**Introduction:** The well-being of academics at universities, including students, staff, and faculty is a topic of increasing concern. The lack of well-being may be attributed to the current academic context which does not consistently provide cues that affirm social inclusion to all members of the academic population (Estrada et al., 2018). The lack of cues that affirm the dignity of others has consequences and undermines a basic need that people are more likely to survive and experience well-being when feeling socially connected (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Dunbar & Barrett, 2007). Further, literature shows that social connection can reduce experiences of stress in pressured environments such as academia (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015; USPHS, 2023; Valtorta et al., 2016). This study examines the role of kindness (defined as actions that affirm dignity and social inclusion) in promoting connectivity and well-being among academics. 
**Methods:** The Social Influence of Kindness Study was conducted through a one-time anonymous 10-minute online survey via Qualtrics. Participants were recruited using the snowball method via email and social media based on interest in taking a 10-minute survey about Kindness and Dignity during Spring 2020. For this study, 182 participants were selected for analysis based on their occupation designation of studying or working within an academic institution. Each survey included a written reflective micro-narrative in response to the prompt "recall an experience of kindness" and consisted of measures of Kindness Given, Kindness Received, Institutional Identity, Stress, and Well-Being. 
**Results:** We found engaging in acts of kindness, as measured by two novel psychometric rating scales Kindness Received (alpha=.927) and Kindness Given (alpha=.859), was significantly associated with increased institutional identity, well-being, and reduced stress. Our structural equation model (SEM) further validated the correlation results with receiving kindness. Interestingly through the SEM we found conducting acts of kindness had a significant negative relationship with institutional identity and reduced stress. Qualitative analysis of micronarratives on kindness showed that feeling safe and being acknowledged are the most common ways people describe experiencing kindness, an affirmation of their dignity. 
**Conclusions and Discussion:** This study shows that receiving kindness among academics has the potential to improve institutional identity, well-being, and reduce stress. Further, the results show that receiving kindness and giving kindness can be reliably measured amongst students and faculty in academia. We provide evidence that reflecting on experiences of kindness promotes positivity, with the potential to encourage people to conduct further acts of kindness. Together these findings provide knowledge that can inform workshops and interventions to improve social connection and inclusion amongst diverse academics. This study contributes to broader research highlighting positive contextual factors that promote the persistence of diverse students and faculty in academia. 
**Acknowledgments:** The project was funded by NIH grant #R01GM138700

The Influence of Kindness on Academic Well-Being - Poster

"**Introduction.** Mentoring has been demonstrated to increase science identity, retention and academic performance. Students that develop science identity and sense of belonging are more likely to persist in STEM areas. Mentoring can also provide psychosocial support by normalizing struggles and reinforcing identity in the field. Peer-mentoring is a form of mentorship that involves a more experienced student guiding a less experienced student through social, emotional and/or academic support. The benefits of peer-mentoring have been observed to help Latina/o students find role models, access emotional and academic support, and career help, thereby increasing integration into their university. Peer-mentoring has also been credited as one of the factors which lead to the success of Black undergraduate women students graduating with STEM degrees at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). For Latinas and Black in STEM, peer mentoring has been shown to support  student integration and persistence, and increase academic performance and degree achievement. 

**Goal of Research:** We conducted a 1-year pilot intervention that had the goal of providing female Latina and Black STEM undergraduates, usually underrepresented (URM) in STEM, with a social, professional and academic support structure by inviting them to join a peer-mentoring program. Here we present the findings  

**Methods.** First-year science students attending a 4-year public college were invited to join a peer-mentoring program. Peer-mentors were recruited from upper level cohorts, with junior and senior standing in cell and molecular biology, toxicology, and forensic science majors. A total of 20 first-year female students joined the program in September and 8 upper-level female students joined as mentors. All participants were Latinas and/or Black. Participants formed small groups of on average three first-year students that met with a mentor monthly during the semester. In these meetings that lasted between 30-60 minutes, the mentors and mentees shared ideas, resources, discussed strategies and shared concerns. The whole cohort met three times during the semester, and participated in seminars in which invited speakers shared their professional experience and the work they were currently doing. The invited speakers were also female scientists from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. We assessed the student’s experiences using a 6-question survey at the end of each mentor-mentee meeting, that evaluated the implementation of the intervention and identified strengths and areas in need of improvement. The survey was voluntary and anonymous. The survey contained Likert-scale items and one opened-ended question. We use Leximancer software to conduct a thematic analysis and a relational (or semantic) analysis of the interview data. The software provides word frequency counts and co-occurrence counts of concepts present in participants' responses.  

