Meetings and Reports

Agenda

Monday, March 9

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Reception
Great Hall

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Dinner
Dining Room

7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Auditorium

Welcome and Opening Remarks
Peter Bruns, Ph.D., Vice President
Grants and Special Programs,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Med Into Grad Program Update
William Galey, Ph.D., Program Director
Graduate and Medical Education Programs,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Download the PDF (PDF 1.1MB)

Anh-Chi Le, Ph.D., Program Officer
Graduate Science Education,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Melissa Jenkins, Program Assistant
Graduate Science Education,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Download the PDF (PDF 356kb)

8:30 – 11:00 p.m. Networking
Rathskeller

Tuesday, March 10

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. Breakfast
Dining Room

Meeting Goals
William Galey, Ph.D., Program Director
Graduate and Medical Education Programs,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Download the PDF (PDF 268kb)

8:15 – 10:00 a.m.
Auditorium

Clinical Mentorship
Recognizing that an appreciation of clinical medicine includes its culture, ethics, regulatory environment, and language, MIG programs have developed approaches to help students gain this appreciation. Essentially every program has incorporated clinicians serving as advisors or mentors. This session will highlight similarities and differences in the various ways these advisor/mentors have been utilized and the inherent benefits and challenges to these strategies.

8:15 a.m.
Moderator: Ann Bonham, Ph.D.,
University of California, Davis

8:25 a.m.
Martha Cathcart, Ph.D.,
Cleveland Clinic/Case Western
Download the PDF (PDF 348kb)

8:40 a.m.
Kathryn Peek, Ph.D.,
Rice University
Download the PDF (PDF 384kb)

8:55 a.m.
Mark Kamps, Ph.D.,
University of California, San Diego
Download the PDF (PDF 192kb)

9:10 a.m.
Moderator Synopsis

9:15 a.m.
Discussion

Discussion topics:
1. Role

• What is the role of the clinical mentor at your institution and what are your goals for this interaction?
• How long does the relationship between the student and the mentor last and what is its nature?
• How many clinical mentors are required?
• Are students required to have a clinical mentor serve on their thesis committee?
• What are the characteristics of an effective clinical mentor in your program?

2. Selection

• When is the clinical mentor identified?
• How is the clinical mentor identified?

3. How is the effectiveness of the clinical mentor evaluated?

4. Challenges and Solutions

• What challenges have you faced with regard to your clinical mentorships?
• How have you approached these challenges?

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. Break
Great Hall

10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Auditorium

Clinical Experiences
Through direct clinical exposure, students gain enthusiasm and an understanding of how their research relates to medical practice. These experiences may be obtained in a variety of different classroom or clinical settings such as shadowing a clinician, attending grand rounds, observing autopsies, going to medical lectures, and participating in case-based courses, etc. In an effort to understand how much and what types of clinical experiences are necessary and/or sufficient, several of the programs will give examples of these experiences, how they are integrated into the MIG curriculum, and some of the challenges to this activity.

8:15 a.m.
Moderator: Ann Bonham, Ph.D.,
University of California, Davis

10:15 a.m.
Moderator Connie Cepko, Ph.D.,
Harvard University
Download the PDF (PDF 1.2MB)

10:25 a.m.
Carolyn Cambor, M.D.,
University of Pennsylvania
Download the PDF (PDF 180kb)

10:40 a.m.
Peter Byers, M.D.,
University of Washington
Download the PDF (PDF 44kb)

10:55 a.m.
Moderator Synopsis

11:00 a.m.
Discussion

Discussion topics:
1. What is the nature of the clinical experience in your program?

• What are the different types of clinical activities?
• Are they tailored to the needs of each student?
• How does the student participate in this experience?

2. How is the student's participation in this experience documented and evaluated?

3. Length and integration

• How long is the clinical experience?
• How is the clinical experience integrated into the student's curriculum?

4. Challenges and Solutions

• How do you find appropriate clinical mentors and get them to participate?
• Have you encountered any obstacles with HIPAA or IRB regulations?
• What are your other clinical experience challenges?
• How have you approached these challenges?

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
Dining Room

1:00 – 2:40 p.m.
Auditorium

Core Med Into Grad Curricular Elements
To equip students with a working knowledge of the fundamentals of human biology and disease, all of the programs have established new curricula, modified existing courses, and/or shared existing courses with other programs at their institutions. In this session, several of the programs will introduce their required curricular elements and how these elements are delivered. Presentations will illuminate common fields/courses/elements, and the discussion will focus on whether there are core Med into Grad curricular elements that every student needs and how that knowledge is best conveyed.

1:00 p.m.
Moderator: Nancy Maizels, Ph.D.,
University of Washington
Download the PDF (PDF 88kb)

1:10 p.m.
Mitch Lewis, Ph.D.,
University of Pennsylvania
Download the PDF (PDF 176kb)

1:25 p.m.
Martha Gray, Ph.D.,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Download the PDF (PDF 684kb)

1:40 p.m.
Ben Barres, M.D., Ph.D.,
Stanford University
Download the PDF (PDF 52kb)

1:55 p.m.
Moderator Synopsis

2:00 p.m.
Discussion

Discussion topics:
1. What fields/courses are required in your program?

2. What is the format of these courses?

• How is the knowledge delivered?
• What are the most effective formats? For example: didactic lectures, case studies, small group discussions, etc.

3. How are the courses evaluated?

• How do you know the students are learning the necessary elements?
• How do you test the students?

4. Challenges and Solutions

• How do you provide the knowledge in an economical way?
• What other curricular challenges have you faced?

