About CERTAIN
The Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, & Pain Medicine has four focused and dynamic research centers: the Center for Inflammation Research; the Center for Education Research Technology and Innovation (CERTAIN); the Center for Anesthesia Research Excellence (CARE); and the Sadhguru Center for a Conscious Planet. The Centers comprise teams of researchers and scientists who collaborate with experts in their respective fields across the Harvard Medical School research community and affiliated hospitals. This page focused on CERTAIN. Learn more about these exciting endeavors and the breadth of their work here:
The Center for Education Research, Technology, and Innovation (CERTAIN) in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, under the leadership of Dr. Robina Matyal, creates an environment of educational excellence through continuous learning, assessment, and feedback.
CERTAIN conducts wide-ranging educational research, uses findings to improve our programs, and evaluates those programs to maintain heightened learning and satisfaction. We use state-of-the-art technology to create innovative teaching and assessment methods that allow us to tailor educational efforts to individual trainees and focus on their learning needs. Our ongoing quality improvement cycle ensures that our anesthesia educational programs are among the best in the country.
In addition, the Center also fosters a supportive, collaborative environment for faculty to engage in educational scholarship. We provide mentorship, guidance, and support in study design, grant preparation, methodology, IRB correspondence, and manuscript preparation and submission.
Mission Statement
The Center seeks to develop, test, and deploy a dynamic educational environment that optimizes learning for all department members and enhances patient outcomes. Through collaborative research that uses state-of-the-art technology to identify the best educational methods, CERTAIN aims to continually enhance our existing programs and create new and innovative systems for teaching and learning.
Goals
- Create an optimal learning environment for our department members as well as members of other departments.
- Develop and apply innovative metrics to evaluate and enhance our educational programs.
- Use state-of-the-art technology to create, assess, and deploy new learning tools and methods.
- Refine techniques to teach complex technical skills to our department members.
- Provide mentorship, support, and guidance to faculty pursuing educational research.
Open configuration options
CERTAIN support programs enhance Resident's training at BIDMC. The division supports clinical training at BIDMC through
1. Virtual reality
CERTAIN supports residents' training with the use of virtual reality in performing invasive clinical procedures, like Dr. Shiri Savir's projects that train CA-1 residents in the use of virtual reality in central venous line (CVL) placement. CERTAIN also supports faculty refresher training in central venous line placement using virtual reality technology to maintain their skills. Dr. Robina Matyal embarks on a project to maintain BIDMC faculty clinical skills by providing routine training using virtual reality. This model of training is self-directed with limited or no guidance.
2. Simulation-based training
CERTAIN provides support to residents training at the simulation lab, where residents are guided in performing clinical procedures.
3. In-situ training
The division supports simulation training during residents working hours in the operating room (OR). The training presents real clinical scenarios and environments in an OR setting to harness and enhance residents' clinical and non-clinical skills. Residents are pulled out of their working OR one at a time without interference with patients' care. The scenarios vary and are tailored or truncated to the level of the residents.
4. Tuesday education day training (TED)
The division supports residents' training every tuesday of the week. This training consists of lectures through PowerPoint presentations and problem-based discussion learning (PBLD). The session also comprises basic anesthesiology skills such as training in central venous line placement, peripheral artery line placement, epidural ultrasound( TEE and TTE), and activated clotting time measurement (ACT).
5. Ultrasound training
Residents are encouraged to be efficient in the use of ultrasound to guide clinical procedures like CVL placement ultrasound guidance and to come to a clinical conclusion or assist in the decision of diagnosis. Hence, the division supports residents training in the use of ultrasound, like in the case of the Dr. Ruma project with rescue ultrasound.
The division supports clinical research through research fellowships such as:
a. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
b. Educational Fellowship
c. Advance Clinical Research Fellowship