**Results.** A total of 28 students participated in this intervention, all of which are URM in STEM (either African American or Hispanic). In the fall semester only 14 students joined the program, but 6 additional students requested to participate in the spring semester for a total of 20 participants. We originally had 8 mentors, but only 7 mentors completed the program. Groups were formed in the fall, and mentor-mentee sets continue to work together through the school year. New participants joined groups that already existed. In the quantitative part of the survey students were asked about their experience at each meeting. 58% and 67% responded that they ‘strongly agree’ to the statements  “this was a productive session” and “I look forward to my next mentoring session”. The qualitative assessment of the mentees’ responses showed that  ‘careers’, ‘internships’ and ‘time’ were among the most frequent terms used in the responses. Compound concepts showed ‘careers & goals’ and ‘internship & study’ to have the highest prominence in the meeting category, followed by “time & study’ and ‘helpful & goals’. These highlight the areas of most concern to the students attending. The concept map showed a large component in which terms like ‘improved’, ‘mentor’, ‘discussed’, ‘needs’, ‘helpful’ and ‘opportunities’ were the most frequent. The analysis identified top strengths of the intervention including 1)The mentorship program is comprehensive, covering a wide range of topics from academics to personal development, 2) Mentors are approachable and friendly, fostering a comfortable environment for mentees, and 3) The program provides a platform for mentees to discuss their goals and aspirations. In addition, some concerns were also highlighted by the software including, 1) The program may not be able to accommodate all the topics and concerns that mentees want to discuss due to time constraints, 2) The program may not be able to provide sufficient guidance and support for mentees who join late or miss meetings, and 3) The program may not be able to maintain its quality and effectiveness if it becomes too flexible and unstructured. This initial analysis provides suggestions on how to implement peer-mentoring programs and which aspects to keep in mind during their organization. 

**Conclusions and Discussions.** Our intervention adds to current evidence supporting the need for programs that aid first-year students in facing challenges associated with the college transition. It particularly highlights the importance of these support structures for URM females in STEM majors.  

**Acknowledgments.** This research is funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation in support of  the Black, Race, Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI) at the City University of New York (CUNY)"

Peer-mentoring intervention supports undergraduate Latinas and African-American students in STEM

Spaced-repetition and active retrieval-based practices consistently demonstrate improvement in cognition and retention of a large volume of information. Anki is an application that capitalizes upon these techniques and is increasingly utilized by medical students for exam preparation. While both spaced-repetition and active retrieval have been shown to improve long-term memory, there is little research on using Anki supplementary to medical curricula. This study examines how Anki utilization affects performance on standardized exams alongside analyzing individual Anki statistics to track markers of quality usage. Secondary goals include a qualitative assessment of the Anki, including its effect on student test confidence and preparedness.

In July 2021, medical students received training on using Anki alongside longitudinal support throughout the year. Following completion of Boonshoft School of Medicine academic curricula, data was obtained from the exams: Origins, Host and Defense (H&D), Staying Alive (SA), and the Complete Basic Science Exam (CBSE). Variables included: (1) student generated information from individual Anki-user statistics, submitted via Qualtrics; (2) nationally standardized exams stored in the Department of Medical Education; and (3) Qualtrics surveys on perceived ease-of-use at course end points.

Of the 130 students from the Class of 2025, 78 students reported using Anki for at least one of the exams, and 52 students were not in any of the four datasets. MCAT scores were used as a controlling measure when analyzing test scores to diminish confounders of natural intelligence and test-taking ability. Anki users scored significantly higher (95% CI) across all for exams: Origins (6.37%; p<0.001); H&D (6.15%; p=0.002); SA (7.01%; p<0.002); and CBSE (12.9%; p=0.003). Additionally, students who reported higher confidence or Anki dependency performed significantly better on the CBSE (ANOVA p=0.008, R2 = 74.8%).

Students more dependent on Anki performed significantly better on standardized examinations. Of interest, Anki efficacy was more pronounced in exams requiring greater bouts of knowledge, emphasizing the importance of long-term retention practices for board exams. In summary, greater integration, training, and longitudinal support of Anki may improve foundational biomedical knowledge and standardized exam scores.

