The B cell antigen receptor (BCR)-repertoire is capable of recognizing a nearly unlimited number of antigens. Inevitably, the random nature of antibody gene segment rearrangement, needed in order to provide mature B cells, will generate autoreactive specificities. Once tolerance mechanisms fail to block the activation and differentiation of autoreactive B cells, harmful autoantibodies may get secreted establishing autoimmune diseases. Besides the hallmark of autoimmunity, namely IgG autoantibodies, IgM autoantibodies are also found in many autoimmune diseases. In addition to pathogenic functions of secreted IgM the IgM-BCR expressing B cell might be the initial check-point where, in conjunction with innate receptor signals, B cell mediated autoimmunity starts it fateful course. Recently, pentameric IgM autoantibodies have been shown to contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), pemphigus or autoimmune neuropathy. Further, recent studies suggest differences in the recognition of autoantigen by IgG and IgM autoantibodies, or propose a central role of anti-ACE2-IgM autoantibodies in severe COVID-19. However, exact mechanisms still remain to be uncovered in detail. This article focuses on summarizing recent findings regarding the importance of autoreactive IgM in establishing autoimmune diseases. Integral to that balance is the avoidance of reacting to self-structures, so-called autoimmune reactions ,2. B celcomplex) ,11,12. Pcomplex) .Most mature B cells have been demonstrated to require the engagement of autoantigen with their BCR in order to reach the periphery ,15. FurtInterestingly, most diagnosis criteria focus on the presence of IgG autoantibodies ignoring autoreactive IgM ,18,20,21IgM antibodies either occur in a pentameric state containing a J-chain, or hexameric state not bearing a J-chain and being of very short half-life ,27. SincTaken together, the abundance of autoreactive B cells and unique structure and functions of IgM antibodies indicate a crucial role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. The old IgG autoantibody-centric concept is advancing towards an IgM autoantibody-including concept considering IgM’s capability of establishing autoimmunity. In this article, we will discuss recent advances highlighting the role of IgM autoantibodies in autoimmunity.Autoreactive antibodies that are not directly referred to as harmful autoantibodies causing autoimmune diseases, are called natural autoantibodies . The mosSeveral elegant studies have shown that mice lacking nIgM are highly susceptible to atherosclerosis, lupus-like syndromes and autoinflammation ,39,41,42autoreactive IgM) is associated with autoimmune diseases.In summary, the absence or dysfunction of nIgM has been demonstrated to be associated with autoimmune diseases. Importantly, nIgM is not inducible by autoantigens such as autoreactive primary IgM is, which is specifically targeting self-structures. In contrast to nIgM, the presence of autoreactive primary IgM (hereafter referred to as The SARS-CoV-2 virus emerging in 2019 that lead to a world-wide pandemic situation can cause a severe virus-mediated pneumonia (COVID-19) . FurtherInterestingly, several recent studies linked autoreactive IgM antibodies recognizing prothrombin  or ACE2 + plasma cells.In summary, the production of autoreactive IgM upon infection that does almost certainly not belong to the class of nIgM, indicates the presence of an autoreactive canonical B cell population capable of differentiating into IgMHowever, the exact mechanism of anti-PT IgM generation in SARS-CoV-2 infected human individuals needs to be uncovered.+ B cells is still not completely understood. Mounting evidence suggests that in addition to the IgM-BCR itself, cytokine receptors, receptors mediating cognate T cell-B cell interaction, and last but not least, innate immune receptors provide the constellation of signals that allow the activation, survival and expansion of autoreactive B cells [The unique importance of the IgM BCR signal in triggering an antigen-specific response or B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders is well established. In contrast, to what extent other signal pathways contribute to drive autoreactive IgM B cells .Y264H mice) treated with BCR crosslinking anti-IgM in vitro react with enhanced survival of B cells is interesting. It suggests that mutant TLR7 signaling without the addition of TLR7 ligand is directly enhancing IgM-mediated BCR signaling. The fact that anti-IgM promotes the survival and induction of genes linked to survival of B cells suggests that in this patient and the homologous murine model the threshold to autoreactivity in B cells might be overcome by IgM-BCR signals in conjunction with the enhanced TLR7 signal.As an example for B cell intrinsic innate immune receptors we will focus on the role of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7). It belongs to the sub-family of innate pattern recognition receptors that sense nucleic acids. TLR7 has drawn considerable interest because its ligand (guanosine and ssRNA), its structure and molecular activation mechanisms are relatively well