Perceptions of lecturers and students regarding discriminatory experiences and sexual harassment in academic medicine - results from a faculty-wide quantitative study.

BACKGROUND: Discrimination and sexual harassment are prevalent in higher education institutions and can affect students, faculty members and employees. Herein the aim was to assess the extent of discriminatory experiences and sexual harassment of students and lecturers at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. We analyze whether there are differences between lecturers and students, different study programs as well as sex/gender differences. METHODS: In an interdisciplinary, iterative process, a semi-standardized questionnaire was developed and sent to N = 7095 students (S) of all study programs and N = 2528 lecturers (L) at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. The study was conducted from November 2018 to February 2019. Besides a broad range of questions on sociodemographic background allowing for diversity sensitive data analysis, they were asked if they had witnessed and/or experienced any form of discrimination or sexual harassment at the medical faculty, if yes, how often, the perceived reasons, situational factors and perpetrators. RESULTS: The response rate was 14% (n = 964) for students and 11% (n = 275) for lecturers. A proportion of 49.6% of students (L: 31%) reported that they have witnessed and/or experienced discriminatory behavior. Sexual harassment was witnessed and/or experienced by 23.6% of students (L: 19.2%). Lecturers (85.9%) were identified as the main source of discriminatory behavior by students. Directors/supervisors (47.4%) were stated as the main source of discriminatory behavior by lecturers. As the most frequent perceived reason for discriminatory experiences sex/gender (S: 71%; L: 60.3%) was reported. Women and dental students experienced more discriminatory behavior and sexual harassment. CONCLUSIONS: Discriminatory behavior is experienced by a significant number of students and lecturers, with power structures having a relevant impact. Dental students and women appear to be particularly exposed. Specific institutional measures, such as training programs for lecturers and students are necessary to raise awareness and provide resources. Furthermore, national preventive strategies should be thoroughly implemented to fight discrimination and harassment at the workplace.

Impact of COVID-19 on the private and professional lives of highly educated women working in global health in Europe-A qualitative study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a deepening of existing inequalities and a rollback of achievements made in gender equality. Women in Global Health (WGH) is a global movement that aims to achieve gender equality in health and increase female leadership in global health. Here, the aim was to understand how the pandemic affects the private and professional lives of women working in global health in different European countries. Suggestions for future pandemic preparedness including how gender perspectives should be integrated into pandemic preparedness and how a women's network such as WGH helped them to overcome the impact of the pandemic were explored. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in September 2020 with a sample size of nine highly educated women with a mean age of 42.1 years from the different WGH European chapters. The participants were informed of the study and were formally asked for their consent. The interviews were held in English via an online videoconference platform and lasted 20-25 min each. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted according to Mayring Qualitative Content Analysis using MAXQDA. Results: The pandemic has both positive and negative effects on the professional and private lives of women. It led to an increased workload and stress as well as pressure to publish on COVID-19-related themes. Increased childcare and household responsibilities represented a double burden. The available space was limited if other family members were also working from home. Positive aspects included more time for family or partners and reduced travel. The participants report on perceived gender differences in the experience of the pandemic. International cooperation is considered to be a key factor for future pandemic preparedness. Being part of a women's network such as WGH was perceived as being very supportive in difficult situations during the pandemic. Conclusion: This study provides unique insights into the experiences of women working in global health in different European countries. The COVID-19 pandemic influences their professional and private lives. Perceived gender differences are reported and suggest the need for integrating gender perspectives in pandemic preparedness. Networks for women, such as WGH, can facilitate the exchange of information in crises and provide women with professional and personal support.

[The use of workplace health promotion interventions in Germany-results of the study "German Health Update" (GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS)]. / Inanspruchnahme von Maßnahmen der betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung in Deutschland ­ Ergebnisse der Studie "Gesundheit in Deutschland aktuell" (GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS).

