Teamwork Experience Research Articles

ABILITY TO WORK IN A TEAM AS A MODERN PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF A TEACHER

The purpose of the article is to conduct a theoretical analysis of the essence of teamwork and its role in the professional activities of teachers. The article clarifies the relevance and prospects of forming the experience of future teachers’ teamwork. The regulations consider it to be important as general and professional competence. The meaning of the notion “team” is described, as one, which defines small groups of people (from 3 to 12 participants). These groups are specifically selected to combine their efforts to solve a problem situation or a common completion of an important task. They have a clear target orientation and intensive interaction with each other. The main features of teamwork, such as group activity, which is focused on solving a particular problem and implementation of tasks, are discussed in the article. The authors claim that such an association of teachers is an essential tool for the personal and professional growth of every member. In addition, the article defines that researchers distinguish four types of a team. The first type is a work team, which solves the current problems of a pedagogical team and educational institution in general. The second type is a project team and a development team. They work on long-term educational projects. The third type is a parallel team, which is temporal and is focused on solving some educational issues. The last type is a management team, which unifies all heads of HR departments of an educational institution or other organization.The main advantages of any teamwork are highlighted in the article: improving the quality of decisions; reducing the time to find the best solutions; implementation of a multifaceted approach to solving complex pedagogical problems; professional growth of team members.
 Keywords: competence; professional competence; team; teamwork; teachers; feature of a team; types of teams; forming teamwork experience.

P008 SYNCHRONOUS SURGICAL TREATMENT OF MORBID OBESITY AND COMPLEX VENTRAL HERNIA AFTER PROGRESSIVE PNEUMOPERITONEUM AND BOTULINUM TOXIN A INJECTION

Abstract Aim the worldwide increase in morbidly obese patients with complex hernia raises controversies in the choice of the appropriate treatment timing: synchronous bariatric and abdominal wall surgery versus delayed abdominal wall surgery. We report an innovative tailored surgical treatment carried out at our Institution. Material and Methods the approach provided the injection, six weeks before surgery, of 500 international units of botulinum toxin A on either side of the large abdominal wall muscles. Four weeks before surgery pneumoperitoneum was inducted and out-patient daily sessions of progressive insufflation with ambient air were then carried out. Surgery was scheduled 48 days after botulinum injection. Sleeve gastrectomy and simultaneous posterior component separation with transversus abdominis release were performed. Two prosthetic meshes were placed sublay. Results Postoperative superficial surgical site infection was successfully treated with negative pressure wound therapy. At one year follow up no hernia recurrence was recorded while total body weight loss was 31%. Conclusions a delay in ventral hernia repair could worsen quality of life of morbidly obese patients. In such high risk patients, the choice of the best surgical strategy remains controversial. There is great concern in performing bariatric surgery simultaneously to hernia repair, although there is lack of evidence on which is the ideal treatment modality. Synchronous bariatric surgery and complex ventral hernia repair should be approached in high volume centres where a consolidated experience of multidisciplinary team-work is available. Combined botulinum toxin A and preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum administration allow for a safe resolution of loss of domain.

Cooperation with partners of differing social experience: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study

Previous studies have shown the brain synchronization of all team members while completing a collaborative task. Moreover, this effect is influenced by a team’s compositional elements, such as gender (opposite or same) or relationships (i.e., friends, lovers, or strangers) among team members. However, whether interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) is affected by team members’ experience, as well as the temporal dynamics of such brain synchronization, remains to be investigated. In the current study, we combined behavioral methods and functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based hyperscanning to examine the effect of member experience on team cooperation by an adopted continuous joint drawing task with 21 student–student dyads (S–S dyads) and 22 teacher–student dyads (T-S dyads). The results revealed that team members with differing experiences (T-S dyads) perform better than those with similar ones (S-S dyads). Moreover, we observed IBS in the left frontopolar region (channel 11). However, we did not observe significant changes of the task-related IBS across time. Besides, IBS was negatively correlated with the participants’ behavioral performance. Our findings demonstrate the importance of social experience in teamwork in the real world and suggest a possible mechanism for cooperation from a temporal and spatial perspective.

