Needs and gaps of faculty development for medical schools / 한국의학교육

Purpose@#Current faculty development (FD) programs are mostly limited to medical education and often lack a comprehensive and systematic structure. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the current status and needs of FD programs in medical schools to provide a basis for establishing FD strategies. @*Methods@#We conducted an online survey of medical school FD staff and professors regarding FD. Frequency, regression, and qualitative content analyses were conducted. FD programs were categorized into the classification frameworks. @*Results@#A total of 17 FD staff and 256 professors at 37 medical schools participated. There are gaps between the internal and external FD programs offered by medical schools and their needs, and there are gaps between the programs the professors participated in and their needs. Recent internal and external FD programs in medical schools have focused on educational methods, student assessment, and education in general. Medical schools have a high need for leadership and self-development, and student assessment. Furthermore, professors have a high need for leadership and self-development, and research. The number of participants, topics, and needs of FD programs varied depending on the characteristics of individual professors. @*Conclusion@#Medical schools should expand their FD programs to meet the needs of individuals and the changing demands of modern medical education. The focus should be on comprehensive and responsive programs that cover various topics, levels, and methods. Tailored programs that consider professors’ professional roles, career stages, and personal interests are essential for effective FD.

Career Path Education System at the College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea / 의학교육논단

This study examines a systematic and effective approach to career guidance in medical education, with a particular focus on the 6-year integrated career guidance education framework implemented at the College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea. Based on the “New SLICE” educational development principles, this framework comprehensively addresses the needs of medical students in career planning and development. It is structured into three phases: understanding yourself, exploring options, and choosing a specialty. The first phase, understanding yourself, helps students to recognize their strengths, weaknesses, aptitudes, and potentials, thereby setting the direction for future career choices. This phase includes various psychological tests and Self-Development and Portfolio courses. The second phase, exploring options, enables students to engage in related activities such as research and practical training, providing direct and indirect experiences across various fields. This phase offers courses including Medical Field Experience, Career Guidance through the Learning Community & Advisory Professors, and Student Participation in Professor Research Projects. The final phase, choosing a specialty, involves students making decisions based on in-depth self-assessment and exploration of majors, with a capstone project being a significant component. Maximizing the efficiency of career decision-making requires integration between the basic medical curriculum and postgraduate education. Including the period up to residency entrance in the framework is necessary for effective career guidance education.

Introduction of Premedical Curriculum at the College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea / 의학교육논단

Premed education in the college of medicine at the Catholic University of Korea aims to promote student creativity and excellence in accordance with the mission of the college: to have a sense of calling, leadership, and competency. The Catholic Medical College premed curriculum includes 75 credits which are composed of 65 credits for required courses and 10 credits for elective courses. It consists of courses in basic science, medical science, liberal arts and humanities (premedical OMNIBUS). It also involves community programs in ‘Vision and Mission,’ ‘Leadership Training,’ and ‘Academic Conference.’ In addition, students are allowed self-directed choice of their courses and learning for one quarter.

Distribution of Adenoviral Vector in Brain after Intravenous Administration

The delivery of transgenes to the central nervous system (CNS) can be a valuable tool to treat CNS diseases. Various systems for the delivery to the CNS have been developed; vascular delivery of viral vectors being most recent. Here, we investigated gene transfer to the CNS by intravenous injection of recombinant adenoviral vectors, containing green fluorescence protein (GFP) as a reporter gene. Expression of GFP was first observed 6 days after the gene transfer, peaked at 14 days, and almost diminished after 28 days. The observed expression of GFP in the CNS was highly localized to hippocampal CA regions of cerebral neocortex, inferior colliculus of midbrain, and granular cell and Purkinje cell layers of cerebellum. It is concluded that intravenous delivery of adenoviral vectors can be used for gene delivery to the CNS, and hence the technique could be beneficial to gene therapy.