Welcome to ROUNDS!

This weekly e-newsletter goes out to all OU-COM and CORE personnel and students.

The ROUNDS archive is here.

NEWS

College celebrates opening of new facility, clinic

            More than 60 people, including several members of the Ohio University Board of Trustees, attended the dedication of the new Heritage Clinical Training and Assessment Center & Community Clinic (HCTAC), made possible by a $2.3 million gift from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, features state-of-the-art medical technology and a new home for OU-COM’s free Heritage Community Clinic.

            “The foundation’s $2.3 million award is an investment in the future of the osteopathic medical profession and the future health and well-being of the communities we serve,” said OU-COM dean Jack Brose, D.O. “This new facility more than doubled the size of our previous facility, helping to accommodate our recent increase in class size.”

            Richard Vincent, president and chief executive officer for the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, said simulated clinical training has been integral in the quality education provided to the medical students since the inception of the college.  “The former center was tired and in need of an upgrade, with some cosmetic surgery.  It appears that the operation was a success and the center’s prognosis for a long life is good.”

2011 DOC Awards recognize OU-COM faculty, staff, and students

            This year’s annual Distinguished Osteopathic Commitment (DOC) Awards, held Wednesday, April 20, recognized the “excellence and greatness” within OU-COM. The dinner, sponsored by the Dean’s Office, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Office of Student Affairs, showcased more than 100 members of the faculty, staff, and student bodies for their commitment to the college and to the field of Osteopathic Medicine.

            During the evening Brenda Hagen, D.O., was awarded the Outstanding Osteopathic Mentor Award. OU-COM student Amy Vagedes, OMS II, nominated Hagen for the award and described the importance of her ability to make time for people and patients no matter how busy she gets.

            Jennifer Lykens, OMS IV, received the award for the Student D.O. of the Year. Jay Shubrook, D.O. (’96), presented the award to Lykens describing her as a “tri-fecta” of a student who stands out in original research, teaching, and clinical skills. A full list of award winners at this year’s DOC Awards will be posted on the OU-COM website.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ComCorps coordinator featured on website

Lauren Borovicka, program coordinator for the AmeriCorps program “ComCorps,” is now the featured member on the Ohio Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) website. As the featured member, SOPHE recognizes Borovicka for her service as a former AmeriCorps member with ComCorps before coming back to the program as coordinator in 2009.

SOPHE, a professional organization for people involved in health education or promotion, works to help its members fulfill their health education responsibilities and increase their professional competence. To see the full feature on Borovicka, visit the SOPHE website at http://www.ohiosophe.org/component/content/article/52-featured-member/153-lauren-borovicka.

Caregivers series returns next week   

            During the month of May, the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Geriatric Medicine/Gerontology will offer its annual Caregiver Series at the Athens Public Library, with support from the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center. Besides OU-COM, sponsors for the series include the Athens Public Library, the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center, and the United States Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

            The annual series addresses concerns and issues faced by caregivers of all ages and circumstances. Although each caregiver’s circumstance is unique, most caregivers share one common thread: feeling isolated or ill-prepared to take on the caregiver role.

            This program can help caregivers become more knowledgeable and connect with others in similar situations. Presentations will be held each Tuesday evening in May beginning at 6 p.m. at the Athens Public Library at 30 Home Street in Athens.

            The series first presentation on Tuesday, May 3, features Diana Schwerha, Ph.D., assistant professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, talking about “Ergonomics and Independent Living.”

CALENDAR

Ohio Osteopathic Symposium 

            Find the program brochure, online registration, hotel reservation information, and exhibitor information for the annual convention and CME at http://associationdatabase.com/aws/OOSA/pt/sp/symposium.

·          Event: April 28-May 1, Hilton at Easton, Columbus

Tres de Mayo Celebration

            Come celebrate an early Cinco de Mayo on the Irvine bricks with beef or refried been tacos, corn chips and salsa, cookies and drinks. Tickets cost $3 in advance or $5 at the door. Split the pot will also be available. RSVP to Mike Yeager by noon, April 26.

·          Event: Tuesday, May 3, noon to 1 p.m., Irvine bricks

Foul Water Fiery Serpent documentary viewing

            OU-COM’s Global Health Programs and the American Medical Student Association are hosting a viewing of this new documentary that follows health care workers in their fight to eradicate the Guinea worm disease.

·          Event: Tuesday, May 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Irvine 199

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Faculty Development Tidbit: Using Polling and Smartphones to Keep Students Engaged

You want to make the most of every minute you have with your students, but it’s been proven that most people can only retain about 20 minutes of content in our short-term memory before we have to reflect on it in order to move it to our long-term memory or it will be lost.  

          Polling provides an ideal way to both keep a class’ attention and provide a reflective activity to move information into long-term memory.  Plus, it’s remarkably easy.  Free websites allow you to set up polls that students take by submitting their answers via text message or on the Web.  These polls are a wonderful way to engage students in the material and keep their interest.  Best of all, the results appear in real time so students can see changes as they come in.

          One good use of polls is to gather information about a subject before it is covered.  This is especially helpful when the subject concerns information that students might not want to make public with a show of hands.  For instance, a science instructor can ask students to guess the results of an experiment before it is conducted to generate thought and interest in the outcome.  Forcing students to take a position not only creates reflection, but also commitment to results.  Everyone wants their position affirmed.

Another option is to ask students for their opinions and use the results as a way of initiating a discussion on the issue.  Or you could ask a factual question that you know most people will get wrong in order to demonstrate a widespread misconception.

          Polls also can be used after content is presented as a means of generating reflection on the issue.  These can be simple factual questions that demonstrate whether the students understood the material, or higher level questions that will help them to retain the material.

Using smartphones to conduct polls

While many instructors consider smartphones the bane of teaching—causing distraction and even cheating during a test—polling turns the technology into a teacher’s advantage by engaging students with the content.

In this screencast, I demonstrate how easy it is to use polling software. Watch it here »

Source: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/using-polling-and-smartphones-to-keep-students-engaged, By: John Orlando, PhD in Effective Teaching Strategies

Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources:  www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.  If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, please send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit.  Tidbits, courtesy of your Office of Faculty Development with Steve Davis, Ph.D.; Robbin Kirkland, Ph.D.; and Olivia Sheehan, Ph.D.

OU-COM IN THE NEWS

Please send your news/announcements to rounds@oucom.ohiou.edu each week by Wednesday, 3 p.m. for consideration in the following ROUNDS. If you have questions, suggestions or corrections, please contact Richard Heck, writer/editor, at 593.0896 or heck@oucom.ohiou.edu.

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