Implementation of an Online Intraoperative Assessment of Technical Performance for Surgical Trainees.

Introduction: Assessment of surgical resident technical performance is an integral component of any surgical training program. Timely assessment delivered in a structured format is a critical step to enhance technical skills, but residents often report that the quality and quantity of timely feedback received is lacking. Moreover, the absence of written feedback with specificity can allow residents to seemingly progress in their operative milestones as a junior resident, but struggle as they progress into their postgraduate year 3 and above.

How We Do It: Remediation Pathways in a Surgical Simulation Curriculum for Competency Improvement.

Objective: Validated assessment of procedural knowledge and skills with formative remediation is a foundational part of achieving surgical competency. High-fidelity simulation programs provide a unique area to assess resident proficiency and independence, as well as to assist in identifying residents in need of further practice. While several studies have validated the use of simulation to attain proficiency of specific technical skills, few have validated remediation pathways for their trainees objectively.

Can a Structured, Video-Based Cadaver Curriculum Demonstrating Proficiency Enhance Resident Operative Autonomy?

Introduction: Autonomy is of foremost concern in the current era of surgical residency, and it is especially important to trainees when considering their surgical education. Factors impacting trainee independence include the restriction of clinical work hours and the development of advanced minimally invasive techniques such as robotics, which requires separate technical education outside of conventional surgical education. Moreover, when residents are left to learn fundamental exposures via their clinical experience alone, they run the risk of not being exposed to some fundamental skills based on case volume and type.

Cadaver-Based Simulation Increases Resident Confidence, Initial Exposure to Fundamental Techniques, and May Augment Operative Autonomy.

Objective: Surgical simulation is an important adjunct in surgical education. The majority of operative procedures can be simplified to core components. This study aimed to quantify a cadaver-based simulation course utility in improving exposure to fundamental maneuvers, resident and attending confidence in trainee capability, and if this led to earlier operative independence.

An analysis of tobacco industry marketing to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations: strategies for mainstream tobacco control and prevention.

Research on adult tobacco use consistently shows a higher prevalence among lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) populations than among the general population-reasons why are largely unknown, and counterstrategies are critical. Tobacco industry marketing, uncovered when the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) forced companies to share its internal documents, provided insight. The American Legacy Foundation uncovered the industry campaign Project SCUM (Sub-Culture Urban Marketing) aimed at gays and the homeless.

Building capacity for success: the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium.

The Master Settlement Agreement with the tobacco industry has infused resources into tobacco control and prevention, which has helped fund tobacco control programs at the national, state, and local levels. Many tobacco control programs face challenges in areas such as strategic planning, fiscal operations, advocacy, and personnel management. To provide technical assistance to these programs, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Legacy Foundation, and the American Cancer Society combined resources to fund the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC).