Events/News

IN THE NEWS

James Ayers, Ph.D., LP Presents
at the Minnesota Psychological Association Conference
Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. 

Dr. Ayers explores “The Demands of Face-to-Face Interaction in Clinical Practice: Issues, Challenges and Remedies.”

Face-to-face interaction is at the core of human relationships, but how does it play out in a clinical setting?  Issues such as the following are examined through the context of the UfaceME method:
self disclosure, self presentation, self-discovery through the eyes of others, implicit bias and the balance between task, techniques and relationship engagement. Case studies and data will demonstrate applications and psychologically safe discovery in in practice.

To register go to: mnpsychology.org
Sheraton Bloomington Hotel
5601 West 78th Street, Bloomington, MN 55439

Dr. Michael Ross Honored by University of Minnesota Medical School for Innovative Education
The University of Minnesota Medical School presented its 2019 “Year 1/2 Education Innovation Award” to Michael W. Ross, MD, PhD, MPH, MHPEd, MSt, at the Dean’s Tribute to Excellence in Education, which took place May 1.

The purpose of the award is to recognize faculty who have developed outstanding innovations in the education of physicians and medical students.

The innovative teaching program recognized by the University features the use of a new computer application, UfaceME, for teaching sexual history taking to medical students, in a face to face, one on one role-playing experience. Teaching sexual history taking to medical students is recognized as a crucial area of clinical medicine, but in many medical schools this is limited to didactic methods or not taught at all.

A pilot study was presented by Dr. Ross and Dr. Jim Ayers, UfaceME, at the 2018 Annual Meeting for the Scientific Study of Sexuality in Montreal, November 8-11. Measuring medical competencies in medical and other health care professional training is important in developing skills in sexual history taking: A New Computer Application for Teaching Sexual History Taking by Medical Students: Innovation and Evaluation in the UfaceME™ program. It was shown that the program enhanced the performance of University of Minnesota medical students, and not just the knowledge of these medical students.

Dr. Ross is the Joycelyn Elders Professor and Chair of Sexual Health Education Department of Family Medicine at the University.

Pictured are Dr. Ross with the UfaceME team. From left to right, Thomas Bugbee, Dr. Michael Ross, Dr. James Ayers, Joan Knight and William Schmidt.


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Michael W. Ross, MD, PhD, MPH, and James Ayers, PhD, presented:
Development and evaluation of an app for training medical
students in sexual history taking. March 13, 2019

Michael Ross and Jim Ayers presented their work at our monthly Faculty Research Presentations at PHS, 1300 South 2nd Street, Room 150, Minneapolis, MN 55454.

Teaching sexual history taking has traditionally been taught through role playing in dyads. However, this approach suffers from often sparse Ross and Ayersobservation and feedback and limited opportunities to observe and evaluate the history taking process. They reported on the development of a laptop video-based app (UfaceME™) which captures the role-playing dyad and on playback, allows the two participants to review and rate on a series of adjectival scales their response to the interaction. Comparison of these graphed ratings shows discrepancies in the evaluation of the history taking which can be flagged and discussed in the dyad and with a tutor. In addition it enables the dyad to observe their own verbal and nonverbal styles and comment on each other’s responses. Quantitative and qualitative data from medical students from a pilot evaluation of the UfaceME app were presented and the salient dimensions of taking and evaluating a sexual history were compared with counseling training evaluation.


Dr. Jim Ayers presented — Face-to-Face Interaction in the Digital Age: Methods that Work

Location: Metropolitan State University, St. Paul Campus
Friday, February 8, 2019, 9 AM to Noon

About the Program

Digital technologies are revolutionizing our lives worldwide with new solutions to enduring problems. Yet the most challenging impact has been on human relationships and the ability to relate face-to-face, this presentation reviews research findings and explores how digital technologies have impacted face-to-face interaction for better and for worse. The first part of this presentation focused on managing use of digital technologies to limit harm and promote uses that foster effective relationships. The second part demonstrated how new applications, such as telemedicine, distance learning, and digital simulations in education, training, and research can be effective yet fall short of the full face-to-face experience which defies understanding. The third part demonstrated how face-to-face interactions can not only be understood but empirically measured with the UfaceME™ method, a digital technology that engages people to learn from each other.

This was an interactive laboratory presentation demonstrating how the UfaceME method empowers mutual face-to-face understanding exemplified when a black coach mentors a black student about managing anger in public. Audience participants viewed the conversation between coach and student of a prerecorded session. Immediately after the viewing, graphic feedback to the audience on their viewpoints stimulated a lively discussion of critical intercultural issues such as: implicit biases, self-disclosure, and challenges of face-to-face interaction relevant to effective intervention.

This session was at the introductory level and was designed for psychologists and other mental health professionals.


UfaceME™ and the University of Minnesota presented a poster at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality in Montreal,  Nov 8-11, 2018

Dr. James Ayers, PhD, UfaceME, and Dr. Michael Ross, PhD, MS, MPH, University of Minnesota, presented findings of a joint project between the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Program in Human Sexuality, and UfaceME. The poster presented at the international conference was “A New Computer Application for Teaching Sexual History Taking to Medical Students: Evaluation of the UfaceME Program.”

The UFaceME application was used in training sessions in which 175+ medical students role played in learning how to interview patients for their sexual histories. The poster presented the results of a pilot study in which pre and post-UfaceME training were reported and discussed, leading to roll-out applications.


Dr. Jeff Simpson Receives U of M Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education Award

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — March 2017 – The University of Minnesota has named Jeff Simpson, Ph.D., recipient of the 2016-17 Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education Award. Dr. Simpson, Professor of Psychology, University of Minnesota, is a Technical Advisor to UfaceME, Inc., in the area of interpersonal data analytics.

The University awards this honor to exceptional candidates nominated by departments and then colleges in their quest to identify excellence in graduate and professional education.

Those who receive the Graduate and Professional teaching award become members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers (ADT). The title “Distinguished University Teaching Professor” or “Distinguished University Teacher” is conferred upon recipients.

Jeff Simpson, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Doctoral Minor in Interpersonal Relationships (IREL) at the University of Minnesota. He has been the President of International Association for Relationship Research, and is an internationally recognized authority on interpersonal relationships and research on development of human attachment.

UfaceME is a breakthrough face-to-face communications tool that is based on patented software technology.


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