2:40 – 2:50 p.m. Break
Great Hall

2:50 – 4:10 p.m.
Auditorium

Building & Maintaining Student Engagement in Medically-Relevant Research
Most programs incorporate activities, other than the curricular and experiential components of the MIG program, with the belief that these activities are important in encouraging students to participate in medically-relevant thesis research during their graduate career and beyond. Often called “community-building activities,” these activities are also designed to keep advanced students engaged with the participants of the program in an effort to foster long-term networks and collaborations. We will discuss the importance of these activities, how much, if any, is needed, which activities have the greatest impact, and the benefits and challenges.

2:50 p.m.
Moderator: Mark Kamps, Ph.D.,
University of California, San Diego
Download the PDF (PDF 12kb)

3:00 p.m.
Carolyn Smith, Ph.D.,
Baylor College of Medicine
Download the PDF (PDF 204kb)

3:15 p.m.
Connie Cepko, Ph.D.,
Harvard University
Download the PDF (PDF 24kb)

3:30 p.m.
Moderator Synopsis

3:35 p.m.
Discussion

Discussion topics:
1. What are the activities?

• Beyond courses, clinical mentoring, and clinical experiences, what other program activities help build and maintain student engagement in medically-relevant research through their graduate training?
• What are some of these activities? For example: journal clubs, translational seminar series, student retreats, peer-mentoring, etc.

2. Length and integration

• What is the timing and duration of these activities?
• How are these activities integrated into the student's curriculum?
• How do you achieve effective balance between student participation in these activities and the other program components?

3. How are these activities evaluated?

4. Challenges and Solutions

• What are the inherent challenges to including these activities as part of the program?
• How have you approached these challenges?

4:10 – 4:20 p.m. Break
Great Hall

4:20 – 5:40 p.m.
Auditorium

Collaborations Between Med Into Grad Programs
Fostering collaborations and networks within and across institutions is one of the goals of the MIG program. In this session, we will hear about two types of collaborations between MIG programs: developing collaborations among faculty and expanding networks among students. We will discuss the importance of these ongoing exchanges, other forms of institutional interactions and collaborations, and whether they should be expanded to include non-MIG programs.

4:20 p.m.
Moderator: Martha Cathcart, Ph.D.,
Cleveland Clinic/Case Western

4:30 p.m.
Beth Bierer, Ph.D.,
Cleveland Clinic/Case Western
Ignatia B. Van den Veyver, M.D.,
Baylor College of Medicine
Download the PDF (PDF 616kb)

4:45 p.m.
Lynn Cooley, Ph.D.,
Yale University
Download the PDF (PDF 5.8MB)

4:55 p.m.
Mary Estes, Ph.D.,
Baylor College of Medicine
Download the PDF (PDF 1MB)

5:05 p.m.
Moderator Synopsis

5:10 p.m.
Discussion

Discussion topics:
1. What is the nature of the collaboration?

• Faculty collaboration (e.g. serve on external advisory board, share evaluation)
• Student collaboration (e.g. regional student retreats)

2. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of these interactions?

3. What is the value added for the faculty and students in these activities?

• How do these activities impact the program participants?
• How do these activities address the goals of the program?
• If HHMI did not pay for these activities, would you still continue the activities?
• How then would your activities be funded?

5:40 – 7:00 p.m.
Atrium

Celebrating the Progress of the Mig Programs
Reception and Poster Session

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Dinner
Dining Room

8:00 – 11:00 p.m. Networking
Rathsheller

Wednesday, March 11

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
Dining Room

9:00 – 10:40 a.m.
Auditorium

Partnering with the NIH

CTSA Alignment with MIG Programs
A national consortium, funded through the NIH's Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), shares one of the MIG program's goals: to train the next generation of clinical and translational researchers. Of the 38 current CTSA awards, nine are at MIG institutions. This session will focus on the CTSA's research training component in an effort to elucidate opportunities for alignment of MIG programs with CTSA programs. This will be followed by several examples from MIG institutions where this alliance is taking place.

9:00 a.m.
Moderator: Ben Barres, M.D., Ph.D.,
Stanford University

9:10 a.m.
David Wilde, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Officer, Division for Clinical Research Resources
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
National Institutes of Health
Download the PDF (PDF 1.9MB)

9:30 a.m.
Ann Bonham, Ph.D.,
University of California, Davis
Download the PDF (PDF 472kb)

9:45 a.m.
Bill Coleman, Ph.D.,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Download the PDF (PDF 628kb)

10:00 a.m.
Tom Clemens, Ph.D.,
University of Alabama, Birmingham
Download the PDF (PDF 172kb)

10:15 a.m.
Moderator Synopsis

10:20 a.m.
Discussion

10:40 – 10:50 a.m. Break
Great Hall

10:50 – 11:20 a.m.
Auditorium

NIGMS Molecular Medicine Training Program
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) supports the Molecular Medicine Training Program through a T32 mechanism to train a cadre of scientists prepared to work at the interface of basic biomedical science and clinical research. This session will focus on NIGMS efforts to enhance or expand MIG-like training.

9:10 a.m.
Marion Zatz, Ph.D.
Chief, Developmental and Cellular Processes Branch
Program Director, Molecular Medicine Training Grant
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
National Institutes of Health
Download the PDF (PDF 104kb)

11:20 – 12:00 p.m.
Auditorium

Wrap up and Next Steps
William Galey, Ph.D., Program Director
Graduate and Medical Education Programs,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Download the PDF (PDF 800kb)

12:00 – 1:00 a.m. Lunch
Dining Room

1:00 p.m. Adjournment