Fellowship Program Research Articles

Program Directors Survey on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cardiology Fellowship Training

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed unprecedented changes to medical education, including CV fellowship programs. CV fellowship PDs offer a unique perspective regarding the impact of the pandemic on CV medical education. ObjectivesThe 4th annual Cardiovascular Diseases (CV) Fellowship Program Directors (PDs) Survey sought to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CV fellows and fellowship programs. MethodsThe survey contained 31 items examining the clinical, educational, and academic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CV fellowship programs. ResultsSurvey response rate was 54%. Most respondents (58%) represented university-based programs. Most PDs felt that changes to clinical practice during the COVID-19 negatively impacted fellow education in cardiac catheterization (66%), outpatient cardiology (52%), nuclear imaging (51%), and echocardiography (50%). Despite improving attendance, 75% of PDs felt that virtual educational conferences adversely impacted interaction between participants. Only 22% felt they improved fellow education. Most PDs (85%) reported a negative impact of the pandemic on fellow well-being and burnout, and 57% reported a decrease in research productivity among fellows. Even though virtual recruitment allowed programs to interview more competitive candidates, most PDs felt that virtual interviews adversely impacted interactions between their fellows and candidates (71%) and their ability to convey the culture of their program (60%). ConclusionsMost CV fellowship PDs felt the COVID-19 pandemic brought changes that negatively impacted the clinical training, didactic learning, academic productivity, and well-being among cardiology fellows. The implications of these changes on the competency of cardiologists that trained during the COVID-19 pandemic deserve future study.

Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., Dr.Med.Sc., takes office as APA president

Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., Dr.Med.Sc., a longtime advocate for mental health, a medical educator and clinician‐researcher, began his term as president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) at the conclusion of the organization's 2024 Annual Meeting in New York City. Viswanathan currently serves as interim chair of psychiatry at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, where he also directs the Consultation‐Liaison Psychiatry Service and its Fellowship Program. He is board‐certified in psychiatry, internal medicine, consultation‐liaison psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry. One of his research priorities for 2024–25 is to focus on lifestyle interventions for positive mental and physical health through a holistic approach to wellness including exercise, nutrition, sleep, social connectedness, stress reduction and avoidance of risky behaviors. They will be promoted in conjunction with other treatment modalities such as psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and neural stimulation.

Paediatric airway foreign-body removal equipment availability in sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), home to over 1 billion people, has only one paediatric otolaryngology fellowship program and nine fellowship-trained paediatric Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) specialists covering seven countries. Seven of these specialists estimated an average of 40+ patients per month are in need of critical surgical airway management in their respective countries and that 2–25 deaths per year (mainly paediatric) occur in their country from lack of access to foreign body removal equipment. Investing in paediatric airway infrastructure and capacity would largely benefit the health system in SSA, where the current lack of equipment alone leads to unmeasured morbidity and mortality. As a region of the world with the largest paediatric populations, sub-Saharan Africa’s need is all the more pressing given the disproportionately low number of medical specialists, institutions and resources. Collaborative approaches in procurement and maintenance of high-quality, cost-effective equipment are crucially desirable factors in both low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). We, as the Global OHNS Initiative, urge for multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration to forge lasting change.

Thirty-five years of the European Society of Hypertension: from past to future.

The European Society of Hypertension (ESH) was established 35 years ago. Since then, it promoted and coordinated a number of activities which include educational projects, epidemiological surveys and research investigations whose main focus includes different clinical and therapeutic aspects of the hypertensive disease. This article, which is based on data presented during the Presidential lecture held during the 33rd ESH Meeting in Berlin, will provide an overview of the main organization and structure of the ESH. Emphasis will be given to the relevance of the different society bodies, with a particular focus on the educational and research activities, such as the 15 working groups and the more than 120 excellence centers located in European and extra-European countries. Other main activities of the Society refer to the ESH Hypertension Specialist Program, the ESH Summer School, the ESH Young Fellow Program and the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society. A special emphasis will be given to the central role of the Society in the organization of the various research projects and in the development and dissemination of the ESH Guideline document on hypertension diagnosis and treatment. Finally, the future perspectives of the ESH in the context of the European scientific framework will be highlighted.

Surgeon variation: a south african spinal pathology treatment survey.

