VCU news

By James Shea
University Public Affairs

More than 100 educators, researchers and medical students gathered at Virginia Commonwealth University recently to increase collaboration and improve medical education research. All of the medical schools in Virginia were represented along with institutions in North Carolina and West Virginia.

The genesis for the 2020 VA Regional Health Sciences Education Symposium began several years ago at the VCU School of Medicine when leaders sought a way to increase communication among faculty and staff to improve medical education. The idea increased to include the School of Pharmacy, School of Dentistry and School of Nursing. From that, a larger initiative was launched. Medical professionals within VCU wanted to bring health care educators together from across the state and region. 

“This event allows regional faculty, staff and trainees to be able to showcase their work and get ideas and also find collaborators,” said Elizabeth Ripley, M.D., senior associate dean for faculty affairs in the VCU School of Medicine. “As well, we are talking about how we teach the sciences and health care.”

Medical education has changed significantly over the past several decades, she said. In the past, medical education was entirely text- and lecture-based for first- and second-year medical students. Now, medical students are exposed early on to interacting with physicians and patients. Medical education needs to reflect the changing dynamics, she said. 

Ripley said the symposium was a chance to understand how medical education is being practiced at other institutions and find ways to work together to improve research in the field. 

Eastern Virginia Medical School, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the VCU School of Medicine were represented on the planning committee.

The symposium included small breakout sessions and a keynote speech by Sheila W. Chauvin, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine.

“Medical education research is a team sport,” said Jean M. Bailey, Ph.D., assistant professor and associate dean for faculty development in VCU’s School of Medicine and an organizer of the symposium. “We are hoping that people will make connections across the state and beyond.” 

She said planning the symposium has been a major effort in collaboration. She has worked with leaders at the other institutions and built lasting bonds. She thinks the connections made at the event will lead to greater partnerships and communication among medical education professionals across Virginia and the nation. 

“For me, the opportunity to work with my colleagues across the state has been amazing,” she said. “It has drawn us even closer. It has become second nature to reach out to others with a question because we have made some really great connections.” 

C’s of collaboration

Chauvin presented a model for improving collaboration and building more effective teams within health sciences schools and departments called C-Model. She said not every project needs a team or a collaborator but, when done correctly, collaborative work can be more efficient and effective than working individually. 

She identified ways to improve collaboration — contracts, cooperation, coordination, community of practice, collaborative partnership and consultation. Each is a different way that individuals can work together as a team and conduct effective research to improve health care education. 

“We can do collaboration — whether it’s around teaching innovations or whether it’s something like creating sustainable-based community clinical rotations,” Chauvin said. “It might be research. It might be about publishing. It might be about a number of things. 

“I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with people all over the world. It hasn’t been easy. We have to use different ways of doing that. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes we really have to work at that.”

A key, she said, is setting small, reasonable expectations and goals. A project can fall apart when the goals are unattainable and people are not able to understand the expectations.

“If you have to eat the elephant, you are probably going to walk away,” Chauvin said.

If you have to eat the elephant, you are probably going to walk away.

A team needs to talk about goals upfront. People need to be made aware of who will be the authors on a publication, for example, or who is doing the statistical analysis. It is easier to work out these issues upfront than after the work has started. 

“You have to know what makes the relationship work, because if the relationship doesn’t work, the project doesn’t get done,” Chauvin said.

When done correctly, collaborative efforts can grow and prosper. Two people might start working together on a contract basis, where one person needs a certain type of work done. Over time, the relationship expands and trust is built. The two can bring more people on board, and a larger collaborative effort is established.

Chauvin emphasized, however, that collaborative efforts must include people who are new to the field. It is the goal of academics to help others along in their careers, and collaboration is a great way to accomplish that.

“You need to bring on people who are interested in putting their big toes in the water but not jumping in yet,” Chauvin said.

Long-term plans 

Organizers are planning to hold a similar symposium in two years. The hope is that one of the other medical schools in Virginia would be the host. That way, more institutions can have a voice, and the collaboration can continue. 

“The process of putting the event together has been very collaborate and engaging,” Ripley said. “We are very excited.”