A 12-year comparison of students' perspectives on diversity at a Jesuit Medical School

Identifying candidate reference chemicals for in vitro testing of the retinoid pathway for predictive developmental toxicity

Evaluating chemicals for potential in vivo toxicity based on their in vitro bioactivity profile is an important step toward animal- free testing. A compendium of reference chemicals and data describing their bioactivity on specific molecular targets, cellular pathways, and biological processes is needed to bolster confidence in the predictive value of in vitro hazard detection. Endogenous signaling by all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is an important pathway in developmental processes and toxicities. Employing data extraction methods and advanced literature extraction tools, we assembled a set of candidate reference chemicals with demonstrated activity on ten protein family targets in the retinoid system. The compendium was culled from Protein Data Bank, ChEMBL, ToxCast/Tox21, and the biomedical literature in PubMed. Finally, we performed a case study on one chemical in our collection, citral, an inhibitor of endogenous ATRA production, to determine whether the literature supports an adverse outcome pathway explaining the compound’s developmental toxicity initiated by disruption of the retinoid pathway. We also deliver an updated Abstract Sifter tool populated with these reference compounds and complex search terms designed to query the literature for the downstream consequences to support concordance with targeted retinoid pathway disruption.

Experiential-Learning Opportunities Enhance Engagement in Pipeline Program: A Qualitative Study of the Doctors of Tomorrow Summer Internship Program

PURPOSE

Doctors of Tomorrow (DoT) is a pipeline program between the University of Michigan Medical School and Cass Technical High School in Detroit where the overall mission is to encourage youth from communities that are underrepresented in medicine to pursue their interests in healthcare careers. Students have the opportunity to apply for a summer internship between 9th grade and 10th grade. There is limited literature on the effectiveness of experiential-learning opportunities in pipeline programs to support development of personal and professional skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of students participating in the DoT summer internship program in order to better understand how their engagement influenced personal and professional development.

METHOD

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted using responses from 27 students who participated in the DoT summer internship program between 2014 and 2018. Students engaged in self-reflective practices prompted by weekly surveys. Data were analyzed through an inductive process by coding and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Four overarching themes were identified: (1) engagement in authentic experiential-learning opportunities; (2) development of professional skills; (3) self-reflection and actualization; and (4) real world barriers in experiential-learning.

CONCLUSIONS

High school students engaged in a variety of different community internships and shared insights that illustrated depth and diversity of understanding health in their community. Their reflections illustrate the added value of experiential-education in pipeline programs.