Evaluation – Pathology Learning

TRIG

In 2016, results the success of the initial three TRIG live workshops were published as an “Educational Innovation” in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. In 2024, the most recent iteration of the materials was piloted at the USCAP Annual Meeting.

100% of participants responded that they would recommend the workshop to other residents.

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Participant survey responses from TRIG workshop held at the 2024 USCAP Annual Meeting

Please indicate your agreement with the following questions about the workshop:	Agree or Strongly Agree (%)
The workshop met the stated learning objectives.	100%
The pre-activity lectures during the workshop provided the context and information needed to complete the activities.	100%
The workshop helped me to understand the clinical relevance of molecular and genomic pathology.	100%
This workshop was appropriate for my level as a resident/fellow.	100%
Reviewing the virtual slides was a useful component of the activities.	100%
The discussions within my team were engaging.	100%
My team functioned well.	100%
I was an active participant in my team's discussions.	100%
The post-activity discussions were engaging and useful component of the workshop.	100%
I would recommend this workshop to other residents/fellows.	100%
This workshop was appropriate for my level of molecular pathology knowledge.	100%
This workshop will help me as a practicing pathologist.	100%

To assess objective outcomes, a genomic oncology exam, testing both knowledge and performance-based skills was developed and validated using Rasch analysis, a method typically used in high-stakes testing. With results published in 2020 in the Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the exam was administered to residents both immediately prior and after a TRIG workshop. There was significant improvement in exam performance after the workshop, with a mean preworkshop score of 37.5% (range, 17%–61%) and a mean postworkshop score of 75% (range, 50%–100%; P < .001). In a published study, an earlier version of this exam was also used to demonstrate the efficacy of online modules that translate the live team-based learning experience to a virtual format. Please contact us to obtain a copy of the exam and answer key.

National Assessments

The TRIG approach to genomic education has also involved assessing trainee genomic knowledge nationally. The Pathology Resident In-Service Exam (RISE) is administered, by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), to almost all pathology residents in the United States. The assessment included knowledge questions, first implemented as ungraded but subsequently made an official component of the exam, and those related to subjective impressions of training. An initial publication in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology included data from the 2013 RISE with a with an update published in 2020.

Testimonials

“This workshop significantly deepened my understanding of molecular and genomic pathology, particularly in how these fields are transforming patient care. It reinforced the critical role of molecular diagnostics in tailoring personalized treatment, especially through the use of cancer gene panels. I now have a greater appreciation for the complexity and precision involved in selecting the right panels, interpreting results, and applying them to clinical decisions.”

“The workshop was very well organized and helped me understand what resources and websites to use in which cases and scenarios- it will help me practice molecular pathology better in the future.”

“It helped me understand the strengths and the weaknesses of molecular assays, the uncertainties (Variants of unknown significance) and I learned about the online tools available to tackle these uncertainties.”

UTRIG

The Undergraduate Training in Genomics Curriculum held a pilot session at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology 2024 Annual Meeting with medical students from across the United States. The pilot UTRIG workshop was overwhelmingly well received by medical students according to a post-workshop feedback survey. Highlights from the data show that the workshop, which covered all four UTRIG exercises, accomplished its objectives, was a worthwhile use of students’ time, and was relevant to their future careers. Ninety-eight percent of participants would recommend the learning experience to others. The results of this pilot session are highlighted below.

Workshop Feedback

Please indicate your agreement with the following questions about the workshop:	Agree or Strongly Agree (%)
The workshop met the stated learning objectives.	100%
My team functioned well.	96%
I would recommend this workshop to other students.	98%
This workshop will help me in my future career.	96%
The toolkit helped me prepare for the workshop.	100%
The workshop helped me to understand the clinical relevance of molecular and genomic pathology.	100%
This workshop was appropriate for my level as a medical student.	92%
Reviewing the virtual slides and pathology reports were useful components of the activities.	98%
The discussions within my team were engaging.	96%
Discussion of the question answers with the larger group and faculty was engaging.	98%
I was an active participant in the small group discussions.	96%

National Assessments

The RISE-FIRST exam, administered by ASCP to post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) pathology residents, has been used to nationally assess medical student training in genomics. Results from the 2019 RISE-FIRST have been published in Genetics in Medicine.

The use of the RISE and RISE-FIRST represent a unique approach, trainee in-service exams, to gauge genomics curricular integration into medical education on a national scale.

Testimonials

“They say pathology/lab is the "black box" of medicine, and I had viewed molecular pathology as the "black box" of pathology! It is certainly much less of a black box, and I'm excited that I now have a foundation to build upon when I start residency next year. Instead of spending the time trying to just figure out the basics, I'll be able to spend the time on what results mean for my patients.”

“This workshop was a sobering reminder of the vast scope of molecular and genomic pathology. What may seem simple on the surface from prior coursework experience is actually a deep well of information. The workshop reminded me that accurately accessing, understanding, and interpreting said data requires the combined expertise of many medical professionals, and that counseling patients about the implications of genetic testing must be done carefully and conscientiously.”

“Very fun and interesting, I am now considering molecular/genomic pathology much more seriously, and even if I end up going into a different specialty these .”

Universal Genomics

Workshops held at the annual meetings at the American Heart Association (AHA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) have also been positively reviewed by participants. Data has been published in Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine, on a successful workshop held at an AHA Scientific Sessions Meeting.

TFIG

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