Department Chairpersons Research Articles

The Networking Sites in Student Teaching and Learning. A Case Study at Zimbabwean University

The present-day university students, colloquially referred to as ‘millennial learners’ or ‘digital natives’, are a generation of learners that have grown up with the internet. Such students utilize Web 2.0 tools which include SNSs, which are easily accessible on electronic devices that are connected to the internet, presenting a lot of opportunities to enhance student teaching and learning. However, these tools have their downside: hence the need to assess the impact of SNSs on teaching and learning in universities. The study used the interpretive paradigm, qualitative approach method, and a case study design. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants who were composed of departmental chairpersons, lecturers, and students. Data were thereafter collected using interviews and were thematically analyzed. The study also established that participants used SNSs such as Facebook, YouTube, and instant messaging applications like WhatsApp and wikis. The Web 2.0 tools were used for sharing educational materials, research purposes, online tutorials, and study group discussions. The study also revealed the drawbacks and barriers that are associated with the implementation of SNSs in teaching and learning as addiction; negative socialization; cyberbullying health concerns, unreliable information, and reduced academic performance. The study recommends that the use of SNSs by students must be controlled. Students must be educated on the effective use of Web 2.0 tools while lecturers should be trained on how to implement SNSs in pedagogical processes and the use of technological tools.

The Impact of Participation in Professional Learning Communities on Physical Education Instructional Leaders

This study investigates the assessment of the physical education teachers and department chairpersons in five institutions in Hunan Province, China, about professional learning communities for physical education and their levels of participation. Stratified sampling was used to generate 187 P.E. teacher-respondents and 52 P.E. chairperson-respondents. Under the Quantitative Research Method, this study utilized weighted mean score and multiple regression to predict the variables in professional learning communities. Based on the findings, as for the profile of the respondents with the combined results from the P.E. teachers and P.E. chairpersons, the following emerged from the data: the age bracket of 41–45 has the highest number of respondents with a master’s degree, constituting 29.7%, the male respondents dominated the data with 64.9%, a total of 79.9% of the respondents are Master's Degree holders, and the length of service revealed 29.7% for 16 years and above. Five variables were tested in the study: professional commitment, strategic approaches, pedagogical and technological knowledge, supportive organizational teaching and learning environments, and professional ethics and standards. The combined mean scores of the two groups of respondents resulted in no significant difference in most of the variables and no significant relationship between the respondents’ assessment of professional learning communities and their level of participation. However, some indicators are not rated highly, and the study calls for a teacher development program. The five variables are considered predictors of the participation of the respondents in PLCs. Furthermore, all the variables are predictors in the professional development of physical education teachers. The strongest predictor is professional ethics and standards, followed by professional commitment. Physical education teachers can be motivated by their chairpersons to join seriously in PLCs to further enhance their capabilities in teaching physical education.

Vorbereitung deutscher Notaufnahmen auf Notfälle mit chemischen, biologischen, radiologischen und nuklearen (CBRN) Gefahrstoffen

Abstract Background Post-pandemic considerations, as well as lessons learned from terrorist attacks, wars, and disasters worldwide demonstrate that emergency departments must be prepared for mass casualty events related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazardous materials. Our aim was to evaluate whether German emergency departments are sufficiently prepared for such events. Methods We developed a survey and distributed it to all chairpersons of emergency departments in Germany via the German Emergency Department Directory. Results of the survey were described using total numbers and percentages. Capacity for decontamination at different sites was graphically displayed using box-and-whisker plots. The primary endpoint of this study was whether German emergency departments are sufficiently prepared for CBRN incidents. Results Of 963 emergency departments, 262 (27.21%) answered the survey: 80.43% (189/235) of the hospitals had a plan for biological incidents, 49.36% (116/235) for chemical incidents, and 34.47% (81/235) for radionuclear incidents. Furthermore, 50% (116/232) reported some kind of decontamination site, but only 31.42% (71/226) reported having a water supply to their decontamination area. Sufficient protective equipment was only available in 27.51% (63/229) of emergency departments. Only 12.02% (25/208) of hospitals were able to decontaminate supine patients properly, following a decontamination scheme. Conclusion Most German hospitals are not adequately prepared to handle casualties resulting from chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear hazardous materials. Given these results, there is a need for systemic intervention at the national level in order to improve preparedness.

