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The start of the school year is often a time for reflection and renewal. It’s a time when many people think about their future prospects—the perfect opportunity to explore continuing education options! To mark the occasion, we’d like to introduce you to one of our 198 university diplomas (DU) and inter-university diplomas (DIU): the DU on “From Normal Cells to Tumor Cells.” To do so, we sat down with the two co-directors of this program, Ms. Szablewski and Mr. Ramirez. Interview.
Ms. Szablewski, Mr. Ramirez, good morning. Could you briefly introduce yourselves?
VS: I am Dr. Vanessa Szablewski, MCU-PH in Pathological Anatomy and Cytology at the Montpellier University Hospital. I specialize in hematopathology and ENT pathology. For my research, I am affiliated withINSERM UMR 1058, “Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections.” My research focuses on the role of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in cancers of the head and neck region.
JMR: I have held a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences for Health since 2005. After completing my dissertation, I conducted several postdoctoral fellowships abroad—in Washington, D.C., in the United States; at the University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland; and at the CIC (Centro de Investigación contra el Cáncer) in Spain—before finally returning to France to join the IRMB in Montpellier. In 2015, I was hired as an associate professor at the Montpellier-Nîmes School of Medicine in Professor Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand’s department, where I teach histology and cell biology. In 2019, Vanessa and I created the first website featuring virtual slides that combines three disciplines: anatomy, pathological anatomy, and histology.
You are both directors of the university certificate program “From Normal Cells to Tumor Cells.” What motivated you to create this program?
JMR: Histology and pathological anatomy are two closely related disciplines; it seemed to me that it is essential for a researcher in the field of health to be familiar not only with histology (the study of tissues) but also with pathological tissues.
Who is this training primarily intended for? How long does it last?
VS: This program is intended for all researchers working in the field of oncology, as well as those who wish to learn about human body tissues and the diseases associated with them. It is also designed for physicians who wish to pursue a career in research or for oncologists who wish to acquire a solid foundation in scientific oncology. The program spans one academic year, with classes held between February and June. The curriculum includes 52 hours of instruction, divided into 6 modules.
What added value will future graduates gain from this program? Does it open up new career paths for enrolled students?
JMR: The primary benefits are, first and foremost, the acquisition of new fundamental skills that will better equip future physicians or researchers in the field of oncology to perform their duties. Second, for all future physicians, it enables them to better interpret medical findings provided by a physician specializing in pathological anatomy.
In 2020, Dr. Valentin FAVIER, in collaboration with Dr. Antoine Debourdeau, once again participated in the MUSE call for proposals, which aims to support the pedagogical transformation of educational programs. He was selected as a winner for his project titled “Application for Monitoring Learning and the Performance of Technical Procedures in Medicine.”
The Project's Origins
The quality of medical education is a public health issue that is essential to provide the population as effectively as possible for years to come. Medical competence takes a long time to acquire, during which students must master both theoretical and technical skills. Medical residents must learn the skills and procedures that will form the foundation of their medical practice over the course of their 4- to 6-year residency. Their theoretical knowledge is frequently assessed through written exams.
Currently, medical residents complete their clinical rotations according to a predefined educational program, divided into semesters, and earn their specialty degree upon completion of their program by defending a thesis.
Nevertheless, during their residency, medical students work full-time at the hospital, and their on-campus training at the university is reduced to just a few days a year.
However, the medical curriculum does not take into account the technical skills of medical residents, and there are few tools available to track their acquisition and monitor the learner’s progress throughout their rotations.
It was in this context that Drs. Favier and Debourdeau decided to develop an app to track the progress of health science students in terms of their technical skills.
The Birth of SPART APP
SPART-App is a project that aims to provide medical residents, their supervisors, and the educational coordinator with a mobile app to track every procedure performed throughout their residency (e-logbook). This pilot project covers the specialties of anesthesiology and critical care, gastroenterology, otolaryngology, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Its objectives are as follows:
The App: A Strategic Choice
The digital, via an app that can operate offline, eliminates the need for procedure logs that aren’t updated regularly. The resident can evaluate their procedure immediately after performing it, right on their smartphone.
Each resident will have access to a student account specific to their specialty. In this account, the resident can record every procedure performed over time, providing details on the procedure itself, whether it was successful or unsuccessful, and any difficulties encountered. Using the data entered into the application, residents can track their learning curve.
The supervisor of the procedure performed may, if they wish, approve the intern’s evaluation of the procedure and use it as a basis for a technical debriefing . The instructor will have access to the data for each of the residents they supervise. This will allow the head of education (department head) to ensure that each resident performs a sufficient number of procedures and to identify residents who are struggling so they can receive additional support.
