Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Professional Enhancement Newsletter, Spring 2015

Spring 2015, Volume 7, Number 1https://mds.marshall.edu/pen/1010/thumbnail.jp

Publishing to Progress Science: Shifting the Paradigm from Self to Selfless

“Publish or perish is a phrase coined to describe the pressure in academia to rapidly and continually publish academic work to sustain or further one\u27s career to the next level of academic promotion and to build an academic reputation1. Prolific publishing increasingly affects funding as well as the reputation of individuals, their institutions, and journals themselves2. While the drive behind this increase can be attributed to many factors, the impact can further both the author and the larger medical community. This leads to the juxtaposition of self and selflessness and suggests the question: How is this quantitative increase in publishing reflected in an improvement in patient care? Publishing in academia requires a new mindset. The essence of scholarly publication is the dissemination of knowledge for the advancement of humanity. When one publishes, he/she initiates a scholarly communication with other scholars and becomes part of the scientific community with a greater mission to improve the world. New knowledge and exchange of ideas sparks further inquiry and becomes the base of a research pyramid upon which future scientists can build. The crux of scientific publication is the progression of science. In the field of medicine, dissemination of one’s work can lead to tremendous developments in new perspectives, therapies, cures, and preventions. An unbiased and thorough peer review process is an integral component that ensures the scientific quality of journals. Whether they are unique clinical cases or original research outlining therapeutic interventions, or ways to improve the quality of patient care, scholarly articles are enhanced by the constructive inputs of reviewers and editors. Investigations and interpretations presented in a peer-reviewed journal offer the medical community a vantage point from which to meet on the global platform and progress the scholarly conversation. This ultimately benefits the patients and provides teachable moments to future physicians and scientists

Isolated Candida infection of the lung

Candida pneumonia is a rare infection of the lungs, with the majority of cases occurring secondary to hematological dissemination of Candida organisms from a distant site, usually the gastrointestinal tract or skin. We report a case of a 77-year-old male who is life-long smoker with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica, but did not take immunosuppressants for those conditions. Here, we present an extremely rare case of isolated pulmonary parenchymal Candida infection in the form pulmonary nodules without evidence of systemic disease which has only been described in a few previous reports

Consensus Guidelines for Practical Competencies in Anatomic Pathology and Laboratory Medicine for the Undifferentiated Graduating Medical Student

The practice of pathology is not generally addressed in the undergraduate medical school curriculum. It is desirable to develop practical pathology competencies in the fields of anatomic pathology and laboratory medicine for every graduating medical student to facilitate (1) instruction in effective utilization of these services for optimal patient care, (2) recognition of the role of pathologists and laboratory scientists as consultants, and (3) exposure to the field of pathology as a possible career choice. A national committee was formed, including experts in anatomic pathology and/or laboratory medicine and in medical education. Suggested practical pathology competencies were developed in 9 subspecialty domains based on literature review and committee deliberations. The competencies were distributed in the form of a survey in late 2012 through the first half of 2013 to the medical education community for feedback, which was subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis. An approval rate of ≥80% constituted consensus for adoption of a competency, with additional inclusions/modifications considered following committee review of comments. The survey included 79 proposed competencies. There were 265 respondents, the majority being pathologists. Seventy-two percent (57 of 79) of the competencies were approved by ≥80% of respondents. Numerous comments (N = 503) provided a robust resource for qualitative analysis. Following committee review, 71 competencies (including 27 modified and 3 new competencies) were considered to be essential for undifferentiated graduating medical students. Guidelines for practical pathology competencies have been developed, with the hope that they will be implemented in undergraduate medical school curricula