Mindset and team communication in pharmacists: Examination of pharmacist’s self-views

ObjectivesPharmacists provide care in a complex adaptive system, which requires action and teamwork to address unexpected outcomes. We assessed practicing pharmacists’ self-views of growth mindset and team communication across multiple practice settings. DesignThe validated Growth Mindset and Team Communication (GMTC) tool, a multicomponent quantitative and qualitative survey instrument was used to conduct a descriptive study of pharmacist self views. Setting and participantsSurvey instrument was distributed electronically to all licensed North Carolina pharmacists. Outcome MeasuresThe survey consisted of 4 sections: (1) growth mindset self-evaluation (14 questions), (2) team communication self-evaluation (13 questions), (3) description of previous teamwork experience (1 question), and (4) demographics (8 questions). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and responses to the open-ended question were assessed using qualitative content analysis. ResultsA total of 507 pharmacists participated in the survey. Participants reported primary practice settings, 42.1% in community, 38.9% in health system, and 17.3% in other settings, and 52.1% reported more than 20 years’ total pharmacy experience. The total GMTC scale average score was 81.9 ± 7.9 out of 108 possible points. The growth mindset subscale indicated an overall average score of 43.5 ± 4.4 out of 56 possible points The team communication subscale indicated an overall average score of 38.3 ± 5.2 out of 52 possible points. The self-view of a growth mindset was not affected by years of pharmacy experience or primary practice site, but additional teamwork credentials were positively correlated with the overall GMTC score driven by the team communication subscale. ConclusionsA growth mindset is prevalent among experienced pharmacists from multiple practice settings. Pharmacists recognize teamwork as an essential work element and rate their team communication skills highly.

Teamworking in Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study.

The widespread impact of COVID-19 on healthcare has demanded new ways of working across many organisation types and many forms of healthcare delivery while at the same time endeavouring to place minimal, or no, additional burden on already strained healthcare teams. This is a cross-sectional mixed-method study which captured the experiences of teamwork during the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to successful collaboration. We hypothesised that work engagement and psychological safety separately contribute to collective leadership and organisational citizenship behaviours. Participants were healthcare staff on active duty during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland (n = 152) who responded to our social media (Twitter) invitation to participate in this study. Survey and free-text responses were collected through an online platform. Structural equation modelling examined the relationships between work engagement and psychological safety, and collective leadership and OCBs. Open text responses relating to experiences of teamworking during the pandemic were analysed for latent themes. From the survey data, the structural model demonstrated excellent statistical fit indicating that psychological safety, but not work engagement, was predictive of collective leadership and OCBs. From the qualitative data, two key themes were generated: (1) Contrasting experiences of working in a team during the pandemic; and (2) The pandemic response: a tipping point for burnout. This study offers a valuable starting point to explore the factors driving change and the shift to more collective ways of working observed in response to COVID-19. Future studies should use longitudinal data to capture the temporal relationship of these variables which could be moderated by prolonged pressure to healthcare staff during the pandemic.

BUSINESS CONSULTING AS A FACTOR OF KNOWLEDGE IMPROVEMENT IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

This paper investigates the role of business consulting in the creation and transfer of business knowledge to human resources in companies. Consulting interventions are focused on the effective management of the client's knowledge organization. The goal of launching a knowledge management initiative is to improve the performance of the organization and individuals through the identification, adoption, evaluation and transfer of knowledge. The model of creative management is based on the philosophical assumption that the real world, which surrounds modern organizations, is dynamic, turbulent and changeable and that, as such, it requires organizations and their management to perform complex activities. These activities require Serbian managers not only to solve problems caused by uncertainty, but also to recognize and take advantage of new business opportunities. During business consulting projects, employees can be engaged in a number of learning activities, but it is crucial to transfer new business knowledge to real business activities. In the realization of the research task, desk research of data that is predominantly related to: business consulting, human resources management, measuring changes in skills and knowledge during consulting interventions, creative management, etc. was used. When analyzing this area, it is necessary to focus on motivating employees to generate their knowledge. Namely, employees must be acquainted with certain standards, technical conditions and production norms, etc. It is necessary to create the atmosphere of a learning company, ie. form trained and creative people from employees. It is wrong to view employees only as executors of work orders. An instructive example is Japanese companies, which are characterized by above-average productivity, where the so-called bottom-up initiative in collecting ideas and decision-making, which in further work leads to high motivation of workers. The introduction of changes requires employees in the organization to acquire new knowledge, gather more information, cope with new tasks, improve their skills, and often change their work habits, values ​​and attitudes. This includes changes in people: in management and employees, their abilities, motivation, behavior and efficiency at work. It also includes changes in organizational culture: changes in values, established customs, information relations, influence, management style. The results of the research show that the team work of managers, consultants and employees contributes to the constitution of knowledge-based management, ready for the challenges of modern business. Experience in team work is important for holders of creative management, since it is based on the formation of top management teams. To help with human resources, managers, relying on behavioral science, can use a number of methods that facilitate development and change in individuals, groups, or businesses to manage toward a goal.

