Tag Archive for: Montpellier
On June 1, 2022, the School of Geriatrics and Gerontology was inaugurated in the Faculty of Medicine’s Historic Building. We were able to celebrate this achievement in the presence of Isabelle Laffont, Dean of the Faculty; Jacques Mercier, Vice President ofthe University of Montpellier; and Nicole Marin-Khoury, Deputy Mayor of the City of Montpellier.
A school unlike any other in France…
This project, led by Professor Claude Jeandel, Director of the School of Geriatrics and Gerontology; Dr. Stéphanie Miot, its Deputy Director; Ms. Myriam Aggoun, its Administrative Director; and Ms. Marie-Laure Portalez, a research engineer, is the first school of its kind in France.
In fact, this school was founded in response to a societal reality: we are facing a significant demographic challenge. This challenge is reflected in an aging population and an increase in the number of people with reduced autonomy (2.45 million in 2060, compared to 1.6 million in 2030). Offering tailored gerontology training programs for students and professionals in the field has become essential in light of these societal, medical, and scientific challenges.
In order to provide a cross-disciplinary and holistic approach to issues related to advanced age, a diverse range of training programs has been developed, featuring innovative teaching methods across the sector’s various fields of application (medical, epidemiological, psychological, legal, etc.).
… and innovative
Stemming from the IDEFI-TIL program (Initiatives for Excellence in Innovative Training – Trans Innov Longevity), launched in 2014 at the Faculty, the gerontology training programs offered by the Faculty of Medicine have already enabled many professionals in the medical and paramedical fields to specialize in this area.
Innovation is a top priority for the School of Geriatrics and Gerontology, which offers, among other things, training programs tailored to e-learning pathways. These simulation workshops are also held once a year. Finally, tutoring is provided by alumni of the various programs.
In addition, older adults will be involved in teaching, and certain training programs will be designed for them as part of therapeutic education.
4 major areas of training
#PeopleAreTalkingAboutIt
This initiative is already making headlines! Check out the various news articles below!
Article from Midi Libre: The First Steps of a School of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the Faculty of Medicine
La Marseillaise: A School of Geriatrics and Gerontology in Montpellier
Older adults account for more than 20% of the French population (Source: INSEE 2020), yet the aging process remains poorly understood. Thanks to the simulation tools offered in this innovative workshop, participants will be able to take a leap forward in time by several years. This will allow them to hone their skills in supporting older adults through hands-on experience.
Why this workshop?
This workshop, offered by the School of Geriatrics and Gerontology, was created to allow participants to experience the main impairments associated with aging.
It is led by its administrative manager, Myriam Taroudjit, and Marie-Laure Portalez, a design engineer.
Special equipment allows participants to experience firsthand the main age-related sensory impairments. This helps them recognize the challenges faced by older adults and better understand their behaviors and specific needs.
“True experiential learning aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults”
The effectiveness of this simulation-based method was the subject of a study conducted by medical students at Julius-Maximilians University in Würzburg (Dr. med. Filz S.A., Dr. med. Swoboda W., et al.).
The research, conducted in the form of practical training sessions that involved wearing a simulation suit, yielded the following results:
- Ability to empathize with the living conditions of an elderly person after the practicum: 83% of participants.
- Ability to put oneself in the shoes of an older adult after the practicum: 90% of participants.
- Understanding of an older adult’s physical condition after the practicum: 95% of participants
How?
Using simulation scenarios consisting of several elements, participants put themselves in the shoes of an older adult by experiencing the physical and emotional challenges associated with aging.
Here are a few examples:
Feedback from Our Students
Every year, this innovative workshop is offered to the School’s students to complement their curriculum and deepen their understanding of older adults. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive:
Stéphanie: “This workshop was very interesting, and everyone who works with older adults should have the opportunity to participate in this simulation workshop. Losing one’s senses is very unsettling.”
Mariam: “This afternoon, I experienced firsthand what the older adults I care for go through every day: muscle pain, hearing and vision problems, and slowed movements—all caused by an environment that is no longer safe for them to navigate.”
Maïlys: “In a professional setting, I will pay even closer attention to these ‘pains’ and how people experience and cope with them in their daily lives, so that I can best tailor my responses to their needs.”
More photos:
What is Karab’s? It’s a pocket guide listing local spots and hidden gems around town for local and international students. Created by students fromthe ACM student union, their project was launched on April 27, 2022, after three years of hard work and dedication.
