Background:

Breast imaging education is continually evolving, necessitating innovative methods as the traditional didactic approach to resident and medical student education often falls short in providing comprehensive, case-based, and interactive learning experiences.

Introduction:

Recognizing the need for a centralized and accessible platform, UCLA Breast Radiology created a dedicated page for Breast Imaging education with a wide variety of articles written by residents paired with fellowship-trained faculty. The targeted audience includes medical students, radiologists in training, and practicing radiologists. The content is free to access and has been used as materials for patient education.

Methods:

A dedicated website was established with a website developer who provided coding and uploading website content. Two breast imaging faculty oversee the entire initiative.  A medical student manages logistics, briefs radiology residents on the initiative at the start of each resident’s rotation, facilitating their pairing with fellowship-trained faculty for guidance during article drafting. He also creates digital sketches as well as act as an editor for the articles and the website. Each resident selects a topic from a comprehensive list. Articles must have HIPPA compliant images and/or illustrative visuals to enhance comprehension. The finalized article, paired with an is then published on the website. These articles are organized under six major sections: Screening Mammograms, Pathology, BIRADS terminology, Diagnostic workup strategies, interesting cases, and additional resources including national guidelines.

Results:

Over 45 articles have been published so far. This mentorship-based program provides residents with constructive feedback and further knowledge in breast imaging. The content of the articles and use of images and/or illustrations has serve as valuable teaching resources. The website had reached over 60,000 visits since its creation. Residents have communicated their appreciation of this tool.

Conclusion:

This model leverages technology and mentorship in enhancing clinical radiology education for residents, medical students, and the broader medical community while serving as a free and valuable reference for patient education.