To investigate variation in treatment decisions among spine surgeons in South Africa and the association between surgeon characteristics and the treatment they select. We surveyed 79 South African spine surgeons. We presented four vignettes (cervical spine distractive flexion injury, lumbar disc herniation, degenerative spondylolisthesis with stenosis, and insufficiency fracture) for them to assess and select treatments. We calculated the index of qualitative variation (IQV) to determine the degree of variability within each vignette. We used Fisher's exact, and Kruskal-Wallis tests to assess the relationships between surgeons' characteristics and their responses per vignette. We compared their responses to the recommendations of a panel of spine specialists. IQVs showed moderate to high variability for cervical spine distractive flexion injury and insufficiency fracture and slightly lower levels of variability for lumbar disc herniation and degenerative spondylolisthesis with stenosis. This confirms the heterogeneity in South African spine surgeons' management of spinal pathologies. The surgeon characteristics associated with their treatment selection thatwere important were caseload, experience and training, and external funding. Also, 19% of the surgeons selected a treatment option that the Panel did not support. The findings make a case for evaluating patient outcomes and costs to identify value-based care. Such research would help countries that are seeking to contract with providers on value. Greater uniformity in treatment and easily accessible outcomes reporting would provide guidance for patients. Further investment in training and participation in fellowship programs may be necessary, along with greater dissemination of information from the literature.

Improving Healthcare Professionals' Access to Addiction Medicine Education Through VHA Addiction Scholars Program.

The seemingly inexorable rise of opioid-related overdose deaths despite the reduced number of COVID-19 pandemic deaths demands novel responses and partnerships in our public health system's response. Addiction medicine is practiced in a broad range of siloed clinical environments that need to be included in addiction medicine training beyond the traditional fellowship programs. Our objective in this project was to implement a knowledge-based, live virtual training program that would provide clinicians and other healthcare professionals with an overview of addiction, substance use disorders (SUD), and clinical diagnosis and management of opioid use disorder (OUD). The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Emergency Department Opioid Safety Initiative (ED OSI) offered a four-day course for healthcare professionals interested in gaining knowledge and practical skills to improve VHA-based SUD care. The course topics centered around the diagnosis and treatment of SUD, with a focus on OUD. Additionally, trainees received six months of support to develop addiction medicine treatment programs. Evaluations of the course were performed immediately after completion of the program and again at the six-month mark to assess its effectiveness. A total of 56 clinicians and other healthcare professionals participated in the Addiction Scholars Program (ASP). The participants represented nine Veteran Integrated Service Networks and 21 different VHA medical facilities. Nearly 70% of participants completed the initial post-survey. Thirty-eight respondents (97.4%) felt the ASP series contained practical examples and useful information that could be applied in their work. Thirty-eight respondents (97.4%) felt the workshop series provided new information or insights into the diagnosis and treatment of SUD. Eleven capstone projects based on the information acquired during the ASP were funded (a total of $407,178). Twenty participants (35.7%) completed the six-month follow-up survey. Notably, 90% of respondents reported increased naloxone prescribing and 50% reported increased prescribing of buprenorphine to treat patients with OUD since completing the course. The ASP provided healthcare professionals with insight into managing SUD and equipped them with practical clinical skills. The students translated the information from the course to develop medication for opioid use disorder (M-OUD) programs at their home institutions.

Unravelling the clinical heterogeneity of undefined recurrent fever over time in the European registries on Autoinflammation

BackgroundSystemic autoinflammatory disorders (SAIDs) represent a growing spectrum of diseases characterized by dysregulation of the innate immune system. The most common pediatric autoinflammatory fever syndrome, Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA), has well defined clinical diagnostic criteria, but there is a subset of patients who do not meet these criteria and are classified as undefined autoinflammatory diseases (uAID). This project, endorsed by PRES, supported by the EMERGE fellowship program, aimed to analyze the evolution of symptoms in recurrent fevers without molecular diagnosis in the context of undifferentiated AIDs, focusing on PFAPA and syndrome of undifferentiated recurrent fever (SURF), using data from European AID registries.MethodsData of patients with PFAPA, SURF and uSAID were collected from 3 registries including detailed epidemiological, demographic and clinical data, results of the genetic testing and additional laboratory investigations with retrospective application of the modified Marshall and PRINTO/Eurofever classification criteria on the cohort of PFAPA patients and preliminary SURF criteria on uSAID/SURF patients.ResultsClinical presentation of PFAPA is variable and some patients did not fit the conventional PFAPA criteria and exhibit different symptoms. Some patients did not meet the criteria for either PFAPA or SURF, highlighting the heterogeneity within these groups. The study also explored potential overlaps between PFAPA and SURF/uAID, revealing that some patients exhibited symptoms characteristic of both conditions, emphasizing the need for more precise classification criteria.ConclusionsPatients with recurrent fevers without molecular diagnoses represent a clinically heterogeneous group. Improved classification criteria are needed for both PFAPA and SURF/uAID to accurately identify and manage these patients, ultimately improving clinical outcomes.

