Lessons learned in the practice of community-based participatory research with community partner collaboration in study design and implementation: the community scientist model.

Engagement of community participation is an innovative driver of modern research. However, to benefit the communities being studied, it is imperative to continuously evaluate ethical considerations, the relationship dynamic between researchers and community members, and the responsiveness of research teams to the needs and preferences of communities. Northwestern University's Center for Health Equity Transformation founded a community scientist program in 2018 that implemented a study using the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) model.

Medical Spanish Endocrinology Educational Module.

Introduction: Hispanic/Latinx patients experience health disparities in endocrine disease, such as higher rates of mortality due to diabetes mellitus, worse outcomes in the surgical treatment of thyroid cancer, and lack of knowledge about bone health and osteoporotic fracture prevention. Educational strategies to teach cultural and linguistic medical Spanish knowledge to medical students have the potential to improve Hispanic/Latinx endocrine health.

Methods: We created an 8-hour medical Spanish endocrine module targeting language and cultural skills acquisition.

Bilingual diabetes workshop to improve Latinx care.

Background: Linguistic and cultural discordance between clinicians and patients contributes to suboptimal care of Latinx patients with diabetes. Bilingual pedagogies may help learners with pre-existing Spanish skills to improve health communication with linguistic minorities.

Approach: We designed a diabetes workshop for health professions students that applied the educational principles of bilingual pedagogies, focus on learners with prior Spanish skills, and intersectionality of language and culture.

Student and Faculty Diversity is Insufficient to Ensure High-Quality Medical Spanish Education in US Medical Schools.

Medical Spanish education aims to reduce linguistic barriers in healthcare and has historically been led by Hispanic/Latinx students and faculty, often without formal training or institutional support. We surveyed 158 US medical schools about their medical Spanish programs. We then examined national trends in Underrepresented in Medicine and Hispanic/Latinx faculty and students as factors associated with meeting medical Spanish basic standards for curricula, educators, assessment, and course credit.

Medical Spanish in US Medical Schools: a National Survey to Examine Existing Programs.

Background: Most medical schools offer medical Spanish education to teach patient-physician communication skills with the growing Spanish-speaking population. Medical Spanish courses that lack basic standards of curricular structure, faculty educators, learner assessment, and institutional credit may increase student confidence without sufficiently improving skills, inadvertently exacerbating communication problems with linguistic minority patients.

Objective: To conduct a national environmental scan of US medical schools' medical Spanish educational efforts, examine to what extent existing efforts meet basic standards, and identify next steps in improving the quality of medical Spanish education.

Medical Spanish Musculoskeletal and Dermatologic Educational Module.

Introduction: While many medical schools provide opportunities in medical Spanish for medical students, schools often struggle with identifying a structured curriculum. The purpose of this module was to provide a flexible, organ system-based approach to teaching and learning musculoskeletal and dermatologic Spanish terminology, patient-centered communication skills, and sociocultural health contexts.

Methods: An 8-hour educational module for medical students was created to teach musculoskeletal and dermatologic medical communication skills in Spanish within the Hispanic/Latinx cultural context.

Evaluation of a Spanish Health Topics Course for Undergraduate Pre-health Latino Students.

Introduction:  Language concordance between doctors and patients and increased matriculation of underrepresented minorities in medical school are commonly cited goals of medical centers and medical schools in addressing health disparities for individuals with limited English proficiency. Pre-medical education may represent a high-yield untapped opportunity to address both through a Spanish Health Topics, or , course for Latino pre-health students.  Methods: The authors implemented a longitudinal course for pre-health, Latino, undergraduate students to prepare them for success in bilingual health careers.

Investigating Group Differences in Examinees' Preparation for and Performance on the New MCAT Exam.

In 2015, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was redesigned to better assess the concepts and reasoning skills students need to be ready for the medical school curriculum. During the new exam's design and rollout, careful attention was paid to the opportunities examinees had to learn the new content and their access to free and low-cost preparation resources. The design committee aimed to mitigate possible unintended effects of the redesign, specifically increasing historical mean group differences in MCAT scores for examinees from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and races/ethnicities underrepresented in medicine compared with those from higher SES backgrounds and races/ethnicities not underrepresented in medicine.

