Local Colleagues Research Articles

Rapid Response Survey Gauges Sandy's Impact on Seafloor

In January 2013, approximately 2 months after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the Mid‐Atlantic Bight, scientists from the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), part of the Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG), partnered with local colleagues at Adelphi and Stony Brook universities and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct marine surveys both offshore and within inshore bays of Long Island, N. Y. (Figure 1a). The primary goal was to assess the storm's impact on the seabed.

On Research and Publication: the Specialty Society and its Scholarly Journal

On Research and Publication: the Specialty Society and its Scholarly Journal

Safety in Surgery: The Role for Registries

Safety in Surgery: The Role for Registries

The importance of follow-up

Pediatric urologists commonly reconstruct congenital anomalies in infants and children. These surgical constructs are required to function well in the long term and ideally satisfy the patient throughout the lifespan. This being said, there is a dearth of long-term information regarding functional outcome and patient satisfaction for the reconstructive procedures we perform. The number of people in our country who currently practise both adult and pediatric urology is limited, and most of our patients leave our practices at 16–18 years of age. Even if we were to refer them on to local adult urology colleagues for follow-up, the mobility of the population is such that these young men would in large part relocate and become lost to follow-up. In my view, this is the Achilles' heel of our specialty. The authors1 are to be commended for obtaining such data on a population of patients who had hypospadias surgery at least 15 years earlier. One must not underestimate the tremendous amount of sweat equity invested in bringing these data to light. Admittedly, this study has some methodological weaknesses. There were 2 different questionnaires used, neither of which had been extensively validated. The response rate was a meager 28%, and therefore, the results may be biased. Perhaps patients who were the most dissatisfied with their outcome did not respond to the survey. The hypospadias repair techniques performed are not commonly used currently, and one could postulate that newer techniques would produce better outcomes. There were no control groups of normal subjects or unreconstructed hypospadias patients for comparison. It is reassuring that these patients are overall quite satisfied despite their initial challenges with planned or unplanned multiple operations. Despite persistent fistulae in 11%, and persistent chordee in 29%, these patients are voiding reasonably well and able to have penetrative sexual intercourse. Fully 86% are satisfied with the result of their hypospadias repair, and some even expressed gratitude for the care they had received. Some interesting questions arise from this study. Would more current methods of hypospadias repair result in better outcomes, particularly regarding fistulae and persistent chordee? Why is there such a high rate of persistent chordee? Are the techniques of chordee correction inadequate in the long term, or do the corporeal bodies grow at differential rates dorsally versus ventrally? How important is chordee correction to normal sexual function if deviation of up to 45° allows for normal sexual activity? The important take-home message from this study is that patients who have undergone hypospadias surgery require long-term follow-up. The patients want it (52%), and we need it to assess whether we are doing the right thing by them. In my practice, I follow these young men until feasible (age 18 yr) and make sure that by the time they leave they have had any cosmetic or functional issues addressed and know what to look for in the way of trouble and to whom they may direct any future concerns.

Lessons from Mackenzie that still resonate

On 4 June 1921 Sir James Mackenzie defended his thesis, The Opportunities of the General Practitioner are Essential for the Investigation of Disease and the Progress of Medicine , in the British Medical Journal . Just under a century later, there is still a message for all researchers in primary care which resonates. A short precis of a full commentary from the International Journal of Epidemiology is given below.1 Sir James Mackenzie (1852–1925) is known as ‘the father of general practice-based research’.2 From humble origins in rural Perthshire, Mackenzie overcame early social and educational hurdles to study medicine in Edinburgh, then pursued a career in general practice in Burnley. He initiated the systematic observation of his patients that led to his stellar research career, including an international reputation in cardiology, discovery of novel and important insights into heart rhythms, the use of digitalis, and a knighthood. At the height of his career in London, he returned to establish the Institute for Clinical Research in St Andrews at the age of 64. It was there that Mackenzie brought together all the GPs working in the town, and encouraged the systematic recording of routine observations and the development of record-keeping systems. By working with local colleagues in primary care, he made his real key insight: that systematic observation and recording of symptoms and signs in a whole population could provide essential information on the epidemiology, prognosis, and mechanisms …

