OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of clinical genetics specialization development and the diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities for hereditary diseases across medical institutions in Shanghai, and to assess the necessity and feasibility of establishing training bases for clinical genetics specialists. METHODS: By employing a cross-sectional survey design, the Clinical Genetics Committee of Shanghai Medical Association has conducted questionnaire surveys from March to April 2025 across 54 healthcare institutions in Shanghai (including 33 tertiary hospitals and 21 secondary hospitals). The survey involved administrative departments and medical personnel from 15 clinical specialties. The survey has covered current genetic disease diagnosis and treatment practices, relevant and specialised disease types, genetic department establishment, testing capabilities, personnel teams, and training requirements. RESULTS: The results revealed that 78.0% of clinical departments surveyed had treated patients with hereditary disorders. Shanghai possesses diagnostic and therapeutic expertise for over 95% of hereditary diseases listed in its rare disease catalogue, reflecting both the practical clinical demand for such conditions and the city's overall diagnostic and therapeutic strengths in this field. Nevertheless, significant disparities exist in the development of genetics departments across different tiers of healthcare institutions. Resources for genetic testing capabilities (including molecular, cellular, and biochemical testing) are also unevenly distributed across different tiers of hospitals. The survey further revealed that only 26.0% of departments believe that their current physician structure fully meets the diagnostic and treatment demands. Over 90% of departments consider standard training for clinical genetic specialists necessary, with 74.0% expressing willingness to participate in establishing training bases. Based on above findings and thorough deliberation, the Clinical Genetics Committee of the Shanghai Medical Association proposes advancing specialist training and discipline development through establishing a standard training system. The committee has drafted a three-year training protocol featuring a "joint training"-centered model, recommending a pilot-first, dynamically optimized strategy for steadily advancing training base development. CONCLUSION Shanghai faces substantial demand for genetic disease diagnosis and treatment, yet exhibits shortcomings in clinical genetics specialization development, resource allocation, and talent pipeline cultivation. To establish a standard training system holds significant practical importance and is underpinned by a broad demand.
Humans ; China ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn/genetics* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Genetics, Medical/education* ; Genetic Testing

BACKGROUND

Internationalization in medical education aims to align programs with global standards, foster intercultural competence, and expand academic collaboration. In private medical schools in Northern Luzon, clarifying how internationalization is conceptualized and enacted can enhance the medical curriculum.

To explore how private medical schools in Northern Luzon conceptualize and implement internationalization, identify associated challenges, and propose curriculum inputs to enhance delivery of the medical curriculum.

The qualitative study utilized a multiple case study design. The study was approved by the Saint Louis University Research Ethics Committee. Using purposive sampling, 45 participants from private institutions in Northern Luzon Philippines consented to engage in focus group discussions and in-depth interviews from February to April 2025. Data were analyzed through inductive content and thematic techniques.

Participants conceptualized internationalization as (1) alignment with international quality and practice standards; (2) global engagement and exchange encompassing knowledge, skills, culture, institutional networking, and collaboration; (3) inclusivity and multicultural responsiveness; and (4) pursuit of global recognition and accreditation. Implementation occurred via “internationalization at home” (embedding global perspectives in local learning environments), “internationalization abroad” (student/faculty mobility and external exposure), and alignment of philosophical and curricular frameworks. Reported challenges included institutional and curricular constraints, language and cultural barriers, sociocultural and financial limitations, and external/contextual pressures.

Addressing the identified barriers and scaling the documented practices can enhance the delivery of the medical curriculum. The study offers actionable curricular revisions that private institutions may adopt to strengthen internationalization in medical education.

BACKGROUND

Continuing Medical Education (CME) serves as a cornerstone for maintaining clinical competence and improving patient care. In the Philippines, CME has become increasingly digital, with the UP Med Webinars emerging as a leading platform for physician education over the past decade. Despite this growth, there has been limited evaluation of how well these webinars align with national health priorities, particularly those reflected in PhilHealth hospital admissions and claims data, which provide insights into the country's disease burden and healthcare utilization patterns.

