U-M Learners Produce Online Newsletter Ophthalmology literature made accessible In late 2019, David Portney and Dena Ballouz, both U-M
Ajay Kolli, M.P.H., David Portney, M.D., and Dena Ballouz, M.D.
Medical School Class of 2021, hit a wall familiar to anyone who has walked the path from medical school to ophthalmology schools in the U.S. and Canada share the content development
specialization. “It’s a tough field to learn about, let alone master,” explains Portney, now an intern gearing up for his first year of residency
duties. With a team of volunteers, publication expanded from
at Kellogg. “There are so many subspecialties and so much
bi-weekly to weekly. An editorial “cadence” was established to
research, and the med school curriculum barely scratches the
manage the workflow, and a training protocol was developed
surface.”
to help team members outline and write a summary from a published manuscript. The Lens recently added a podcast
“David and I were both involved with Kellogg faculty
featuring interviews with attendings and fellows. And the three
research, so we were very motivated to learn more,” says
co-founders transitioned from writing to editing, with
Ballouz, who is also an intern who will be starting residency
Kolli serving as editor-in-chief.
training at Kellogg in 2022. “But with so much highand only a beginner’s knowledge base, it’s a steep learning curve.” With their mutual enthusiasm, Portney and Ballouz hatched an idea: Why not create an email newsletter of easy-to-digest summaries of current research and topics in oph-
“
thalmology, prepared especially for medical students? The first issue of The Lens was
In true Kellogg evidence-based style, the team even fielded and published (in the Journal of Surgical Education) research on The Lens. “Our study — the first
WE HOPE WE’RE MAKING
we know of to assess the efficacy
OPHTHALMOLOGY MORE ACCESSIBLE,
of a newsletter as an educational tool — demonstrated that The Lens
WHAT DREW US TO THE FIELD — ALL THE
improved readers’ knowledge, and
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY — IS ALSO
“
impact research coming out all the time,
WHAT CAN MAKE IT INTIMIDATING.
published online in January 2020.
— Dena Ballouz, M.D.
Initially, the plan was to provide ‘quick hits you want to know’ to interested U-M medical students. One early subscriber was fellow U-M classmate Ajay Kolli. Kolli, who detoured to Harvard to add an M.P.H. to his M.D., is scheduled to graduate medical school in 2022. “I found it so engaging and useful, I reached out to David and Dena to get involved,” he says. “Timing is everything,” says Ballouz. “The launch coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many people were looking for easy-to-use remote learning resources.” With Kolli on board, the team reached out to connections
that the longer they subscribed, the more they retained,” Kolli says. “People have asked what qualifies a bunch of medical students with little background in the field to curate and summarize current literature in ophthalmology,” says Portney. “I say ‘Why not?’ We’re trained to absorb concepts
quickly and think critically. Plus, our faculty
are easily accessible if we have any questions or
concerns.” “We hope we’re making ophthalmology more accessible,” adds Ballouz. “What drew us to the field — all the innovation and technology — is also what can make it intimidating.” No longer just for medical students, The Lens is expanding its audience to include residents, faculty and practicing ophthalmologists.
at other schools for both readers and volunteers to help produce the newsletter. Today, more than 30 medical students from 25
Visit lensophthalmology.com to subscribe 27