The Impact of START APP
Through this project, Dr. Favier hopes to advance the teaching of technical skills and generate short-, medium-, and long-term impacts.
Currently, the project led by Drs. Favier and Debourdeau is moving forward and is expected to be launched soon.
"The Avicenne Multidisciplinary University Health Center (MSPU) was inaugurated in Cabestany, near Perpignan, in 2018. In June 2021, two additional MSPUs were added to this regional network. To mark this opening, a formal ceremony was held on Thursday, May 27 to review the Cabestany MSPU and present the plans for the two new MSPUs.”
MSPU: What Is It?
A Multidisciplinary Health Center is a multiprofessional health center that has entered into an agreement with the Regional Health Agency (ARS) and a university with a medical program to promote training and research in primary care.
Avicenne's MSPU: A Successful Outcome
This MSPU, led by Dr. Mark OUDE ENGBERIK and comprising some 30 healthcare professionals from various fields, has carried out several projects over the past five years. Two major projects were discussed at this conference:
- The TSAPPproject, which aims to train healthcare professionals on access to care for people with disabilities.
- The SPES (Primary Care, Environment, and Health) project, which aims to promote health and environmental awareness among professionals and the general public.
In terms of academic programs, this MSPU has 16 clinical instructors in various fields of health care and accepts 6 to 10 interns each year.
Two new MSPUs in the region
Following the success of the projects carried out by the Avicenne MSPU, two additional centers were opened in the region to meet local needs in this area.
A joint project is taking shape around these three MSPUs: to build a research network and make the service accessible to local residents.
On Friday, March 19, 2021, we were pleased to welcome Antoine Petit, CEO of the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), to the Arnaud de Villeneuve campus for the signing of a partnership agreement with the University of Montpellier. We also welcomed Philippe Poignet, director of the LIRMM (Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics), who presented the surgical robotics projects being conducted at the School of Medicine.
Remarks by Philippe Poignet, Director of the LIRMM
During this event, we were visited by Philippe Poignet, director of the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics. He took this opportunity to present the surgical robotics projects being conducted by the School of Medicine at the Arnaud de Villeneuve campus. These projects are led by a team at the LIRMM called DEXTER, whose goal is to design, build, and control high-performance robots capable of performing fine, rapid, and/or precise movements.
Presentation of Three Surgical Robotics Projects
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A maxillofacial surgery project:
Project leaders: Dr. Marie de Boutray (Assistant Professor, Maxillofacial Surgery and Stomatology at Montpellier University Hospital and associate researcher in the LIRMM surgical robotics team), Dr. Nabil Zemiti (Associate Professor at the University of Montpellier), and Prof. Philippe Poignet (Full Professor at the University of Montpellier) of the LIRMM surgical robotics team.
Funding: Fondation des Gueules Cassées, Labex CAMI, Labex Numev.
Project Description: Currently, when faced with mandibular bone loss, the gold standard is to perform autologous bone reconstruction using a free fibular flap (fibular bone graft) revascularized via the cervical vessels. The main challenge of this surgery lies in reshaping the long, straight fibular bone into an angulated flap in all three spatial planes to match the shape of the mandible to be reconstructed. Currently, tools exist to help the surgical team achieve this 3D reshaping optimally, such as custom-made cutting guides and plates or 3D-printed models. However, these techniques remain very costly and extremely time-consuming, which limits their use in daily practice. The project team therefore sought to improve this fibular reshaping by using a collaborative robot to guide the surgical procedure. To this end, they developed a robot-assisted fibular reshaping technique coupled with virtual modeling of the osteotomies. This project is currently undergoing preclinical validation on cadaveric models at the Montpellier School of Medicine.
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An orthopedic shoulder surgery case:
Project leaders: Dr. Pierre-Emmanuel Chammas (Orthopedic Surgery, Montpellier University Hospital), Dr. Nabil Zemiti (Assistant Professor at the University of Montpellier), and Prof. Philippe Poignet (Full Professor at the University of Montpellier) from the LIRMM surgical robotics team.
Project Description: The significantaging of Western populations is leading to an increase in the incidence of osteoporosis-related fractures as well as osteoarthritic conditions. Joint replacement surgery is a common treatment for these conditions affecting the shoulder (in 2010, there were 10,831 such procedures in France). The medical and economic stakes are high, given the need to operate on more patients with ever-greater safety, precision, and speed.
