Madeleine Howard, Jessica Laenger, Sabrina Billings, Chrysanthe Yates, Elizabeth Mattson, Ashley Thomas, Cara Prier, Ebone Hill, Jaimie Grega, Turner Gibson, Daniel Silva, Zhuo Li, Mary S Hedges
{"title":"Cultural Competency in Medical Education through the Arts and Humanities: An Innovative Immersive Community-Based Workshop.","authors":"Madeleine Howard, Jessica Laenger, Sabrina Billings, Chrysanthe Yates, Elizabeth Mattson, Ashley Thomas, Cara Prier, Ebone Hill, Jaimie Grega, Turner Gibson, Daniel Silva, Zhuo Li, Mary S Hedges","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001997","DOIUrl":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001997","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Teaching cultural competency is a critical but challenging task for clinician educators. Immersive experiential learning in the local community through the arts and humanities remains underexplored in medical education. To address this gap, a novel arts and humanities-based cultural competency workshop was developed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This half-day cultural competency workshop was a collaborative effort between a center for humanities in medicine and an Internal Medicine residency program at an academic institution in the southeastern United States. The workshop incorporated a walking tour to sites in the historic downtown area near the institution's Community Health Collaborative to highlight local artists and the intersection of art, history, community, and health. Facilitators provided prompts to help guide discussion. Residents were asked to complete an anonymous, pre- and postintervention survey comprising five questions about arts and humanities-based learning and several aspects of cultural competency. Likert scale responses ranged from 1 (strongly disagree/extremely uncomfortable) to 5 (strongly agree/extremely comfortable).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 43 residents participated in the workshop, 35 of whom (82%) completed the presurvey and 26 (60%) completed the postsurvey. Pre- and postintervention surveys demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all five learning outcomes assessed. The findings indicate improved awareness and self-perceived readiness to engage with cultural issues in clinical practice, demonstrating the value of humanities in facilitating experiential understanding of such concepts.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This pilot study highlights the significant potential of immersive arts and humanities-based learning to enhance cultural competency in medical education. This approach can effectively complement traditional clinical training to enhance culturally responsive care. Future studies should implement this model across a broader range of training environments and specialties. By investing in such innovative educational approaches, we can better prepare the next generation of physicians to navigate the complexities of patients and deliver better care.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 8","pages":"509-512"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148697888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maxwell Harrell, Clay Rahaman, Dev Dayal, Caleb Berta, Elizabeth Powell, Joshua Broussard, Eugene Brabston, Thomas Evely, Walter Smith, Amit Momaya, Aaron Casp
{"title":"Medicare Insurance Is Associated with Reduced Hip Arthroscopy Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.","authors":"Maxwell Harrell, Clay Rahaman, Dev Dayal, Caleb Berta, Elizabeth Powell, Joshua Broussard, Eugene Brabston, Thomas Evely, Walter Smith, Amit Momaya, Aaron Casp","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001998","DOIUrl":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001998","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after hip arthroscopy (HA) among patients with commercial insurance as compared with those with government-provided insurance, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE or Veterans Affairs (VA).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective cohort study queried an institutional database for patients 18 years or older who underwent HA in the prior 10 years. Patients were excluded if they did not have at least 1-year postoperative PROMs, were self-pay, had Workers' Compensation insurance, were uninsured, or had a hip arthroplasty after their arthroscopy. Patients were divided into four groups: commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and VA or TRICARE. Demographic information and PROMs were collected at a minimum of 1-year follow-up, including the modified Harris Hip Score, Hip Outcome Score (HOS)-Activities of Daily Living, HOS-Sports, and Non-Arthritic Hip Score.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study included 84 patients, 31 of whom had government-provided insurance, 53 had commercial insurance; 11 had Medicaid, six had Medicare, and 14 had VA or TRICARE coverage. Medicare patients were significantly older than those with commercial insurance (<i>P</i>=0.002). Patients with Medicaid (n=6) had significantly lower PROMs than those with commercial insurance (n=53). Significant differences were found in the modified Harris Hip Score (Medicare 50.8±15.1, commercial 69.1±15.8; <i>P</i>=0.015), HOS-Activities of Daily Living (Medicare 59.5±15.3, commercial 77.8±18.2; <i>P</i>=0.021), HOS-Sports (Medicare 31.9±16.1, commercial 69.7±28.0; <i>P</i>=0.005), and Non-Arthritic Hip Score (Medicare 55.8±18.0, commercial 77.6±19.5; <i>P</i>=0.020). No difference in PROMs were noted between those with commercial insurance and those with Medicaid or VA/TRICARE coverage.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study demonstrated that those with Medicare insurance had significantly lower PROMs than those with commercial insurance. It is unclear, however, to what extent this finding reflects underlying demographic differences such as age. Further research is needed to clarify this relationship.