Biomedical omics: first insights of a new MSc degree of the University of Milan.

The advent of technologies allowing the global analysis of biological phenomena, referred to as "omics" (genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, radiomics, and radiogenomics), has revolutionized the study of human diseases and traced the path for quantitative personalized medicine. The newly inaugurated Master of Science Program in Biomedical Omics of the University of Milan, Italy, aims at addressing the unmet need to create professionals with a broad understanding of omics disciplines. The course is structured over 2 years and admits students with a bachelor's degree in biotechnology, biology, chemistry, or pharmaceutical sciences. All teaching activities are fully held in English. A total of nine students enrolled in the first academic year and attended the courses of radiomics, genomics and epigenomics, proteomics, and high-throughput screenings, and their feedback was evaluated by means of an online questionnaire. Faculty with different backgrounds were recruited according to the subject. Due to restrictions imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, laboratory activities were temporarily suspended, while lectures, journal clubs, and examinations were mainly held online. After the end of the first semester, despite the difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the course overall met the expectations of the students, specifically regarding teaching effectiveness, interpersonal interactions with the lecturers, and courses organization. Future efforts will be undertaken to better calibrate the overall workload of the course and to implement the most relevant suggestions from the students together with omics science evolution in order to guarantee state-of-the-art omics teaching and to prepare future omics specialists.

A Sandwich-model experiment with personal response systems on epigenetics: insights into learning gain, student engagement and satisfaction.

Current trends in Higher Education Pedagogies include an ongoing discussion about active learning strategies. Technology-based interventions such as personal response systems (PRS) have gained momentum, especially since the advent of cloud-/web-based solutions. One model that supports the transition from traditional lecturing towards active learning by maintaining a balance between instruction and self-learning is the 'Sandwich Model'. In the present study, we investigated the impact of the Sandwich Model combined with PRS in student learning, engagement and satisfaction by a randomised trial in a large undergraduate biomedical/medical sciences class. A teaching session on epigenetics was delivered either as a traditional lecture (C-group) or as a PRS-including Sandwich-based session (S-group). The major finding of our experiment was the significantly enhanced performance of the S-group over the control, suggesting that the Sandwich Model improves learning gain. We also provide strong evidence that the Sandwich Model enhances student engagement and satisfaction. However, the effect of the Sandwich Model in learning gain and student attitudes was not dependent on PRS incorporation per se and students seemed to favour non-PRS activities over PRS, as evidenced by their feedback. Although further experimental research is needed in order to conclusively compare and contrast PRS and non-PRS activities regarding learning gain, we propose the usage of the Sandwich Model with a variety of in-class learning activities, both PRS and non-PRS-based. Altogether, our work shows that the Sandwich Model is a powerful pedagogical approach that exerts a positive impact on student perceptions for learning and satisfaction and that can support the teaching of challenging biomedical concepts, such as epigenetics.

Education, Experience, and Action: An Interview with Dr. Trevor K. Archer.

We asked Dr. Archer about his experiences in academia, struggles he has faced, and thoughts on addressing racial bias. We hope that this series sparks a larger discussion of issues faced by underrepresented scientists and ways the scientific community can foster diversity and better support underrepresented scientists. The opinions expressed here are those of Dr. Archer and not the NIH/NIEHS or the US government.

Genetics and child neurology: what every trainee/resident should know.

The training of residents in child neurology varies from one center to another, being influenced to a large extent by the nature and volume of the clinical practice at a specific center and the expertise of the faculty. There is no doubt that there is an undercurrent of genetics in everything we do as child neurologists, sometimes explicit and sometimes implicit. In this article, we highlight a fundamental set of concepts, principles, methodologies, and learning tools/resources of which every child neurology trainee should have some knowledge. We may eventually arrive at a child neurology curriculum that might be continuously revised and maintained (perhaps through the Child Neurology Society) and serve as a template for individual training programs.