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions can reach a large part of the population. They are designed to improve work organisation and conditions and to promote the personal competencies of employees. Here the aim was to describe the use of WHP interventions based on individual factors and factors related to the size and branch of the companies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the representative population-based study "German Health Update" (GEDA 2014/15-EHIS) conducted by the Robert Koch Institute, 14,389 employees aged between 18 and 64 years were asked about their knowledge and use of workplace measures in their companies during the last 12 months regarding back health, stress management/relaxation and a canteen with healthy food. In addition to socio-demographic factors, health awareness and self-rated health on the use of WHP interventions was analysed. RESULTS: A canteen with healthy food is used by 64.6% of women (F) and 66.2% of men (M); offers for back health (F: 26.2%; M: 18.7%) and stress/relaxation (F: 35.2%; M: 25.6%) are used significantly less. Employees with more pronounced health awareness use the offers more frequently than employees with a less pronounced awareness of health. Men with poor self-rated health make more use of offers for back health and stress/relaxation than men with good self-rated health. CONCLUSIONS: In order to reach a larger part of the working population, WHP measures should take the needs of specific target groups into account including sex/gender and age aspects as well as the extent of employment, health awareness and self-rated health status.

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis on Sex and Gender in Preparatory Material for National Medical Examination in Germany and the United States.

BACKGROUND: Sex- and gender-based medicine (SGBM) should be a mandatory part of medical education. We compared the quantity and quality of sex- and gender-related content of e-learning materials commonly used by German and American medical students while preparing for national medical examinations. METHODS: Quantitative, line-by-line analysis of the preparatory materials AMBOSS 2017 and USMLE Step 1 Lecture Notes (2017) by KAPLAN MEDICAL was performed between April and October 2017. Subjects were allocated to one of the three main fields: clinical subjects, behavioral and social science, and pharmacology. Qualitative analysis comprised binary categorization into sex- and gender-based aspects and qualification with respect to the presence of a pathophysiological explanation for the sex or gender difference. RESULTS: In relation to the total content of AMBOSS and KAPLAN, the sex- and gender-based share of the clinical subjects content was 26.8% (±8.2) in AMBOSS and 21.1% (±10.2) in KAPLAN. The number of sex- and gender-based aspects in the behavioral and social science learning material differed significantly for AMBOSS and KAPLAN (4.4% ± 3.1% vs 10.7% ± 7.5%; P = .044). Most of the sex- and gender-related content covered sex differences. Most learning cards and texts did not include a detailed pathophysiological explanation for sex- or gender-based aspects. The knowledge provided in the preparatory documents represents only a small part of facts that are already known about sex and gender differences. CONCLUSIONS: The preparatory materials focused almost exclusively on biological sex differences and the sociocultural dimension in particular is underrepresented. A lot more evidence-based facts are known and should be integrated into the materials to reflect the importance of SGBM as an integral component of patient-centered medicine.

Evaluation of curricular relevance and actual integration of sex/gender and cultural competencies by final year medical students: effects of student diversity subgroups and curriculum.

Background: Diversity issues play a key role in medical practice and have recently been more explicitly integrated into undergraduate medical curricula in Europe and worldwide. However, research on students´ perspectives on the relevance and curricular integration of diversity issues, such as sex/gender and culture-sensitive competencies, is still limited. Methods: The Charité Berlin (Germany) ran in parallel a traditional and a competency-based medical program. Diversity perspectives, especially sex and gender aspects, were systematically integrated into the new curriculum. In 2016, an online questionnaire was sent to all medical students in their final clerkship year of both programs. Students provided diversity-related information (sex/gender, age, number of children, migration background or disability) and rated the relevance of sex/gender and culture-sensitive competencies and the integration into their study program. They also rated their preparedness for the final year clerkships and for working as a physician. Results: The included 184 students considered sex/gender and culture-sensitive competencies to be very relevant or relevant (62%; 73%). The ratings of the relevance are independent of the curriculum and significantly higher in female students. Regarding curricular integration, 69% of the students of the traditional curriculum evaluated the degree of implementation as minor, whereas 83% students of the new curriculum rated the degree of implementation as extensive. Degrees of preparedness for the workplace were significantly higher in students from the new curriculum, with no significant effects by sex/gender. Age group, having a child, migration background or a disability had separate effects on the students' ratings. Conclusions: Medical students in their final clerkship year rated sex/gender and culture-sensitive competencies as relevant; this was independent from their study program. Their ratings provide complementary evidence that our systematic approach to implementation resulted in a successful curricular integration.