understood . Recent The interplay between BCR and TLR7 signaling is complex and needs more research efforts to further our understanding. For example, genetic BCR ablation impairs the capacity of B cells to proliferate to TLR4 ,61; whetY264H mutant results in increased IgM-mediated proliferation in vitro, without TLR7 ligand engagement [The other way round, namely the influence of TLR7 towards the BCR signal, is even less well understood. Interestingly, the TLR7gagement . It is p+ B cell response and TLR7 in SARS-CoV-2 infection, new aspects came recently into focus. The question needs to be addressed whether autoreactive IgM is part of the pathology of COVID-19 or long covid symptoms, which affect between 5.8 (vaccinated) and 7% (not-vaccinated) of infected patients. Surprisingly, genetic analysis of young brothers who developed severe COVID-19 identified for the first-time humans with TLR7-deficiency [With regard to the role of IgMficiency . At presficiency . It woulFor decades, diagnosing autoantibody-borne autoimmune diseases was focused on detecting certain autoreactive IgGs (see above) ,2. HowevAn example is the current view of the pathogenesis of bullous pemphigoid disease, which was thought to be exclusively restricted to IgG autoantibodies . In brieAnother autoimmune disease where autoreactive IgG is a hallmark for diagnosis is resembled by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) . Here, IThe concept of IgM autoantibodies as pathogenic and causative drivers of autoimmune diseases is further supported by a recent study reporting on therapeutic plasma exchange in patients suffering from autoimmune neuropathy . In thisFurthermore, Kawakami and colleagues  recentlyIn addition to studies showing autoantigen-specific IgM causative for pathology in certain autoimmune diseases, patients suffering from HIGM are also prone to developing autoimmune diseases. In particular, HIGM patients only possess polyreactive IgM being incapable of removing potential autoreactivity by SHM. For instance, recent studies have shown that HIGM patients can develop primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) caused by anti-MIT3-IgM autoantibodies not present in healthy subjects ,77.In sum, several recent studies showing that autoreactive IgM can be the first step in establishing autoimmune diseases highlight the opportunity of early screening by using autoreactive IgM as a diagnostic marker. Consequently, testing patients with mild symptoms in early disease phases for autoreactive IgM, that would normally not receive treatment due to the lack of IgG autoantibodies, could open up a therapeutic intervention window.The beneficial effects of nIgM targeting harmful and altered self-molecules, such as oxidized lipids, have been studied extensively . For insHowever, in healthy individuals the nIgM repertoire is devoid of specificities that specifically target cell surface receptors. Autoreactive IgM antibodies that bind for instance BP-180 as in pemphigus , are ref+ B cells are involved in the primary step to autoimmunity, and their activation is dependent on TLR7 ligands conveying an aberrant signal to these cells, pharmacological suppression could be beneficial for the plethora of IgM mediated autoimmune diseases discussed. At present, at least three independent research groups came up with antagonistic/inhibitory small molecules and a TLR7 specific monoclonal antibody to suppress TLR7 activation [If the hypothesis holds water that IgMtivation ,80,81. I+ autoreactive plasma cells (SLPC). In early disease phase, the rapid and strong activation of autoreactive B cells and the possible absence of T cell help prior to GC-entry [Since it has been shown that TLR7 gain-of-function mutations  lead to GC-entry ,83, mighThe mechanisms by which IgM autoantibodies induce pathology might differ from effects that IgG autoantibodies with identical specificities exert on targets. First, the pentameric structure of IgM and the lack of Fab flexibility, compared to the highly flexible hinge region of IgG , could aSecond, IgM antibodies are efficient in forming immune complexes due to their pentameric structure and often polyreactivity. This feature might be particularly relevant when targeting soluble autoantigens, such as PT or PA, as described in COVID-19 patients . In partThird, IgM has been shown to recruit complement more efficiently compared to IgG ,86. Thus(1)Do all antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases that get diagnosed by the presence of IgG autoantibodies show early phases of IgM autoantibodies?(2)Do IgM autoantibodies showing identical specificity as IgG autoantibodies induce different symptoms?(3)+ B cells allowed to differentiate into IgM-secreting plasma cells?How are IgM(4)What is the role of TLR7 in the activation of autoreactive B cells eventually secreting IgM autoantibodies?Since the effects of IgM autoantibodies are yet poorly understood, several questions besides disease-specific mechanisms arise:+ B cells. Further, autoreactive B cells that differentiate into IgM autoantibody-secreting plasma cells might cause a vast variety of autoimmune diseases via pathogenic IgM autoantibodies.In sum, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that TLR7 is capable of controlling the activation of autoreactive IgM


