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M1 in the context of a comprehensive, organ-systems- based approach to medicine. "there is a multidisci- plinary coherence across the subjects," she says. for example, neuroscience taught in M1 serves as the foundational course for neurology. similarly, brain and behavior is the foundation for the disci- pline of psychiatry. "the M2 curriculum provides the clinical relevance for the basic medical sciences and provides a dynamic forum for the integration of the scientific basis of medicine (M1) and the development of clinical decision making and problem solving skills required to succeed in medical school (M3 and M4)," Best-Popescu says. this description comes from a person who came from the bench to the classroom somewhat petrified by the transition. By training as a lipid-biochemist, which Best-Popescu jokes is the kind of "introvert type who never leaves the lab," she feels that she had to teach herself how to be a good teacher, and she went about it with a meticulous passion that remains a hallmark of her teaching today. Best-Popescu says she is honored to be in a posi- tion to teach future physicians, adding that it's also a huge responsibility that she takes very seriously. as she has grown as an instructor, Best-Popescu says she has constantly tried to evolve, in order to ensure that her students retain, apply and synthesize the informa- tion she imparts long after they leave her tutelage. to that end, she says, "you have to incorporate different techniques" that reach every student at every level of their instruction. "dr. Best-Popescu is perhaps the most effective professor I've ever had," says M3 Xavier Pereira, who took her as an M1 before decamping for Peoria. "she knows her subject inside-out, but more importantly she knows how to present the material in such a way that it's easy to synthesize and retain long-term. for me, it wasn't about what I remembered at the end of an exam, it's about what I remember now and what I'll remember for the rest of my career." Pereira says he kept in contact with Best and sought guidance from her on multiple occasions, particularly when preparing for the steP1 licens- ing exam between the M2 and M3 years. "she was extremely knowledgeable about how to approach this exam in a systematic, organized and effective way," he says. "she knew what resources worked and which didn't, and was able to help me narrow down an ap- proach to studying." Concepts that Best-Popescu focuses on in M2 include: teaching students how to distill lectures and notes into self-referencing study guides, a process she calls "nut-shelling;" promotion of structured small group study that encourages students to discuss what they learned in class right away; with an emphasis on lecture session processing versus pre-reading before class. she also emphasizes working through questions worked with his successor to help him assimilate and then, as part of a redesign for the M4 year, will teach in a new course directed toward students going into surgical subspecialties. teachers' approaches to prevent drudgery are one key to the course-driven M1 year, during which the students focus on the normal structure and func- tion of the human body. they study the structure of the brain and nervous system, biochemistry of macromolecules, metabolism, the enzyme systems and physiology, which is, in turn broken down into unit segments according to bodily systems. and, they learn early lessons in professionalism, such as how to deal with patients of various cultures in a sensitive and appropriate manner. Lieska's students say he keeps M1 exciting and keeps them engaged through his high levels of exper- tise, enthusiasm and creativity. "enthusiasm is a sine qua non for an instructor. If you're not tuned into the audience you lose them," Lieska says. "you have to es- tablish a conduit between the students and yourself." "While technology offers more avenues for learn- ing through self-study than ever before, computers and books cannot replace the experience of attending a great lecture in person," adds M3 Jordan secor. "His lectures are more than the dissemination of anatomi- cal information. they are a performance." "there's no question that dr. Lieska is incredibly invested in his students' success," says M3 Lauren segelhorst, another of Lieska's former students. "His overwhelming display of positive reinforcement is, I believe, a key reason he is able to empower students to achieve more than they thought they were capable of—myself included." Lieska says he envisions his instruction in clini- cal anatomy as a bridge between basic science of the M1 year and the more clinical setting focus of the M2 year, when students move on to the presentation of certain symptoms and the diseases that might be the cause. they're ready in more ways than one, and he is a key part of the reason. "He is a man who inspires his students to not only be good students but also to be better people." secor says. M2 — MoRe coURses, MoRe clInIcAl APPlIcAtIon CatHerIne Best-POPesCu, PHd, research as- sistant professor and instructor in M2 medical cell and structural biology at the College of Medicine in urbana-Champaign, is upbeat, focused and deter- mined to do her best. Best-Popescu, a first-time golden apple award recipient, believes the M2 year is unique in that the curriculum is designed to prepare students for their core clinical clerkships in the M3 year. as such, the students are introduced to clinical reasoning and di- agnosis, and they apply the basic science they learn in c a t h e r i n e b e s t - P o p e s c u U r b a n a - C h a m p a i g n "I demand they talk through problems so they master the technical terms of medicine while learning to actively synthesize, interpret, evaluate, predict and discriminate between relevant and irrelevant information." 26 | S U M M e R 2 014