Survival and therapeutic response in patients with melanoma of unknown and known primary: a single-centre retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The survival of patients with melanoma of unknown primary (MUP) is proposed to be more favourable than that for melanoma of known primary (MKP). This may be due to an enhanced initial immune response in patients with MUP, which could also affect the efficacy of immunotherapy in advanced disease. OBJECTIVES: The present study compared therapeutic outcome and survival in Stage III and IV MUP and MKP. RESULTS: Medical records of 67 MUP and 536 MKP patients were reviewed. Median overall survival (OS) in Stage III patients was 77 months versus 54 months in patients with MUP and MKP, respectively (p = 0.11). Median OS was prolonged in MUP patients receiving adjuvant first-line ipilimumab (p = 0.14). In contrast, OS tended to be more favourable in patients with MKP after palliative first-line ipilimumab treatment (p = 0.16). Yet, no statistically significant differences in OS were detected between the groups. Moreover, survival after anti-PD-1-antibody treatment was similar in patients with MUP and MKP. CONCLUSION: Overall, we observed similar survival outcomes after immunotherapy in patients with MUP and MKP. These findings provide no evidence of difference in responsiveness to immunotherapy between patients with MUP and MKP.

The modular curriculum of medicine at the Charité Berlin - a project report based on an across-semester student evaluation.

Aim: The introduction of a reform clause into the German licensing laws for medical doctors has enabled German faculties to pilot alternative designs for medical degree programmes. The aim of this project report is to outline the curricular features of the modular curriculum of medicine (MCM) at the Charité and to assess the results of its implementation based on a student evaluation across semesters. Project outline: The MCM was planned and implemented in a competency- and outcome-based manner from 2010-2016 in a faculty-wide process. The curriculum is characterised by a modular structure, longitudinal teaching formats and the integration of basic and clinical science. In the winter semester 2017, evaluations by students in semesters 1-10 were carried out. The results were analysed descriptively, and the coverage of overarching learning outcomes was compared to the results of a survey carried out amongst students on the traditional regular curriculum of medicine track in 2016. Results: A total of 1,047 students participated in the across-semester evaluation (return rate 35%). A high percentage of the respondents positively rated the achieved curricular integration and longitudinal teaching formats. The majority of the respondents agreed with the relevance of the overarching learning outcomes. Students' evaluations of the coverage of learning outcomes showed a differentiated picture for the MCM. Compared to the regular curriculum track, the coverage in the MCM programme showed substantial improvements in all aspects. Students found themselves to be better prepared for the M2 state examination and the practical year. The students' overall satisfaction with their decisions to study in the MCM was high. Conclusions: The results of the student evaluation show that a significant improvement in medical education has been achieved at the Charité with the new integrated, outcome-oriented design and the implementation of the MCM. At the same time, ongoing weaknesses have been revealed that serve as a basis for the continued development of the curriculum. This report aims to contribute to the discussion of the future of undergraduate medical education in Germany.

Single-center real-life experience with low-dose ipilimumab monotherapy in adjuvant setting for patients with stage III melanoma.