How SoTL-Active Faculty Members Can Be Cosmopolitan Assets to an Institution

Faculty members engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning generate visible analyses of the learning taking place in their institutions, provide excellent models of practice for local colleagues, generate high-quality evidence for internal and external assessment, and offer accessible examples of quality education to prospective students. SoTL contributions of this kind should be nurtured by institutions as a basic expectation of high-quality instruction. I discuss these faculty contributions as assets derived from a cosmopolitan social role within their organizations, and I develop a recommendation for institutional strategy from that perspective.

Tracing the Steps of Survey Design: A Graduate Medical Education Research Example

Surveys are frequently used to collect data in graduate medical education (GME) settings.1 However, if a GME survey is not rigorously designed, the quality of the results is likely to be lower than desirable. In a recent editorial we introduced a framework for developing survey instruments.1 This systematic approach is intended to improve the quality of GME surveys and increase the likelihood of collecting survey data with evidence of reliability and validity. In this article we illustrate how researchers in medical education may operationalize this framework with examples from a survey we developed during the recent integration of 2 independent internal medicine (IM) residency programs.

Flipping the Classroom Revisited

I received many emails following the first column on flipping the classroom. Many of my local colleagues also approached me at our physics alliance, Physics Northwest. Teachers are very interested in this new pedagogy. As I result, I wanted to share some more videos to inspire you.

Defining Cross-Cultural Efforts: Commitment and Learning in Franco-Indian Work Relationships.

The implications of cross-cultural adjustment remain ill-defined. This article analyses the efforts the cross-cultural relationships require. The objective of this study is firstly to understand what the main efforts made by the individual to adjust to this international professional relationship are. Secondly, it aims to observe whether these efforts are linked to a specific type of individual, according to their sociological or professional background. The analysis of the narratives of 15 French expatriates in India and 15 of their local colleagues in 15 companies enables to detail the interpersonal perspectives which make these efforts necessary. I identify four processes (repeating, making yourself understood, understanding and questioning) and two types of effort (commitment and learning) characterising the difficulties of cross-cultural relations people perceive in the Indian context. For the expatriates and for their colleagues these processes are identical, even if they do not function in the same...

Fostering Inter-Cultural Relationships: The PCN Japanese Expatriate-American Local Experience

I use the context of parent country national (PCN) expatriation to study inter-cultural relationships. Within US subsidiaries of Japanese firms, I study the cultural and individuated strategies PCN expatriates can use to foster the benevolent assessments of their American local colleagues as well as the receptivity of these American colleagues to the various strategies. In the main analysis I use random coefficient modeling to analyze data collected from 46 Japanese PCN expatriates and 112 of their matched American local colleagues. I find that PCN expatriate adaptation, helping and out-of-work interaction are positively associated with local assessments of expatriate benevolence. I also find that a local's need-to-belong strengthens the positive association between adaptation and benevolence while a local's neuroticism weakens the positive association between helping and benevolence. Areas of future research and practical implications are also discussed.

Introducing personalised care planning into Newham: outcomes of a pilot project

To explore the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a personalised care planning approach for diabetes care in general practice. A four-stage care planning process was introduced for diabetes annual review, involving patients (1) being made aware of the new process, (2) attending an appointment to gather clinical data, (3) receiving and reviewing their results and (4) attending a care planning consultation. The latter is a collaborative discussion with the health professional about their response to their results, their goals and desired action plan. Health professionals received specialist training in personalised care planning, including practice observations and feedback. Sixty-six per cent of patients eligible to participate in the project attended both appointments and received an annual review. Of these, 89% also agreed a personalised care plan. Staff reported greater engagement among patients who had read and understood their results. Fourteen per cent of patients reported that they had not agreed a care plan but would have liked one. Patients reported increased confidence in managing their condition with 75% feeling that their ideas and goals were discussed completely. Introducing personalised care planning to general practice diabetes care is possible and well received. Our model for implementation of personalised care planning, which includes specialist training for practice teams and ongoing support from local colleagues and health organizations, can help to meet national recommendations for the provision of personalised care plans for people with long-term conditions. When implementing personalised care planning, efficient administration is vital and behaviour change is necessary for both staff and patients.