This study aimed to determine the extent to which the topics and reach of UP Med Webinars correspond with the Philippine health system’s most pressing clinical demands. Specifically, it aimed to analyze the trend in number of webinars by year; analyze the distribution of webinar topics by medical field; assess physician attendance as a proxy for clinical interest and engagement; evaluate the alignment between UP Med Webinar content and national health priorities based on PhilHealth’s top conditions, procedures, and reimbursed claims.

The study used a qualitative content analysis of all Continuing Professional Development (CPD)-accredited UP Med Webinars from 2015 to 2024, supported by descriptive statistics. Webinar titles were coded thematically and categorized by topic and medical field. Attendance figures were analyzed to identify high-demand topics. These results were compared with PhilHealth Claims Reports (2020–2024), focusing on the top reimbursed medical diagnoses and procedures, to assess alignment with disease burden and health service delivery trends. These findings can help inform strategic planning for CME programs to ensure they remain responsive to the country's evolving public health needs.

From 2015 to 2024, a total of 686 CPDaccredited UP Med Webinars were conducted, attended by 685,994 participants. The annual number of webinars and attendees steadily increased, peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022) with heightened demand for virtual CME and pandemic-related topics. Internal Medicine consistently emerged as the most frequently covered field, accounting for 54.1% of webinars and 48.8% of total attendance, followed by Obstetrics and Gynecology (14.4% of webinars; 19.6% of attendance) and Pharmacotherapeutics (6.0% of webinars; 6.9% of attendance). Certain fields, including COVID-19 and Psychiatry, attracted disproportionately high attendance despite fewer sessions, indicating strong interest during periods of public health urgency. The top 10 webinar topics included Diabetes, Pregnancy, Cancer, Hypertension, Reproductive Health, COVID-19, Heart Disease, Antimicrobial Treatment, Vertigo, and Vaccination, reflecting a mix of chronic disease management, maternal health, infectious diseases, and emergent health concerns.

Comparison with PhilHealth claims data (2020– 2024) revealed a high disease burden in Internal Medicine, Obstetrics, and Pediatrics, with top medical conditions including Pneumonia, Dengue, Hypertensive emergencies, and Stroke. These findings indicate a strong alignment between the most covered webinar topics and national healthcare utilization trends, particularly in high-burden clinical areas.

Findings suggest that the UP Med Webinars have generally aligned with national health priorities, as indicated by PhilHealth claims data, particularly in highburden fields such as Internal Medicine and Obstetrics. However, gaps in coverage for certain high-priority conditions and procedures point to opportunities for more inclusive and data-driven CME planning. Aligning CME content with evolving health system needs can enhance its relevance, support clinical practice improvements, and ultimately contribute to better population health outcomes in the Philippines.

Abstract Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is increasingly recognized as a vital, non-invasive tool for managing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to its real-time assessment capabilities and patient comfort. However, the lack of standardized training pathways remains a significant barrier to its widespread adoption, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. This editorial evaluates the implementation of a mastery learning-based workshop in Indonesia designed to enhance IUS skills among physicians. The mastery learning framework—incorporating flipped learning, deliberate practice, and real-time feedback led to significant improvements in technical performance with large effect sizes. Despite these gains, only about two-thirds of participants achieved competency in sigmoid colon scanning, and only half met the standard for terminal ileum assessment. This suggests that while short-term intensive workshops are effective for early skill acquisition, they may be insufficient for ensuring consistent proficiency in technically demanding tasks. Mastery learning offers a structured and reproducible approach to gastroenterology procedural training. To translate these initial educational gains into durable clinical expertise, future programs should consider longitudinal curricula that include sustained practice, mentorship, and ongoing assessment.
Intestinal ultrasound ; mastery learning ; Inflammatory bowel disease ; medical education ; competency-based training ; gastroenterology