From Short-Term Memory to Long-Term Knowledge: A Modified Learning Approach to First-Year Medical Education

Medical law is a subset of the legal system that dictates appropriate medical practice, regulations, and the rights and responsibilities of healthcare professionals and their patients. As the relationship between medicine and law becomes increasingly complex, many medical students report negative perceptions of the legal field and feel unprepared to handle medical-legal issues upon entering their clinical rotations and residencies. The aim of this literature review was to provide an overview of medical student understanding of medical law as well as the current status of medical-legal education in the United States. 

A PubMed search revealed 3,483 papers that were sorted for relevance and the citations of relevant papers were also reviewed. A total of 38 studies were included and evaluation yielded three main themes that were explored in depth. The first theme was that medical students and residents report feeling unprepared to handle legal aspects of healthcare. Surveys regarding medical student perceptions of the legal field unveiled the second theme which describes students as having generally negative feelings and attitudes toward law, although students acknowledged the importance of medical law in healthcare. The last theme was described by studies determining that introducing medical-legal courses to current medical school curricula would benefit students and have a positive impact on their perceptions of the legal field. 

More must be done to evaluate and reform current medical curricula to produce legally competent and confident physicians. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the United States should take the lead and add medical-legal education to their standards for accreditation that are annually released.

Incorporating Medical Law into Medical Education Curricula: A Literature Review

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Fail to Match Previous 15-Years of Underrepresented in Medicine Growth in Graduate Medical Education Residency Training Programs

Background Traditionally, hands-on procedural training during pre-clerkship education has been limited. Students transition from the classroom to the wards with limited procedural skills. As a result, students navigate their first clerkships with anxiety about being unprepared. In response, we hosted an in-person event, the Medical School Convention (MSC), to help the first-year medical students acclimate to procedural skills they will use shortly in their core clerkship training. 

Methods An in-person targeted simulation curriculum was launched at a large, private allopathic medical school to help improve medical students' self-perceived efficacy before starting clerkships. The objective was to provide medical students with a small group, hands-on clinical and procedural skills practice to better prepare them for clinical clerkships. Six relevant skills often not included in the traditional medical school curriculum were selected for the training, each being taught at a separate station. The stations were: oral presentations, suturing, venipuncture, intubation, ultrasound, and trauma assessment. A curriculum and training course was created for each of the skills. Following the skills training, students were offered an anonymous post-survey assessing comfort and self-perceived competency with the skills taught at the stations they attended. This study was deemed exempt by the Institutional Review Board. 
Descriptive statistics were obtained for all variables. Survey responses were analyzed using paired t-tests to compare pre-training and post-training responses. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. 

Results In the posttest survey, 95.1% of students reported that this workshop helped them feel more confident in clinical scenarios. Additionally, 100% of students reported that they would recommend this workshop to other medical students. Although not statistically significant, there are appreciable differences in students’ perceived confidence (2.8 vs. 3.2, p=0.537) and clinical self-efficacy (5.3 vs. 6.3, p=0.998) pre-and post-training, respectively. 

Conclusion The Medical School Convention provided valuable insights regarding medical students' self-reported preparedness for the wards. Through our brief one-day course, we identified some knowledge gaps regarding procedural skills and ways to address them. We conclude that more hands-on skills training should be integrated into all medical school curricula before students begin clerkships to help increase their self-confidence.

Medical School Convention: An Innovative Model to Prepare Medical Students for Clerkships

According to the National Residency Matching Program in 2022, 631 pathology positions were offered. In total, 248 MD seniors applied and filled 36.6% of these positions. To bolster medical students' interest in pathology, a medical school pathology interest group organized a multi-day activity to introduce rising second-year medical students to pathology as a career. Five students completed both pre- and post-activity surveys assessing their knowledge of pathology as a specialty. All five students had a BA/BS degree as their highest level of education. Only one student indicated that they had previously shadowed a pathologist as a medical laboratory scientist for a duration of four years. Two students indicated that they were interested in internal medicine, one indicated radiology, one forensic pathology or radiology, and one was undecided. During the activity, students biopsied tissue from cadavers in the gross anatomy lab. Following the biopsies, students participated in the standard tissue processing by shadowing a histotechnologist. Under the guidance of a pathologist, students microscopically examined slides and discussed the clinical findings. Post-activity survey results indicated that participation increased their knowledge of pathology as a career with a median increase of 0.8 points (range: 0.2 to 1.6) on a 5-point Likert scale. Students also indicated that their participation increased their knowledge of pathology skills and techniques – median increase of 1.2 (range: 0.8 to 1.8). This activity can be implemented by medical educators to increase exposure of medical students to pathology as a career with the benefit of increasing student knowledge in the specialty.