Hints on Getting Your Manuscript Published in the Journal of Food Science

I cannot imagine that anyone ever submits a manuscript with the thought that there is a high probability of it being rejected. Therefore, it comes as a surprise and disappointment to authors when their manuscripts are rejected. Here are a few points to consider that will help your manuscript move smoothly through the publication process. Review the Aim and Scope of the journal and specific sections to assure your manuscript fits. Being rejected due to “outside of the Aim and Scope” is not an evaluation of the scientific validity of the manuscript, but rather that the topic does not conform to the focused areas of the journal. Make a strong case in your introduction for your manuscript being a “unique contribution”. Claims based on a particular set of variables not being previously tested (say, pH) are usually not enough for an original contribution. Moreover, remember that if you claim that “there has been very little work done on sweet potato protein” that all the editor/reviewer has to do is search “sweet potato protein” in one of many search engines to check the validity of that claim. Several times I have seen this happen only to have the reviewer point out 10 to 20 relevant manuscripts published in the past few years. Recommend a set of reviewers that have clear credentials in the research area but are not your local colleagues or co-authors on a previous manuscript. One of the biggest challenges for any editor is to find reviewers who can provide a comprehensive and fair review within a reasonable time frame. Consider yourself becoming a reviewer that fits that description! Once the reviews are in and you have revised your manuscript, make it easy for the editor to see how you have responded to every comment. Revised manuscripts that make it very easy for the editor to determine if the revised manuscript is acceptable have: 1) a list of all comments, your responses to comments and where to find changes in the manuscript and 2) changes marked by red font. In other words, make it as easy as possible for the editor to understand how you addressed the comments. There are no set of rules that, if followed, would guarantee acceptance of a manuscript. However, conforming to the above recommendations should increase the probability of success. Speaking of probability, do not forget the appropriate statistics when needed!

Policies and Practicalities: Examining the Creative Writing Doctorate

The creative arts disciplines constitute an important growth area for research higher degrees (HDR), and in recent decades they have built a body of knowledge and set of practices associated with them. There is little empirical work, however, which investigates how examiners of creative arts theses arrive at the commentary presented in their reports. This essay debates key issues around the examination of doctoral theses in creative writing. Drawing on their extensive experience in supervising and examining doctorates in the UK and Australia, the authors address issues such as standards, rigour and ethics in examination, examiners’ capacity to evaluate work produced through a range of research methodologies, and the need to understand and apply the often very different policies adopted by individual universities. Examination policies and practices vary, but the flow of students and teachers between countries, and the scarcity of qualified examiners, raise common questions about standards and consistency. Collaborations with both local and overseas colleagues have begun to build knowledge about these similarities and differences, which will be instructive for those of us involved in reviewing policy or shaping practice, and which certainly makes more transparent the diversity in our sector.

John Godfrey Ball

After service in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), hospital posts in the Birmingham area and a traineeship in Stourport, John Godfrey Ball succeeded to a single handed practice in...