Our results suggest that the Cancer ECHO program has benefits over other PCP-targetted cancer control interventions and could be an effective educational means of improving cancer control capacity among PCPs and others. Further study is warranted to explain the discrepancies among study participants’ perceptions of the program’s strengths and the relatively low PCP participation before undertaking a full-scale effectiveness study.To improve cancer care in Indiana, a telementoring program using the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model was introduced in September 2019 to promote best-practice cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship care by primary care providers (PCPs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the program’s educational outcomes in its pilot year, using Moore’s Evaluation Framework for Continuing Medical Education and focusing on the program’s impact on participants’ knowledge, confidence, and professional practice. We collected data in 22 semi-structured interviews (13 PCPs and 9 non-PCPs) and 30 anonymous one-time surveys (14 PCPs and 16 non-PCPs) from the program participants (hub and spoke site members), as well as from members of the target audience who did not participate. In the first year, average attendance at each session was 2.5 PCPs and 12 non-PCP professionals. In spite of a relatively low PCP participation, the program received very positive satisfaction scores, and participants reported improvements in knowledge, confidence, and practice. Both program participants and target audience respondents particularly valued three features of the program: its conversational format, the real-life experiences gained, and the support received from a professional interdisciplinary community. PCPs reported preferring case discussions over didacticsThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12911-022-01874-x. It is estimated that two in five Indiana residents will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes –3. With In September 2019, the Indiana Cancer Consortium collaborated with the Indiana University (IU) Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health and the Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) ECHO Center to launch the Cancer Screening, Prevention, and Survivorship ECHO program. Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO©) programs are becoming an important resource for capacity-building in the health sector; to date, 52 institutions globally and 34 institutions in the United States have adopted the ECHO model to provide remote cancer-related education . The ECHIn the first year of the Cancer ECHO program , 22 sessions were held. The aim of this study was to evaluate the program’s educational outcomes in its pilot year, using Moore’s Evaluation Framework for Continuing Medical Education and focusing on the program’s impact on participants’ knowledge, confidence, and professional practice. Assessing input from the program’s participants and target audience will help us begin to identify the mechanisms that contribute to and limit the effectiveness of the ECHO model for providing continuing education to health care professionals regarding cancer care and screening.This exploratory study used a mixed-methods approach (interviews and a survey). To evaluate the Cancer ECHO program’s learning outcomes, we used Moore’s Evaluation Framework for Continuing Medical Education . Moore’sThis study was approved by the IU Institutional Review Board. We analyzed administrative data from the IUPUI ECHO Center to determine program participation (Level 1). To assess Levels 2–5, we conducted semi-structured interviews and an anonymous one-time survey with questions developed from Moore’s framework and the two MBI items.The pilot year of the program coincided with the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and only two learners achieved a completion certification at its end (based on the requirement for attending at least 50% of the scheduled sessions). Considering this challenge, we adopted a wide recruitment strategy for our study to maximize the number of participants. We recruited from three distinct groups: (1) the learners at spoke sites who attended at least one complete session during the year ; (2) members of the expert panel and IUPUI ECHO leadership ; and (3) individuals in the program’s target audience who were aware of the Cancer ECHO program but did not participate in a session . Recruiting from groups that participated in the program and peers who did not allowed us to compare those groups’ perspectives and thus explore the mechanisms that may contribute to or limit the program’s effectiveness. We utilized the mailing list of learners in actual program sessions to recruit the spokes participants. The PS participants were recruited from mailing lists of registrants for the Cancer ECHO program (since some registered but did not attend) and participants in IU PCP-targetted ECHO programs on other topics. Additionally, the program attracted learners from many disciplines other than PCPs, and they constituted an important part of the multidisciplinary dialogs in the program . ConsideStudy participants were invited to take the online survey or participate in an interview or do both. The survey began with a question about the respondents’ relationship to the Cancer ECHO program  and a few demographic and professional questions. Items then asked respondents to rate their satisfaction with the program; rate its impact on their knowledge, confidence, and professional practice; and, using a Likert scale, rate their emotional exhaustion and insensitivity to patients before and after participating in the Cancer ECHO program.  