Development of interprofessional healthcare teamwork skills: mapping students’ process of learning

ABSTRACT Higher education institutions commonly prepare future healthcare workers to engage in increasingly complex, interprofessional healthcare environments through interprofessional education. Development of appropriate teamwork skills is complex and takes time. However, much of the research on student engagement with teamwork in higher education has been focused on the end goal of teamwork. This obscures the process of how students learn to work in interprofessional healthcare teams and in what ways, over time. The current study used an exploratory interpretive approach to obtaining students’ experiences, perceptions and developing understanding of teamwork from the start of their undergraduate studies, through to completion of five semesters of group or teamwork projects. Through qualitative methodology, educators explored student experiences of teamwork, their focus at designated points of their undergraduate teamwork, and the meaning they attributed to being a member of a team. Student perceptions of successful teamwork developed over time to a positive and purposeful orientation toward teamwork, learner attributes that enhanced team function, and a growing awareness of how the assessment context affected team function. By mapping these processes of learning over time, educators can gain a clearer understanding of influences and experiences that impact on student learning in teamwork.

Nurses’ experiences of caring for people with COVID-19 in Hong Kong: a qualitative enquiry

ObjectivesNurses are the largest group of healthcare workers on the front line of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic. An understanding of their nursing experiences, the challenges they encountered and...

I am not worthy: How interpersonal experiences influence perceived value and worth of full- and part-time faculty

Positive interpersonal relationships between college administration and faculty are necessary as they contribute to organizational climate measures, such as a sense of belonging and perceived organizational worth. Furthermore, such relationships may combat against faculty cynicism. Interpersonal experiences are particularly relevant in a post-coronavirus disease 2019 workplace in which interactions with colleagues are infrequent. Little is known about the effects of interpersonal experiences on part-time faculty specifically, as compared with full-time faculty. This study investigates teamwork experiences and interpersonal constraints as predictors of the attitudes and perceptions of full- and part-time faculty at a four-year public teaching college in the southwestern United States. After controlling for years working at the college, teamwork was a consistent predictor of higher sense of belonging, perceived organizational worth, and lower cynicism among full- and part-time faculty. Furthermore, the presence of negative coworker relationships was a significant predictor of lower sense of belonging and perceived organizational worth among full-time faculty. Inadequate help or lack of contact with co-workers was not a significant predictor of faculty attitudes and perceptions. The results of this study suggest the need for fostering teamwork and positive relationships among full- and part-time faculty in a meaningful and systemic manner within institutions of higher education. Additionally, this study provides support for institutionalizing a team-based approach to working among all faculty to foster perceived belonging and worth, while limiting cynicism.

Work environment and person-centred dementia care in nursing homes-A cross-sectional study.

AimThis study aims to explore the relationship between work environment, job characteristics and person‐centred care for people with dementia in nursing homes.BackgroundPerson‐centred care approaches have become a dominant indicator for good quality of care in nursing homes. Little is known about the relationship between work environment, job characteristics and person‐centred care in nursing homes.Method(s)Cross‐sectional data from the LAD study were used. Direct care staff (n = 552) of nursing homes (n = 49) filled an online questionnaire about work environment characteristics and person‐centred care. To examine relationships, multilevel linear regression analyses were conducted.ResultsAssociations were found between a higher transformational leadership style, less social support from a leader, a higher unity in philosophy of care, higher levels of work satisfaction, more development opportunities, better experienced teamwork and staff‐reported person‐centred care.Conclusion(s)In a complex nursing home environment, person‐centred care is influenced by organisational and work characteristics, shared values and interpersonal relationships.Implications for NursingLeaders may consider facilitating collaboration and creating unity between care staff, clients and family members in order to provide person‐centred care. Therefore, a transformational leadership style, educational programmes and coaching for leaders are recommended.