These conditions are necessary to ensure a return to one’s previous quality of life as quickly as possible and to maintain the individual’s independence, which is directly correlated with life expectancy in older adults.
Optimal positioning of joint prostheses is one of the most important factors in achieving the best postoperative functional outcome, minimizing complications, and extending the prosthesis’s lifespan by reducing the risk of wear over the medium and long term.
In this context—and more specifically in total shoulder replacement surgery—the proper positioning of the glenoid implant is one of the key factors determining functional outcome and implant longevity. It depends on the initial positioning of a guide pin. Conventional instrumentation is characterized by significant variability in positioning, even when performed by expert clinicians. Computer-assisted surgery solutions allow for precise and reproducible positioning, albeit with certain limitations. The project leaders proposed implementing robotic assistance to achieve precise and reproducible positioning of the glenoid pin compared to the use of conventional instrumentation. In a preclinical study conducted at the Montpellier School of Medicine, they demonstrated that this solution allows for more precise and reproducible angular positioning of the glenoid pin, regardless of the surgeon’s level of expertise.
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An ENT surgery case:
Project leaders: Dr. Fréderic Venail (Full Professor and Physician-Researcher in ENT Surgery at the Montpellier University Hospital) and Dr. Nabil Zemiti (Assistant Professor at the University of Montpellier), Prof. Philippe Poignet (Full Professor at the University of Montpellier), and Lucas Lavenir (Ph.D. student at the University of Montpellier) from the LIRMM surgical robotics team.
Funding: Agir pour l’audition Foundation, Labex CAMI, Occitanie Region.
Project Description: Cochlear implants are the first functional neuroprostheses to have been developed for humans. They restore hearing in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. Implantation of these devices requires the insertion of an electrode array into the cochlea, thereby enabling electrical stimulation of the tips of the auditory nerve fibers.
Today, the insertion of this electrode array is a critical step in the surgical procedure because it requires advancing this array of electrodes, each 1 mm in diameter, through a small opening (~2 mm) in the cochlea (round window). This insertion is performed manually in the clinic, “blindly,” and without the ability to monitor or correct the trajectory inside the cochlea.
The lack of visual control and the limited maneuverability of the electrode array are responsible for much of the damage caused to cochlear structures and the resulting loss of residual hearing. This risk prevents the implantation of cochlear implants in individuals with milder forms of hearing loss.
To address these issues, the project leaders are currently working (as part of Lucas Lavenir’s thesis) on the development of navigation software that guides surgical procedures for the implantation of auditory neuroprostheses using a specialized ultrasound probe….
This probe is mounted on Collin Medical's RobOtol system, which enables automatic monitoring of the insertion motion and electrode guidance.
The successful completion of this project will pave the way for safer therapeutic interventions for inner ear disorders, such as in situ drug delivery or gene therapy, which cannot be performed safely with the tools currently available to ENT surgeons.
A partnership agreement for the 2021–2026 period
The CNRS andthe University of Montpellier are renewing their partnership for a second five-year term. This agreement, which brings together the CNRS, the University of Montpellier, Paul Valéry University, the National School of Chemistry in Montpellier, and the Occitanie Academic Region, aims to define the elements of a shared scientific policy, implemented through the management of joint research units and their operational implementation, by formalizing fundamental agreements regarding their management and operation.
The partnership's five major scientific areas
A Steering and Monitoring Committee
To ensure the partnership is monitored at both the strategic and operational levels, the agreement provides for the establishment of a steering and monitoring committee. The signatories agree to share progress reports on a regular basis. The terms of this agreement were defined following negotiations guided by the goal of achieving balance and taking into account the specific characteristics of the shared units.
We would like to thank Nabil Zemiti, the lead researcher on the three surgical robotics projects, for his invaluable assistance in writing this article.
The MUSE (“Montpellier University of Excellence”) project brings together 19 institutions committed to educational progress and innovation. Today, several projects led by members of the Faculty have been selected and will receive funding from the foundation.
Toward New Training Programs: TakeOff #3
The MUSE Foundation has issued a call for proposals to strengthen educational innovation, particularly in the transformation and creation of new training programs. The goal is simple: to align as closely as possible with current labor market demands and societal needs—and even to anticipate future needs in light of societal changes.
Of the 30 selected projects, 3 are from the School of Medicine and will therefore receive funding to carry them out.
- The “ Development of Educational Tools to Support the Training of Advanced Practice Nurses in Oncology and Hematology ," led by Nadine Houede.
- The “ Rabelais Health and Science Dual Degree Program ” project, led by Stephan Matecki
- The “ Montpellier Introductory Surgical Summer School ” project, led by Astrid Herrero.
