage to overcome phage resistance in a fish pathogenic system.
| S-EPMC7345892 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Exponential increases in the development of medical knowledge, the expansion of areas where medicine develops its activities, the emergence of new pathologies ( e.g., COVID-19), novel diagnostic methods and therapeutic strategies, together with the appearance of multiple communication and information technologies, determined that the education of future physicians required targeted training in scientific methodology. Methods: The design and execution of a course in scientific methodology in the curriculum of Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, is described. The course is carried out at an advanced stage of the medical studies for all the students, in which they develop a 10-month research project supervised by the medical school faculty. Students undergo all stages of a research endeavor: generation of hypothesis, elaboration of a research protocol, submission to the Research Ethics and Animal Welfare Committees, data recollection, analysis, interpretation and publication of the results. Results: The course is undertaken at the Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the main university of the country, with high numbers of students enrolled. The course involves the participation of 600 students and up to 300 professors per year, which implies a huge institutional effort Conclusions: The scientific methodology course resulted in one of the most important incorporations of the current 2008 curriculum. Local students, faculty and international evaluators have qualified this activity as an educational breakthrough, being a gratifying and productive experience. The course represented the first exposure of medical students to the research methodology, scientific literature and publication rules, and emphasized the dynamic nature of medical knowledge within modern medical education. Moreover, for some students it constituted the onset of academic research careers. An additional positive outcome was the reactivation of some faculty research projects, in a way that largely exceeded the boundaries of the course.
| S-EPMC9427080 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundWhile household contact investigation is widely recommended as a means to reduce the burden of tuberculosis (TB) among children, only 27% of eligible pediatric household contacts globally received preventive treatment in 2018. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of household contact investigation for TB treatment and short-course preventive therapy provision for children under 15 years old across 12 high TB burden countries.MethodsWe used decision analysis to compare the costs and estimated effectiveness of three intervention scenarios: (a) status quo (existing levels of coverage with isoniazid preventive therapy), (b) contact investigation with treatment of active TB but no additional preventive therapy, and (c) contact investigation with TB treatment and provision of short-course preventive therapy. Using country-specific demographic, epidemiological and cost data from the literature, we estimated annual costs (in 2018 USD) and the number of TB cases and deaths averted across 12 countries. Incremental cost effectiveness ratios were assessed as cost per death and per disability-adjusted life year [DALY] averted.FindingsOur model estimates that contact investigation with treatment of active TB and provision of preventive therapy could be highly cost-effective compared to the status quo (ranging from $100 per DALY averted in Malawi to $1,600 in Brazil; weighted average $383 per DALY averted [uncertainty range: $248 - $1,130]) and preferred to contact investigation without preventive therapy (weighted average $751 per DALY averted [uncertainty range: $250 - $1,306]). Key drivers of cost-effectiveness were TB prevalence, sensitivity of TB diagnosis, case fatality for untreated TB, and cost of household screening.InterpretationBased on this modeling analysis of available published data, household contact investigation with provision of short-course preventive therapy for TB has a value-for-money profile that compares favorably with other interventions.FundingUnitaid (2017-20-IMPAACT4TB).
| S-EPMC7846666 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A ubiquitous dilemma in medical education continues to be whether and how to integrate research competencies into the predoctoral curriculum. Understanding research concepts is imbedded in the six core competencies for physicians, but predoctoral medical education typically does not explicitly include research education. In an effort to quickly report academic research findings to the field, this is the second in a series of articles reporting the outcomes of a research education initiative at one college of osteopathic medicine. The first article described the competency model and reported baseline performance in applied understanding of targeted research concepts. This second article reports on the learning outcomes from the inaugural year of a course in basic biomedical research concepts.This course consisted of 24 total hours of classroom lectures augmented with web-based materials using Blackboard Vista, faculty moderated student presentations of research articles, and quizzes. To measure changes in applied understanding of targeted research concepts in the inaugural year of the course, we administered a pretest and a posttest to second year students who took the course and to first year students who took an informatics course in the same academic year.We analyzed 154 matched pretests and posttests representing 56% of the 273 first and second year students. On average, the first year (53) and second year students (101) did not differ in their mean pretest scores. At posttest the second year students showed significant improvement in their applied understanding of the concepts, whereas the first year students' mean posttest score was lower than their mean pretest score.This biomedical research course appears to have increased the second year students' applied understanding of the targeted biomedical research concepts. This assessment of learning outcomes has facilitated the quality improvement process for the course, and improved our understanding of how to measure the benefits of research education for medical students. Some of the course content and methods, and the outcome measures may need to be approached differently in the future to more effectively lay the foundation for osteopathic medical students to utilize these concepts in the clinical setting.
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Project description:BackgroundAlthough interns are expected to be competent in handoff communication, it is currently unclear what level of exposure, participation, and comfort medical students have with handoffs prior to graduation.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to characterize passive and active involvement of third-year medical students in the major components of the handoff process.DesignAn anonymous voluntary retrospective cross-sectional survey administered in 2010.ParticipantsRising fourth-year students at two large urban private medical schools.Main measuresParticipation and confidence in active and passive behaviors related to written signout and verbal handoffs during participants' third-year clerkships.Key resultsSeventy percent of students (n?=?204) responded. As third-year medical students, they reported frequent participation in handoffs, such as updating a written signout for a previously admitted patient (58 %). Students who reported frequent participation (at least weekly) in handoff tasks were more likely to report being confident in that task (e.g., giving verbal handoff 62 % vs. 19 %, p?<?0.001). Students at one site that did not have a handoff policy for medical students reported greater participation, more confidence, and less desire for training. Nearly all students believed they had witnessed an error in written signout (98 %) and almost two-thirds witnessed an error due to verbal handoffs (64 %).ConclusionsDuring their third year, many medical students are participating in handoffs, although reported rates differ across training environments. Medical schools should consider the appropriate level of competence for medical student participation in handoffs, and implement corresponding curricula and assessment tools to ensure that medical students are able to effectively conduct handoffs.