Scaled performance on the Vascular Qualifying Examination does not correlate with Vascular Certifying Examination first attempt pass in a national cohort of residents and fellows

BackgroundSpecialty board certification is an important indicator of surgeon competence and necessary for residency and fellowship programs to maintain accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Thus, identification of trainees at risk of board certification failure is important for both vascular surgery graduates and their parent program. We sought to examine the correlation of Vascular Qualifying Examination (VQE) performance on first-time pass achievement of the Vascular Certifying Examination (VCE). MethodsWe used American Board of Surgery data to examine predictive associations of a national longitudinal cohort of all vascular surgery integrated residents (VIRs) and vascular surgery fellows (VSFs) who completed the VQE and VCE from 2016 through 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to examine trends. We used χ2 tests to examine proportional group differences. Predictive associations between VQE scaled score performance and first-time pass achievement on subsequent VCE attempts were examined using logistic regression. ResultsVQE scaled score performance and VCE pass rates were obtained for all VIRs and VSFs (n = 579; 175 residents and 404 fellows) from 151 programs (48 residency and 103 fellowship) during the study period. First-attempt pass rate for the VQE was 96% in the study cohort, and first-attempt pass rate for the VCE was 94%. There were no significant differences in pass-fail rates in VQE and VCE for VIR and VSF candidates (P = .210 and P = .116, respectively). Trainee scaled score performance on the VQE was not predictive of subsequent first-attempt pass achievement on VCE (odds ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.01; P = .077). Stratified subgroup analyses by VIR and VSF cohorts also showed no significant predictive first-attempt VCE pass achievement (P = .190 and P = .094, respectively). ConclusionsIn this national cohort of vascular trainees taking the VQE and VCE, VQE performance was not predictive of subsequent VCE first-time pass achievement. This finding highlights the necessity to identify other measures of trainee competence to indicate the preparedness of trainees for board certification examinations. Furthermore, this may be reflective of the ability to assess distinctive competencies between the two examinations, with the VQE focused on medical knowledge and the VCE on clinical judgment and interpersonal communication skills, thus broadening assessment of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies to ensure certification of vascular surgeons possessing both the knowledge and judgment necessary to maintain high-quality standards within our specialty.

Pediatric anesthesia in China.

In China, healthcare has lagged relative to its economic boom during the past 40 years. While the top tier hospitals offer pediatric perioperative care like high-income countries, lower-tier hospitals deliver lesser services of variable quality and safety related to equipment, supplies, clinician education, and availability. The national residency training program and the pediatric anesthesia fellowship program was established in 2013 and 2018 respectively. Increasing clinician workload from patient demand and a lack of consistency in quality and capability between rural and urban areas remain challenging.

A National Survey of Pregnancy and Parenthood among Nephrology Trainees: A Focus on Nephrology Fellowship.

National and international policies on parental leave for physician trainees are inconsistent. Physician trainees, including nephrology fellows, may be at higher risk of pregnancy complications. Physician trainees face barriers in meeting their breastfeeding goals and in finding childcare due to nontraditional work hours with extended or unpredictable shifts. Here, we examine awareness of current policies in United States (US) nephrology fellowship programs regarding parental leave, pregnancy/breastfeeding accommodations, and fellows' perspectives on family planning. An anonymous, on-line survey of US nephrology fellows was undertaken from June 9 to August, 24, 2023. One hundred twenty nephrology fellows submitted the survey. A majority of fellow respondents were unaware of parental leave policies of their training programs (63%), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) (75%), and/or American Board of Medical Specialties(ABMS) (75%). Forty two percent were unaware of the duration of parental leave at their program. Nearly 45% of all respondents were unsure if their program limited night shifts or shifts greater than 24 hours for pregnant trainees. Forty three percent reported they were unsure of lactation accommodations, and 40% were unsure of access to subsidized childcare. When fellows received work accommodations for pregnancy or parenthood, their work obligations were largely covered by co-fellows (60%) or attendings (38%). Over 60% of fellows agreed or strongly agreed that they would avoid a pregnancy in fellowship due to concern they would have to extend their training. Of the 40 fellows who chose to pursue pregnancy or parenthood during medical training, 75% did not change their career plans as a result. Most nephrology fellows were unaware of parental leave policies and pregnancy/lactation accommodations. While the topic itself has a broad impact to all physician trainees, there is need for improved awareness about national and local program policies among trainees across individual nephrology programs.

