Surgical Education Research
Co-Chairs of Research Committee
Surgical Educator
The Department of Surgery supports a resident to focus on surgical education research. This resident also supports the skills laboratory educational program for both residents and students. We have had a surgical education research fellow participate on the team. This is a person who has formal training in education (masters or doctoral degree) along with surgery.
Educational research spans a wide range of endeavors including learner motivation, instructional strategies, cognition and assessment. To conduct this research in UCSF we have a team of surgical education researchers, curricular options and research projects. This is an important opportunity to make improvements in the way surgeons are prepared to meet the challenges of the future. Surgical education research is growing as an area of critical importance and UCSF is positioned to lead in this area.
To accommodate the diversified academic interests of our residents, we have developed five broad research pathways modeled after the GME "Pathways to Discovery" program. Each has a designated pathway leader who is responsible for meeting with and advising residents interested in that research area. Pathway leaders are members of the resident research committee.
Scientific research is not complete until it has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, and funding for research cannot be obtained without a skillful blend of technical and nontechnical writing that is targeted to the reviewers. Since scientific writing is often a rate-limiting step in the development of a successful academic career, the Department of Surgery’s Scientific Writing Core was designed to offer a long-term perspective on writing that begins with an intensive course in expository writing with subsequent maintenance via individualized editing for investigators at all levels. The intensive course is offered annually in January-March. Editorial review and consultation is available for Department of Surgery faculty, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and medical students doing research with Surgery faculty.
