Many AUGS members are involved in some way with medical student and resident education.  Since medical students will soon become health care providers, and many of them may choose fields outside of OB/Gyn such as Internal Medicine and Family Practice, it is crucial that students improve their understanding of pelvic floor disorders and that we improve our understanding of how best to teach them. In addition, postgraduate level learners such as residents in OB/Gyn, Internal Medicine, and Family Practice, as well as Fellows in Geriatrics will all have exposure to patients who suffer from pelvic floor disorders. To this end, AUGS is supporting multi-center educational research in teaching medical students, residents, and/or fellows about pelvic floor disorders. 

Multi-center studies are needed in order to evaluate and develop effective interventions for teaching.  Single sites seldom have enough trainees to adequately evaluate a teaching intervention, and multi-center studies make results generalizable.

In 2007, AUGS awarded three multi-center educational research grants.  Congratulations to the 2007 AUGS Educational Multi-Center Research Initiative Award Recipients:

Roxana Geoffrion, MD
University of Calgary
The Mind’s Scalpel: Applying Mental Imagery to Surgical Education

Kathie L. Hullfish, MD
University of Virginia Health System
Evaluation of Ob/Gyn Medical Student Educational Opportunities and Outcomes in Female Pelvic Medicine:  A Comparison of Tertiary and Community Settings

Tovia Elizabeth Martirosian, MD
University of Virginia Health System 
Evaluation of Ob/Gyn Medical Student Educational Opportunities and Outcomes in Female Pelvic Medicine:  A Comparison of Tertiary and Community Settings

Amy Park, MD
Cleveland Clinic
Assessment of Judgment during gynecologic surgery using the Script Concordance Test
Congratulations to the recipients of our 2007 research grants.

Working with the AUGS Foundation, plans are currently underway to expand our 2007 efforts by continuing this program into 2008 and beyond. AUGS and the AUGS Foundation are currently looking for support from industry to turn this program into a permanent program for the Society and Foundation.