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 8","pages":"495-499"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148702237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Primary Care: A Practical, Multidisciplinary Review of Data Interpretation and Billing Updates.","authors":"Ashley Higbea, Humza Siddiqi","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001999","DOIUrl":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001999","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) offers real-time and longitudinal insights into glycemic patterns, time in range, and hypoglycemia. Adopting CGMs into practice can improve clinical outcomes while strengthening patient engagement and enabling data-driven care across routine visits and population health programs. Despite strong evidence of benefit, CGM remains underused in primary care, where most patients with diabetes mellitus are managed. Barriers include limited familiarity with CGM technology, interpretation, workflow, documentation and billing, and patient access and education. The purpose of this clinical review was to help equip primary care clinicians with a concise, family medicine-focused framework for adopting CGM, including technology overview, patient selection and education, practical interpretation of standardized reports, team-based workflow, documentation, and reimbursement.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 8","pages":"518-523"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148702240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Reuben J Arasaratnam, Hira Hasan, Dorothy Sendelbach, George L Jackson
{"title":"Perspectives of Academic VA Clinician Educators: A Qualitative Analysis from a Single Facility.","authors":"Reuben J Arasaratnam, Hira Hasan, Dorothy Sendelbach, George L Jackson","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001994","DOIUrl":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001994","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>As part of a quality improvement initiative focused on medical educator faculty development, we sought to explore the perspectives of clinician-educators based at a large urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) who navigate the workplace communities of both their VAMC and academic medical center (AMC).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Informed by the conceptual framework of Communities of Practice proposed by Lave and Wenger, we conducted semistructured interviews from 2023-2024 with 20 VAMC-based clinician-educators holding faculty appointments at the affiliated AMC. We used purposive sampling to recruit a wide range of participants capturing differences in factors such as academic rank, subspecialist versus internal medicine specialist, and formal educational positions at the AMC.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified three themes from the interviews: professional fulfilment from mission-driven care and mentoring of trainees; facilitation of the clinician-educator role by the VAMC environment; and the impact of geographic distance on faculty integration. In the last theme, several participants highlighted how working closely within the VAMC promoted strong collegial relationships within the facility, and physical separation from the AMC led to perceptions of professional distance from medical school faculty colleagues.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Educating the next generation of healthcare professionals remains one of the core missions of the VA and supporting VA-based clinician-educators is critical to fulfilling this mission. Our study reveals the importance of the geographic distance between AMC and VAMC and its translation to perceptions of collegiate distance among individual VA faculty. We discuss strategies to foster connectivity between AMCs and VA facilities alongside strengthening VA-specific faculty development as potential solutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 8","pages":"513-517"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148701775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Merritt J Thompson, Sahil Patel, John Courson, Henry B Twibell, John Hurt, Rachel Hammer, Anna E Bozzone, Stephen A Parada
{"title":"The Aftermath of Hurricane Helene: Orthopedic Injury Epidemiology at a Level I Trauma Center.","authors":"Merritt J Thompson, Sahil Patel, John Courson, Henry B Twibell, John Hurt, Rachel Hammer, Anna E Bozzone, Stephen A Parada","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000002000","DOIUrl":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000002000","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Hurricane Helene was one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history, with 249 known fatalities and damages exceeding US$75 billion. This study evaluates the impact of Hurricane Helene on orthopedic injury epidemiology and patterns at a level I trauma center.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective review was conducted of consultations fielded by the orthopedic surgery department at a level I trauma center in Augusta, Georgia, during the 30 days pre- (August 28-September 26, 2024) and post-Hurricane Helene (September 27-October 26, 2024). Demographics, injury characteristics (mechanism, location, and type), and surgical intervention rates were collected. Pearson χ² and Fisher exact statistical analyses were performed to evaluate alterations in rates and injury patterns between the groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 466 patient consultations were evaluated; 535 orthopedic injuries were identified: 268 pre- and 267 post-Helene. Seventeen percent (47/267) of post-Helene injuries were directly related to the hurricane. There was a significant increase in high-energy trauma (37.7% vs 51.3%, <i>P</i>=0.005), supported by more frequent open fractures (4.9% vs 11.6%, <i>P</i>=0.007), an increase in chainsaw-related injuries (0% vs 5.6%, <i>P</i>=0.001), and an increase in injuries related to tree removal (0% vs 4.9%, <i>P</i>=0.001). There was a decrease in blunt/crush injuries (7.5% vs 3%, <i>P</i>=0.020), as well as surgical site infections (4.5% vs 1.5%, <i>P</i>=0.43) and postoperative/treatment complications (5.2% vs 1.9%, <i>P</i>=0.036). Surgical intervention rates remained unchanged (34.7% vs 36.5%, <i>P</i>=0.236), as did injury locations-upper extremity, lower extremity, and axial skeleton (<i>P</i>=0.497).