SUMMARY
Diana J. Kelm, M.D., focuses on interprofessional education to improve team-based training in healthcare. Specifically, she targets high-risk situations such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergent endotracheal intubation for respiratory failure. The goal of her research is to improve team dynamics, increase closed-loop communication and empower all team members to speak up. Additionally, Dr. Kelm's research strives to improve how invasive bedside procedures are taught, ensuring that future healthcare professionals are better trained. This approach enhances the skills of individual health professionals and fosters a collaborative environment that leads to better patient outcomes.
Dr. Kelm also explores the use of gamification and emerging technologies, such as virtual reality and simulation-based education, to improve the education of the next generation of healthcare professionals. Gamification is the addition of games or gamelike elements to increase participation in education. These innovative methods make learning more engaging and effective, further improving the quality of medical education and patient care.
Focus areas
- Procedural skills training. Dr. Kelm studies what makes an effective bedside procedural teacher so that healthcare professionals in training are appropriately taught such tactics. As part of this research, she is creating an assessment tool and validating that tool. The goal of this line of research is to increase faculty development to create effective bedside procedural teachers.
- Gamification in medical education. Dr. Kelm studies innovative ways to improve medical education, including the use of emerging technologies such as virtual reality. One such study involves the creation of a virtual reality module to teach healthcare professionals how to troubleshoot a ventilator when managing respiratory failure. Additional teaching methods include the creation of escape rooms to study pulmonary nodules and hypercapnic respiratory failure.
- Team-based training. Dr. Kelm conducts research focused on team-based training for high-risk events such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergent endotracheal intubation. The goal is to improve how these multidisciplinary and complex teams work together during highly stressful and emotionally charged events. Currently, she is working on the creation of an airway checklist that captures input from the multidisciplinary team, which includes nurses, respiratory therapists and other healthcare professionals.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Kelm's research focuses on interprofessional education and the training of healthcare teams to work together effectively. It stresses team-based training for high-risk situations such as cardiac arrest and emergency intubation for respiratory failure. By improving team performance in these critical moments, more lives may be saved. Additionally, Dr. Kelm's research goal is to improve the teaching of bedside procedures, ensuring that future healthcare professionals are better trained. This leads to fewer mistakes and less harm to people. While the work may not directly create new treatments, it significantly improves patient care by reducing errors and making healthcare teams more effective.
Professional highlights
- Chair, Enterprise Experimental Learning Council, Mayo Clinic Educational Committee, Mayo Clinic Board of Governors, 2024-present.
- American Thoracic Society:
- Vice chair, Core Curriculum Committee, 2023-present.
- Programming chair, Section on Medical Education, 2021-2024.
- Alison Clay Early Career Educator Award, Section on Medical Education, 2021.
- Mid-Career Clinician Education Investigator Award, Mayo Clinic, 2023-2025.
- Education innovator, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 2023.
- Teacher of the Year, Mayo Fellows Association, Mayo Clinic, 2023.
- Emerging Educator Award, Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors, 2022.
- Barbara Bush Distinguished Fellowship Award, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic, 2017.