Future of Education or Present Reality?

Area of Science:

• Pathology Education
• Medical Informatics
• Digital Health

Background:

• Traditional pathology education relies heavily on in-person, light microscopic examination of specimens.
• The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges to in-person medical education, including pathology training.
• Social distancing and remote work mandates disrupted established educational models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the transition to virtual education in hematopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To describe the development and utilization of a virtual educational platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
• To assess the global reach and impact of online hematopathology education.

Main Methods:

• Established a virtual hematopathology educational platform using Cisco WebEx.
• Leveraged social media, specifically Twitter, to disseminate educational content and engage a global audience.
• Analyzed visitor attendance data from the virtual platform (Cisco WebEx) and social media analytics (Symplur Signals) for the first three months of the pandemic.

Main Results:

• The virtual platform attracted substantial global interest, indicating a significant demand for remote learning in hematopathology.
• Social media engagement facilitated worldwide participation in virtual hematopathology education.
• The platform successfully overcame learning obstacles imposed by pandemic restrictions.

Conclusions:

• Virtual platforms are effective tools for delivering pathology education globally.
• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption and acceptance of virtual learning in specialized medical fields like hematopathology.
• There is a clear and ongoing need for accessible, high-quality virtual educational resources in pathology.