Improving Health Care Career Pipeline Programs for Underrepresented Students: Program Design that Makes a Difference.

Background: Health care career pipeline training programs are one solution to increasing the number of minority and underrepresented health care providers. The Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative (ChicagoCHEC) Research Fellows Program, a tri-institutional effort between the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), and Northwestern University (NU), provides a holistic, 8-week summer research fellowship that facilitates self-reflection, professional development, and exposes and guides the novice undergraduate and postbaccalaureate student toward a health care career inclusive of research and scientific discovery.

Objectives: The number of underrepresented students achieving health care careers is minimal.

Medical Spanish Standardization in U.S. Medical Schools: Consensus Statement From a Multidisciplinary Expert Panel.

Medical Spanish (MS) education is in growing demand from U.S. medical students, providers, and health systems, but there are no standard recommendations for how to structure the curricula, evaluate programs, or assess provider performance or linguistic competence.

Beyond cognitive measures: Empirical evidence supporting holistic medical school admissions practices and professional identity formation.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Medical schools seek admissions methods that identify applicants who hold promise to become physicians who will navigate and shape the future medical landscape.

Evaluation of a Medical Spanish Elective for Senior Medical Students: Improving Outcomes through OSCE Assessments.

Background: There is no standardized curriculum or assessment method that addresses Spanish skills in U.S. medical schools.

Medical Students' Experiences and Perspectives on Interpreting for LEP Patients at Two US Medical Schools.

Theory: Language concordance between patient and provider has been shown to improve health outcomes for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients. However, health care teams often use available ad hoc interpreters without knowing whether their language skills are adequate. Little is known about the role of medical students working as ad hoc interpreters.

The Urban Medicine Program: Developing Physician-Leaders to Serve Underserved Urban Communities.

Purpose: Medical school graduates are poorly prepared to address health care inequities found in urban, underserved communities. The University of Illinois College of Medicine developed the Urban Medicine Program (UMed) to prepare students for the roles of advocate, researcher, policy maker, and culturally competent practitioner through a four-year curriculum integrating principles of public health with direct interventions in local, underserved communities. This study assessed the program's effectiveness and evaluated early outcomes.

Ensuring a fair and equitable selection of students to serve society's health care needs.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate a selection and programmatic intervention designated 'Conditional Admissions' (CA), which is intended to expand access to medical education for individuals from under-represented ethnic, racial and rural groups. Further aims were to establish principles of practice designed to increase access for under-represented groups based on an empirical comparison of programmatic changes made to CA in 2005, and to quantify the costs associated with its implementation.

Methods: Data for all students admitted between 1999 and 2009 (n = 3227) were compiled; these included demographic data, undergraduate college performance grades, medical school performance indicators, and information on honours, residency placement and md degree completion.

Differences in patient-reported experiences of care by race and acculturation status.

Patient-reported experiences of care are an important focus in health disparities research. This study explored the association of patient-reported experiences of care with race and acculturation status in a primary care setting. 881 adult patients (African-American 34%; Hispanic--classified as unacculturated or biculturated--31%; Caucasian 33%; missing race 2%), in outpatient Family Medicine clinics, completed a written survey in Spanish or English.

The scope and variety of combined baccalaureate-MD programs in the United States.

The landscape of combined baccalaureate-MD programs has changed substantially in the last two decades but has not been documented in detail. The authors review the current state of these programs and discuss opportunities for future study of their evolving role and potential impact.In 2011, using a definition of baccalaureate-MD program built on prior research, the authors reviewed Association of American Medical Colleges sources and medical school Web sites to identify and characterize 81 active programs.

A century of premedical education.

The Flexner Report established guidelines for medical education and made the university the obligate home for medical education. Flexner mandated specific elements necessary for university-based premedical education. With the exception of the MCAT, much less attention has been paid to premedical education and its integration into the scope of medical education than to education within the confines of the medical school.