Research summary: Because many endocrine tumors present with "nonspecific" symptoms, our research focuses on how we might detect these tumors earlier. We frequently hear stories that patient's symptoms are dismissed and not investigated. We are using narrative medicine (interviewing patients about their symptoms to develop an "illness script") to identify how patients described their symptoms. This is different than the typical list of symptoms doctors learn in diagnosing specific diseases. We are using artificial intelligence to help use the information from interviewed patients to create a tool for primary care physicians that can help them recognize earlier these illness scripts and lead to earlier diagnosis of functional (hormone-producing) endocrine tumors.
Education research summary: Surgery trainees have typically learned operative skills in the operating room. Modern surgical training incorporates simulation to teach trainees how to perform operative tasks in a virtual environment. Similarly, we believe that we can teach some of the operative understanding and decision-making virtually. We are developing modules for specific procedures that use real operative video that shows unusual anatomy or an unexpected event or finding and ask the trainee how they would manage it. The answer to the question includes the video's conclusion - how the situation was managed. We believe that this type of learning outside the operating room may allow residents to experience unusual anatomy or complications without actually having to see them. We believe this type of training will change the future of surgical education.
In summary: Our research aims to improve early detection of functional endocrine tumors by using narrative medicine and AI to create diagnostic tools that reflect how patients actually describe their symptoms—often overlooked in traditional models. In parallel, we’re advancing surgical education by developing interactive video modules that teach trainees how to manage unexpected operative findings, helping them build decision-making skills outside the operating room.
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