Teamworking virtually: business as usual?

ABSTRACT The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an ongoing phenomenon: Virtual Teams (VTs) are now a ubiquitous feature of organizations. This undeniable transformation of the way individuals and teams work brings challenges for vital team processes, including coordination, information exchange, and interpersonal relationships, as well as for many other fundamental aspects, such as leadership or emotional exchanges. Understanding the specificity of Virtual teams is the reason behind this Special Section. We aim at pushing research on virtual teams forward, by widening theoretical frameworks that explore the experience of teamworking virtually. In this editorial, we introduce the collected papers highlighting their contributions, and describe four avenues to shape future research on VTs, motivated by those papers.

Cross-university virtual teamwork as a means of internationalization at home

In today's globalized world, international competencies and the ability to communicate effectively in global virtual teams are key workplace requirements. To offer university students an opportunity for internationalization at home and simultaneously provide them with the experience of working in virtual project teams, we present a universally applicable international telecooperative project. In this teaching approach, students from different universities and fields of study worldwide collectively solve problems in a simulated business environment and present their findings to a remote professor for grading. The analysis of the pilot testing with 150 students from 26 nations indicates that the participants have recognized the difficulties that can occur when working in international, interdisciplinary, and geographically distributed teams. Rated as a valuable experience by 80% of the participants, the presented online educational concept constitutes an important contribution in the tertiary education sector, especially in situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Course on Contemporary Russian Literature Abroad as a Teamwork Experience (a few words about developing a new discipline)

Course on Contemporary Russian Literature Abroad as a Teamwork Experience (a few words about developing a new discipline)

Learning from Problem-Based Projects in Cross-Disciplinary Student Teams

This paper explores how Engineering students and Work and Welfare students reflect upon their own engagement in a one-week cross-disciplinary project. To develop a better understanding of what unfolds during these activities we collected data through anonymous surveys two consecutive years. Data from these 141 respondents were analysed using a learning history approach and are presented as narratives. Results show major disruptions and conflicts driving the student projects, exposing inviting confrontations, social identity threats, managing diversity, and friction of ideas. Whereas this in many cases led to new and better project solutions, these real-world experiences raise awareness of the need for tools and methods for training students. The aim of the paper is to learn from students’ experiences through narrative distance, and fill a gap in the literature between problem-based learning (PBL) and the learning history method. Discussing different experiences of cross-disciplinary teamwork through the explanations of these theories, we also lay out potential questions for future research on the topic.

The THRIVE COVID-19 Fellowship: Creating a Forum for Collaborative Team Science and Innovation Development

<strong>Purpose:</strong> Launched in October 2020, the Mount Sinai Targeted Healthcare Innovation Fellowship (THRIVE) is a 9-month program for participants from diverse professional backgrounds to form teams to develop a HealthTech innovation related to COVID-19. This innovative program is designed to provide an experiential team science platform for participants to take an idea from concept to commercial viable innovation, whilst developing the skills to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams. THIRVE participants are comprised of medical students, graduate students, and trainees (including residents and fellows) from across the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. <strong>Methods:</strong> Following a competitive application process, 14 THRIVE fellows self-select into 3 transdisciplinary teams to work collaboratively across Slack and other online platforms. Participants are provided with access to a range of mentors and experts in the field, and encouraged to identify and reach out to these individuals to create their own networks of professional support. Participants are allocated a $2500 per team and prepared budgets to allocate funds towards hardware, software and input from external consultants (see <em><strong>Figure 1</strong></em> for program timeline). Success of the program will be evaluated by: <ul><li>assessing pre- and post- collaborative research orientation among THRIVE fellows using the Research Orientation Scale [1]</li><li>using social network analysis (SNA) to investigate the social networks of THRIVE fellows to capture patterns of communication and collaboration related to innovation development</li><li>exploring participant experiences of group formation, teamwork and collaboration related to innovation development using one-to-one semi-structured interview</li><li>determining team success in innovation development, measured by number of publications, funding awarded, provisional patents and viable products.</li></ul> <strong>Results: </strong>Paired t-tests will determine whether collaborative orientation of THRIVE fellows changes pre- vs. post- program participation, indicating changes in attitude toward multidisciplinary team work. SNA will be used to describe structural patterns of communication with mentors and experts in the field that occur at individual and group levels. Network-level indices will provide insight into patterns of communication that exist in innovation development: degree centrality (number of connections per individual), betweenness centrality (number of bridges to others in a network), closeness centrality (closeness to others in a network). We will also test for associations between network characteristics and team success. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Understanding patterns of formal and informal relationships, interactions, and perceptions of the collaborative process among individuals in THRIVE teams will demonstrate whether such a program can provide an effective forum for team science and innovation development related to COVID-19.