Meeting the Scholarly Project Requirement—Application of Scholarship Criteria beyond Research

Maintaining an environment of scholarly inquiry is highlighted in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) common program requirements. Faculty and trainees are expected to participate in scholarly activities,1 and present those findings to peers for review.2 Faculty and residents/fellows often lack a conceptual yet practical framework for guiding scholarly activities when they occur in the context of health care systems, clinical practice, quality improvement, education, or community partnerships.Traditionally, academics defined scholarship as the discovery of new knowledge, ie, research. Since Ernest Boyer's 1990 seminal publication Scholarship Reconsidered, broader definitions of scholarship include multiple forms of systematic inquiry (eg, teaching, engagement, integration).2,3 Through this expanded perspective, residents/fellows can engage in systematic inquiry relevant to their work and interests. Building on Boyer's work, Glassick and colleagues defined 6 cross-cutting criteria.4 They are associated with systematic inquiry and are independent of scholarship content area.5–7Clear Goals: Obtaining clear goals often requires an iterative effort to obtain sufficient understanding of the problem (eg, what is known/unknown, why it matters).Adequate Preparation: Systematic inquiry requires sufficient expertise in the chosen field of inquiry including knowledge of pertinent literature, methodology, and outcomes. Preparation may include literature review, consultation with content experts, methodological experts or key informants, and a practicum experience to gain contextual knowledge in a relevant setting.Appropriate Methods: For results to be persuasive, methods must be: aligned with goals, feasible, ethical, and culturally appropriate.Significant Results: Significance refers to the magnitude of the results, statistical significance or adequacy of power for quantitative results, and to the importance of the findings to the field and key audiences.Effective Presentation: Scholarship, results in a peer-reviewed, publicly accessible product that allows others to build on and advance knowledge.9 Peer reviewed products can be shared through scientific journals, professional meetings, or educational repositories (eg, the Association of American Medical Colleges' MedEdPORTAL, Community Campus Partnerships for Health's CES4Health). Presentations to nonscientific audiences can impact changes in policy, clinical care or educational processes. Are there local colleagues, communities, media, funders or other key stakeholders who would benefit from your work?Reflective Critique: The process ends with a critical reflection on the results in the context of the existing literature, limitations, and key recommendations to guide practice and future action. In addition, reflection on the personal meaning and impact of the systemic inquiry process on the resident/fellow's ongoing development as a physician is essential.

Can perceptual differences account for managerial success?

Purpose – There is a wealth of studies which suggest that managers' positive perceptions/expectations can considerably influence the organisational performance; unfortunately, little empirical evidence has been obtained from development studies. This research aims to focus on the perceptual and behavioural trait differences of successful and unsuccessful aid workers, and their relationship with organisational performance.Design/methodology/approach – Through web‐based survey, 244 valid responses were obtained from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)‐aid managers worldwide. Five perception related factors were extracted and used for cluster analysis to group the respondents. Each cluster's perception/behaviour‐related factors and organisational performance variables were compared by ANOVA.Findings – It was discovered that Japanese's positive perception/expectation about work and their local colleagues was related to higher organisational performance, and conversely, the negative perception on...

Collaboration between infection control and occupational health in three continents: a success story with international impact.

Globalization has been accompanied by the rapid spread of infectious diseases, and further strain on working conditions for health workers globally. Post-SARS, Canadian occupational health and infection control researchers got together to study how to better protect health workers, and found that training was indeed perceived as key to a positive safety culture. This led to developing information and communication technology (ICT) tools. The research conducted also showed the need for better workplace inspections, so a workplace audit tool was also developed to supplement worker questionnaires and the ICT. When invited to join Ecuadorean colleagues to promote occupational health and infection control, these tools were collectively adapted and improved, including face-to-face as well as on-line problem-based learning scenarios. The South African government then invited the team to work with local colleagues to improve occupational health and infection control, resulting in an improved web-based health information system to track incidents, exposures, and occupational injury and diseases. As the H1N1 pandemic struck, the online infection control course was adapted and translated into Spanish, as was a novel skill-building learning tool that permits health workers to practice selecting personal protective equipment. This tool was originally developed in collaboration with the countries from the Caribbean region and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Research from these experiences led to strengthened focus on building capacity of health and safety committees, and new modules are thus being created, informed by that work.The products developed have been widely heralded as innovative and interactive, leading to their inclusion into “toolkits” used internationally. The tools used in Canada were substantially improved from the collaborative adaptation process for South and Central America and South Africa. This international collaboration between occupational health and infection control researchers led to the improvement of the research framework and development of tools, guidelines and information systems. Furthermore, the research and knowledge-transfer experience highlighted the value of partnership amongst Northern and Southern researchers in terms of sharing resources, experiences and knowledge.