Factors Impacting Academic Productivity and Satisfaction of Surgeon-scientists: A Nationwide Survey.

To identify factors related to research success for academic surgeons. Many recognize mounting barriers to scientific success for academic surgeons, but little is known about factors that predict success for individual surgeons. A phase 1 survey was emailed to department chairpersons at highly funded US departments of surgery. Participating chairpersons distributed a phase 2 survey to their faculty surgeons. Training- and faculty-stage exposures and demographic data were collected and compared with participant-reported measures of research productivity. Five primary measures of productivity were assessed including number of grants applied for, grants funded, papers published, first/senior author papers published, and satisfaction in research. Twenty chairpersons and 464 faculty surgeons completed the survey, and 444 faculty responses were included in the final analysis. Having a research-focused degree was significantly associated with more grants applied for (PhD, incidence rate ratio (IRR)=6.93; masters, IRR=4.34) and funded (PhD, IRR=4.74; masters, IRR=4.01) compared to surgeons with only clinical degrees (all P<0.01). Having a formal research mentor was significantly associated with more grants applied for (IRR=1.57, P=0.03) and higher satisfaction in research (IRR=2.22, P<0.01). Contractually protected research time was significantly associated with more grants applied for (IRR=3.73), grants funded (IRR=2.14), papers published (IRR=2.12), first/senior authors published (IRR=1.72), and research satisfaction (Odds ratio=2.15) (all P<0.01). The primary surgeon-identified barrier to research productivity was lack of protection from clinical burden. Surgeons pursuing research-focused careers should consider the benefits of attaining a research-focused degree, negotiating for contractually protected research time, and obtaining formal research mentorship.

Utilizing J48 Algorithm in Predicting Students Dropout in Higher Education Institution

Dropout refers to students who voluntarily withdraw from a course or program prior to completion. University dropouts continue to be a major concern for educators and represent a substantial loss of human resources for society. At Cebu Technological University, it is always a challenge of the Department Chairperson the declining student population, which resulted in the reduction of the number of sections per year level and under loading of faculty.&#x0D; This study centers on the creation of a student-dropout model that predicts a student's behavior toward his studies. This model utilized the J48 decision tree algorithm, which extract data from the Student Information System (SIS) portal of the existing institution. Nine hundred sixty-one (961) demographic and academic datasets from students enrolled in the two programs under the College of Computer, Information, and Communications Technology (CCICT) of Cebu Technological University (CTU) with nineteen (19) attributes. During the testing procedure, 10-fold cross-validation was utilized. The J48 pruned tree utilized an average of 3 foliage with 4 as the measure of the tree. The Kappa statistic yields a value of 0.8617 and its Correctly Classified Instances rate of 93.7%. This algorithm helps a lot to the institution in reducing the escalation of the attrition rate and providing proactive measures to address the issue.

Creation of an asynchronous faculty development curriculum on well-written narrative assessments that avoid bias

