Questions about the PLDP program may be directed to the current PLDP Executive Council. We are happy to share our experiences with the PLDP program.

Program Accomplishments

Guest lecture series

Aurora Lambert: December 8, 2010

Ms. Lambert, former president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, visited Wright State University to discuss her experience with current students. As a senior executive officer for the former Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, her input was invaluable in facilitating the transition of the Jewish Hospital from the Health Alliance to Mercy Health Partners. Ms. Lambert's impressive career has spanned nearly four decades. Her insight into the current and future state of health care today provided medical students a unique glimpse into what their future careers may hold.

Dr. Brett Smith: May 18, 2011

Dr. Brett Smith discussed his thoughts on social entrepreneurship and health. Dr. Smith, founder of the Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Miami University, is an expert in the role of social entrepreneurs in global health initiatives. He has a business background and a passion for social justice. He travels the world meeting with and talking to people about innovative solutions to persistent social problems (hunger, poverty, education) that create social value through sustainable, systemic change.

Celebrating Life and Health Fair

Every spring, the PLDP sponsors and runs an interactive booth at the Dayton Celebrating Life and Health Fair. PLDP students measure height and weight, in order to calculate the BMI of fair attendees. Over 5,000 Dayton residents attend the health fair each year.

Children’s Health Festival

Every August, the PLDP sponsors and runs an interactive booth at the Children’s Health Festival. Over 600 children attend the event to learn about nutrition, physical activity, and safety.

Documentary Screenings

The Weight of the Nation – May 10, 14, 17, & 21, 2012

The PLDP hosted a series of screenings of the HBO four-part documentary series. The miniseries examined Consequences, Choices, Children in Crisis and Challenges. Each segment of the film featured case studies, interviews with experts around the nation, and individuals and families struggling with obesity. After each screening, a panel of local experts offered their views on the content and fielded questions about the movie.

Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare – September 19, 2012

An estimated 140 students, faculty, healthcare professionals and community members attended an advance screening of the Sundance film ESCAPE FIRE: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare. WSU Boonshoft School of Medicine Physician Leadership Development Program, the WSU Chapter of the American Medical Association, the WSU chapter of the American Medical Student Association and the Military Medical Interest Group hosted the screening.

Two medical students led a facilitated discussion with the audience following the film. The directors hoped to compel Americans to empower themselves to be healthier, even before they become ill. The local Call to Action was “Empower someone to be healthy." The STEPS Initiative was introduced as one avenue to address the call to action. The STEPS Initiative is a multi-disciplinary group of healthcare professionals and students that use motivational interviewing to encourage individuals with chronic conditions (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.) to make healthier lifestyle choices by setting attainable goals. For more information about the STEPS Initiative please visit: http://www.highimpactprojects.org/stepsclinic.html.

PLDP Activities

Leadership Elective

• In 2011, faculty and students recognized that the PLDP concepts of physician leadership and healthcare management should be adopted into the traditional medical school curriculum. A group of fourth-year PLDP students, in collaboration with faculty, developed a healthcare leadership elective course to achieve the goals of:
  • increasing understanding of the U.S. healthcare system,
  • engaging in self-assessment and self-awareness of leadership characteristics,
  • increasing inter-professional communication, and
  • practicing healthcare leadership decision-making.
• These objectives were achieved through a monthly seminar class offered to medical students in the second semester of their first year of school; a fourth-year student facilitated each session.
• The course utilized online leadership self-assessment tools, online modules from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and readings from various medical and leadership publications. Group exercises and interactive discussions with local community physician and healthcare management leaders introduced students to leadership principles and increased awareness of the challenges and opportunities that exist in leading U.S. healthcare organizations.
• This student-led Healthcare Leadership elective remains a key aspect of the Physician Leadership Development Program because it represents another avenue in which PLDP students maintain an active role in both curriculum and community development.

Leadership Conference

• During fall term 2012, PLDP students organized a Leadership Conference for medical students. All medical students were invited to attend, but a strong emphasis was placed on first- and second-year students.
• The conference had one keynote speaker (Dr. Arthur Pickoff), and five small group sessions with the opportunity to choose from seven different topics. Topics included:
  • Words of Wisdom without the Sugar
  • Finding Research Projects
  • Quality in Health Care and Unique Career Trajectories
  • How to Be a Clinical Leader
  • Balancing Career and Life
  • Unique Internship and Leadership Opportunities
  • Academic Medicine and Leadership
  • Building Your Leadership Portfolio
• The conference was attended by 42 students with warm reviews and suggestions for next year’s event.