conducted all the interviews. NVivo machine-transcription service was used to transcribe the recorded interviews and pair them with manual audits for accuracy. Using NVivo 12, we first coded the semi-structured interviews deductively with Moore’s framework. Then we analyzed the new themes that arose inductively from the data but were not covered by Moore’s framework. An iterative, code-recode, and group consensus approach was employed for the theme development. Two research team members (Z.M. and E.M.) independent of the program operation met regularly to develop an initial set of codes, then discuss and organize the emerging themes iteratively until a code consistency was achieved. Following that, the full team met and reached a consensus on the final themes; then, findings across groups were compared and summarized within and across the interviews and surveys. The recommendations to the Cancer ECHO program were generated from the study findings.The 22 sessions were typically 1.5 h in length and consisted of a 20-min didactic presentation and a one-hour case discussion. The 22 didactic presentations by the hub team covered a range of topics in screening, prevention, and survivorship. All but one of the 17 case discussions were about cancer survivorship. A total of 147 unique individuals attended the Cancer ECHO at least once during this period. Of them, 16 (10.8%) were PCPs (physicians and advanced practice providers). An average of 2.5 PCPs (17.2%) and 12 other professionals attended each session, and 90.9% of the sessions had at least one PCP spoke participant. The most common non-PCP attendees were cancer educators, navigators, public health workers, or administrators.We interviewed 15 program participants (12 spokes learners and three hub members) and seven PS individuals. Among these 22 interviewees, five spoke and six PS learners were PCPs. Seven (58.3%) spokes and seven (100%) PS interviewees had experience attending other ECHO programs. Sixteen of the 22 interviewees were females. Participation data showed that 90.9% of the Cancer ECHO sessions had at least one of the 12 spoke interviewees in them, and 63.6% of the sessions had at least one of the five spoke PCP interviewees. Survey respondents were 14 spoke and 16 PS learners. Among these 30 survey respondents, four spoke and ten PS learners were PCPs; 24 were females. Regarding the setting of their practice, 14 (46.7%) were urban, and 11 (36.7%) were suburban or rural while the rest chose “Others” or did not answer. Nine of the survey respondents (six spoke and three PS learners) also participated in interviews..) The interviewees quoted below are identified by role—doctor of medicine (MD), doctor of dental surgery (DDS), and family nurse practitioner (FNP)—and their assigned number in their participant group .Fourteen spokes learners rated their satisfaction with the program in the survey on a five-point Likert scale. The program met 100% of and exceeded 73% of both PCPs’ and non-PCPs’ expectations  reported being satisfied with the program. When we asked why they liked the program, six (four PCPs) interviewees mentioned the conversational format; three (two PCPs) said connecting to the multidisciplinary community; and five (three PCPs) said the real-world experiences they gained. Regarding aspects of the program that did not meet their expectations, S4 [MD] said, “it just didn’t seem as engaging.” Hub members also shared their perceived challenges, with H2 [MD] saying, “We’re having a tough time getting spoke sites to find good cases to present.”On the survey, 14 spokes and 16 PS learners self-rated their knowledge, confidence, and practice changes from any source during the period of the first year of the Cancer ECHO program  their participation in the program was still too limited to see changes, and they faced barriers to maintain high participation, such as time commitment; (2) some of the topics were not directly pertinent to their practices; and (3) since the learning happened from discussion with other participants, the quality of the program was related to the program participants. H3 [MD] mentioned as a concern, “I don’t think we are capturing primary care providers.” The spoke PCPs thought the didactic presentations were less effective than the case discussions, which is consistent with perspectives expressed by the PS PCPs.We used changes in emotional exhaustion and insensitivity to evaluate the program’s impact on providers’ potential burnout. Though many PCPs did not report significant general emotional exhaustion changes, they did speak highly of the program’s potential to improve their burnout levels with features that contributed to the program’s effectiveness. On the survey, 40% and 60% respectively of participants reported the Cancer ECHO program had a positive impact on their emotional exhaustion and insensitivity levels.  