Applying Systems Thinking To Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine products, which are intended to repair or replace damaged cells or tissues in the body, include a range of therapeutic approaches such as cell- and gene-based therapies, engineered tissues, and non-biologic constructs. It often is challenging to characterize these products properly for a number of reasons, and there often is not a definitive correlation between what is measured and the clinical outcome for these complex products. A systems-focused approach can help better define the mechanistic parameters involved in the biological outcome and allows for the collection and use of more relevant data. Systems thinking is a multidisciplinary effort and can incorporate tools and knowledge from the fields of data science, biology, engineering, manufacturing, regulatory science, and clinical research and therefore requires the use of disparate data sources. Given these considerations, the Forum on Regenerative Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened experts across disciplines for a two-day virtual workshop in October 2020 to explore systems thinking approaches and how they may be applied to support the identification of relevant quality attributes that can help optimize manufacturing and streamline regulatory processes for regenerative medicine. Workshop proceedings summarize key information and can be obtained here.
Shared Equity Leadership: Making Equity Everyone’s Work
Decades of programmatic efforts and interventions have failed to make a difference in the success of racially minoritized, low-income, and first-generation students, whose populations are increasing on college campuses. Higher education remains profoundly inequitable, and institutions have not made the transformational changes necessary to create truly inclusive environments and equitable outcomes for students. A prominent lever for change is campus leadership. According to a report from the American Council on Education (ACE), a description is provided on how broadly inclusive and collaborative approaches to leadership are necessary to achieve equitable outcomes. At the heart of shared equity leadership (SEL) is the notion of personal journey toward critical consciousness, in which leaders develop or strengthen a commitment to equity through their identity, personal experiences, or relationships, and learning. This paper reports on the results of a multiple-case study of leaders at eight institutions that are experimenting with shared approaches to equity leadership. It describes some emerging outcomes from the participating campuses, and offers recommendations for leaders interested in trying this approach. The report can be obtained here.
Black And White Patients In Hospitals With Worse Safety Conditions
Identifying and reducing racial disparities in the quality of health care is a necessary (if insufficient) step toward reversing the effects of systemic racism on racial health inequities in America. A study investigates differences in Black and White patient safety measures using complete hospital discharge records from 26 states in 2017 and further examines whether some differences in patient safety quality can be attributed to the hospitals into which they are admitted. Black patients experienced higher rates of adverse patient safety events on 6 of 11 patient safety measures, including 5 of 7 surgery-related patient safety measures. For 9 of 11 patient safety indicators, including 6 of 7 surgery-related patient safety indicators, Black patients were significantly less likely to be admitted into hospitals classified as“high quality” (i.e., hospitals best at minimizing patient safety risks based on the median value of each patient safety indicator). The findings suggest that current policies have been ineffective in addressing inequities in the quality of inpatient care. The report can be obtained here.
More April 2021 TRENDS Articles
THE HEALTH WORKFORCE: AN IMPLICIT ASSUMPTION
Discusses some reasons why placing a greater focus on the individuals who provide health care services is warranted. Read More
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PROPOSED BUDGET
Lists some spending highlights, along with ASAHP activities in government relations. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Looks at the importance of initiatives to improve health care quality and the implications of developing a public option for health insurance. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Refers to the problem of sexual harassment in educational institutions, along with citing the value of national data gathering by federal agencies. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Childhood Disability In The United States, 2019
U.S. Births: Final Data For 2019
Electronic Skin From Flexibility To A Sense Of Touch
Genome-Wide Programmable Transcriptional Memory By CRISPR-Based Epigenome Editing Read More
OBTAINABLE RESOURCES
Applying Systems Thinking To Regenerative Medicine
Shared Equity Leadership: Making Equity Everyone’s Work
Black And White Patients In Hospitals With Worse Safety Conditions Read More
OUTBREAKS OF “AGEISM” IN THREE NATIONS REGARDING COVID-19
Indicates eruptions that emerged over the social and economic costs of protecting older adults from this disease. Read More
PREVALENCE OF MEDIA SOCIAL ADDICTION
Pertains to how the problematic use of these forms of communication technology run the risk of impairing users’ psychosocial functioning and well-being. Read More