Funded for three academic years, these projects will enable us to train our students even more effectively!
And tailored educational tools: TakeOff #4
In addition to these new training programs, the Muse Foundation also supports projects involving innovative educational equipment. To ensure educational continuity, the work environment must also be adapted.
As a result, three other projects from the Faculty—this time involving new, innovative equipment—were selected:
- A “ App for tracking learning progress and the performance of technical procedures in medicine " led by Antoine Debourdeau and Valentin Favier.
- A “ Audio-Visual Immersion in a Health Simulation Educational Session " led by Blaise Debien.
- A project on “ The Benefits of Acquiring a Digital Surgical Simulator for Implementing the 2021–2023 Medical Education Reform: Learning and Certification for a Degree in Non-Operating Room Surgery ” led by Astrid Herrero and François Régis Souche.
We can therefore expect to see many educational innovations emerge over the next few years at the School of Medicine, both in terms of educational programs and teaching tools!
A Commitment to Innovation Already in Place: TakeOff#1 and TakeOff#2
Two other calls for projects launched by I-Site Muse had already taken place previously. These were TakeOff#1 and TakeOff2.
Once again, the Faculty responded quickly, and some of its proposals were selected. First, during the initial call for proposals, TakeOff#1:
- The creation of the " International DIU: Emerging Infections ", proposed by Éric Delaporte.
- The creation of a “Digital Laboratory for Preclinical Sciences”, led by Fares Gouzi.
- A Proposal “Learning Anatomy and Surgery Through Simulation and 3D Printing”, led by Valentin Favier.
- A “Surgical Education in Extended Reality”, defended by Nicolas Lonjona.
- A project on “Artisanal Expertise in the Service of Innovation in Medical Simulation”, Led by Astrid Herrero.
Then, in a second phase, during the TakeOff#2 call for projects:
- The “International Master’s in One Health and Infectious Diseases”, which follows on from the International DIU created through TakeOff#1.
- The creation of an “Interdisciplinary Educational Escape Game in a Simulation Center: Mystery at SimHU Nîmes”, which helps foster cohesion, communication, and collaboration among future healthcare professionals.
- The creation of a tool for “VESALE 3D: Dynamic 3D Virtual Dissection for Teaching Surgical Anatomy”, which is part of an effort to ensure that procedures are never performed on patients for the first time.
A platform for streaming scientific videos focused on health and biology is available to students with unlimited access through April 30.
A video platform for research and teaching
JoVE is a publisher of scientific articles in video format. The articles are peer-reviewed—that is, reviewed and approved by scientists before publication. They are indexed in PubMed and Medline and feature experiments and protocols filmed at the world’s most prestigious universities and leading research laboratories.
To watch the videos
Simply log in to the University's digital campus platform => Click on the "Libraries" tile => Enter "JOVE" in the search engine
Your feedback will help us assess the relevance of this resource for the University. Please feel free to share your thoughts by emailing scd-docelec@umontpellier.fr
It’s the must-attend event for research and innovation in the Gard region: the Nîmes-Alès Talks! Every year, the Nîmes-Alès Metropolitan Cluster organizes a series of unique conferences at institutions of higher education, in partnership with local businesses. The School of Medicine is proud to be a partner in these events!
Science todayis paving the way fortomorrow’s innovations.
The goal of the Nîmes-Alès Talks is to raise public awareness of the region’s strengths in the fields of higher education, research, and innovation.
Through a series of events open to everyone—symposia, lectures, roundtables, workshops, exhibitions, and tours—held over the course of a single week.
Come discover emerging innovations in the fields of digital technology, health, the environment, risk management, and more…
The 2020 event will take place from February 4 through February 8.
Visit the SimHu platform on our Nîmes website!
As part of the 2020 edition of the Entretiens Nîmes-Alès, the Faculty of Medicine at its Nîmes campus is opening the doors to its simulation platform, SimHu, in partnership with the Nîmes University Hospital. Our teams will introduce you to the latest technologies used in medical education, particularly simulation manikins. High-fidelity simulation workshops will be offered to the public, giving participants the chance to step into the shoes of future healthcare professionals!
How do I get there?
Join us on Saturday, February 8, 2020, starting at 9 a.m. at our Carreau Campus in Lanes!
Address: 186 Chemin du Carreau de Lanes, 30000 NÎMES
Bus: "trambus" line T2 or "bus" line 5 toward CHU Carémeau
Directions by car:A9 Highway, Exit 25 Nîmes Ouest – On-site parking available.
We hope to see many of you there!
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