Pathology Education Project: A Pilot Program to Spark Student Interest in Pathology as a Career

Background: Virtual anatomy modules are convenient for students to complete, but their utility compared to traditional in-person anatomy didactics is unclear. Additionally, the recent demand for remote-learning materials has provided an advantageous opportunity for our institution to develop and assess the efficacy of online modules to teach pre-clerkship anatomy. Our aim was to develop, deploy, and evaluate the utility of Online Radiographic and Cadaveric Anatomy (ORCA) modules for teaching anatomy.

Methods: We created online renal, pulmonary, and cardiovascular anatomy modules that incorporated pictures of cadaveric prosections, 2D models, and radiographic images to teach principles of anatomy for first-year medical students (MS1) at Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Efficacy of our online modules was assessed through pre- and post-module tests. Additionally, voluntary surveys were administered to students to assess their opinions on this type of learning experience.

Results: Out of 116 students in the MS1 class, 77 completed the renal module, 85 completed the pulmonology module, and 47 completed the cardiovascular module. Pre- and post-module assessments showed that of the 77 MS1s who completed the renal module, 53% scored an 80% or higher on the post-module quiz, and 14% scored a 20% or lower. Additionally, of the 85 students that completed the pulmonary module, the percentage of students who scored 80% or above on the pre- and post-test were 25% and 47%, respectively. Post-unit surveys indicated that 70.2% of MS1s found the modules useful for teaching principles of anatomy, 54.1% feel confident applying their knowledge of anatomy to answer clinical vignettes, and 70.6% wanted similar modules in the future.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that ORCA modules may be helpful in teaching anatomy; however, additional studies are needed to assess whether they significantly improve test performance. Furthermore, a majority of MS1s found the modules to be useful for learning principles of anatomy, feel confident applying their knowledge to vignettes, and want similar modules for future anatomy units.

Learning Anatomy Using Online Radiographic and Cadaveric Anatomy (ORCA) Modules

Medical Specialty Speed Dating: Does It Work?

Background: Physicians regardless of specialty will encounter patients who have experienced addiction, making addiction medicine training vital. Unfortunately, medical schools devote little time to addiction-related training, with many students graduating without adequate knowledge or skills to treat patients with substance use disorders (SUD).

Methods: Michigan State University (MSU) created a pilot 4-week addiction medicine elective for PGY-1 students with the goal of increasing student’s knowledge, awareness, and skills in assessing patients with SUD. The Addiction Medicine Student Interest Group (AMSIG) was created to implement additional foundational principles. The 4-week elective was developed and made available to students online, including asynchronous modules, small and large group meetings, clinical cases, and expert and patient interviews. Utilizing these methods allowed for a broader reach and appealed to multiple learning styles. AMSIG held several events beginning with a de-stigmatization campaign where people-first language was emphasized. Other events included a patient panel, and naloxone and buprenorphine educational sessions.

Results: 36 PGY-1 students at MSU-CHM (MSU College of Human Medicine) completed a baseline attitudes survey in May 2021. An overwhelming majority of students “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that physicians who diagnose SUD early improve the chance of treatment success (89%), family involvement is a very important part of SUD treatment (97%), SUD is treatable (92%), alcohol use disorder is treatable (97%). The majority “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” that once a patient is abstinent and off all medication for their SUD, no further contact with a physician is necessary (100%), a patient with SUD who has relapsed several times probably cannot be treated (100%), a patient with a SUD cannot be helped until they hit “rock bottom” (94%). The de-stigmatization campaign had 21 participants, the patient panel had 30 attendees, the naloxone training was overwhelmingly popular with 66 participants, and the buprenorphine session had 26 participants.

Conclusion: Early supplementation of the medical school curriculum with addiction medicine training can boost students’ confidence in their ability to assess patients with SUD. Moving forward, the goal is to share what MSU-CHM has learned from the elective and AMSIG. Our hope is that other medical schools will incorporate these principles into their curriculums.

Beyond the Curriculum: Equipping Medical Students to Respond to the Opioid Epidemic

Background: There is a paucity of research regarding the perceptions and potential behavioral changes of the medical students that will be taking the USMLE as a pass/fail examination. We sought to assess medical student perceptions of the USMLE Step 1 transition to pass/fail and evaluate differences in extracurricular participation between pass/fail Step 1 students and scored Step 1 students.

