Posts Tagged ‘Education’

By Jackie Wirz, Ph.D. OHSU is filled with all sorts of brainy people, ranging from your local faculty superstar who is a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator to hardworking students who won their first major grant to fund their graduate research.  Speaking of students, OHSU is home to more than 2,800 students enrolled in 42 different academic programs.  That’s a lot of brain power!   For one of those programs, 2013 marks a significant anniversary: … Read More

By Jeff Kraakevik, M.D. On Friday in the Neuroscience and Behavior Course for second-year medical students, we tried something that we haven’t done before. It’s a pretty interesting teaching model called the “flipped classroom.” Essentially, it takes the traditional method of hearing new content in the day and applying it at night with individual study, and flips that order around. The outcome is that students learn the material at home the night before the teaching … Read More

Written by Jackie Wirz, Ph.D. There are many things that inspire me here at OHSU; most recently, I’ve been utterly amazed by the social behavior of drunk prairie voles. Wha….? Okay, a little clarification is needed here: I recently had the privilege of attending the dissertation defense of Allison Anacker, a Behavioral Neuroscience Graduate Program student. I have written before about the amazing scholarship that our students produce, specifically in the form of the blue-bound … Read More

Written by Jeff Kraakevik, M.D. The video included with this post is eleven minutes and forty-one seconds long. It’s a little on the long side for a web-distributed video, but I think it is well worth the investment of your time. The video was first posted in 2010, and is by Sir Kenneth Robinson. In it, he outlines how our education system as a whole has been shaped by the forces of history which were … Read More

Written by Jeff Kraakevik, M.D. I have had the privilege to work with the curriculum transformation committee for the OHSU School of Medicine for the last few months. The group has a variety of viewpoints represented at the table, and we have had some very lively and thought-provoking discussions on how the medical curriculum can best prepare students to be the physicians of the early twenty-first century (we can leave the 24 1/2th century to … Read More

Written by Jackie Wirz, Ph.D. Fall is swiftly approaching, and with it comes a new crop of students*.  It seems like only yesterday that I was writing my applications for graduate school and dealing with the universally awkward “Personal Statement” essay. One of my goals was to never use the words “destiny”, “passion” or “dream”.  And definitely no Robert Frost quotes**. To be sure, my attempts at squishing a lifetime of hopes and dreams into … Read More

Written by Mark Kemball Oregon may well be known for its wines, but no vineyards are to be found on the south-facing slopes of Marquam Hill. The tram lacks tie-downs for the transportation of aged oak barrels. The finer points of pigeage–the French wine-making term for the annual stomping of the grapes–are absent from the academic curriculum. But we do share one characteristic with the grape harvesters and the wine makers: we mark the graduation … Read More

By Jackie Wirz, Ph.D. Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Portland premiere of Cirque du Soliel’s Ovo. It is an inspired performance that incorporates acrobats, aerialists, some pretty amazing trampolining crossed with rock climbing (!) and more than a few flamboyantly costumed bugs. The small size of the tent makes you feel like you are involved in a surreal dream that strangely involves feats of strength on a tightrope, acts of amazing coordination … Read More

By Jeff Kraakevik, M.D. I recently became the co-course director for the neuroscience and behavior class for the second year medical students.  This course stretches nine weeks, and covers topics ranging from basic anatomy of the nervous system to how to treat common conditions like stroke and depression.  We have four hours of material to cover every day for that two-month stretch.  We’re just starting week three of this endeavor.  I thought I’d use this … Read More

By Mark Kemball Spring is in the air and the Pacific Northwest air is filled with the hum of spinning hats. Yes, it’s graduation. Thanks to the M.D. Class, this year tam o’shanters will join the exuberant flight of mortarboards and other assorted headwear that traditionally marks the annual migration of students from all of OHSU’s academic programs. But data from our alumni records suggest that while our graduating students are indeed leaving their campus-based … Read More