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Hurricane Helene significantly altered orthopedic injury patterns in Augusta, Georgia, with increased incidence of high-energy trauma, open fractures, and tree- and chainsaw-related injuries treated at a level I trauma center. There also was a decrease in surgical site infections and postoperative complications.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 8","pages":"529-533"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148701991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karen P Barr, Haylie Kromer, Kristen Milleville, Angela Garcia, Ella D'Amico
{"title":"Experiential Mentorship Skills Training: The Effect on Real-Life Mentoring.","authors":"Karen P Barr, Haylie Kromer, Kristen Milleville, Angela Garcia, Ella D'Amico","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001985","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001985","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purpose of this study was to assess the use of effective peer mentoring skills by residents after participating in an experiential training session.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation resident physicians were taught communication skills useful for mentoring conversations and practiced them in an experiential workshop. They were surveyed immediately after the workshop, and again 1 to 2 months later regarding their use of the skills for peer mentoring. The use of these skills also was assessed by mentees after arranged speed mentoring events.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ninety-seven percent of residents (31/32) expressed increased confidence in their mentoring skills after the workshop. Of those who responded to the survey, 74% reported they had mentored a peer spontaneously after the workshop and all had used aspects of the framework taught in the workshop. After the arranged group peer \"speed mentoring\" sessions, all mentee respondents perceived that key mentoring communication skills taught in the workshop were applied and that the mentoring was effective as evidenced by intention to seek mentoring from this individual again.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Experiential mentorship training using a communication framework and opportunity to practice while receiving feedback led to the use of key mentoring communication skills in both spontaneous and arranged peer mentoring sessions, and the mentoring was perceived as effective by mentees.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 7","pages":"373-378"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148382835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fahad Nadeem, Saad Ibrahim, Sean Taylor, Saurabh Rawall, Zuhair Mohammad, Humza Pirzadah, José Ayala-Ortiz, Sakthivel Rajaram
{"title":"Comparing Speed and Accuracy of Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models on the Orthopedic In-Training Examination.","authors":"Fahad Nadeem, Saad Ibrahim, Sean Taylor, Saurabh Rawall, Zuhair Mohammad, Humza Pirzadah, José Ayala-Ortiz, Sakthivel Rajaram","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001989","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001989","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Large language models (LLMs), such as Open AI's Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT)-4 and Google Gemini, have gained significant attention for their ability to process complex language patterns and are being used increasingly in fields such as medicine, where they assist in learning, collaboration, and patient care. Although prior studies have evaluated LLMs on medical licensing examinations, limited research compares their performance on orthopedic-specific assessments. This study aims to assess the accuracy and response speed of ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini on the Orthopedic In-Training Examination (OITE).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Questions from the 2020-2022 OITE were extracted from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' question bank. Each question, along with four answer choices, was manually input into the LLMs without response prompts or feedback. Response accuracy and speed were recorded, with timing measured from the moment the question was submitted until an answer was generated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 1582 prompts, ChatGPT-4 demonstrated the highest accuracy (67.09%±0.08%), significantly outperforming ChatGPT-3.5, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini (<i>P</i><0.001). ChatGPT-3.5 was the fastest, with an average response time of 5.41±0.10 seconds. Both ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4 responded significantly faster than Gemini and Microsoft Copilot (<i>P</i><0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>ChatGPT-4 exhibited the highest accuracy on OITE questions, and ChatGPT-3.5 was the fastest. Gemini and Copilot were generally less accurate in their responses and had a slower response time. These findings highlight the potential of LLMs in orthopedic education and emphasize the need for further research to explore their broader applications in medical training and decision making.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 7","pages":"362-366"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148382844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sunya Reddy, Kelly W Gagnon, Brooke Penney, Alfredo L Guzman, Brianna Patterson, Baker Smith, Krishmita Siwakoti, Olivia T Van Gerwen
