Van Fleet, Verena

The authors developed a module called "Three Diets" to introduce students to the complex and extensive processes of human metabolism and its regulation in small chunks.

The presentation included examples of questions and answers that assist medical students in brief summaries and board-style questions and provided examples.

Students enter professional healthcare programs (PHP) with varying degrees of proficiency in basic sciences content knowledge from their various undergraduate programs, preparation for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and different levels of clinical experiences. To adapt to possible gaps in knowledge from incoming students, PHPs offer different assortments of pre-matriculation and review materials. The idea is that these materials will bring the students to be on the same page when they start the program (through pre-matriculation materials) and throughout the curriculum (through review materials). These materials are even more important this year, with students coming out of the COVID pandemic which disrupted their learning in different ways leading to even greater knowledge gaps coming into PHPs.  

Students entering the doctor of chiropractic program at Northwestern Health Sciences University were offered three adaptive units on chemistry concepts deemed foundational for the two-course biochemistry series offered in the first two terms of the program. The effects of this remedial intervention offered to 3 incoming cohorts were assessed in a retrospective case-control approach by comparing several outcomes with a control group of similar size who started the program before the implementation of the adaptive units. Our calculations suggest that there is a positive effect of these adaptive units, in that the odds ratio for students to end the course with a grade of D or F decreased. The biggest impact on performance among 4 summative exams in the course was observed on the final exam, with an odds ratio of 2.3 to earn an A or B on the final, indicating that students who had access to the adaptive units had a substantially higher chance to earn a good grade. The odds ratio for students to earn an F or D on the final was 0.5, indicating a 50% lower risk for a low or failing score.

This presentation highlighted the latest evidence on the epidemiology, pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the 2020 novel coronavirus outbreak. It included latest updates on the status of tests in use and under development, results of various therapeutics under study, as well as an update on phase 3 clinical trial of several vaccines. In addition, it discussed other relevant emerging infectious diseases and provided resources that were useful for clinicians to stay up to date.