Abstract Background: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is a non-invasive tool for monitoring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), offering high diagnostic accuracy and greater patient convenience than gastrointestinal endoscopy. The present study evaluated the feasibility of a mastery learning approach in Indonesia’s inaugural IUS workshop to enhance skill acquisition among physicians. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 37 physicians who participated in a two-day IUS workshop employing a mastery learning approach that included flipped learning, lectures, a pre-test, hands-on sessions with real-time feedback, and a post-test. Skill acquisition was assessed using standardized checklists for scanning the sigmoid colon and terminal ileum, with pre- and post-test performance evaluated against a minimum passing standard (MPS) established by expert faculties. Data was analyzed using SPSS with appropriate statistical tests to determine learning outcomes and effect sizes. Results: 34 out of 37 participants completed the workshop and skill assessment. Significant improvements were observed in both sigmoid colon and terminal ileum ultrasound scores after training (P < 0.001), with effect sizes of r = 0.89 and r = 0.86, respectively. The MPS was achieved by 67.65% of participants for the sigmoid colon and 50% for the terminal ileum. Conclusion: A mastery learning–based workshop significantly enhanced IUS skill acquisition among internists and gastroenterologists. Based on the MPS criteria, approximately one-third of participants would require additional training for sigmoid colon scanning, while about half would benefit from further training in terminal ileum scanning.
Inflammatory bowel disease ; Ultrasonography ; Education ; Medical ; continuing

Introduction: Medical student attrition and poor academic performance have implications for both medical schools and the future healthcare workforce. This study aimed to determine the demographic and academic characteristics of first-year medical students with low academic performance across different instructional modalities—traditional face-to-face, online, and HyFlex learning. Methods: This non-concurrent cohort study included first-year medical students enrolled from School Years (SY) 2018–2019 to 2024–2025. Student characteristics analyzed included sex, pre-medicine degree, pre-medicine general weighted average (GWA), National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) score, and academic performance in annual first-year subjects. Low academic performance was defined as failure in at least one annual subject. Students were grouped according to instructional modality: face-to-face (SY 2018–2020), online (SY 2020–2022), and HyFlex (SY 2022–2025). Demographic and academic characteristics were compared between students with and without low academic performance. Results: A total of 2,936 first-year medical students were included. The proportion of students with low academic performance was 19% during the face-to-face period, 17% during the online period, and 27% during the HyFlex period. Across all instructional modalities, students with low academic performance had significantly poorer pre-medicine GWA than students who passed all annual subjects (p<0.05). During the online and HyFlex periods, students with low academic performance also had significantly lower NMAT scores than students who passed all annual subjects (p<0.05), whereas no significant difference in NMAT scores was observed during the face-to-face period. Conclusion Pre-medicine GWA was consistently associated with academic performance across face-to-face, online, and HyFlex instructional modalities. Lower NMAT scores were associated with low academic performance during online and HyFlex learning. Early identification of students with poorer pre-medicine academic performance and lower NMAT scores may facilitate timely academic support.
Students, Medical ; Academic performance ; Education, Distance ;

Human ; Education, Medical ; Education

BACKGROUND

Proficiency in performing thoracentesis is a key competency recommended in the Medical Schools Objective Project (MSOP) adopted by the American Association of Medical Colleges, USA, that medical students should possess prior to graduation, although they often do not practice it clinically until the later stages of their training. Thiel-embalmed cadavers, which offer a lifelike experience with less irritation than formalin-preserved cadavers, have been increasingly used as early as 1st year medical school to teach such procedures because of their feel-like and look-like real patients. There are no studies on the use of Thiel- cadavers for simulated thoracentesis among medical students in the Philippines.

To evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of medical students on the use of Thiel-soft embalmed cadavers for simulated thoracentesis as to the understanding of thoracic anatomy, overall learning experience, and confidence in performing the procedure in the cadaver and possibly in the clinical setting.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study among Learning Unit III medical students in the University of the Philippines conducted from June 13 to 17, 2022. In the final station of the Organ System Course 205 of the Department of Anatomy's LEAP II program, a simulated thoracentesis procedure was set up using a Thiel-preserved cadaver with artificially created pleural effusion. After watching and studying thoracic anatomy, watching a video on how thoracentesis was performed by a general surgeon, students performed the procedure, and were asked to answer a 6-question Likert-scale survey to assess their perceptions and attitudes of the simulation procedure. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Most of the students strongly agreed that practicing thoracentesis on the soft cadaver has improved their understanding of the anatomical basis of doing thoracentesis (97%) and of the steps of the procedure (94.9%). Similarly, when asked about how they felt doing the simulated thoracentesis, almost all (98%) strongly agreed that it was an enjoyable and stimulating learning experience. Majority strongly agreed (68%) that they felt capable doing the procedure on a soft cadaver against less than half (38.4%) feeling capable of doing it in the clinical setting. Almost all (97%) strongly agreed that simulated thoracentesis on a soft-embalmed cadaver should be part of the learning competencies of medical students because of the skills they learn by doing the procedure.