{"title":"Implementing a Patient-Reported Outcomes Survey for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients at a Gender Health Clinic in the US Deep South.","authors":"Sunya Reddy, Kelly W Gagnon, Brooke Penney, Alfredo L Guzman, Brianna Patterson, Baker Smith, Krishmita Siwakoti, Olivia T Van Gerwen","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001986","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Approximately 1.6 million Americans identify as transgender and gender diverse (TGD), yet health outcomes research focused on TGD patients is lacking. This gap persists despite significant health disparities experienced by TGD patients, including high rates of depression and suicidality. In clinical settings, patient-reported outcomes surveys (PROS) can pinpoint immediate clinical needs for individual patients while also generating health outcomes data. This project describes early outcomes and the implementation of PROS for TGD patients being seen at a gender health clinic (GHC) in Birmingham, Alabama.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A REDCap-based PROS was implemented at a GHC in Birmingham, Alabama from June 2023 to May 2024, including validated tools for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and -9), gender dysphoria (Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale), alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C), and substance use (Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test). Acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility metrics also were collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 51 patients completed the PROS, including transwomen (n = 21), transmen (n = 21), nonbinary (n = 10), genderqueer (n = 3), and gender nonconforming (n = 3) patients. Among those patients, 40% screened positive for depressive symptoms and 45% reported tobacco use. The mean gender dysphoria score was 56.81 (standard deviation 9.91) out of 70, and the mean gender affirmation score was 18.13 (standard deviation 2.22) out of 20. Patients found the PROS highly acceptable (86%), appropriate (98%), and feasible (94%). Several challenges were encountered during implementation, including REDCap technical issues, staffing and workflow complexities, and occasional patient difficulty with independent PROS completion.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This project demonstrates the feasibility and value of implementing a PROS in a GHC, particularly in a medically underserved region like the southeastern United States. Addressing implementation challenges is critical, however.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 7","pages":"337-341"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148382890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jason S Hedrick, Linda S Nield, Scott Cottrell, Norman Ferrari
{"title":"Potential Impact of Lower Federal Loan Availability on Medical Education in Appalachia.","authors":"Jason S Hedrick, Linda S Nield, Scott Cottrell, Norman Ferrari","doi":"10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001983","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001983","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The passage of House of Representatives (HR) One, or the \"One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act,\" brings official changes to students' ability to borrow federal loans. The federal Graduate Plus Loan will sunset, leaving medical students with unsubsidized loans as the primary federal borrowing option, capped at $50,000 per year and a total of $200,000 for professional degrees. Advocates argue the changes are needed to check tuition increases in higher education. Students may need to rely on private loans or institutional support to cover the remaining tuition or living expenses. Some of the challenges will be particularly daunting for Appalachia and West Virginia, a state entirely within the region. These new challenges present three realities to consider as well as three potential solutions. First, medical education tuition has been increasing substantially across the country, which has left in-state indebted students at public medical schools graduating with a median of approximately $200,000 to pay back. At the three medical schools in WV, tuition increases have aligned with national trends. However, as a second reality, specific to WV, there is a small applicant pool for the 392 open medical school seats in the state. Finally, Appalachia and WV have faced a perpetual provider shortage, particularly in rural areas, with many new doctors leaving the state and region soon after graduation. Despite these challenges, there are a few ways forward that may position the region well in the future. Medical schools may consider curbing tuition increases, cutting tuition, or ultimately subsidizing education for students with the greatest needs. Several institutions have already taken this route with support from philanthropists. Schools should also consider innovations to abridge the traditional four-year curriculum where possible and invest in accelerated tracks. Finally, health systems may need to rethink costly recruitment strategies and instead consider providing medical students with loans that are forgiven with years of service to the system.</p>","PeriodicalId":22043,"journal":{"name":"Southern Medical Journal","volume":"119 7","pages":"379-382"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148382881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}