BioStar: An Online Question & Answer Resource for the Bioinformatics Community

Although the era of big data has produced many bioinformatics tools and databases, using them effectively often requires specialized knowledge. Many groups lack bioinformatics expertise, and frequently find that software documentation is inadequate while local colleagues may be overburdened or unfamiliar with specific applications. Too often, such problems create data analysis bottlenecks that hinder the progress of biological research. In order to help address this deficiency, we present BioStar, a forum based on the Stack Exchange platform where experts and those seeking solutions to problems of computational biology exchange ideas. The main strengths of BioStar are its large and active group of knowledgeable users, rapid response times, clear organization of questions and responses that limit discussion to the topic at hand, and ranking of questions and answers that help identify their usefulness. These rankings, based on community votes, also contribute to a reputation score for each user, which serves to keep expert contributors engaged. The BioStar community has helped to answer over 2,300 questions from over 1,400 users (as of June 10, 2011), and has played a critical role in enabling and expediting many research projects. BioStar can be accessed at http://www.biostars.org/.

Opinion leaders and changes over time: a survey

BackgroundOpinion leaders represent one way to disseminate new knowledge and influence the practice behaviors of physicians. This study explored the stability of opinion leaders over time, whether opinion leaders were polymorphic (i.e., influencing multiple practice areas) or monomorphic (i.e., influencing one practice area), and reach of opinion leaders in their local network.MethodsWe surveyed surgeons and pathologists in Ontario to identify opinion leaders for colorectal cancer in 2003 and 2005 and to identify opinion leaders for breast cancer in 2005. We explored whether opinion leaders for colorectal cancer identified in 2003 were re-identified in 2005. We examined whether opinion leaders were considered polymorphic (nominated in 2005 as opinion leaders for both colorectal and breast cancer) or monomorphic (nominated in 2005 for only one condition). Social-network mapping was used to identify the number of local colleagues identifying opinion leaders.ResultsResponse rates for surgeons were 41% (2003) and 40% (2005); response rates for pathologists were 42% (2003) and 37% (2005). Four (25%) of the surgical opinion leaders identified in 2003 for colorectal cancer were re-identified in 2005. No pathology opinion leaders for colorectal cancer were identified in both 2003 and 2005. Only 29% of surgical opinion leaders and 17% of pathology opinion leaders identified in the 2005 survey were considered influential for both colorectal cancer and breast cancer. Social-network mapping revealed that only a limited number of general surgeons (12%) or pathologists (7%) were connected to the social networks of identified opinion leaders.ConclusionsOpinion leaders identified in this study were not stable over a two-year time period and generally appear to be monomorphic, with clearly demarcated areas of expertise and limited spheres of influence. These findings may limit the practicability of routinely using opinion leaders to influence practice.

Multinational teams incorporating freelance expatriates in the construction industry: case studies of high-speed railways in China and Taiwan

Freelance expatriates are an important element of the workforce in international projects that are relatively knowledge-intensive and highly specialized. Their expertise and knowledge, accumulated through experience gained by travelling from project to project, is a crucial asset for projects. Incorporating freelance expatriates into project teams allows firms to be flexible and competitive in the international market. However, despite a wide range of research on expatriation in fields such as human resource management and international business management, studies of freelance expatriates in the international construction industry have just begun. Little is known about the major challenges impeding their working relationship with their local colleagues. This paper addresses this question in four ways: (1) we identify eight challenges—expectation gaps, outsider effects, client–contractor tensions, cultural differences and subgroup formation, different values, different norms, different practices and langu...