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic in parallel with concerns about bias in grading resulted in many medical schools adopting pass/fail clinical grading and relying solely on narrative assessments. However, narratives often contain bias and lack specificity. The purpose of this project was to develop asynchronous faculty development to rapidly educate/re-educate > 2000 clinical faculty spread across geographic sites and clinical disciplines on components of a well-written narrative and methods to minimize bias in the assessment of students.MethodsWe describe creation, implementation, and pilot data outcomes for an asynchronous faculty development curriculum created by a committee of volunteer learners and faculty. After reviewing the literature on the presence and impact of bias in clinical rotations and ways to mitigate bias in written narrative assessments, the committee developed a web-based curriculum using multimedia learning theory and principles of adult learning. Just-in-time supplemental materials accompanied the curriculum. The Dean added completion of the module by 90% of clinical faculty to the department chairperson’s annual education metric.Module completion was tracked in a learning management system, including time spent in the module and the answer to a single text entry question about intended changes in behavior. Thematic analysis of the text entry question with grounded theory and inductive processing was used to define themes of how faculty anticipate future teaching and assessment as a result of this curricula.OutcomesBetween January 1, 2021, and December 1, 2021, 2166 individuals completed the online module; 1820 spent between 5 and 90 min on the module, with a median time of 17 min and an average time of 20.2 min. 15/16 clinical departments achieved completion by 90% or more faculty. Major themes included: changing the wording of future narratives, changing content in future narratives, and focusing on efforts to change how faculty teach and lead teams, including efforts to minimize bias.ConclusionsWe developed a faculty development curriculum on mitigating bias in written narratives with high rates of faculty participation. Inclusion of this module as part of the chair’s education performance metric likely impacted participation. Nevertheless, time spent in the module suggests that faculty engaged with the material. Other institutions could easily adapt this curriculum with provided materials.

Experiences of female higher education academics in Zimbabwe: A decolonial feminist perspective

abstract The low representation of women in leadership positions continues to characterise higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa. Most senior positions, from Programme Coordinators, to Departmental Chairpersons, Deans of Faculties, Directorships and Vice-Chancellorships, remain occupied by men. Arguments for more representation of women in academic leadership positions have largely been shaped by neoliberal feminist thoughts which emphasise gender parity or numerical representation. While critical, the limitation of this approach is that it lacks engagement with the lived experiences of women academics in HEIs, which still carry colonial legacies, and patriarchal structures and processes. In the context of scholarly discussions on the need to decolonise HEIs, coupled with a rising critique of hegemonic western feminist influence, there are pertinent questions on how women academics respond to, and resist the gendered policies, structures and processes in universities, using alternative feminisms. This study offers a feminist interrogation of the experiences of black women occupying decision-making positions in two of Zimbabwe’s HEIs, presenting the results of qualitative empirical research. It explores the extent to which decolonial feminism and associated ethics of care have influenced women empowerment, shaping and improving experiences of female academics in leadership positions within HEIs in Zimbabwe.

Clinical Clerkships in General Medicine Enable Students to Acquire Basic Medical Competencies and Experience in Community-Based Integrated Care: A Descriptive Questionnaire-Based Study.

Background No previous research has targeted educators regarding educational practice and the achievements of students in terms of the learning objectives of clinical clerkships in university general medicine departments of Japan. We aimed to clarify the characteristics of clinical clerkships in Japanese general medicine departments using a questionnaire administered to chairpersons of university general medicine departments. Methods This was a descriptive questionnaire-based study using Google Forms (Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA). We asked the chairpersons of general medicine departments in Japanese universities the following questions, with responses given on a 5-point Likert scale: Question 1: How well are primary symptoms in the national model core curriculum for undergraduate medical education taught in clinical clerkships in university general medicine departments? Question 2: How successfully can students achieve the learning objectives of the national model core curriculum for undergraduate medical education through clinical clerkships in general medicine departments of university hospitals? Question 3: How successfully can students achieve the learning objectives of the national model core curriculum for undergraduate medical education through clinical clerkships in other community clinics or hospitals?The results of the questionnaire responses are described as mean±standard deviation. Results Of the 71 Japanese universities with general medicine departments, 43 were included in the analysis. For Question 1, the symptoms and pathophysiologies with a mean score of 4 points or higher were fever, general malaise, anorexia, weight loss or gain, edema, abdominal pain, lymphadenopathy, and headache. All those symptoms require basic medical competencies. For Questions 2 and 3, the intramural clinical clerkship of general medicine departments had a higher mean score than the extramural clinical clerkship for diagnostic reasoning that emphasizes medical history and physical examination and a comprehensive approach to patients with multiple health problems.In contrast, the extramural clinical clerkship, in which medical students can build experience with community-integrated care, had a mean score of 3 points or higher for all items. Conclusions The clinical clerkship in general medicine departments of Japanese universities provides students with chances to acquire clinical competencies regarding primary symptoms and pathophysiologies. Additionally, the extramural clinical clerkship provides experience in community-based integrated care, including home medical care, collaboration, health and welfare, and long-term care.