Integrating a simulated thoracentesis using a Thiel-preserved cadaver early in the course of a student’s medical education, provided students with a better understanding of the anatomy of the thoracic wall and the anatomical basis of doing this simulation procedure. Though confidence in performing the procedure in a soft cadaver is higher than in a clinical setting, the latter setting may need repeated training to further hone their skills. Practicing thoracentesis on soft-embalmed cadavers significantly enhanced medical students' understanding and enjoyment of the procedure. This innovative approach can be considered by anatomy educators as an integrative learning activity when teaching thoracic cage anatomy. This can also be extended to senior medical students and residents across different specialties.

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the lack of traditional cadaveric dissection among first year medical students in Anatomy courses in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. The Learning Enhancement in Anatomy Program (LEAP) was implemented as a bridging program to enhance knowledge and understanding of gross anatomy and histology. As part of this program, a novel multi-strategy teaching method was conducted for the Integumentary and Musculoskeletal Anatomy Module.

This case study described a novel multi-strategy teaching method on Integumentary and Musculoskeletal anatomy for first year medical students which was done after the COVID-19 pandemic wherein there was a shortage of cadavers. By describing this multi-strategy teaching method, this case study aims to present a potential alternative teaching method in a situation where there is an unexpected shortage of human cadavers.

A retrospective review of documents related to this teaching method among first year medical students at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine was conducted from November 15, 2023, to January 15, 2024. The novel teaching method for the Integumentary and Musculoskeletal station was taught using five different methods: proctor demonstration, a prosected lower extremity with a self-directed manual, dissection education videos viewed on a large screen, skeletons for osteology, and individual light microscopes with a self-directed laboratory histology manual. We described the data and analyzed according to strengths and limitations, and formulated recommendations to improve the module.

The Integumentary and Musculoskeletal Module of the LEAP provided an interactive, hands-on experience in anatomy education. The five-pronged method facilitated a multifaceted approach to learning through cadaveric prosections, self-directed manuals, dissection videos, osteology exercises, and microscopic study. There was active engagement, overall positive student feedback, and increased post-test scores. However, certain limitations, such as the lack of direct cadaveric dissection, potential underutilization of histology components, and reliance on faculty guidance, highlight areas for improvement.

The Integumentary and Musculoskeletal Module of the LEAP has demonstrated significant strengths in enhancing anatomical education through a multimodal approach that fosters active learning, improves knowledge retention, and provides a structured curriculum adaptable to various resource constraints. Student feedback and test performance support the effectiveness of the module, particularly in gross anatomy. Addressing challenges in future iterations will be crucial in refining the program and expanding its applicability to different educational contexts. By building on its strengths and mitigating its weaknesses, this five-pronged method can continue to serve as a model for innovative and effective anatomy education. 

BACKGROUND

The University of the Philippines College of Medicine has been lauded for its research output, especially among faculty members. Research is also integrated in its curriculum for medical students in pursuit of “six-star physicians.” However, there has been no consolidated analysis on the outcomes of feedback collected from students.

The study aims to describe the perception of research education among medical students in Learning Units III to VII (LU III-VII) from academic year 2017-2018 to 2019-2020 in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM).

Through a mixed-method descriptive design, students enrolled in the MD and MD-PHD program from LU III-VII of the UPCM were invited to participate in a survey. Furthermore, a review of the student research database and course evaluations were conducted.

A total of 197 student-initiated studies were conducted according to the college database, varying in types and approaches. However, only 4% of the registered research was published. Research-oriented courses were also rated highly among the medical students. This was consistent with positive attitudes towards research among the majority of participants. However, only 32.2% of the target sample size participated in the survey.

Participants of the survey had positive perceptions regarding their research education. However, there are several areas for improvement such as provision of grants, publication assistance, compliance with research registration, and mentorship in data analysis.