Coping and growing in dilemma: Clinical work experience of front-line nurses in Wuhan during the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic.

AimTo deeply explore the experience of front‐line nurses who participated in rescuing Wuhan during the early stage of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) epidemic.MethodsUsing a descriptive qualitative design, individual semi‐structured interviews were conducted between February 25 and March 5, 2020. A conventional content analysis method was used in data analysis to extract themes and sub‐themes.ResultsSix themes emerged after data analysis: (a) worries and stress during rescue; (b) difficulties encountered during rescue; (c) experience of team work; (d) experience of interaction with COVID‐19 patients; (e) experience of logistic support and widespread concern; and (f) value and significance of the experience.ConclusionsNurses took on difficult missions in the rescue and played an irreplaceable role. They experienced remarkable psychological changes over the intensive work. It was necessary to understand the feelings and problems of the nurses so as to establish a healthcare system that can protect medical staff effectively in future disasters.

The evolution of medical students\u2019 preparedness for clinical practice during the transition of graduation: a longitudinal study from the undergraduate to postgraduate periods

BackgroundGraduating from medical school and beginning independent practice appears to be a major transition for medical students across the world. It is often reported that medical graduates are underprepared for independent practice. Most previous studies on undergraduates’ preparedness are cross-sectional. This study aimed to characterize the development and trend of medical students’ preparedness and its association with other objective and subjective indicators from the undergraduate to postgraduate periods.MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study. The participants were recruited and followed from two years before graduation to the postgraduate period. The preparedness for independent practice, professional identity, and teamwork experience were biannually measured using previously validated questionnaires. The participants’ basic demographic information, clinical learning marks from the last two years, and national board exam scores were also collected.ResultsA total of 85 participants completed 403 measurements in the 5 sequential surveys. The mean age at recruitment was 23.6, and 58 % of participants were male. The overall total preparedness score gradually increased from 157.3 (SD=21.2) at the first measurement to 175.5 (SD=25.6) at the fifth measurement. The serial individual preparedness scores revealed both temporal differences within the same learner and individual differences across learners. Despite the variations, a clear, steady increase in the overall average score was observed. Participants were least prepared in the domain of patient management at first, but the score increased in the subsequent measurements. The participants with better final preparedness had better professional identity (p<0.01), better teamwork experience (p < 0.01), and higher average clinical rotation marks (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe preparedness for practice of medical students from the undergraduate to postgraduate periods is associated with their professional identity, teamwork experience, and objective clinical rotation endpoint. Although preparedness generally increases over time, educators must understand that there are temporal fluctuations and individual differences in learners’ preparedness.

What Happens When Humans Believe Their Teammate is an AI? An Investigation into Humans Teaming with Autonomy

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow in proficiency, the potential for AI to be used as team members rather than tools is becoming closer to realization. This advancement is driving new research investigations into the applicability of human-human teamwork knowledge to the context of human-autonomy teaming. In the current study, we apply qualitative methods to explore how the perceived composition of a team (how many humans and how many agents on the team) affects sentiments toward teammates, team processes, cognitive states, and the emergence of a system of team cognition. A total of 46 teams completed a teamwork simulation task and were interviewed afterwards regarding their teamwork experience. All of the teams were comprised of only humans; however, two conditions were led to believe that their teammate(s) were autonomous agents. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory and the Gioia methodology, which revealed thematic differences between the team compositions. In light of our results, we offer a new model that describes how early-stage action teams achieve effective team processes and emergent cognitive states.

An Interprofessional Senior Medical Student Preparation Course: Improvement in Knowledge and Self-Confidence Before Entering Surgical Training.