An evaluation of burn fellowship program websites' presence and content.

Fellowship program websites pertaining to various subspecialties have been evaluated according to the amount and type of content they communicate to prospective applicants. This study aimed to evaluate what information specifically burn fellowship programs communicate through their websites and to what extent, if at all. Ten of the 30 unique burn fellowship programs, American Burn Association (ABA)-verified or otherwise, identified through the ABA website did not have official websites which could be readily located at time of data collection. Thus, twenty burn fellowship program websites were included in analysis. Burn fellowship program websites were assessed according to 23 criteria relating to recruitment, education, and social life. On average, each website contained an average of 8.5 ± 2.6 criteria (range, 2 - 13), with all of them listing a program contact email/phone, and 95% containing a program description. Only 35% of programs listed the faculty, and a single program advertised alumni job placement. Neither total number of fellows, total number of clinical faculty, nor Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation status were significantly associated with amount or type of content. Geographic region was associated with a significant difference in amount of education-related content. Fellowship program websites are important to prospective applicants when comparing programs and deciding where to apply. These results show where burn fellowship programs can increase the amount of publicly-available information that applicants tend to find helpful in order to hopefully both diversify and tailor their applicant pool to those whose goals align with the programs'.

Beyond the Task: Developing a Tool to Measure Workplace Characteristics That Affect Cognitive Load and Learning.

Educators lack tools to measure the workplace characteristics that learners perceive to affect learning. Without a tool that encompasses the social, organizational, and physical components of workplace learning environments (WLEs), it is challenging to identify and improve problematic workplace characteristics. Using echocardiography WLE, this study developed a tool to measure workplace characteristics that cardiology fellows perceive to affect learning. The Workplace-Cognitive Load Tool (W-CLT) was developed, which encompasses 17 items to measure workplace characteristics that could affect perceived cognitive load and learning. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the most parsimonious structure. A total of 646 cardiology subspeciality fellows were recruited from 60 cardiology fellowship programs to complete the survey between November 2020 and February 2021. Validity evidence was collected, guided by the unified model of validity. A total of 308 fellows (response rate, 49%) participated in the survey. The most parsimonious structure included 4 factors: (1) workplace-task, (2) workplace-environment, (3) workplace-orientation, and (4) workplace-teaching and feedback. All factors had high reliability (Cronbach α = 0.92, 0.92, 0.96, and 0.94, respectively). Social, organizational, and physical components of WLEs were represented in the items. Workplace-teaching and feedback had moderate negative correlations with workplace-environment (r = -0.41, P < .001) and workplace-orientation (r = -0.36, P < .001). A moderate positive correlation was found between workplace-task and workplace-teaching and feedback (r = 0.42, P < .001). Workplace-task had weak negative correlations with workplace-environment (r = -0.22, P < .001) and workplace-orientation (r = -0.23, P < .001). The W-CLT measures workplace characteristics that cardiology fellows perceive to affect their learning. The presence of social, organizational, and physical components emphasizes how workplace characteristics can enhance or impede learning. The W-CLT provides a foundation to explore how learning can be optimized in other WLEs.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Content on Ophthalmology Fellowship Webpages

This quality improvement study characterizes diversity, equity, and inclusion content on ophthalmology fellowship program websites.

The Current State of Advanced Pediatric Emergency Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training: Exploring Recent POCUS Fellowship Application Trends and Alternate Training Models.

