innovation

The Manufacturing And Sterilization for COVID-19 (MASC) Initiative

Author: Timothy Simpson
Published: Jun 30, 2020

Article Topics: innovation, technology, health care For faculty, March represents a big milestone in the academic calendar. It marks the halfway point of the semester and provides a much-needed break to catch one’s breath before the big push to reach the end of the semester. Unfortunately, this spring break will live long in our memories—the Coronavirus started showing up on the shores of the United States, and everything changed. Within the span of two weeks, I went from enjoying time on the beach, relaxing with my family to leading an interdisciplinary team that has grown to over 380 people with the singular aim of helping healthcare workers…

COVID-19 presents a real-time educational opportunity

Author: Matthew Johnson, Ph.D. , Amber Cesare , Tiffany Lewis , Kathleen Hill, Ph.D.
Published: Jun 23, 2020

Article Topics: education, innovation, technology What do you remember about middle and high school science classes? You may remember spending a few weeks learning about what scientists do (like measuring things and the scientific method). Then, you remember having to memorize things like the phases of mitosis, the chemical symbol of tungsten (W), and the gravitational constant (-9.81 m/s2). You may also remember doing “labs” to verify these concepts. For example, you may have shined light on an elodea plant in an aquarium and observed the carbon dioxide bubbles that form. Or you might remember looking through a light microscope to…

Project ECHO at Penn State College of Medicine

Author: Jennifer L. Kraschnewski, M.D. MPH , Erica Francis, M.S. , Ellie Hogentogler, B.S.
Published: Jun 10, 2020

Article Topics: innovation, technology, education The COVID-19 pandemic and knowledge of this novel disease has pushed our medical communities to identify new ways of learning. When the pandemic hit, medical experts suddenly found themselves facing an illness they knew little about and struggling to rapidly learn about how best to prepare and care for patients. With assistance from Penn State University’s Huck Institute and Social Sciences Research Institute, our Project ECHO at Penn State was rapidly able to mobilize and provide a platform for sharing much-needed, and ever-changing, information on COVID-19. About Project ECHO Project ECHO…

Building Community in Medical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author: Mark Stephens, M.D. , Thomas Laux , Daniella Lipnick , Ryan Kenney , Lindsay Buzzelli , Jeffrey Wong, M.D. , Dan Wolpaw, M.D.
Published: Jun 3, 2020

Article Topics: education, innovation Over the past 3 months, nearly 30,000 medical students across the United States have been displaced from their traditional health care roles. With relatively little warning or time for preparation, students, faculty, and administrators scrambled to create platforms, structures, and processes to support learning and find ways to keep students engaged in patient care. Here is a look inside the impact of COVID-19 on medical education through the eyes of four class leaders at the Penn State College of Medicine, University Park. Tom’s perspective: new ways of teaching, learning and contributing…

Bridging Research and Policy During a Pandemic

Author: Taylor Scott, Ph.D. , Cagla Giray, Ph.D.
Published: Jun 1, 2020

Article Topics: policy, innovation When COVID-19 hit, everyone's lives were turned upside down. This is no different for policymakers and those who interact with them, including researchers. This post provides an overview of the Research-to-Policy Collaboration (RPC) and its timely adaptation to improve the use of research evidence in law during the pandemic. What is the Research-to-Policy Collaboration? Research shows that policymakers' use of evidence is facilitated by access to timely and relevant science that corresponds with their current policy agenda as well as collaborative interactions with researchers themselves.…