PLDP Student Accomplishments

Radio Rounds

• Radio Rounds is the first and only radio program in the United States that is created and hosted entirely by medical students. The organization was created by Avash Kalra and founded with PLDP students Shamie Das and Lakshman Swamy in 2008.
• Since the first episode was broadcast in April 2009, more than100 episodes have been produced. Episodes are available as podcasts, streaming on the website, and on local radio stations. To date, there have been more than 50,000 downloads from iTunes.
• The organization has expanded from the radio show to a comprehensive media organization which includes live-audience shows, documentary features and original literary work.
• Radio Rounds’ mission is to promote the art of medicine to a broad audience, while also enhancing the development of current and future physicians by sharing experiences and perspectives of physicians, patients and leaders in medicine and health care.
• Radio Rounds strives to deliver high quality content that upholds the values and integrity of the profession of medicine, with a particular emphasis on the qualities of empathy, humanism and leadership.
• Radio Rounds provides a unique voice for the medical community, representing current medical students, pre-medical students, practicing physicians and healthcare leaders to a national audience.

STEPS Initiative

• The STEPS (Students Teaching Educational Plans for Success) Initiative was formed in 2012 and modeled after the University of Cincinnati Interprofessional Clinic open school chapter at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. Two PLDP students were influential in the founding and implementation of the STEPS Initiative.
• The STEPS Initiative serves vulnerable populations (the poor, the homeless, refugees, minorities and other marginalized populations) in the Dayton area with chronic illness management. Motivational interviewing is utilized to empower individuals to choose healthy behaviors and goal setting techniques.

Colleen McCormick presenting on "Finding Meaning in Medicine".

Finding Meaning in Medicine

• Finding Meaning in Medicine, or FMM, was developed by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen (also the founder of The Healer’s Art). In 2011, Boonshoft School of Medicine students (including two PLDP students) and faculty started a Finding Meaning in Medicine for Medical Students group using the model defined by Dr. Remen.
• The goals of this program are to provide medical students in the clinical years with an opportunity to reflect on difficult clinical and ethical situations while improving their generous listening skills and reminding students of their humanistic goals in being physicians.
• The structure of the event was first modeled on The Healer’s Art: students share personal and/or professional stories or experiences with a small group (4-10 students) based on a pre-selected topic. Since then, adjustments were made to suit the group dynamic, including expansion of the number of students per group to include all attendees (as opposed to splitting into small groups).
• The sharing is confidential, and students are given the chance to reflect out loud on what they observe, think, feel, experience. An FMM conversation is focused on listening and discussing together, rather than on offering advice.
• Approximately 30 students have participated thus far, and most have responded positively to these sessions, stating they are more likely to listen to and reflect on their patients’ stories rather than jump to diagnoses and treatments.
• In addition to organizing monthly FMM meetings, our group is designing a one-day retreat that will take place during the Internal Medicine Clerkship, giving students additional opportunities to reflect on their clinical experiences.
• The students will be presenting FMM at the Gold Humanism Honor Society Biennial Conference and the fall 2012 Association of American Medical Colleges of national meeting. In addition, the students continue to research this program and the benefits of medical student group reflection.

Service Learning at Hospice of Dayton

• In 2012, two PLDP students developed a service learning opportunity for other medical students at Hospice of Dayton.
• The service learning experience serves as an extension of the skills and empathic listening learned during Healer’s Art. The ability to practice these skills before the clinical years is a huge benefit for the students.
• The service learning experience includes the full orientation for all Hospice volunteers. Students gain comfort in the hospice setting by shadowing a social worker or chaplain for a few visits. When they are comfortable, students are free to visit patients and their families in Hospice.

Research

All MPH culminating experiences are listed on the Wright State University CORE website.

Tom Hagele discusses his poster with fellow student Robert Beaulieu at the 2012 Medical Student Research Symposium.

Travel information

• Dominican Republic – Volunteer Clinical and Public Health Leader
• Paraguay – Volunteer Clinical and Public Health Leader, Culminating Experience
• Honduras – Hearts for Honduras
• Bolivia – Boonshoft elective
• Peru – Fulbright Scholar
• Lesotho – Clinical experience with HIV-positive pediatric patients
• Costa Rica – Volunteer clinical experience
• Nicaragua – Volunteer clinical experience

Laura Previll at APHA 2012.

Conferences attended

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
• American College of Physicians (ACP)
• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
• American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) “Leap Ahead for Medical Education” webinar
• Association for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)/Practice Based Research Network Conference
• American Medical Association (AMA)
• American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
• American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Association for Prevention, Teaching, and Research (APTR)
• Central Group on Educational Affairs (CGEA)
• Gold Humanism Honor Society
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) National Forum
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement/Academy for Healthcare Improvement
• Maternal Child Health Epidemiology Conference
• Midwest/Great Lakes Undergraduate Research Symposium in Neuroscience Panelist at College of Wooster
• Medicine 2.0
• Pediatric Academic Societies
• Society for Neuroscience Research
• Student Quality Leadership Academy
• Team Based Learning (TBL) Conference
• Unite for Sight, Global Health and Innovation Conference
• WSU Medical Student Research Symposium