Background
Qualitative research explains observations, focusing on how and why phenomena and experiences occur. Qualitative methods go beyond quantitative data and provide critical information inaccessible through quantitative methods. However, at all levels of medical education, there is insufficient exposure to qualitative research. As a result, residents and fellows complete training ill‐equipped to appraise and conduct qualitative studies. As a first step to increasing education in qualitative methods, we sought to create a curated collection of papers for faculty to use in teaching qualitative research at the graduate medical education (GME) level.
Methods
We conducted literature searches on the topic of teaching qualitative research to residents and fellows and queried virtual medical education and qualitative research communities for relevant articles. We searched the reference lists of all articles found through the literature searches and online queries for additional articles. We then conducted a three‐round modified Delphi process to select papers most relevant to faculty teaching qualitative research.
Results
We found no articles describing qualitative research curricula at the GME level. We identified 74 articles on the topic of qualitative research methods. The modified Delphi process identified the top nine articles or article series most relevant for faculty teaching qualitative research. Several articles explain qualitative methods in the context of medical education, clinical care, or emergency care research. Two articles describe standards of high‐quality qualitative studies, and one article discusses how to conduct the individual qualitative interview to collect data for a qualitative study.
Conclusions
While we identified no articles reporting already existing qualitative research curricula for residents and fellows, we were able to create a collection of papers on qualitative research relevant to faculty seeking to teach qualitative methods. These papers describe key qualitative research concepts important in instructing trainees as they appraise and begin to develop their own qualitative studies.
The bZIP transcription factor Atf1 is a key player in the transcriptional programme of Schizosaccharomyces pombe cell cycle. It also controls both expression and degradation of mitotic cyclin Cdc13. Temporal regulation of these opposing functions of Atf1 is critical for fidelity of cell division. Our investigations revealed that an increase in the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) Spc1 during mitotic exit and the consequent phosphorylation of Atf1 along with the prevailing high activity of cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc2 regulate Cdc13 degradation. Our results also indicate the possibility of a complex interplay between Cdc2 inhibitory kinase Wee1, the anaphase-promoting complex and Atf1 during mitotic exit. These observations provide evidence of new regulatory mechanisms of mitotic exit.
Stress response and checkpoint activation are the main determinants of cellular survival in adverse conditions. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, these are controlled by the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Spc1 and the Cyclin dependent Kinase Cdc2 respectively. Cdc2 is regulated positively by Cdc25 and negatively by Wee1. Changes in Cdc2 activity can be sensed by Spc1 resulting in the modulation of mitotic timing by Spc1. Functional cross talks between cell cycle regulation and MAPK machinery during regulation of mitotic timing are well characterised but the presence of similar communication during stress response remains unexplored. In this study we report how the checkpoint activator kinase Wee1 can also influence the transcriptional response to oxidative stress. We show that deletion of Wee1 results in changes in gene expression of the cells, especially with respect to genes whose expression is known to be regulated by Spc1. These differences are seen in unperturbed cells as well as during oxidative stress. Moreover, such variations extend beyond what could be expected to occur due to the known enhanced Spc1 activity of these cells. This is the first depiction of the influence of Wee1 and consequently Cdc2 activity on transcriptional response to oxidative stress.
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