The Status of Digital Dental Technology Implementation in the Saudi Dental Schools' Curriculum: A National Cross-Sectional Survey for Healthcare Digitization.

Objective: The primary objective of this cross-sectional national study was to investigate the status of digital dental technology (DDT) adoption in Saudi Arabian undergraduate dental education. A secondary objective was to explore the impact of dental schools' funding sources to incorporate digital technologies. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the chairpersons of prosthetic sciences departments of the 27 dental schools in Saudi Arabia. If any department chairman failed to respond to the survey, a designated full-time faculty member was contacted to fill out the form. The participants were asked about the school's sector, DDT implementation in the curriculum, implemented level, their perceptions of the facilitators and challenges for incorporating DDT. Results: Of the 27 dental schools (18 public and 8 private), 26 responded to the questionnaire (response rate: 96.3%). The geographic distribution of the respondent schools was as follows: 12 schools in the central region, 6 in the western region, and 8 in other regions. Seventeen schools secure and preserve patients' records using electronic software, whereas nine schools use paper charts. Seventeen schools (64,4%) implemented DDT in their curricula. The schools that did not incorporate DDT into their undergraduate curricula were due to not being included in the curriculum (78%), lack of expertise (66%), untrained faculty and staff (44%), and cost (33%). Conclusions: This national study showed that digital components still need to be integrated into Saudi Arabian dental schools' curricula and patient care treatment. Additionally, there was no association between funding sources and the DDT implementation into the current curricula. Consequently, Saudi dental schools must emphasize the implementation and utilization of DDT to align with Saudi Vision 2030 for healthcare digitization and to graduate competent dentists in digital dental care.

Program accreditation for enterprise change: how organizational support and commitment impact citizenship behaviour in Oman

PurposeThis study aims to investigate a mediated-effects model of organizational support and citizenship behaviour. The model proposes organizational support as an antecedent of citizenship behaviour and commitment to change (CTC) as a mediator in the organizational support–citizenship behaviour relationship.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional survey data were collected from university faculty (n = 221) and analyzed using structural equation modelling.FindingsThe findings showed that organizational support significantly contributes to increased citizenship behaviour and commitment of university faculty to program accreditation as an enterprise change process. The authors conclude that university-level organizational support shapes faculty’s CTC both directly and indirectly. The findings have significant practical implications for higher education institutions (HEIs) where new practices that aim at improving institutional effectiveness are embraced.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is cross-sectional (i.e. one-time data collection), which restricts the ability to make generable inferences about cause-and-effect relationships. Although the authors tested a model, longitudinal research is needed to unpack the processes of organizational support, commitment and citizenship behaviour. During enterprise change management, organizations work tirelessly to build and maintain citizenship behaviour. Therefore, considering citizenship behaviour in relation to other processes over time is important. However, relying on one source of data may represent another limitation, which increases concerns about common method bias in the current investigation.Practical implicationsThe study findings offer a number of implications to HEIs in contexts where accreditation is perceived as an enterprise change process. Universities, similar to any other organizations, rely consistently on methods and mechanism through which employees’ professional performance, engagement and involvement can be enhanced. Accreditation has always been examined by exploring externally focused variables such as global reputation, organizational prestige and international prominence. The present study, however, draws attention to how perceived organizational support (POS) may be an equally important lever that needs to be considered before accreditation is introduced in HEIs. University chancellors, deans and other university leaders can directly influence organizational support by creating a system that weighs the extra work needed, the human resources and the incentives, and developing a plausible action plan.Social implicationsIt is unlikely that all faculty members will maintain quality relationship with the university leadership and immediate leaders such as department chairpersons or the college dean. This unlikelihood increases during crisis and change time. The study findings showed that POS contributes significantly to organizational citizenship behaviour. Therefore, it could be argued that the resistance to change that tends to be associated with accreditation can be mitigated by showing employees that support is accessible and attainable from up-line and immediate leaders. The findings suggest that commitment serves as an integral mediating mechanism between organizational support and citizenship behaviour. Indeed, commitment can be fully examined in practice from the perspective of its three-pronged structure (i.e. affective, continuance and normative). The findings provide credence to the notion that accreditation as an enterprise change process cannot be achieved without employee commitment and organizational support.Originality/valueAs a result of adopting globalized techniques, HEIs in Arab nations have undergone significant changes. In the Arab context, the adoption of academic program accreditation in HEIs has been seen as an enterprise change process with both supporters and detractors. In other words, implementing new systems or procedures results in changes that might upend personnel at any given organization. Therefore, it is contended that how well an organization responds to resistance to change will likely depend on the interaction of organizational, contextual and individual-related characteristics.

