Bahar Graefen

The dynamic fields of immunology and pharmacology demand innovative educational strategies to ensure that future healthcare professionals are equipped with up-to-date knowledge and skills. In the context of digital transformation, the integration of digital health technologies offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance learning experiences. This study explores the development and implementation of digital health tools in immunology and pharmacology education, focusing on their role in improving conceptual understanding, clinical decision-making skills, and learner engagement. Pilot programs integrating virtual laboratories, AI-driven case studies, and real-time patient data simulations were conducted across undergraduate medical courses. Preliminary results indicate significant improvements in knowledge retention, critical thinking, and practical skills among students who utilized digital health-enhanced modules compared to those in traditional curricula. The findings suggest that strategic incorporation of digital health technologies can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice.

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has created unprecedented opportunities for transforming healthcare systems worldwide. Experiences from countries such as Estonia, Sweden, Singapore, and China demonstrate how digital tools – including electronic health records, telemedicine, mobile health, and artificial intelligence – can enhance healthcare accessibility, quality, and efficiency. This thesis explores digital health's role in addressing healthcare challenges and its adaptation to the Azerbaijani context. Although Azerbaijan has initiated digital reforms like e-prescriptions and telemedicine, significant challenges remain, including infrastructural gaps, regulatory needs, and digital literacy barriers. This study analyses the current landscape, identifies key obstacles and opportunities, and offers strategic recommendations. By leveraging global best practices and investing in infrastructure, capacity building, and governance, Azerbaijan can build a resilient, equitable digital health ecosystem that advances public health goals. In an era of increasing global interconnectedness, the adoption of digital health strategies by Azerbaijan holds considerable potential for enhancing the effectiveness of its health system, thereby contributing to the improvement of population health outcomes. Furthermore, this initiative will play a pivotal role in ensuring the country's preparedness for future public health challenges.

Məqalədə immun tolerantlığın hamiləlikdəki rolunu araşdırmaq, hamiləliyin başlanğıcında immun hüceyrələrin implantasiyadakı əhəmiyyətini və bununla bağlı pozğunluqların hamiləliyə təsiri araaşdırılmışdır. Peter Medavar toxuma transplantasiyasındakı qabaqcıl işləri sayəsində fetal genlərin yarısının atadan ötürüldüyü, ananın immun sisteminin fetusu yad kimi tanımalı olduğunu və donordan alınan böyrək transplantasiyasında olduğu kimi, fetus da ana orqanizmi tərəfindən rədd olunmalıdır fikrinə gəldi. Ancaq normal hamiləlikdə belə hadisələr müşahidə olunmadığı üçün Medavar dölün rədd edilməsinin qarşısını almaqda rol oynaya bilən mexanizmlərin ola biləcəyini bildirdi.

Films can be a powerful educational tool, and this is known as cinema education. We at the College of Health Sciences and Pharmacy applied this universal learning method to the first and second-year pharmacy classes of basic immunology. Two workshops were introduced to the course, and the student’s assessment pre- and post-workshop were analyzed. We used two Hollywood blockbuster movies, i.e., The Incredibles 1, The Incredibles 2 and The Boss Baby, to enhance pharmacy students' grasp of basic immunology concepts. The students watched movies. The main plot was that the immune system is like a family with a dad, mom, girls, boys, and babies. Giving due credit to Brad Bird, the writer and director of The Incredibles. In his words (changed within brackets), he is quoted as follows: The characters of “The dad is always expected in the family to be strong, so we made him (T cell) strong. The moms are always pulled in a million different directions, so we made her stretch like taffy (B cell). Teenagers, particularly teenage girls, are insecure and defensive, so we made her turn invisible and turn on shields (Antibody). Moreover, ten-year-old boys are hyperactive energy balls. Babies have unrealized potential. So, we made babies as cytokines.” Our results showed a significantly enhanced conceptual learning and long-term retention of immunological concepts. Even students with severe learning difficulties and disabilities who struggle with academic curriculum can often relate to film. It was also an example of associated learning using standard movies with a high-performance yield within a short period. We recommend the use of such strategies in immunology education. The commonly accepted education method is known as cinemeducation for imparting medical education, and when we used it to teach immunology, we called it cinemimmunology. Article visualizations:

HEALTH EDUCATION ON INSTAGRAM: HELP OR HYPE?

Office hours (OH) have long been a staple of university syllabi, intended to provide students with dedicated time to seek help from their instructors. Instructors at Chicago State University (CSU) are required to set aside four hours each week for discussion with students. This approach ensures that students have numerous academic opportunities to ask questions, get help with their assignments. The objective of this study is to identify the students who attend CSU Office hours in immunology and

Chat GPT is a highly advanced chat bot that stands out from other chat bots due to its remarkable ability to generate impressive prose in mere seconds. It has gained a lot of attention and sparked concerns about its potential impact on student assessments in higher education and various other fields. The goal of this study is to assess the potential benefits and drawbacks of using Chat GPT technology in educational settings, as well as any prospective impacts on student learning outcomes a

Background In recent years, Instagram has become the most popular tool among professional doctors in Azerbaijan for educating their patients. The use of the Instagram application aims to raise patients’ awareness of the importance of taking care of their health and to increase their knowledge about their health conditions using modern services. In this article, the authors examine the quality of Instagram content for health education among the population. Methods We conducted a survey to collect anonymous data from more than 205 respondents and summarized the following points. Results 65% of the respondents were already obtaining health information from Instagram before to participating in the study. 15.1 % of them frequently visit Instagram for health information while 5% had found the health information accessed there harmful. 71% of respondents think accessing health information in this way is beneficial but that the quality and usefulness of the content is average. 95% of respondents reported that the health information they obtained from the identical platform was not causing them any harm Conclusion The medical information shared on Instagram is generally considered useful and beneficial by the population, but it is desirable to improve the quality of the content.

In the ever-changing environment of advanced technology use in education, many things are becoming, if not obsolete, then irrelevant. The education market is still teaming with traditional microbiology textbooks from seasoned authors despite the presence of new, interactive, and colorful textbooks that are student-friendly and relevant. Although senior instructors in the field of education continue to assemble collections of textbooks on their office shelves, college students’ bags have lightened and now accommodate a laptop rather than weighty textbooks. At Chicago State University (CSU) we surveyed our current student population from years 1 to 4. The 120-students registered in the College of Health Sciences and Pharmacy were enrolled in the study and were asked questions using the Google form survey tool. The questionnaire included questions about all course textbooks including microbiology. The data suggested that less than 1% of the students bought a textbook as mandated in the course syllabi. 5% of the students studied from free Portable Document Format (PDF) versions available through the internet. More than 90% of the students affirmed that they do not find the need or time to read textbooks. They not only found them boring but an absolute waste of their precious time. The students also reiterated that the content of the textbooks was never tested in their exams and assessments. The respondents overwhelmingly declared that the price of textbooks was not the major issue, and their student loans would cover the book allowances. We speculate that with this rising trend of textbook-free course offerings, there will not only be a shortage of useful textbooks in the education market but that young authors in the field of microbiology will become discouraged and disillusioned. It is therefore time to rethink, replan and reverse the fate of students’ eternal companion: the textbook. Article visualizations: