Medical School programs pique
young people’s interests

It wasn’t your typical Tuesday morning for Avik Som and his classmates from Cypress Falls High School, who got a chance to revive a “bionic man,” inspect the internal cavities of a cadaver, and pick the brains of first-year medical school students.

They were participating in a teen outreach program designed to spark an interest in health care professions. It was organized by the Medical School’s Office of Admissions to help address the statewide physician shortage.

“With the physician shortage, it’s crucial to reach out to students before they get to college,” said Dr. Judianne Kellaway, assistant dean for admissions and the Stephen A. Lasher III Professor in Ophthalmology. “We have programs for high school students and programs for middle school students, too.”

The three-hour gross anatomy class is the cornerstone of the Admissions Office’s teen outreach efforts, which also includes presentations by medical school students at middle schools. A weeklong, mini-medical school is planned for the summer.

“We are trying to get a message out to young people that the practice of medicine is a fulfilling one, and they need to consider medicine as a future,” Kellaway said. “We hope that these efforts will help add to the number of people going into medicine at a time when a dramatic need is predicted as the age of our population shifts toward the Baby Boomer.”

According to the Texas Medical Association, Texas ranks 45th in doctors per capita with 43,000 physicians engaged in patient care for a population of about 23 million. There are 5,400 medical students and 6,000 resident physicians, the association reports.

The UT teen anatomy program has tripled since 2006 from 12 classes and 230 students to 35 classes and 700 students. The core class, “Anatomy Enrichment Program,” includes an introduction to medical school, sessions on organ systems, and lessons on cadavers. The newest offering is “Anatomy Enrichment Program - Extreme!” It includes a session with a fully functional mannequin at the Surgical and Clinical Skills Center.

According to Nancy Murphy, director of special programs, there is a waiting list for the anatomy classes and there are plans to expand the program. It’s limited to 20 students per class, and certificates are presented.

“This is an educational activity that we hope will lead to a health care career,” said Dr. Len Cleary, a senior lecturer in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. “It’s not a museum exhibit or a tour.”

Som, a Cy Falls student who has been accepted to The University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, and Johns Hopkins University, is interested in a health care career. He is particularly interested in artificial organs and would be the first doctor in his family. “I really like the science,” he said.

UT Medical School student and Bellaire High School graduate Gavin Wagenheim is one of the students who teaches teens in the gross anatomy laboratory where they experience the sights and smells of lab work, and in the Surgical & Clinical Skills Center where a “bionic man” groans for help.

“They know a lot and have a lot of questions,” said Wagenheim, who has an interest in becoming an orthopedic surgeon.

Under the watchful eyes of Dr. Eric Reichman, director of the Surgical & Clinical Skills Center, the teens get to listen to various heart and lung sounds, practice their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills, and use a defibrillator to restart a heart on a mannequin. “He talks and you can listen to his heart,” Reichman said.

Murphy is keeping records of the teens attending the anatomy classes and will be checking to see if they apply for medical school down the road. “I have my list,” she said.

-R. Cahill

 

Clinical research budgeting/billing
training offered

The goals of the Clinical Research Budgeting and Billing Compliance Program are to simplify and clarify the clinical research billing processes, ensure full cost recovery of clinical research studies and reduce the risks of inappropriately billing patients and/or third parties.

Audience: Clinical research investigators, research nurses, coordinators, clinical research administrative and support staff

Topics:

• Budget development
• Utilization of clinical research budget worksheet template
• Identification of all clinical trials costs
• Determination and designation of standard of care costs vs. sponsor-paid costs
• UT research billing account set up
• Billing study/sponsor for UT research professional fees and services
• Identification and documentation of research subject and services to department
• Identification and documentation of research professional fees generated from hospital services
• Process of linking research charges to research study account
• Reconciliation of research charges

Dates

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 10a.m. – noon MSB B.620

Friday, Nov. 14 1p.m. - 3p.m. MSB B.620

Instructor: Catey Carter, BSN, RN, CCRC, Clinical Trials Coordinator
713-500-7910. Email: Catharine.V.Carter@uth.tmc.edu

Register Online: http://www.uth.tmc.edu/orsc/training/CRTrainReg.html

 

Batten down the hatches

In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, the Medical School hosted its annual drill to close its flood doors and test all protective equipment Saturday, May 17.

 

2008 Teaching Awards Program

 

Drs. Cheves Smythe, Eugene Toy, Octavio Pinell, Han Zhang, and Pedro Mancias received recognition as this year’s teaching award recipients at the annual Teaching Awards Reception May 22.