Vikas Yellapu, MD, MBA is a Senior Research Fellow in Healthcare Leadership at St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He co-authored >25 peer-reviewed articles, numerous book chapters, and presented at various regional, national, and international conferences. His areas of expertise include healthcare economics, patient safety, population research, and value-based primary care systems.
Continuous advancements in the medical field and the need to promote scientific evidence has increased the concern for educators to ensure that physician trainees are provided with the appropriate tools and experiences to develop the skills necessary to enhance scientific discovery. To address this requirement, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) implemented core competencies, inclusive of scholarly activity requirements, for accreditation of Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs. These changes have challenged institutions to educate differently and incorporate scholarly activity and research into their curriculum through novel and creative approaches. One such mechanism is the development of post-doctoral research programs which utilize research fellows to provide the necessary support for research productivity across multiple specialties. In the following chapter, the authors will provide some background information on the goals and function of the ACGME, detail the development of the new research requirements, the utilization of post-doctoral research fellows to support the scholarly activity requirement laid out by the ACGME, and potential measures of performance and success.
Part of the book: Contemporary Topics in Graduate Medical Education
The conceptual differentiation of spinal and neurogenic shock tends to be misunderstood among clinicians. In order to better illustrate the differences in definition, presentation, and development of spinal shock (SS) from neurogenic and other forms of shock, we present herein a clinically relevant summary of typical characteristics of SS. First described in the eighteenth century, the continued investigation into the disease process and the response of neural structures to spinal cord trauma have led to a more complete description and understanding. We will begin in the first part of the chapter describing the etiology of SS, including a working definition, as it pertains to complete spinal cord injuries (SCIs). This is followed by the summary of pathophysiology and clinical presentations associated with each clinical phase of SS. Finally, we explore treatment options and considerations as they relate to incomplete SCI. We hope that by presenting a clear and well-delineated overview of SS, we will allow the clinician to better understand and more accurately predict the evolution of this process. This, in turn, should facilitate the ability to deliver better care for the patient.
Part of the book: Clinical Management of Shock
Climate change (CC) can be defined as a long-term shift in global, continental, and/or local climate patterns. Although many equate CC to the rise in global temperatures, the issue is much more complicated and involves a large number of interconnected factors. Among some of the less discussed considerations of CC are its effects on a broad range of public health issues, including the emergence of novel infectious diseases, the encroachment of infectious disease vectors into previously unaffected geographic distributions, and crop failures resulting in threats of malnutrition and mass migration. This chapter will be devoted to key issues related to CC in the context of international health security (IHS).
Part of the book: Contemporary Developments and Perspectives in International Health Security