The power of interdependence: Linking health systems, communities, and health professions educational programs to better meet the needs of patients and populations

Promoting optimal health outcomes for diverse patients and populations requires the acknowledgement and strengthening of interdependent relationships between health professions education programs, health systems, and the communities they serve. Educational programs must recognize their role as integral components of a larger system. Educators must strive to break down silos and synergize efforts to foster a health care workforce positioned for collaborative, equitable, community-oriented practice. Sharing interprofessional and interinstitutional strategies can foster wide propagation of educational innovation while accommodating local contexts. This paper outlines how member schools of the American Medical Association Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium leveraged interdependence to accomplish transformative innovations catalyzed by systems thinking and a community of innovation

Documenting the Recovery of Vascular Services in European Centres Following the Initial COVID-19 Pandemic Peak: Results from a Multicentre Collaborative Study

Objective: To document the recovery of vascular services in Europe following the first COVID-19 pandemic peak. Methods: An online structured vascular service survey with repeated data entry between 23 March and 9 August 2020 was carried out. Unit level data were collected using repeated questionnaires addressing modifications to vascular services during the first peak (March – May 2020, “period 1”), and then again between May and June (“period 2”) and June and July 2020 (“period 3”). The duration of each period was similar. From 2 June, as reductions in cases began to be reported, centres were first asked if they were in a region still affected by rising cases, or if they had passed the peak of the first wave. These centres were asked additional questions about adaptations made to their standard pathways to permit elective surgery to resume. Results: The impact of the pandemic continued to be felt well after countries’ first peak was thought to have passed in 2020. Aneurysm screening had not returned to normal in 21.7% of centres. Carotid surgery was still offered on a case by case basis in 33.8% of centres, and only 52.9% of centres had returned to their normal aneurysm threshold for surgery. Half of centres (49.4%) believed their management of lower limb ischaemia continued to be negatively affected by the pandemic. Reduced operating theatre capacity continued in 45.5% of centres. Twenty per cent of responding centres documented a backlog of at least 20 aortic repairs. At least one negative swab and 14 days of isolation were the most common strategies used for permitting safe elective surgery to recommence. Conclusion: Centres reported a broad return of services approaching pre-pandemic “normal” by July 2020. Many introduced protocols to manage peri-operative COVID-19 risk. Backlogs in cases were reported for all major vascular surgeries

Development of Socio-Technical and Co-Design Expertise in Engineering Students

Universities are challenged to educate engineers with a broad set of attributes, including socio-technical and co-design expertise, which will enable them to tackle wicked problems. In this study, we ask: To what extent do courses on human-centred design and systems engineering analysis impact students' development of socio-technical and co-design expertise? We used scenariobased assessment in a pre-/post-design to evaluate the development of these two attributes in two separate units at two Australian universities. The results show some small changes in the responses students gave to the scenario-based tool, at the end of each course. However, the analysis showed that students were still distant from the optimal levels of socio-technical and co-design expertise required of graduates. Therefore, we suggest that such one-off courses are insufficient to develop socio-technical and design expertise. Instead, we argue that engineering programs need to integrate opportunities to develop such expertise throughout all year levels

Further analysis of the interactions between the Brassica S receptor kinase and three interacting proteins (ARC1, THL1 and THL2) in the yeast two-hybrid system

International audienceThe yeast two-hybrid system was used to further characterize the interactions between the Brassica S receptor ki-nase (SRK) and three putative substrates, ARC1 and the two thioredoxin h proteins, THL1 and THL2. Interactions were generally detectable with kinase domains of both Class I and Class II SRKs. Chimeric constructs were made between the SRK 910 kinase domain and the non-interacting Arabidopsis RLK5 kinase domain. Only one chimeric construct, SRR2, interacted with THL1 and THL2, while none of the chimeras were able to interact with ARC1. SRR2 is largely made up of RLK5 kinase domain with the N-terminal end being derived from the SRK 910 kinase domain and was the only chimeric construct that retained kinase activity. Deletion or substitution of a conserved cysteine at the N-terminal end of the SRK 910 kinase domain resulted in loss of interaction with THL1 and THL2, while the addition of this cysteine to a related receptor kinase, SFR1, conferred the ability to interact with the thioredoxin h proteins. In addition, substitution of the cysteines in the THL1 active site abolished the interaction. Lastly, the two Arabidopsis thioredoxin h clones most closely related to THL1 and THL2 were found to interact with the SRK kinase domains. Thus, the nature of the interaction of the thioredoxin h clones with SRK involves the reducing activity of these proteins and is restricted to the class of thioredoxin h proteins which have the variant CPPC active site

From problem-based learning to practice-based education: A framework for shaping future engineers

© 2020 SEFI. Problem-based learning (PBL) has a history of producing strong educational results in engineering; however, global society is challenged by highly complex environmental, socio-political and technical problems summarised in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This obliges us to explore educational approaches that address complexity. Yet, confronting complexity is sometimes constrained within PBL structures. This conceptual paper posits practice-based education (PBE) as a whole-of-education approach embracing complexity. We present a PBE framework with three elements: (1) the context of an authentic engineering practice, (2) supporting learners’ agency in the process of becoming professionals, and (3) opportunities to work and learn simultaneously. We make the case for innovative engineering education through the implementation of PBE using the case of the Engineering Practice Academy at Swinburne University of Technology. We detail innovations in student experience as a process of becoming, curriculum and assessment, and provide advice on the application of PBE elsewhere