alerts and automated guidelines . AccordiThough never having participated in the Cancer ECHO program, the PS study participants also said they believed the program had features that made it desirable in the context of cancer control. The PS learners’ perception that the program was desirable helped us understand that their lack of attendance was not because their understanding of the program’s strengths differed substantially from that of learners who did participate. Rather, their non-attendance may have been because they failed to see the program would have a positive learning impact on them. Another finding possibly related to PCPs’ motivations to attend was that the PCP-led case discussions almost always chose survivorship topics, whereas the didactic presentations also addressed prevention and screening. These findings of PCPs’ preferences for case discussion and survivorship topics emphasize the importance of understanding the PCPs’ unmet needs that may influence their participation. According to our interviewees, the extent of PCP participation also had an impact on the session quality, motivated other PCPs to join, and was related to the longitudinal program impact. A further in-depth investigation into the identified PCP participation issue is warranted before undertaking a full-scale effectiveness and scalability study. The barriers and incentives to PCPs’ participation were the focus of our prior study, which revealed desired adaptations to better meet PCPs’ needs .In the future, we suggest consideration of two different possible directions for the Cancer ECHO program. The first direction is to change its original target of PCPs to instead target a broader range of health care professionals. In its pilot year, the program received interest from many non-PCP professionals, who were also more open than PCPs to the topics of cancer screening and prevention as well as the guideline-reviewing activities in the didactics component. The second direction is to continue to target PCPs, but introduce adaptations to increase the likelihood of their participation. Our results suggest the program could be effective in training PCPs. However, new strategies are needed to encourage their participation and to balance the PCPs’ needs and the program aims.Our study was limited, first, by the fact that we started our evaluation after the program launch. We were thus not able to design pre- and post-study tests to assess quantitative changes in the same program participants. Second, our study recruitment was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the PCPs’ availability. The response rate (10%) among the spoke learners was low, so the results should not be interpreted as representing the entire spokes population. The low response rate could be attributed to their limited program engagement. The survey sample size was too small to show statistical significance, so the survey results should be interpreted only as a supplement to the interview results. Third, the Cancer ECHO program recruitment was an ongoing process. Program participants joined the program at different times. Our interviewees and survey respondents did not necessarily enroll in the program at its launch. Their experiences and self-perceived changes are thus limited to their participation.This exploratory study showed that the participants and target audience of the Cancer ECHO program in its pilot year appreciated the application of the ECHO model to the subject of cancer control. Its strengths suggest a unique role for the ECHO model among other physician-targetted cancer control interventions. The Cancer ECHO program could be an effective educational means of improving the cancer control capacity of the health care workforce, especially for PCPs. The discrepancy identified between the participants’ and non-participants’ perceived strengths of the program and the relatively low PCP participation rate warrant a further investigation before undertaking a full-scale effectiveness study.Additional file 1. Survey questions.Additional file 2. Survey results on self-reported burnout change.


