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Making strides in Education during COVID-19

Maria Sanders | Published on 10/19/2020

PAMS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC

We have responded to this challenge conducting an introspective review of our activities till before the pandemic and has examined what we should do to remain relevant during this difficult time.  The result is that we have been inspired by a number of activities and plans that will keep us very busy for a while.

First, an ad-hoc education committee worked on the question "what we should do?" and came up with a number of recommendations for our future activities:

  • Identify Faculties of Medicine in Perú willing to work collaboratively and in a bidirectional way with PAMS
  • Identify a focus for that relationship: undergraduate or postgraduate
  • Develop a close relationship with medical students of the partner university through its Scientific Medical Society
  • Institute virtual educational activities and to add face to face presentations when the pandemic is controlled
  • Develop a mentorship program for students and residents
  • Facilitate the conduct of clinical investigations
  • Fundraise to support these efforts

These recommendations were transmitted to two medical schools in Lima and one in a province: San Fernando and Cayetano Heredia in Lima, and Catolica Santa Maria in Arequipa. 

The Faculties of Medicine of Cayetano Heredia and Catolica Santa Maria responded enthusiastically to our offer.  We have held meetings with the leadership of each of these medical schools and with the leaders of their respective medical school scientific committees.  We anticipate to be able to assist with discussion of medical articles (revista de revistas), discussion of interesting clinical cases, mentorship and stimulations to develop clinical research projects. The latter can be aided by participating in our medical missions once they are operational again.  The Education Committee is in the process of examining these possibilities to implement them in a way that assure the success of these relationships.  

 

Meanwhile, we have succeeded in the organization of several Webinars organized by several PAMS members including:  

 

- May 15, 2020:  Webinar on “Clinical Management of Critically Ill Adults with COVID-19. The United States Experience”, with presentations by distinguished faculty from the Intensive Care Units of the Baylor College of Medicine in Dallas, Texas and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.  Organizer: Dr. Aldo Rafael.

 

- July 9, 2020:  Webinar on the “Treatment of COVID-19 with Antivirals and other therapies in Miami, Florida”, by distinguished faculty from the Miller School of Medicine of the University of             Miami/ Jackson Memorial Hospital.  Organizer: Dr. Manuel Valdivieso.

 

- July 23, 2020:  Webinar on the “Importance of the Transfusion of Convalescent plasma to patients with COVID-19”.  Presentations by distinguished faculty from the New York Blood Center, the University of Cincinnati, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and EsSalud Hospital System          in Peru. Organizer:  Dr. Jorge Rios Perez.

 

- September 17 and 18: Scientific part of Virtual PAMS Convention. “ COVID -19  Update”.  Participation of distinguished faculty from Gilead Science, Mayo Clinic Health System, University of Kentucky, Michigan State University,  Mark H. Zangmeister Cancer Center in Columbus Ohio, Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital,  University of California in Irvine, University of Cincinnati and Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Co-sponsorship by the Peruvian American Medical Society, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and Universidad Católica Santa Maria in Arequipa. Organizer: Dr. Manuel Valdivieso.

The advertisement of these events through medical and social media has been excellent as exemplified by having at some of these events over 18 countries represented, 2000 registered and over 1000 attendees not counting those who participated by Facebook. As a result, we have received an invitation to publish articles related to these presentations in a local medical magazine DIAGNOSTIC in Peru.   

 

Looking at the future, we plan to conduct Webinars of non-COVID-19 related topics every two months with the participation of PAMS faculty in collaboration with physicians from medical schools we have a relationship with in Peru.  While these ideas mature, we invite the membership to volunteer to be part of this effort by becoming part of the teaching faculty (mentorship and lecturer) and /or considering making donations to the Medical Education & Research Fund of the PAMS Endowment Fund to assure been able to provide CME credits, CME certificates and resources in support of clinical research projects in Peru.  Should you have interest to assist us or if you have questions regarding PAMS Educational activities, please let me know.  

             

Respectfully,  

 

Manuel Valdivieso, M.D. 

Education Director, PAMS