Group on Information Resources (GIR)

GIR provides a forum for individuals in roles of leadership and responsibility to promote excellence in the application and integration of information resources in academic medicine.

Member Profile

Each month we feature a member institution and an interesting application or project. This month we are featuring the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a private medical university and its GIR members.

Viewpoint

A Learner-Centered Infrastructure: The Next Generation Learning Management System
For many early adopters, the introduction of course management systems came out of administratively-driven initiatives. For others, pedagogical drivers may have been at the forefront, but the available solutions were limited in their support for new approaches to teaching and learning. Recently, however, we have seen a new generation of what we increasingly call learning management systems (LMS) that reflect the maturation of the industry and the learner-centered requirements coming from educational institutions.

GIR News

New Feature: E-mail Security Summary Report
In September, the GIR began a new series to assist in keeping members informed about common security practices. Several times during the year a short survey focused on a particular security practice is distributed and the results reported in the next GIR newsletter.

AAMC 2008 Annual Meeting

Learning Management Systems Workgroup Report (PDF, 18 pages)

AAMC News and Updates

Career Connect
The AAMC Job Board—an online forum for medical schools and teaching hospitals to connect with the best and brightest talent—has expanded its services to include faculty positions in academic medicine. The Job Board continues to post non-faculty and administrative job openings. The service is free to all job seekers; rates for employers are very reasonable.

AAMC 2008 Annual Meeting Highlights
The 2008 AAMC Annual Meeting hosted approximately 3,800 medical education professionals and guests for six days of presentations, discussions, exhibits, and professional networking.

AAMC President Poses "Tough Questions" at Annual Meeting
Dr. Darrell G. Kirch challenged the leaders of the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals to bring change to academic medicine by confronting five "tough questions" related to medical education, research, and patient care. (Nov. 2, 2008)

AAMC Launches AspiringDocs.org Video Contest
The AAMC has launched an online video contest to give college students a chance to turn their dream of becoming a doctor into $1,000 toward medical school application costs. (Nov. 10, 2008)

AAMC Issues Health Care Reform Principles
The AAMC has issued six principles to help guide reform of the nation's health care system. The principles call for U.S. medical schools and major teaching hospitals to play a pivotal role in improving health and health care and in achieving positive changes in the health care system. (Oct. 28, 2008)

The Medical Home: AAMC Position Statement
The "medical home" model of health care emphasizes an ongoing relationship between care provider and patient, including around-the-clock access to consultation, respect for a patient's cultural and religious beliefs, and comprehensive coordination of a patient's care among providers and community services.

Academic Medicine
In the November issue, three articles are free to non-subscribers: "Title VII Innovations in American Medical and Dental Education," "Funding the Diversity Programs of the Title VII Health Professions Training Grants," and "Evaluating Title VII Investments in Primary Care Training."

In the News

Report on Youth and New Media Pokes at Educational Institutions (The Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 20, 2008)

ANSI Workgroup Formed to Prioritize Healthcare IT Needs to Support Clinical Research (ANSI, Nov. 19, 2008)

Can You Delete Your Digital Past? (CIO, Nov. 17, 2008)

Personal Health Records Could Save $21 Billion Annually (Center for Information Technology Leadership, Nov. 2008)

Survey: Hospital EHR Adoption Rate is Below 12% (Government Health IT, Nov. 12, 2008)

Rice, Baylor Medicine Closer to Merger Deal (Houston Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2008)

Health Care Industry at Odds Over HHS' Timeline for Adoption of New Medical Codes (iHealth Beat, Nov. 10 , 2008)

Tough Times Strain Colleges Rich and Poor (New York Times, Nov. 7, 2008)

FTC Delays Enforcement of ID Theft Red Flag Rule Until May 2009 (Federal Trade Commission, Oct. 22, 2008)

Identity Theft Affects Health IT Progress (AAMC Reporter, Oct. 2008)

More News >>