Introduction Although all medical school graduates are expected to be educators as residents, and subsequently as faculty, most students receive no formal education on how to teach. At the Uniformed Services University (USU), no formal educational training previously existed for senior medial students as they prepared for residency. A novel Medical Education Elective for MS4s was developed and run by MS4s with faculty mentoring at USU with implementation between January and June 2018. Materials and Methods The overall goal of the 4-week course was to provide a forum for MS4s to gain exposure to educational theories and teaching methods with an opportunity to practice learned skills in the underclass curriculum. The course’s three core components were: didactics, observed teaching, and independent teaching. The course was evaluated via multiple methods including verbal and survey feedback from both first and fourth year medical students. Results The preliminary outcomes revealed the course had a positive impact on both first-year medical students (MS1s) and MS4s. As of May 2018, 100% (n = 59) of MS1s surveyed reported that having an MS4 teacher contributed positively to their learning experience. All MS4s surveyed (n = 12) agreed that the course enhanced their confidence in teaching. Conclusions Medical education courses not only offer an opportunity for senior students to cultivate educational theoretical knowledge and teaching skills in preparation for residency but also contribute positively to the learning experiences of underclass students. Now that the elective has been piloted with initial data suggesting feasibility and benefit to both MS4 and MS1 students, the next steps are to focus on ensuring longevity of the course offering at USU and to consider working with senior students at other institutions that lack formal training in education to start similar student run medical education initiatives.

Introduction: Primary congenital glaucoma is a rare ocular disorder that is responsible for 0.01%–0.04% of total blindness worldwide.1 The goal of congenital glaucoma management is to allow for proper development of the immature visual system by controlling intraocular pressure. Medical therapy usually provides a supportive role to temporarily reduce intraocular pressure, but patients typically require iridocorneal angle surgery to facilitate aqueous humor outflow. In this report, we describe the use of minimally invasive ab interno Kahook Dual Blade trabeculectomy for treatment of primary congenital glaucoma. Case description: A 13-month-old male with bilateral primary congenital glaucoma due to a loss of function TEK mutation. He had bilateral findings of elevated intraocular pressures, buphthalmos, Haab’s striae, photophobia, and myopia. Over the course of 6 weeks, three ab interno trabeculectomies with a Kahook Dual Blade were performed in the patient’s left eye and one in the patient’s right eye. After 3 months, intraocular pressures while receiving pressure reducing ophthalmic drops bilaterally reduced from 43 to 21 mmHg in the right eye after a single surgery and from 44 to 34 mmHg in the left eye after three surgeries, eventually requiring glaucoma drainage implant placement. There were no complications. Conclusion: Ab interno Kahook Dual Blade Trabeculectomy is a minimally invasive and potentially successful procedure for the treatment of congenital glaucoma. The safety profile of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery warrants consideration for congenital glaucoma patients, as they usually require iridocorneal angle surgery because pharmacologic therapy is typically inadequate.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) has just released an update to the clinical practice guideline (CPG) on otitis media with effusion. This common condition is frequently managed by primary care providers; however, their awareness and utilization of the AAO-HNSF CPGs are unknown. We performed a cross-sectional survey to assess familiarity with otologic diagnoses, evaluation skills, and guidelines. Only 38.5% of respondents use pneumatic otoscopy, and roughly 50% utilize a CPG for management of otitis media or for referral for tympanostomy tube insertion. Providers predominantly use the acute otitis media guideline from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In this single-institution study, providers are largely unaware of the AAO-HNSF CPGs and could benefit from additional training, including workshops taught by otolaryngologists within individual health care systems or development of a national otolaryngology medical student curriculum. A more immediate option includes referencing our CPGs on specialty societies' websites or newsletters.

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We present two patients with a new finding of symmetrical corneal thinning early in the clinical course of iridocorneal endothelial syndrome. Patient 1 was evaluated for uncontrolled angle closure glaucoma of the left eye (OS) status post laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI). After placement of an Ahmed glaucomatous valve and trabeculectomy with mitomycin C were performed, the patient was diagnosed with Chandler syndrome. The patient’s pachymetry at the time of diagnosis revealed stable central corneal thickness (CCT) of 481 µm of the right eye (OD) (baseline 494 µm) and central cornea thinning with CCT of 407 µm OS (baseline 486 µm). Patient 2 was evaluated for ocular hypertension and Chandler syndrome OS was diagnosed. The patient had a good short-term response to LPI and ocular hypotensive medications. This patient was also found to have thinning of his affected cornea with CCT 523 µm OD and 476 µm OS.