Frederic C Bartter GCRC ICI Course overview

In 1996-97, the GCRC and Department of Medicine, under Dr. Lichtenstein’s leadership, sponsored a new course targeted at first year fellows titled “Introduction to Clinical Investigation (ICI).” The ICI course provides a comprehensive outline of the basic principles and research designs used in patient-oriented clinical research. Other topics include seminars on biostatistics, research ethics, and scientific integrity. The ICI course is delivered in a highly successful 2-week intensive format the first two weeks of February. Fellows are relieved of all clinical responsibilities during the two-week period so they can fully engage in the learning activities. This release from clinical duties represents a major institutional commitment on the part of the Department of Medicine, Division Chiefs, and Faculty who had to provide back-up coverage for active subspecialty services. Discussion seminars are the primary educational format. The classroom lights are never off and slides are rarely used; instead, emphasis is placed on active learning with group activities designed to involve all course participants. For example, sessions on test-retest repeatability involve measuring grip strength multiple times with changed hand positions using dynamometers. With this simple demonstration, the research methodology concepts illustrated include (a) within subject variability, (b) between subject variability, (c) interaction (gender and hand position), (d) correlation, (e) repeatability, and (f) systematic vs. random error.

Under the discussion format, ICI presents 25 topics in nearly 50 hours of class contact time. Over 9 years, 303 trainees participated in the ICI course. Class sizes began at 20-30 students per year but continue to grow each year. Of the 303 participants, 209 have been from the Department of Medicine. Other participants have come from local Military Fellowship Training Programs (42), the UTHSCSA Departments of Pediatrics (14), Obstetrics and Gynecology (5), Radiation Oncology (3), Radiology (1), Family & Community Medicine (2), Ophthalmology (1) , Psychiatry (5), Microbiology (1), Orthopaedics Surgery (1), Endodontics (1), Oncology (1), Respiratory Care (1), UTHSCSA Dental School (7), Nursing School (2), School of Allied Health (5), South Texas Veterans Health Care (1) and Bexar County Jail (1).

Attendance for all sessions ranges between 70-100%. In the evaluations, participants rate each session on a five point Likert scale for relevance, choice of format, quality of presentation, amount of time, and level of detail. This formal summative evaluation indicates that the present format for the ICI course effectively engages fellows in an intense learning experience that focuses their attention on research as a potential career path.

The ICI course has evolved into an institutional resource, providing education in patient oriented clinical research for eligible trainees from each of the UTHSCSA schools.