Dr. Naira Chobanyan, oncologist and professor of clinical medicine at AUC, recently presented at the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) 2023 Conference in Glasgow, UK, to showcase the institution’s innovative leadership in medical education. Each year the conference brings together professionals, educators, students, institutions and organizations from around the world to collaborate and network on the latest developments, best practices and technology in healthcare education.
On August 29, Dr. Chobanyan’s presentation on Learners-as-Educators: Education Through Comprehensive Community Outreach Clinics covered:
- The Community Outreach Clinic is based on AUC’s Breast Screening Project, a Scholarly Activity Research Committee (SARC) and Internal Review Board (IRB)-approved clinical study that arose from identifying limitations in the breast pathology data of Sint Maarten women.
- Clinical medicine fellows — recent graduates of AUC awaiting residency placement — organize and direct student-run clinics under the guidance of a board-certified oncologist, Dr. Chobanyan.
- This Learners-as-Educators model prepares fellows to sharpen both teaching and leadership skills, as they educate medical students to measure vital signs, conduct patient interviews, obtain informed consent, perform blood draws, present patients and document patient encounters through direct supervision.
- The project serves as an educational tool to cascade medical knowledge from faculty to fellows to medical students and to collect data for a prospective study.
- In collaboration with Sint Maarten’s Ministry of Health, the study aims to analyze risk factors and prevalence of breast abnormalities to guide screening protocols for the local population, akin to the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force guidelines.
With AMEE 2023’s main theme of Inclusive Learning Environments to Transform the Future, Dr. Chobanyan’s presentation was an opportunity to highlight Learners-as-Educators as a vital teaching model for young physicians-in-training and medical students. AUC has identified community-based research as an invaluable tool for medical education through guidance and support between faculty, fellows, medical students and the community, while all benefit from the learning experience provided by these outreach clinics.