Ipilimumab is approved for adjuvant melanoma treatment at a dose of 10 mg/kg, but its use is limited owing to high toxicity and treatment-associated costs. We retrospectively analyzed 29 patients who underwent complete resection of stage IIC-III melanoma and were treated with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg in an adjuvant setting. The aim was to assess development of adverse events (primary endpoint) and to evaluate survival outcomes (secondary endpoint) under adjuvant treatment with ipilimumab in a real-life setting. Immune-related adverse events (irAE) of all grades were reported in 72.4% of patients, grade 3 in 5.3% (n = 2), and none for grade 4 or 5. Immune-related hypophysitis resolved in 3/8 (37.5%) and immune-related thyroiditis in 7/10 (70%) cases, whereas the others remained on substitution drugs. The rest irAEs affected the gut (n = 8), skin (n = 5), liver (n = 2), and uvea (n = 2) and resolved completely. Only one patient required tumor necrosis factor-α owing to grade 3 colitis. Hospitalization was required in five cases owing to irAE (four colitis and one hypophysitis). At a median follow-up of 9.7 (1.7-16.8) months, 65.5% of the patients were free of disease. Median progression-free survival was 15.1 months, and median overall survival was not reached yet. Ipilimumab 3 mg/kg for the adjuvant treatment of high-risk patients with fully resected melanoma favors a better safety profile compared with the approved dose of 10 mg/kg in the same setting. Although its limited application owing lately promising data of antiprogrammed cell death protein-1 treatment, it may be considered as additional option or second-line treatment after fully resected disease recurrence under antiprogrammed cell death protein-1 treatment.

Moving a mountain: Practical insights into mastering a major curriculum reform at a large European medical university.

AIM: Undergraduate medical education is currently in a fundamental transition towards competency-based programs around the globe. A major curriculum reform implies a dual challenge: the change of the curriculum and the delivering organization. Both are closely interwoven. In this article, we provide practical insights into our approach of managing such a fundamental reform of the large undergraduate medical program at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. METHODS: Members of the project management team summarized the key features of the process with reference to the literature. RESULTS: Starting point was a traditional, discipline-based curriculum that was reformed into a fully integrated, competency-based program. This change process went through three phases: initiation, curriculum development and implementation, and sustainability. We describe from a change management perspective, their main characteristics, and the approaches that were employed to manage them successfully. CONCLUSIONS: Our report is intended to provide practical insights and guidance for those institutions which are yet considering or have already started to undergo a major reform of their undergraduate programs towards competency medical education.

The use of quality assurance instruments and methods to integrate diversity aspects into health professions study programmes.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Background With the increasing diversity in our population, future medical doctors need to have adequate diversity and gender competencies in order to provide adequate and good quality of medical care. Diversity, especially sex and gender aspects, were therefore systematically integrated into the new modular medical curriculum at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The aim was to integrate diversity aspects into further study programmes of the Charité Berlin by assessing the current degree of integration and the relevance for the professional work of students and graduates and identifying suitable and effective quality assurance instruments. Methods After the curriculum development of the new modular medical curriculum was completed, the gender and diversity change agent was transferred from the curriculum development team to the quality assurance section of the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. The change agent identified in cooperation with the quality assurance team the accreditation process, student evaluations and graduate surveys as suitable methods for the integration. Furthermore, the change agent provided support to the programme directors and coordinators with the integration. The impact of the measures and instruments used for the integration are measured within the reaccredition process of the programmes. Results Diversity aspects could be integrated into the accreditation standards admission, curricular structure, didactics, assessment and student counselling. In the student evaluations and graduate surveys gender and diversity items like migration background, number of children, caring responsibilities, disabilities and economic status could be integrated. Furthermore, students and graduates were asked to evaluate the relevance of gender and diversity competencies for their professional work and the degree of the curricular integration. Discussion and Conclusion The impact of the integrated diversity aspects can only be evaluated within the accreditation process. In order to increase and improve the awareness of students and faculty members of diversity aspects and issues the support by a gender and diversity change agent with the integration and by lecturing on this subject is important. A gender and diversity sensitive accreditation process contributes to the reflexivity and awareness of the faculty members involved.

Differential Diagnosis of Seborrheic Keratosis: Clinical and Dermoscopic Features.