3 Great Reasons to Get the Karab’s!
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Karab’s Makes the Front Page of the Local Press!
And since such a wonderful initiative was bound to catch the attention of the local press, Karab’s has already been featured twice! Coming soon to Radio Campus Montpellier and Fun Radio, this little guide has a bright future ahead of it!
In 2020, Dr. Favier and Dr. Debourdeau once again submitted a proposal to MUSE’s call for projects. They were named winners of Take Off 4, an initiative designed to recognize innovations in education.
An Educational Innovation for Safety
Physicians and surgeons are required to perform invasive procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. These procedures require extensive and rigorous training, which is primarily carried out during residency (beginning in the 7th year of medical school, upon entering a specialty).
The quality of medical-technical and surgical procedures must be at the heart of training, as it impacts the health and safety of patients. The technical training of medical and surgical residents must therefore include preliminary instruction to ensure the safety of patients, trainees, and supervisors alike.
Factors Driving Change
The use of anatomical specimens for training has been widely adopted, but this training method is limited by the availability of specimens. Another limiting factor is the difficulty of maintaining a realistic appearance of the digestive and respiratory tracts on these biological models.
The Simulator as a Solution
Simulator-based training helps meet safety requirements, since students do not come into direct contact with patients during their initial simulations, mistakes are allowed, and instructors can give students greater freedom to practice while providing educational feedback during dedicated training sessions—which are more frequent because they are easier to implement. This learning method also eliminates the biological risks associated with the use of anatomical specimens.
The specific areas involved
Since simulation is a very expensive and time-consuming tool to implement, Drs. Favier and Debourdeau conducted preliminary studies to determine in which areas this simulation could be most useful.
According to their research, simulation-based training is necessary for the following procedures:
- Diagnostic and Interventional Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (Gastroenterology)
- Diagnostic and Interventional Colonoscopy (Gastroenterology)
- Endoscopic Nasal, Sinus, and Anterior Skull Base Surgery (ENT, Neurosurgery, Maxillofacial Surgery)
- Diagnostic Flexible Fibroscopy of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract (ENT, Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Oncology)
- Rigid bronchoscopy (ENT specialists, pediatricians, pulmonologists)
Proven effectiveness
These procedural simulators have been scientifically validated for initial training and have proven their effectiveness. In total, these programs involve 220 residents in the Montpellier-Nîmes area (20 gastroenterologists, 18 ENT specialists, 6 neurosurgeons, 6 maxillofacial surgeons, 15 pulmonologists, 125 anesthesiologists and intensivists, and 20 oncologists).
A project that builds on the previous one
Remember, we had already mentioned, in one of our articles, Drs. Favier and Debourdeau, who were winners of a previous MUSE Take Off competition. That project involved the development of an app called SPART APP, designed to assess the technical skills of medical residents.
This project builds on the Spart-APP initiative. In fact, this application—which can track residents’ technical progress—may be integrated with a simulation platform in the future. This platform will enhance real-time learning for students who are struggling, as part of an active and dynamic teaching approach.
As part of the 800th-anniversary celebrations, a photography exhibition will take place from July 10 to October 10. Curated by renowned photographer CédricMATET, it will be held at the Jardin des Plantes. In 2020, this photographer also curated the exhibition “Behind the Masks,” whichfeatures200 portraits of medical personnel.
Practical Information
"People in Their Gardens"
The title of the exhibition is fundamentally linked to itscontent. In fact, for this exhibition, the artist chose to work with anatomical specimens from the Faculty’s anatomy collection. To better understand his project, we interviewed the photographer.
What is your background?
I’m originally fromSète. I attended a design school in Montpellier that is now called ESMA. After that, I enrolled at the Gobelins School of Visual Arts in Paris. Later, I went back to school to earn a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development because I’m interested in cities. In the meantime, I’ve been working in art direction and design at various communications agencies.
What interests me is connecting art to the city, to maps, to cartography, and to people. In my view, an artist must be rooted in their context: urban, political, and human.
Can you tell us about the “Behind the Masks” project?
It was GéraldCHANQUES, a professor at the faculty and a doctor atSaint EloiHospital, who contacted me and proposed this project. I wanted to convey a vision ofwhat healthcare providers can be and the commitments they make.
How would you describe yourself?
If I had to define myself and my work, I would talk abouttransdisciplinarity. I am a photographer, but I’m also a visual artist; I enjoy working with various materials and collaborating with people from different fields.
Can you tell us about your new exhibition, “Man in His Garden”?