This study aims to assess the current state of advanced pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training in North America, including trends in dedicated PEM POCUS fellowships and alternative advanced POCUS training pathways, to better guide future educational efforts within the field. We identified and surveyed 22 PEM POCUS fellowship directors across the United States and Canada regarding PEM POCUS fellowship application trends, potential barriers to pursuing additional POCUS training, and novel training models that meet the needs of the PEM POCUS workforce. The past 5 years have seen a growth in both PEM POCUS fellowship program number and trainee positions available, with a general impression by fellowship directors of a high demand for faculty who have these training credentials. However, there was a discordant drop in fellowship applicants and corresponding match rate in 2022, the cause of which is not clear. A number of programs are offering alternative advanced training options including combined PEM/POCUS fellowships and POCUS tracks within PEM fellowship. As POCUS use within PEM evolves, a growing number of advanced training options are being developed. Understanding the motivations and barriers for pursuing advanced POCUS training can help to shape these options going forward, to ensure the experience incorporated within each model meets the needs of trainees, the needs of PEM divisions, and the future needs of our field.

Factors associated with infectious diseases fellowship academic success

ABSTRACT Background A multitude of factors are considered in an infectious disease (ID) training program’s meticulous selection process of ID fellows but their correlation to pre and in-fellowship academic success as well as post-fellowship academic success and short-term outcomes is poorly understood. Our goal was to investigate factors associated with subsequent academic success in fellowship as well as post-fellowship short-term outcomes. Methods In 2022, we retrospectively analyzed deidentified academic records from 39 graduates of the Mayo Clinic Rochester ID Fellowship Program (1 July 2013- 30 June 2022). Data abstracted included demographics, degrees, honor society membership, visa/citizenship status, medical school, residency training program, United States Medical Licensure Exam (USMLE) scores, letters of recommendation, in-training examination (ITE) scores, fellowship track, academic rank, career choice, number of honors, awards, and abstracts/publications prior to fellowship, during training, and within 2 years of graduation. Results Younger fellows had higher USMLE step 1 scores, pre and in-fellowship scholarly productivity, and higher ITE performance. Female fellows had significantly higher USMLE step 3 scores. Prior research experience translated to greater in-fellowship scholarly productivity. Higher USMLE scores were associated with higher ID ITE performance during multiple years of fellowship, but USMLE step 2 clinical knowledge and 3 scores were associated with higher pre and in-fellowship scholarly productivity and receiving an award during fellowship. The USMLE step 1 score did not correlate with fellowship performance beyond year 1 and 2 ITE scores. Conclusions Multiple aspects of a prospective fellow’s application must be considered as part of a holistic review process for fellowship selection. USMLE step 2 CK and 3 scores may predict fellowship performance across multiple domains.

Needs Assessment of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Training in North American Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Programs.

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) is widely used in adult rheumatology practice for diagnosis of arthritis and procedural guidance; however, it is not yet common practice in pediatric rheumatology. MSUS is advantageous to the pediatric population because it lacks radiation and eliminates need for sedation. This study aims to assess interest in, access to, and barriers to MSUS training in pediatric rheumatology fellowship programs in North America. A survey was developed by pediatric rheumatology providers with experience in medical and/or MSUS education and distributed via REDCap anonymously in March 2022 (Supplementary Material). Eligible participants included current and recently graduated (<1 year) pediatric rheumatology fellows at a North American program. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses using design-based Pearson chi-squared tests were performed. Overall response rate was 78% (88/113), and 75% reported some form of MSUS training during fellowship. Only 36% indicated their program had a formal MSUS curriculum. Of those with MSUS training, 23% reported adult-only MSUS education. Eighty-four percent felt MSUS would be beneficial to their career. Major barriers to MSUS training included lack of MSUS-trained faculty, lack of time, and lack of hands-on MSUS sessions. Those who had access to MSUS training were significantly more interested in MSUS than those without (P = 0.0036). This study demonstrates that North American pediatric rheumatology fellows have a strong interest in learning MSUS, but they face significant challenges in accessing MSUS training (lack of MSUS-trained faculty, time, and access to hands-on training). MSUS should be incorporated into fellowship curriculum; however, implementation remains a challenge.