Over the last decades, changes within higher education have created increased pressure and uncertainty for academics, increasing their risk for cognitive, behavioral, physical, as well as psychological issues due to high job demands. Specifically, for new academics in teaching roles, their lack of knowledge and skills can contribute to a negative effect of these job demands on their well-being. This study therefore explored how teaching-related professional development programs can enhance new university teachers’ well-being, through semi-structured interviews with 10 university teachers participating in such a program at a mid-sized Dutch university. We pay special attention to the relationship between specific learning activities integrated in the program  and various dimensions of the psychological model of well-being by Ryff and Keyes . Using co-occurrence analysis and content analysis, we found that different learning activities had distinct relationships with different well-being facets. For example, formal workshops were mainly related to environmental mastery, a purpose in life and personal growth, while reflecting seemed to be especially connected to teachers’ self-acceptance, and participating in a learning community was mainly related to positive relations with others and personal growth. Our findings have implications for research on teacher well-being as well as for the design of professional development programs for higher education teaching staff. Academics are facing increasing pressure and uncertainty due to high workload for both teaching and research, along with changing performance expectations, which can negatively impact their overall well-being at work as well as their performance . AcademiThese concerns around well-being are exacerbated for new teaching staff, who lack the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) to effectively manage such work demands . New uniPrograms or interventions focusing on employee well-being are often provided outside of work or are not embedded in participants’ daily work practice, which makes transfer of training to the workplace difficult see . On the Although there is currently no consensus on the definition of work well-being, a commonly cited source described it as “flourishing employees achieving their full potential for both their own benefit and that of the organization” see , p. 423.self-acceptance describes people’s positive attitude toward themselves, including their positive and their negative qualities. In the context of higher education, this relates to the development of a teacher identity  Thestrators . (3) Peoternally , p. 149.fs e.g., . (5) Purlearning . (6) Finon e.g., . In thisTeacher professional development in higher education is a continuing process, as teaching takes place in an ill-structured and dynamic environment . In thisPast research on the effectiveness of professional development programs for teachers in higher education have indeed provided robust evidence for a positive effect on teachers’ KSA development e.g., . Furtherself-acceptance: increased reflexivity, self-efficacy, and a clearer self-image and a stronger sense of their identity as an educator . At all Dutch universities, this UTQ program focuses on the same basic teaching competences related to course and curriculum design, teaching delivery, student assessment, and organization of education. These competences are connected to the course design principles of constructive alignment , with thIn our case study, the professional development program consisted of three phases: self-assessment, competence development, and assessment. The program included various professional development activities connected with the main teaching competences targeted by the program, which involved reflection, interactive workshops, feedback, coaching and a learning community. This case study therefore enabled us to study the link between five types of professional development activity and the six dimensions of psychological well-being, as illustrated in Reflection is defined as “the process or means by which an experience, in the form of thought, feeling, or action, is examined to distil its meaning while it is happening or subsequently” , p. 432.Workshops within teacher professional development program often focus on pedagogical knowledge or subject-related content knowledge , social Feedback is valuable to professionals because it helps them to keep their performance up to or above organizational standards . This inCoaching from a more experienced colleague can serve learning, directive, supportive and motivational functions in a professional development program e.g., . CoachinThe importance of understanding how teachers work together and share practices is reflected in the large number of studies looking at teacher teams, communities of learning, and peer coaching . In highTo answer the research question, a qualitative research approach involving a qualitative case study design was chosen. The qualitative research approach made it possible to study the nature of the relationship between specific formal teacher professional development activities and university teachers’ well-being with more depth, taking into account the perceptions of the teachers themselves . The choSemi-structured interviews were conducted with university teachers currently participating in the aforementioned teacher professional development program. Semi-structured interviews start with a well-developed set of questions (interview guide) while at the same time leaving sufficient room for participants to add information where necessary , it is great in formalizing a lot of the things that you often intuitively do as a teacher, it gives you a clearer explanation of why you do certain things, or