This current era of technological innovation is also creating to an explosion of medical data, which means medical students must take in more information than ever before.

“By 2020, the amount of information that our students will have to learn is going to double in the first 73 days,” explained Sajjad Yacoob, MD, assistant dean for student affairs at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Yacoob is leading the Center for Innovative Medical Education and Technology (CIMET) to find creative solutions to help deliver that volume of medical information to students.

The Keck School’s Class of 2018 will be the first to benefit from CIMET’s inaugural project, which established a single online portal for students. The portal provides students access to programs that track and manage their workload, watch lectures online and perform evaluations. It will also keep them informed of events around campus and deliver messages from faculty.

“This is going to make their job of learning easier and more meaningful,” said Yacoob.

It is also just a start and CIMET plants to continue adding tools as they become available. In the near future, Yacoob hopes to have tools to supplement class time, such as providing 3D models of the human body to enhance anatomy class. He also envisions a time when students are able to review all relevant lectures and course materials related to a particular disease seen during clinical rotations. Another goal is to give give students a tool to prepare for their national exams that will give them instant feedback on subjects they may need to revisit.

“At the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, we are passionate about creating and maintaining an optimal learning environment for our students,” said Henri Ford, MD, vice dean of medical education at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “The establishment of the CIMET is in keeping with this overarching philosophy.”

— By Hope Hamashige