It’s been a while since I first thought of writing about the Jardin des Plantes, but I’ve always had a real passion for the anatomy museum I visited when I was a student. Being able to explore botany through the garden, but also to explore humanity and research on the human body—I think that’s fabulous. The project was a collaboration between the two of us, once again with ProfessorCHANQUES.
This project is interesting becauseit takes me out of my comfort zone;I usuallytake portraits, but that’s not the case here.
Furthermore, since all the rooms are designated as heritage sites, I have a special relationship with the curator. She’s the third subject of this project—I can’t work without her. Usually, I direct my model,but here I can’t because of the piece’s fragility—every movement must be carried out by the curator.
It’sinteresting becausethe artwork and the garden exist independently of me.
There are three of us working on this project: Jane, who creates digital art and is a videographer; Luc, who does motion design, among other things; and me, who works with visuals and handles the art direction for the whole project. None of us knows what the final result will be.
How did you choose the anatomical structures?
I first sought advice from ProfessorCHANQUES and the curators to find out which pieces are emblematic of the conservatory. I didn’t choose the pieces based on their aesthetic appeal, since the goal of this exhibition is to tell a story and convey meaning.
The only exception to this is a bust we found—no one knows the identity of the person depicted, its history, or the era it comes from. I found it fragile and touching, so I decided to include it. It’s the only piece I selected based on a gut feeling.
There are some pieces that,unfortunately, we were unable to include because of their fragility. I was also drawn to other pieces, but they didn’t depict the human body and therefore strayed from the subject. I’ll explore those later for another, more personal project.
Some pieces are also too heavy to move. However, that’s part of the exhibition’s story.
For some pieces that we couldn’t bring out to the Jardin des Plantes, we brought the Jardin to them by using branches and foliage.
In 2018, Dr. Valentin FAVIER participated in the MUSE call for proposals, which aimed to support the pedagogical transformation of educational programs. He was selected as a winner for his project titled “Learning Anatomy and Surgery Through Simulation and 3D Printing.”
MUSE “Take-Off”—what is it?
The MUSE project “ Montpellier University of Excellence ” brings together 16 institutions around a shared goal: to establish in Montpellier a research-intensive, thematically focused university that is internationally recognized for its impact in fields related to agriculture, the environment, and health—a university that will serve as a close academic partner for all consortium members, one they can be proud to be associated with.
Through these “Take Off” calls for proposals, it supports the educational transformation strategy of the institutions and components of the MUSE consortium. Over the past three years, I-SITE MUSE has raised 6 M€ to support educational innovations through this program. The project “Learning Anatomy and Surgery Through Simulation and 3D Printing” is one of the projects selected for Take-Off #1. Learn more about it in this article!
Improving Learning Through Simulation: Dr. Favier’s Challenge
Healthcare simulation is a key focus of medical education in the 21st century. To improve the safety of clinical practice and education, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) released a report in 2012 outlining the prospects for the development of healthcare simulation in France.
So what exactly are surgical simulators?
Surgical simulators are educational tools that are an integral part of this concept. They enable the training of young surgeons, helping them become familiar with surgical equipment, anatomy, and surgical techniques, but are also useful throughout continuing medical education for refresher training. Another major benefit lies in the ability to develop new surgical techniques, allowing more experienced surgeons to perform innovative surgical approaches or test new instruments.
The Project's Objectives
The project is intended for surgical residents, who will have the opportunity to practice on these simulators. The work currently underway is now focused on several objectives:
A project made possible by MUSE
As the winner of the project, Dr. FAVIER received a €10,000 grant from MUSE. The grant was used to advance his surgical simulator project. Specifically, it was used to:
- Compensation for a Master’s 2 intern in computer science for research and algorithm development to implement the simulation.
- Perform mechanical testing on the simulation platform.
- The purchase of materials needed to conduct the simulation and produce 3D prints.
For the past 10 years, the Jardin des Plantes has been organizing summer tours to help the general public learn more about our botanical garden. Check out the summer 2021 program.
Tours for all ages
Open to everyone, the Jardin des Plantes’ summer tours cover a variety of themes:
- The medicinal plant collections at the Jardin des Plantes
- Richer Mountain: Where History and Ecology Meet
- The Martins Greenhouse and Its Collection of Succulents
- Tours of the Permaculture Edible Garden
- Herbs and the Senses
Practical Information
ADDRESS
Henri IV Boulevard,
34000 Montpellier