How Did They Get There? What Perspectives From the Top Tell Us About Developing Women Leaders in Academic Anesthesiology.

How Did They Get There? What Perspectives From the Top Tell Us About Developing Women Leaders in Academic Anesthesiology.

General Medicine Departments of Japanese Universities Contribute to Medical Education in Clinical Settings: A Descriptive Questionnaire Study.

BackgroundIt is unclear how much effort Japanese university general medicine (GM) departments, which teach basic medical skills and have a high affinity for clinical practice, devote to medical education, particularly undergraduate education. This study aimed to clarify the contribution of GM departments of Japanese universities to medical education.Patients and MethodsThis was a questionnaire-based descriptive study of GM departments of Japanese universities. We sent the questionnaire created using Google Forms by email, and the universities responded by Internet. The department chairperson of the universities’ main hospital was responsible for completing the questionnaire. It covered the number of staff, inpatients over the previous 3 years, affiliated hospitals, classroom lectures, and practical training sessions per year for each academic year in medical faculty and students accepted for clinical clerkship. Items also included the effort for clinical training, research, and education and the effort for undergraduate, initial clinical residency, and specialty program training.ResultsIn all, 46 of 71 universities responded, and we included 43 in our analysis. The median number of medical staff was 7; the median number of inpatients over the previous 3 years was 76. The median number of classroom lectures of the GM department was 1 for 1st-year, 5 for 3rd-year, 9 for 4th-year, and 0 for 2nd-, 5th-, and 6th-year students. The median total number of accepted students for clinical clerkship was 120. The median educational effort of the GM department was 30. With total educational effort set at 100, the median effort for undergraduate education was 45, for postgraduate residency 30, and for specialty program training 20.ConclusionThe undergraduate medical education by GM departments of Japanese universities was provided mainly in clinical settings for almost all medical students. A focus on exposing students to GM in early academic years would improve the educational environment.

Evaluating educational performance and achievements of faculty in general medicine departments of Japanese universities.

A cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study was conducted to examine whether the educational performance and achievements are appropriately recognized and contribute to their promotion in university hospitals. We found that the chairpersons of those general medicine departments believed that educational performance had not been appropriately evaluated; educational achievements did not receive sufficient consideration for promotion compared with the performance and achievements related to clinical and research activities.

Secured Cotabato City State Polytechnic College Web-Based Student Clearance System

The study describes the Secured CCSPC Web-Based Student Clearance System's use and predicted effects. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), Sublime editor, Bootstrap, and MySQL as the database tool were used to create the clearance system. This system includes two-factor authentication for students and designated offices. In the clearance system, a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) for data transit, as well as a software firewall and anti-SQL Injection attack, were offered and implemented. The CCSPC Portal was linked to the web-based student clearance system and Web API, with Web API acting as a bridge between SIMone and the clearance system. SIMone's role is to offer just a limited amount of information on the web-based clearing, such as designated office operations, account status from the Cashier, and student profiles from the Registrar. Students and the approved offices in charge of signing the student clearance include the Graduating Class Association (GCA) Treasurer, Laboratory Custodian, Cashier, Librarian, Academic Related Services (ARS), SPEED Director, Department Chairperson, College Dean, and the Registrar. The ISO 9126-1 International Standard Tool for Software Evaluation, on the other hand, was utilized in the CCSPC beneficiaries' surveys to test the system's effectiveness and reliability.

