Residents Contribute to the Success of NextGen’s Core Principles of Pathology

NextGenMD is a revolutionary new curriculum that gives medical students the necessary tools to become transformational leaders. The students play unique roles fostering leadership and helping each other through the learning process under the helpful hand of mentoring by more experienced trainees and faculty. “We have modeled our collaborative sessions on a successful format from Harvard Medical School,” said Assistant Professor of Pathology Jon England, M.D., Co-Director of NextGenMD Phase 1. Dr. England received his pathology training at Massachusetts General Hospital and saw the success of this novel curriculum firsthand.

This was the first year the Core Principles of Pathology was formally taught as a foundational component in Phase 1 of the NextGenMD curriculum. Vice Chair for Education and Pathology Discipline Director Carmen Gomez, M.D. Dr. Gomez received high marks from the medical students for her presentations. This is not surprising for an 11-time George Paff Teaching Award honoree. The medical students also related their excitement with the type of learning experience, the field of pathology and the integral part it plays in their understanding of medicine.

Six core principles were presented in a series of interactive seminars ranging from cell injury and adaptation to inflammatory response to injury to neoplasia. In the case learning sessions, there was a focus on a patient and his family’s health care which allowed students to apply learned concepts in small group sessions, where students taught each other. Seven pathology residents served as “content experts” for basic and foundational concepts. They were there to both guide and provide knowledge checks. Luiz Guido, M.D., chief resident, was one of the participants and remarked that, “Having the opportunity to contribute as content expert in the case learning sessions was a meaningful educational experience for me. The students were very motivated, worked together in groups, and discussed their findings and answers to the questions raised by our group. I am confident they are on the right pathway to have a solid foundation in pathology and to make the best decisions for their patients in the future.”

The education team in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is proud of the contributions of its trainees to the success of this program. Dr. Gomez remarked, “As a Miller School alumna, I am impressed with the desire of the school to move the curriculum forward for our medical students. While not without challenges, it really offers a unique learning experience for them. Importantly, the goals to make this a transformative experience are rubbing off on our own trainees. They will be able to teach the Miller School experience when they move on to contribute to new educational programs.”

Tags: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dr. Carmen Gomez-Fernandez, Dr. Jon England, Dr. Luiz Guido, NextGenMD