ABSTRACT
IMPACT: The Wake Forest School of Medicine Mentor Academy has adapted to provide continued effective and relevant formal mentoring training to translational researchers in a virtual format, to improve mentoring and provide effective mentor-mentee communication tools. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To determine whether the WFSM Mentor Academy (MA), an effective long-standing mentoring program for research faculty, is compromised after moving from an in-person to an online format as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A vetted National Research Mentoring Network (NMRN) implemented at WFSM addresses 6 major competencies (Effective Communication, Aligning Expectations, Assessing Understanding, Addressing Equity/Inclusion, Fostering Independence, Promoting Professional Development) over 6 months with 10 sessions (20 contact hrs). COVID-19 required that the MA (13 participants) move to an online format after 3 (out of 10) in-person sessions. We survey 26 self-rated mentoring competencies pre- and post MA, based on a numerical 7-point scale ( published for ACTS 2020) and, in 2020, included additional assessments of online versus in-person MA satisfaction/effectiveness and perceived impact on abilities of MA participants to mentor in an exclusively virtual format. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: All 13 participants responded to the survey and rated the online format as effective (9) or somewhat effective (4) for learning content. However, for participant interactions, only 4 found it effective and 9 somewhat effective. When assessing ability to mentor in a virtual format, most negatively affected competencies were ‘helping your mentee network effectively’ (7 of 13), ‘motivating your mentee’ (7), and ‘identifying and accommodating different communication styles’ (6). Goal setting (research goals, career goals) was rated easier under COVID-19 restrictions by 3 mentors. Increases in Pre-Post self-expressed mentoring effectiveness (+1 pt quality;+1 pt meeting mentee expectations) are similar to historical values, and 12 of the 13 mentors changed mentoring practices based on MA experiences. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: While 2020 ratings for increased effectiveness are similar to prior years, since the 2021 MA will remain online, we will adjust content to address challenges identified in training mentors and in mentoring trainees in virtual settings by strategies to keep MA participants engaged online and sharing new resources for virtual/hybrid format mentoring.
ABSTRACT
The novel SARS coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic may be particularly deleterious to patients with underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD). The mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 infection is the requisite binding of the virus to the membrane-bound form of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and internalization of the complex by the host cell. Recognition that ACE2 is the coreceptor for the coronavirus has prompted new therapeutic approaches to block the enzyme or reduce its expression to prevent the cellular entry and SARS-CoV-2 infection in tissues that express ACE2 including lung, heart, kidney, brain, and gut. ACE2, however, is a key enzymatic component of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS); ACE2 degrades ANG II, a peptide with multiple actions that promote CVD, and generates Ang-(1-7), which antagonizes the effects of ANG II. Moreover, experimental evidence suggests that RAAS blockade by ACE inhibitors, ANG II type 1 receptor antagonists, and mineralocorticoid antagonists, as well as statins, enhance ACE2 which, in part, contributes to the benefit of these regimens. In lieu of the fact that many older patients with hypertension or other CVDs are routinely treated with RAAS blockers and statins, new clinical concerns have developed regarding whether these patients are at greater risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, whether RAAS and statin therapy should be discontinued, and the potential consequences of RAAS blockade to COVID-19-related pathologies such as acute and chronic respiratory disease. The current perspective critically examines the evidence for ACE2 regulation by RAAS blockade and statins, the cardiovascular benefits of ACE2, and whether ACE2 blockade is a viable approach to attenuate COVID-19.