Harvard Macy Institute Podcast

The Harvard Macy Institute Podcast S1 E 5: Social Learning Theory and Continuing Professional Development in Health Professions Education

The Harvard Macy Institute Podcast aims to connect our Harvard Macy Institute community and to develop our interest in health professions education topics and literature. Our podcast is hosted by our Program for Educators in the Health Professions course faculty Victoria Brazil, and will feature interviews with health professions education authors and their research papers.

Podcast #5 explores a recent paper on Social Learning Theory and Continuing Professional Development,

with Louise Allen (first author) and Graham McMahon Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) in the United States.

In this episode Victoria Brazil speaks with Louise Allen about her recent Medical Teacher publication on Applying Social Learning Theory to explain the impacts of Continuing Professional Development. Her paper, with co-authors Marg Hay, Elizabeth Armstrong and Claire Palermo is an exemplar of qualitative research, and involved semi-structured interviews with previous Harvard Macy and Monash Institute for Health and Clinical Education program participants. The team found that scholars broadened their networks, affirmed themselves, applied learning in practice and enjoyed career progression. The impacts of these courses reached beyond themselves to both the people and organizations with which  they are involved.

Victoria and Louise were also joined by Graham McMahon from ACCME (see his succinct Stanford X talk on CME or listen to his new Coffee with Graham podcast) to consider what this means for the planning, delivery and regulation of continuing professional development. In a broad ranging discussion we draw on the prior Harvard Macy Institute podcast on virtual communities of practice, Dan Pratt’s 5 perspectives on teaching , and the translational of these principles in a COVID imposed ‘virtual CME’ era.

The Harvard Macy Institute Podcast S1 E6: Learning Strategies for Health Professions – Is There a Gap from Evidence to Practice?

The Harvard Macy Institute Podcast aims to connect our Harvard Macy Institute community and to develop our interest in health professions education topics and literature. Our podcast is hosted by our Program for Educators in the Health Professions course faculty Victoria Brazil, and will feature interviews with health professions education authors and their research papers.

Podcast #6 explores evidenced based learning strategies – and whether learners and teachers practice them. Felipe Piza is first author of an article in Medical Teacher looking at this issue. He joins host Victoria Brazil and his research mentor and Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in Health Professions co-director Holly Gooding to discuss.

In this episode Victoria Brazil speaks with Felipe Piza about his Medical Teacher publication Awareness and Usage of Evidence-Based Learning Strategies Among Health Professions Students and

Faculty. His study was conducted in collaboration with an international group of Harvard Macy Institute scholars, including Jennifer Kesselheim, Juliette Perzhinsky, Joanna Drowos, Roni Gillis, Khen Moscovici, Theodora E. Danciu, Agnieszka Kosowska, and Holly Gooding. They used a survey methodology to review learning practices among health professions students. The team also investigated how educators help students with the process of learning. They noted a wide gap between what science has learned about effective teaching and learning and what our health professions students and faculty report actually doing in practice.

Victoria and Felipe were joined by Holly Gooding, who served as research mentor for Felipe on this paper. We discussed the findings and their implication for our educational practices, including the cultivation of metacognition.

Happy listening!