Dr. Michelow is involved in collaborative research to validate novel methods of clinical teaching and diagnostic reasoning for learners at different stages of medical training. His approach involves enhancing the one-minute preceptor (OMP) method by emphasizing the core elements using a descriptive acronym — DEFT (Diagnosis, Evidence, Feedback, Teaching), meaning skillful. This strategy will potentially improve the quality of interactions between learners and preceptors. Learners are taught to discuss risk factors, mechanisms of disease, and potential complications, and preceptors learn how to model analytical and diagnostic skills. The one-minute preceptor/DEFT approach is experiential, adaptable, case-driven, and skills-focused, and also applicable to clinical training in other specialties. Dr. Melissa Held also holds a position of the senior administrative dean assistant of the medical school and has extensive experience in medical school education. She has been a core creator of the medical school curriculum at the UConn School of Medicine.

Enhancing the one-minute preceptor method for clinical teaching with a DEFT approach.