| S-EPMC3710385 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach and patient navigation are evidence-based practices shown to improve rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) and follow-up in various settings, yet these programs have not been broadly adopted by health systems and organizations that serve diverse populations. Reasons for low adoption rates are multifactorial, and little research explores approaches for scaling up a complex, multi-level CRC screening outreach intervention to advance equity in rural settings.MethodsSMARTER CRC, a National Cancer Institute Cancer Moonshot project, is a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a mailed FIT and patient navigation program involving 3 Medicaid health plans and 28 rural primary care practices in Oregon and Idaho followed by a national scale-up trial. The SMARTER CRC intervention combines mailed FIT outreach supported by clinics, health plans, and vendors and patient navigation for colonoscopy following an abnormal FIT result. We applied the framework from Perez and colleagues to identify the intervention's components (including functions and forms) and scale-up dissemination strategies and worked with a national advisory board to support scale-up to additional organizations. The team is recruiting health plans, primary care clinics, and regional and national organizations in the USA that serve a rural population. To teach organizations about the intervention, activities include Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) tele-mentoring learning collaboratives, a facilitation guide and other materials, a patient navigation workshop, webinars, and individualized technical assistance. Our primary outcome is program adoption (by component), measured 6 months after participation in an ECHO learning collaborative. We also assess engagement and adaptations (implemented and desired) to learn how the multicomponent intervention might be modified to best support broad scale-up.DiscussionFindings may inform approaches for adapting and scaling evidence-based approaches to promote CRC screening participation in underserved populations and settings.Trial registrationRegistered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04890054) and at the NCI's Clinical Trials Reporting Program (CTRP no.: NCI-2021-01032) on May 11, 2021.
| S-EPMC10775579 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 increased the demand for Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) services as a rapid solution for safe patient follow-up in a lockdown context. Time and resource constraints resulted in unplanned scaled-up RPM pilot initiatives posing risks to the access and quality of care. Scalability and rapid implementation of RPM services require social change and active collaboration between stakeholders. Therefore, a participatory action research (PAR) approach is needed to support the collaborative development of the technological component while simultaneously implementing and evaluating the RPM service through critical action-reflection cycles.ObjectiveThis study aims to demonstrate how PAR can be used to guide the scalability design of RPM pilot initiatives and the implementation of RPM-based follow-up services.MethodsUsing a case study strategy, we described the PAR team's (nurses, physicians, developers, and researchers) activities within and across the four phases of the research process (problem definition, planning, action, and reflection). Team meetings were analyzed through content analysis and descriptive statistics. The PAR team selected ex-ante pilot initiatives to reflect upon features feedback and participatory level assessment. Pilot initiatives were investigated using semi-structured interviews transcribed and coded into themes following the principles of grounded theory and pilot meetings minutes and reports through content analysis. The PAR team used the MoSCoW prioritization method to define the set of features and descriptive statistics to reflect on the performance of the PAR approach.ResultsThe approach involved two action-reflection cycles. From the 15 features identified, the team classified 11 as must-haves in the scaled-up version. The participation was similar among researchers (52.9%), developers (47.5%), and physicians (46.7%), who focused on suggesting and planning actions. Nurses with the lowest participation (5.8%) focused on knowledge sharing and generation. The top three meeting outcomes were: improved research and development system (35.0%), socio-technical-economic constraints characterization (25.2%), and understanding of end-user technology utilization (22.0%).ConclusionThe scalability and implementation of RPM services must consider contextual factors, such as individuals' and organizations' interests and needs. The PAR approach supports simultaneously designing, developing, testing, and evaluating the RPM technological features, in a real-world context, with the participation of healthcare professionals, developers, and researchers.
| S-EPMC9768029 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Examining association between serial participation in youth organized sports (OS) and concurrent cardiometabolic risk factors, with long-term health status, will aid understanding the role of OS participation. Combining data from a prospective study and a follow-up survey, we aimed to determine association between youth OS participation and cardiometabolic risk factors with health and physical activity (PA) in young adulthood. Cardiometabolic risk factors were monitored yearly, and OS involvement through middle school, high school, and college, together with current status was recorded 12 years after the initial study began; 462 participants completed follow-up. Cardiometabolic risk factors included: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, fasting glucose and insulin. Participants continuing OS participation from middle to high school and/or college had significantly lower BMI/BMI z-scores [24.7 vs 27.4 (p < 0.05) and 0.51 vs 0.82 (p < 0.05), respectively] and significantly higher HDL [48.7 vs 45.4 (p ? 0.05)] than those without OS participation after middle school. Waist circumference of females was significantly smaller in those who participated in OS from middle to high school and/or college (84.9 cm) compared to those who had no OS (92.1 cm), (p < 0.05). Participants continuing OS from middle to high school and/or college reported significantly higher follow-up PA levels than those who had no OS after middle school (p < 0.001). This study provides novel data showing serial participation in OS from middle to high school and/or college was associated with a superior cardiometabolic health profile in school and increased PA levels at 12-year follow-up.
| S-EPMC7248647 | biostudies-literature