Transplant and the Neurosurgeon

One of the things I love about blogging is how a link leads to a link leads to a great story.  SurgeXperiences 319 (available here ) related a link about Steve Jobs and his liver transplant. Most neurosurgeons spend a part of their residency learning the ins and outs of brain death testing-a critical link in the transplant world.  At first it may seem gruesome and unnatural but most of us quickly realize the how many lives are touched by an organ donor.  Since that time, I spent years working closely with the New York Organ Donor Network on public awareness and education programs because of the ever growing disparity between the need and availability of transplantable organs.  The fact is that the success of modern surgical transplantation has far outstripped our supply for these critically ill patients.  Once in a while, a celebrity like Mickey Mantle, grabs some headlines and we all hope that more universal acceptance of organ donation will take root.  Now, two giants-Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steve Jobs are taking the battle on.  Until technology leapfrogs us beyond the need for human organs, let us hope a much higher percentage of Americans will become designated organ donors-it only takes a minute!  Watch Job's video -it is inspiring.

Medical Education: Attention Long Overdue

JAMA recently published a review of a very important book (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/303/5/458): Radiology Education: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.  while the educational aspects of medicine have gotten increasing attention on many levels during the last decade, this book focuses on some critic elements.  In fact the book is organized around three key elements: Education for NonEducators (unfortunately, the majority of doctors who are training the next generation fall into this category), Educational Insights from Practitioners (finally some recognition that some teach better than others and may have an inside tract), and Radiology Education Global Outreach (synthesizing lessons learned from many educational milieu).
Those who direct residency training in all specialties should take note of this book and look long and hard about how to effect similar educational  innovation and introspection within their own training programs.