Identifying factors influencing Iranian innovation ecosystem and determining their links

Economically and technologically powerful countries in today's world are those that progressed significantly in terms of scientific and technological developments. With technology and innovation come power and influence. To this end, Iran too must follow the same path towards innovation in producing science and technology. Therefore, a systemic view is required to align every component of the innovation ecosystem towards innovation based on a dynamic macro-, meso-, and micro-level strategic approach. The present study aims to identify and determine the links between components and subcomponents of innovation ecosystem. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to survey a statistical population consisting of all department chairpersons and faculty members at four Iranian universities, namely University of Tehran and Shahid Beheshti University (as comprehensive universities) and Allameh Tabatabaei University and Amir Kabir University (as technical-professional universities) where a sample was selected through stratified random sampling. Quantitative analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics; the inferential part consisted of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and other techniques needed. The findings were analyzing in PLS using SEM combined at lower levels with first and second order CFA. Finally, components and subcomponents of innovation ecosystem were identified. CFA results indicated that support and service, business, science and technology, finance and economy, sociocultural, policymaking and planning, innovative university, government, industry, and statutory-legal components were the most effective ones influencing innovation ecosystem where “support-service” (factor loading=0.92) was the most influencing while “statutory-legal (factor loading=0.52) was the least influencing factor when it comes to innovation ecosystem. Therefore, an innovative ecosystem consists of a set of various components and factors interacting dynamically and continuously with one another and with the environment towards development of science, technology, and innovation, leading to overall growth of the ecosystem.

A survey of chairpersons of departments of medicine about the current and future roles of clinical genetics in internal medicine

Purpose: The response of academic Departments of Medicine (DOM), who train the bulk of future US internists, to the increasing importance of clinical genetics is not known.Methods: A survey was distributed to 153 DOM chairpersons assessing the current and future roles of clinical genetics as related to internal medicine.Results: Eighty-five (56%) surveys with complete data were returned. A minority of DOM currently employ geneticists; most genetics education and services are provided by nongeneticists; the general competency of internists to deliver genetic services is unclear.Conclusions: Academic DOM have limited faculty expertise in clinical genetics; this may impact the ability to integrate genetics into internal medicine practice and training.

Guidelines for Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect in Programs Offering Bachelor’s Degrees in Chemistry

The chemical enterprise is recognizing that inclusive and equitable environments are essential to its mission and advancement. As such, the education and training of chemists requires a reassessment of how academic programs integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a core principle of educational quality. This article describes a 3-year process that resulted in integrating experiences, ideas, priorities, and feedback from the chemistry community into a set of guidelines that agrees with the American Chemical Society (ACS)’s core value of diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR). The process included learning about current DEI practices through a focus group, surveying stakeholders about the role of DEI in chemistry education, bringing together department chairpersons from all types of academic institutions from across the nation to discuss how they would adapt to DEIR guidelines, and synthesis of the DEIR guidelines that will be incorporated into the ACS Guidelines for Bachelor’s Degree Programs. The guidelines, described in this article, provide a DEIR baseline to maintain ACS Approval (critical requirements), direct programs to support and develop a DEIR culture (normal expectations), and exhort programs to make DEIR a priority (markers of excellence). It is anticipated that the DEIR guidelines will promote a DEIR culture among chemistry programs and that these guidelines could be adapted to other disciplines and organizations.