Seborrheic keratosis (SK) is a benign epidermal keratinocytic tumor that is extremely common, particularly in individuals over the age of 50. Most individuals with SK will have more than one lesion and the presence of over 10 lesions in the same person is not uncommon. Although the clinical morphology of most SK with their stuck-on, symmetric, keratotic, and waxy appearance makes them easy to identify, many manifest a morphology resembling melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma. One can argue that such cases will ultimately not prove to be problematic since a simple biopsy will easily reveal their benign nature and eliminate any concerns. However, the cost and morbidity associated with the biopsy of benign lesions should not be underestimated. Methods to improve our in vivo ability to correctly identify SK will prove beneficial not only to the health care system in general but to the individual patient specifically. The issue of greater concern resides with skin cancers that mimic SK or when skin cancers arise in association with SK. Needless to say, in vivo methods to help identify malignancy and differentiate them from benign lesions would be welcomed by all. Fortunately, we do now have in vivo imaging methods such as dermoscopy that can improve the clinician's diagnostic accuracy. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the clinical and dermoscopic features of SK, and provide clues to aid in their diagnosis.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):835-842.

eGender-from e-Learning to e-Research: a web-based interactive knowledge-sharing platform for sex- and gender-specific medical education.

BACKGROUND: Sex and Gender Medicine is a novel discipline that provides equitable medical care for society and improves outcomes for both male and female patients. The integration of sex- and gender-specific knowledge into medical curricula is limited due to adequate learning material, systematic teacher training and an innovative communication strategy. We aimed at initiating an e-learning and knowledge-sharing platform for Sex and Gender Medicine, the eGender platform (http://egender.charite.de), to ensure that future doctors and health professionals will have adequate knowledge and communication skills on sex and gender differences in order to make informed decisions for their patients. METHODS: The web-based eGender knowledge-sharing platform was designed to support the blended learning pedagogical teaching concept and follows the didactic concept of constructivism. Learning materials developed by Sex and Gender Medicine experts of seven universities have been used as the basis for the new learning tools. The content of these tools is patient-centered and provides add-on information on gender-sensitive aspects of diseases. The structural part of eGender was designed and developed using the open source e-learning platform Moodle. The eGender platform comprises an English and a German version of e-learning modules: one focusing on basic knowledge and seven on specific medical disciplines. Each module consists of several courses corresponding to a disease or symptom complex. Self-organized learning has to be managed by using different learning tools, e.g., texts and audiovisual material, tools for online communication and collaborative work. RESULTS: More than 90 users from Europe registered for the eGender Medicine learning modules. The most frequently accessed module was "Gender Medicine-Basics" and the users favored discussion forums. These e-learning modules fulfill the quality criteria for higher education and are used within the elective Master Module "Gender Medicine-Basics" implemented into the accredited Master of Public Health at Charité-Berlin. CONCLUSIONS: The eGender platform is a flexible and user-friendly electronical knowledge-sharing platform providing evidence-based high-quality learning material used by a growing number of registered users. The eGender Medicine learning modules could be key in the reform of medical curricula to integrate Sex and Gender Medicine into the education of health professionals.

A Successful Strategy to Integrate Sex and Gender Medicine into a Newly Developed Medical Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: A new modular, outcome-based, interdisciplinary curriculum was introduced for undergraduate medical education at one of the largest European medical faculties. A key stated institutional goal was to systematically integrate sex and gender medicine and gender perspectives into the curriculum in order to foster adequate gender-related knowledge and skills for future doctors concerning the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and research of diseases. METHODS: A change agent was integrated directly into the curriculum development team to facilitate interactions with all key players of the curricular development process. The gender change agent established a supporting organizational framework of all stakeholders, and developed a 10-step approach including identification, selection, placing relevant sex and gender medicine-related issues in the curricular planning sessions, counseling of faculty members, and monitoring of the integration achieved. RESULTS: With this approach, quantitatively sex and gender medicine-related content was widely integrated throughout all teaching and learning formats and from early basic science to later clinical modules (94 lectures, 33 seminars, and 16 practical courses). Gender perspectives involve 5% of the learning objectives and represent an integral part of the assessment program. Qualitatively, the relevance of gender (sociocultural) differences was combined with sex (biological) differences in disease manifestation throughout the curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: The appointment of a change agent facilitates the development of systematic approaches that can be a key and serve as practice models to successfully integrate new overarching curricular perspectives and dimensions--in this case sex and gender medicine--into a new medical curriculum.