PurposeSenior medical students are variably prepared to begin surgical training; and a national curriculum was established through the American College of Surgeons to better prepare senior medical students for surgical training. The purpose of our course is to prepare senior medical students to more effectively enter surgical training programs. We recently enhanced our independently developed surgical training preparation course by increasing exposure to surgical anatomy, medical physiology, surgical skills, and point-of-care ultrasound. We evaluated the impact of our interprofessional training course to increase confidence and readiness among senior medical students entering surgical training.MethodsThe course focused on pre- and post-operative patient care, surgical anatomy, human physiology, and bedside ultrasound. Didactic lectures in anatomy, human physiology, and bedside ultrasound were provided prior to all hands-on simulated patient care sessions and mock surgical procedures. To evaluate our interprofessional curriculum, we administered pre- and post-course surveys, pre- and post-course knowledge tests, and a final surgical anatomy laboratory practical examination to 22 senior medical students who were enrolled in the course. All students created a final surgical anatomy presentation.ResultsThe students demonstrated a 100% pass rate in surgical anatomy. The knowledge test, which included assessment of knowledge on perioperative surgical decision making, human physiology, and bedside ultrasound, demonstrated an average improvement of 10%. Statistically significant improvements in median confidence values were identified in 10 of 32 surveyed categories, including surgical skills (p < 0.05); 84% of student goals for the course were achieved. The medical students’ surveys confirmed increased confidence related to the use of point-of-care ultrasound, teamwork experience, and basic surgical skills through small group interactive seminars and surgical simulation exercises.ConclusionOur preparation for surgical training course resulted in high student satisfaction and demonstrated an increased sense of confidence to begin surgical training. The 10% improvement in medical student knowledge, as evaluated by a written examination, and the significant improvement in confidence level self-assessment scores confirms this surgery preparation course for senior medical students successfully achieved the desired goals of the course.

Learning through Translational Research Projects – A Route to Teamwork, Skill Development and Self‐Awareness in Biomedical Sciences Graduate Education

The biomedical sciences graduate program at EVMS is an umbrella graduate program towards PhD and Masters’ of sciences degrees. The reality of much of today's research, whether academic or commercially-oriented, will require our graduates to work in collaborations and/or in multi-disciplinary teams. In addition, despite having the advantage of being part of a medical school, the graduate students get little or no exposure to the clinician's view of the translational aspects required to deliver a new therapeutic or diagnostic. To address these gaps in the training of our graduate students, we have leveraged our local resources to design a highly interactive, inter-professional, project- and team-based translational course: “Methods and Logic in Translational Biology”. Our intended goals for this course are: i) to enable our students to interact with clinicians to recognize and validate unmet clinical needs in human disease; ii) to learn the skills needed to creatively conceptualize a translational project (biology, pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, commercialization) to address those needs; and, to learn working in a team of diverse personalities, workstyles and backgrounds whilst having communal responsibility to devise and deliver on time a single output (a written and oral presentation of their project proposal). We recruited clinical faculty, biostatisticians, basic science faculty experienced in translational research and adjunct faculty with experience in drug discovery, therapeutics and commercialization. Teams of 3-4 students work under the supervision of a Faculty Mentor to deliver 2 projects over the course. The projects are focused on 2 disease areas. The student teams are assessed based on a project that will be defended as an oral presentation and submitted as a 6-page written proposal. Proposals found particularly meritorious by the examining faculty panel may be recommended for submission for publication as a hypothesis/opinion paper. At the conclusion of the course, the students are also graded on a written personal reflection of their learning experiences of teamwork over their two projects. In addition, each student is evaluated by their team peers for their contribution to teamwork over the two projects. After the fourth iteration, this course successfully met the set goals, based on assessment from students and faculty. Student satisfaction was evaluated using a combination of Likert scale metrics and open-ended questions. The students particularly appreciated the team aspect of the learning, along with the peer feedback summary. Our small enrollment rate of 7-12 students/year and a student/faculty ratio of ~1:3 offers some distinct opportunities for team work and individual mentoring. This course capitalizes on this structure to provide a unique environment for graduate students to acquire skills such as team-work and leadership in addition to the opportunity to interact with clinicians to creatively design and present translational projects under the supervision of expert faculty.