why you have to do certain things. (Interviewee B).Reflection also helped participants to realize what skills they were still lacking: “The first time I reflected on these competences, I realized that this is something I haven’t worked on” (Interviewee E).learning community was associated with self-acceptance in four interviews (c = 5), where participants described that sharing experiences with colleagues helped to create a positive attitude toward themselves, by finding out that they were not the only one struggling with some teaching-related aspects:Most other UTQ activities were mentioned less frequently in connection with self-acceptance. The Through discussions, you share a certain issue that you experience […] I don’t feel like an imposter anymore […] peers come in to help you to realize that you are not alone, and you are all learning how to become good teachers. (Interviewee B).Furthermore, seeing different teaching styles in the community helps participants to find and accept their teacher identity: “You feel part of a collective of teachers, even though there are vastly different kind of teachers […] that affected my identity as a teacher” (Interviewee I).Formal workshops were mentioned four times in connection with an increased self-acceptance (n = 4). The participants described how workshops fostered the insight that teaching came naturally for them, but they also confirmed what pedagogical knowledge they still needed to gain. Expert coaching was not associated with self-acceptance.Feedback was only associated with self-acceptance in one interview (c = 3). For example, teachers received feedback from more experienced colleagues in the program, which helped them to acknowledge points for improvement and recognize the positive aspects of their teaching practices, and increased their positive self-perception. One participant described how the overall UTQ program (c = 2), helps them to gain more trust in themselves: “I now feel more justified about feeling good, because of the UTQ program, I know I did some stuff really well, I can appreciate more if I did a good job, because I know why it is good” (Interviewee C).learning community  created within the UTQ program. Going through the program together for a longer period of time helped to foster social connections among the participants. They got to know each other, their teaching practices, their struggles, and created new connections because of that. The possibility of building relationships with colleagues across various departments with whom you usually do not get into contact was especially highlighted: “Getting to know each other cross-departmentally, you can share research insights, which otherwise wouldn’t take place, because this is the only place where you meet” (Interviewee J). These new connections also created opportunities for collaborations beyond the UTQ program itself, on a professional level as well as on a personal level:The well-being dimension of positive relations with others was mainly associated with the One colleague, we met afterward at the gym and we discovered that we are almost neighbors, it helped socialization in that sense. I met another colleague, we discovered that we have a common interest in research, I was invited to one of his lectures, and I invited him. (Interviewee G).Additionally, the learning community strengthened already existing relationships.formal workshops  helped to create relationships between the participants: “The workshops are great because you learn from each other” (Interviewee B). Likewise, the theoretical frameworks discussed in the workshops provided a base for advanced and empathetic discussions outside of the workshops. Due to the discussions during the workshops, participants started to relate more to their colleagues: “You realize, you have been in the same situation” (Interviewee B).The exchange of experiences and issues on a deeper level during the Feedback, reflection, expert coaching and the UTQ program in general were not associated with the dimension of positive relations with others.learning community . The learning community was said to open up room for active discussions supporting the participants in becoming more able to resist social pressures and evaluate whether a teaching method suggested to them actually fit within their course. Furthermore, the learning community encouraged learning from others, while also strengthening self-determination of one’s own teaching practices: “I know when people say that teaching is not important, I know for myself it has a certain importance and standing for me that I will put a certain effort into it” (Interviewee B).The well-being dimension of autonomy, although associated with almost all professional development activities, was only occasionally mentioned in the interviews. Autonomy was most often associated with the Formal workshops  helped participants gain confidence through increased competence, which also increased their self-determination. In addition, the workshops helped participants to make autonomous decisions: “If I would be a coordinator, I would still follow my own gut, the meeting helped in crystallizing arguments