Methods: Sixty-eight US medical schools were invited to participate in an anonymous survey. Self-reported extracurricular activities during the first year of medical school were compared between Step 1 pass/fail students (S1PF) and Step 1 scored students (S1S) with a chi square test.

Results: Between 8/25/2021-11/16/2021, 341 students started the survey and 277 (81.2%) completed the survey. One hundred two (36.8%) were S1S and 175 (63.2%) were S1PF, of which 87 (49.7%) had completed at least one year of medical school. We found mixed results on whether students would prefer Step 1 to be pass/fail or scored. The majority felt the transition would disadvantage students from “lower ranking” medical schools. Regarding the transition, the majority of S1PF reported more anxiety related to Step 2, extracurricular activities, and the
residency application process. There were no significant differences between S1S and S1PF students for participation in volunteering, teaching, and research, but a significant increase was observed in how many leadership positions S1PF students applied to and obtained during their first year of medical school (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively).

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the perceptions and possible behavioral changes of medical students who will be taking Step 1 as a pass/fail examination. The reported increase in anxiety among pass/fail students should be addressed by medical education professionals and merits discussion of curricular remodeling. The transition creates an opportunity to redefine the residency application process allowing holistic evaluation of students which can confer advantage to those from “lower ranking” schools.

Medical Student Perceptions of the USMLE Step 1 Transition to Pass/FailScoring

Abstract Title:
Impact of Medical School Longitudinal Research Program in Post-Graduate Research Productivity

Background
In 2004, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) implemented a novel, mandatory research curriculum for medical students titled the Longitudinal Research Project (LRP). Under faculty mentorship, medical students construct an individualized scholarly research project that must be completed prior to graduation. This study evaluates the long-term implications of the LRP by analyzing post-graduate research productivity following the implementation of this unique research curriculum.

Methods
This retrospective study analyzed publication data from 2007-2020 on UPSOM graduates before and after LRP implementation in 2004. Each graduate’s respective publication(s) were identified via PubMed’s Advanced Search Builder with a time frame that began from one-year to seven-years post-graduation. Confounders were identified using bivariate analyses and incorporated into final multivariate regression models. The cross-sectional time series cohort was analyzed using multivariate linear mixed effects modeling with significance set to 0.05 via STATA 16 statistical software.

Results
1,022 medical school graduates met inclusion criteria. Of which, 278 graduated prior to 2008 (pre-LRP), while 744 graduated in 2008 or later (post-LRP). The average rate of publications annually was 0.47 + 1.43 pre-LRP & 0.57 + 1.40 post-LRP. According to multivariate linear-mixed effects results, post-LRP medical school graduates exhibited a greater average annual publication rate than pre-LRP medical student graduates (ß = 0.10, 95%CI: 0.03 – 0.17, p = 0.008). The average probability of at least one publication in a given year was 22% (95%CI: 0.21 – 0.23) pre-LRP & 27% (95%CI:0.25 – 0.28) post-LRP. The average probability of at least one first author publication in a given year was 12.2% (95% CI: 0.12 – 0.13) pre-LRP & 15% (95% CI:0.14 – 0.16) post-LRP.

Conclusion
Medical school graduates who partook in a mandatory, longitudinal research program in a medical school curriculum exhibited a greater average annual publication rate than pre-LRP medical graduates early on in their post-graduate careers. This study suggests that implementing a mandatory LRP within a medical school’s curriculum may increase meaningful research productivity and progression of clinical science for young physicians beyond the curriculum.



Underline digital video library

The Influence of Kindness on Academic Well-Being - Poster

Peer-mentoring intervention supports undergraduate Latinas and African-American students in STEM

From Short-Term Memory to Long-Term Knowledge: A Modified Learning Approach to First-Year Medical Education

Incorporating Medical Law into Medical Education Curricula: A Literature Review

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Fail to Match Previous 15-Years of Underrepresented in Medicine Growth in Graduate Medical Education Residency Training Programs

Medical School Convention: An Innovative Model to Prepare Medical Students for Clerkships

Pathology Education Project: A Pilot Program to Spark Student Interest in Pathology as a Career

Learning Anatomy Using Online Radiographic and Cadaveric Anatomy (ORCA) Modules

Medical Specialty Speed Dating: Does It Work?

Beyond the Curriculum: Equipping Medical Students to Respond to the Opioid Epidemic

Medical Student Perceptions of the USMLE Step 1 Transition to Pass/FailScoring

Impact of Medical School Longitudinal Research Program in Post-Graduate Research Productivity

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