Co-Constructing A Praxis for Critical Pedagogies of Care in Postdigital Tertiary Education

Like others in 2020, we found ourselves grappling with the sudden shift to fully online teaching and learning during COVID19 and the very pronounced negative impact of the sudden shift on students and faculty alike (Authors and colleague, 2022). In Aotearoa New Zealand emerging research revealed how tertiary students’ experiences of online learning during COVID19 were characterized by stress and anxiety, compounded by difficulties in communication between students, instructors, and support staff as well as by loss of income and limited access to campus resources. These challenges were even more pronounced among already marginalized students, such as Māori tertiary students. Simultaneously, messaging from ‘managers’ in our neoliberal university context was increasingly about ‘pastoral care for students,’ a message which we struggled to make sense of given the nature of the very real socio-political challenges our students faced. Confronting the uncertainties of COVID and related future crises we set out to explore how we could better plan for and accommodate increased flexibility and adaptability in instruction that is responsive to both students and current social contexts–given that, a) throughout the COVID19 pandemic, students and instructors were frequently absent due to illness even when on campus instruction resumed in New Zealand, and b) periodic lockdowns were part of the COVID19 management strategy in NZ, which meant sudden shifts to fully online instruction throughout the 2020-2022 academic years. Our premise was that the crisis required thoughtful deliberation on how we, as tertiary educators, might collectively address such a significant global challenge in our local context. We (authors) applied for and were awarded a 2-year leadership in teaching fellowship, a new fellowship program that aimed to support faculty innovation in teaching. The fellowship allowed us time to slow down and interrogate our approach to postdigital education during the period of Covid19, as well as beyond it. We sought out to ask critical questions of ourselves, such as those related to the form/manner in which we were using digital tools, what was meant by ‘pastoral care’ for students and what that should/could look like in postdigital pandemic times, questioning the discourses and aspirations around a post-pandemic ‘return to normal’.

Implementation of a Virtual Pulmonary Physiology Course in Latin America.

Knowledge of respiratory physiology is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, face-to-face education was inadequate, leading to the implementation of virtual programs for pulmonary fellows from Latin America. This study describes our experience with the implementation of a virtual education program involving pulmonary function tests (PFTs) for pulmonary fellows in Latin America. A learning program on PFTs was designed by the Department of Respiratory Physiology at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Mexico City, and fellows in pulmonology were invited to participate in the program by their academic professors. The program was performed virtually on an online platform over 3 months. The topics covered included respiratory mechanics, gas exchange, and cardiopulmonary exercise tests. Students were asked to complete an evaluation before and after each lecture as well as before and after the entire course. A total of 205 fellows from 12 countries participated in the course, and fewer than 50% completed assessments before and after the course. The results showed that fellows had relatively high initial knowledge of oxygen desaturation and cardiopulmonary exercise tests, whereas relative deficiencies were found in maximal respiratory pressure and bronchial challenge tests. The highest grade was in the spirometry test, whereas the lowest was in the bronchial challenge test. Overall, the fellows demonstrated improved performance in the post-course evaluations. Virtual education in PFTs is feasible and can have a positive impact on the training of pulmonary fellows from Latin America.

SAMHSA reinstates CSAP Prevention Fellowship program

One of the substance use disorder (SUD) workforce tools to die during the Trump administration was the CSAP (Center for Substance Abuse Prevention) Prevention Fellowship Program, run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Evaluation of an Educational Scholarship Fellowship Program for Health Professions Educators.

Historically, the requirement to produce scholarship for advancement has challenged health professions educators heavily engaged in teaching. As biomedical scientists or healthcare practitioners, few are trained in educational scholarship, and related faculty development varies in scope and quality across institutions. Currently, there is a need for faculty development and mentoring programs to support the development of these skills. The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) established the Medical Educator Fellowship (MEF) Program to foster health professions educational scholarship. MEF addresses the following: curriculum design, teaching methods and strategies, assessment, educational scholarship, and leadership. Participants receive mentorship and faculty development, and complete an educational scholarship project. Using a logic model, we conducted a retrospective program evaluation with data from Program records, database searches, graduate surveys, and focus groups. Over 14years, MEF graduated 61 participants with diverse terminal degrees from five continents and six academic program areas. Graduate survey responses indicated enhanced post-Program skills in all focus areas, that the majority would recommend MEF to a colleague, and that mentorship, networking, and professional development were strengths. Focus group outcomes indicated professional growth, increased confidence, and increased sense of community. MEF addresses health professions educators' need for faculty development and mentorship in educational scholarship. Evaluation outcomes suggest that MEF effectively enhanced perceived skills across focus areas. Similar programs are essential to support faculty who dedicate significant time to teaching. Organizations like IAMSE can demonstrate the value of educational scholarship and positively impact health professions educator careers by supporting such programs.