Academic Support Services in the Learning Environment for Students with Hearing Impairment in Selected Public Universities-Kenya

The struggle to integrate students with HI socially and academically is very challenging in the lecture halls where specialized academic support and access services are not commonly offered to students with HI in the universities. The purpose of this research study was to establish support services in the learning environment for students with hearing impairment. The research adopted a descriptive survey design whereby both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. A pilot study was conducted to establish the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Data was then collected from lecturers, Dean of students’ affairs, chairpersons of Departments that offer university common units and students with hearing impairments. The universities were selected due to the fact that they admit students with Special Needs; hence, they have rich information on the theme of the study. Target population was composed of three Deans of Students’ Affairs, 15 chairpersons, 462 lecturers and 70 students with hearing impairments. On data analysis, the statistics were generated by means of statistical package of social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0, while qualitative data was analyzed through narrative analysis and thematic approach. The findings revealed that. selected public universities have inadequate resource materials for students with Hearing Impairments. Following these findings, the study recommended University Councils to avail bursaries for students with HI, and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to allocate more funds to students with hearing impairments pursuing higher education in public. Keywords: University, Special needs, Hearing Impairment, Persons with Disabilities DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-29-08 Publication date: October 31 st 2021

Characteristics and predictors of patient care performed by clinical department chairpersons at U.S. schools of pharmacy

AbstractBackgroundClinical pharmacy or pharmacy practice departments at schools of pharmacy are usually composed of practicing pharmacy specialists. There is little known about the requirements for and frequency of patient care provided by clinical department chairpersons. The primary objective of this study was to determine the likelihood that pharmacy practice chairs engage in patient care. A secondary objective was to identify those factors predicting chairperson participation in patient care activities.MethodsA brief 22‐item adaptive response survey was sent to clinical department chairpersons at schools of pharmacy in the United States. Initial identification of chairs came from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) with verification by school websites. Surveys from schools without a clinical chairperson (or similar position) were excluded, as were surveys from schools with Ph.D. department chairpersons from blended departments (ie, Clinical with Outcomes/Policy Sciences).ResultsOf the 128 eligible schools' department chairpersons, 113 completed the surveys (88.3% response rate). Forty‐four (38.9%) chairs reported that they maintain an active clinical practice even though 103 (91.1%) report it is not required. Factors that had a significant association with clinical practice were clinical service being an expectation (P = .0004), having a practice prior to becoming chairperson (P = .001), having a higher clinical service expectation (P &lt; .0001), and having a lower administrative percentage (P = .0003). Age, rank, and academic track were not significant predictors. Of those with clinical practice, sites included community (45.4%), acute care (38.6%), primary care (4.5%), and other settings (11.4%). A majority of those with practice reported providing direct patient care (81.8%) or indirectly via supervision of students or other trainees (61.4%).ConclusionsMost schools of pharmacy do not require clinical department chairpersons to maintain a patient care practice, but many still choose to practice. Those that practiced before becoming a chairperson and have a lower administrative burden are more likely to continue to provide patient care.

Gender distribution in board memberships of emergency medicine societies.

Gender gaps have been described regarding the chairpersons in academic emergency departments, the composition of editorial boards and publications in emergency medicine. The objective of this study was to determine the gender distribution of chairpersons and board members of emergency medicine societies worldwide. In this cross-sectional analysis, websites of national emergency medicine societies worldwide were screened for the composition of executive boards and the respective chairpersons. The gender of the board members and chairpersons was obtained either by the profile on the respective web site and/or by internet search and gender identification software. Descriptive statistics were performed and results for national societies were stratified by continent. A total of 61 boards of national emergency medicine societies were analyzed. Detailed information on the board composition was available for 50 societies, of which 27 were from Europe, 10 from Asia, five from Africa, four from North America, three from South America and one from Australasia. A total of 603 persons were included in the analysis. 45 (82%) of the listed societies' presidents were male, while 10 (18%) were female. 385 (70%) of the non-president board members were male. The highest proportion of female board members was seen in Australia/New Zealand with five out of eight persons (62%) followed by South America with 13 out of 29 (45%). A marked gender disparity was found for emergency medicine societies worldwide in terms of chair functions as well as board composition. Wide regional differences were found between world regions.