contra and in favor of it, you really in the end learn the pros and cons of it” (Interviewee I).UTQ program as a whole helped them to feel less dependent on others :Participants described how the Due to the UTQ program, I will be better in handling it myself, although you will always have discussions with your peers, in the future I will have to do things myself, now I feel like I am much better prepared to do it by myself as a teacher. (Interviewee B).expert coaches (c = 1) supported one participant in feeling more self-determined and confident, and able to coordinate a course independently. Feedback was also only associated once with the dimension of autonomy in connection with the participant’s feeling of increased autonomy due to concrete solutions that were discussed regarding the assessment in their course. Reflection was not associated with the dimension of autonomy.The availability and help of formal workshops (c = 33). In general, the workshops supported participants in acquiring important teaching-related knowledge which they needed to effectively design courses and, thereby shape their work environment in a way that is effective for student learning, but also fits their own teaching style and personal needs. The workshops also supported the participants in learning how to collaborate effectively with colleagues, and participants felt responsible for conveying their newly acquired knowledge to their colleagues as well:All 10 participants in the UTQ program associated environmental mastery with the I feel responsible to make sure that [what I learned] from my UTQ courses somehow gets through to them in their tutorials. I am really working on the tutor manual, I have tutor meetings where I tell them they should approach it in this way, the UTQ program is definitely helping me in that process. (Interviewee C).Moreover, workshops that provided practical information about administration and regulations provided concrete tools to effectively make use of surrounding opportunities. Similarly, the workshops supported participants’ efficiency and time management: “It made me more aware of the different roles, how much work and time you can be expecting to put into it, now after the workshops, I am able to assign different amounts of time to those roles” (Interviewee E).learning community  also contributed to participants’ environmental mastery through sharing of experiences and ideas. One participant, for example, mentioned that the discussion of specific cases helped them feel prepared to manage a complex array of teaching activities. Discussions with peers also helped participants to learn how to work together effectively with colleagues in a teaching team. By coordinating certain teaching activities with others, another respondent felt able to create contexts suitable to their personal needs and values. For example, they learned how to better organize their teaching teams, especially when working in a large team.Being part of a Expert coaching  helped participants by providing guidance on how to approach certain teaching activities. One participant also mentioned that coaching helped them to support the professional development of one of the tutors they were working with:One of my tutors didn’t perform well, he scored really badly with students, so I asked the [coach] for a personal meeting to fix and discuss it also with my tutor […] she offered us some solutions, some workshops that my tutors could attend. (Interviewee G).Moreover, expert coaching also provided mental support, helping to create contexts suitable for the personal needs of this interviewee:It also comforts me, that there is such a support system in the form of the [coach] for the UTQ program but also in the form of other colleagues who are providing the workshops and I know that you can easily ask them for advice, help, or feedback. (Interviewee E).Reflection stimulated the interviewee to evaluate their courses more often and to create contexts such as teaching methods suitable for their personal values and needs. The UTQ program in general was associated with increased environmental mastery in relation to the usefulness of the program regarding the management of administrative tasks and regulations. Finally, feedback was not associated with environmental mastery.Reflection and the UTQ program in general were both only mentioned once in relation to the dimension of environmental mastery. UTQ program  in its entirety. Interviewees described how participation in the program had shaped their academic identity: “Being employed at a university, teaching is paramount and makes a big part of why you are there” (Interviewee B). Furthermore, the UTQ program helped the participants to identify themselves as part of a bigger teaching community: “I had a realization moment, it is not only my course, it is part of a whole program, a whole year, a whole faculty” (Interviewee I). In addition, the UTQ program opened up new career opportunities for people, such as a teaching career or a tenured position.The well-being dimension of purpose in life was mainly associated with the Formal workshops  contributed to participants’ sense of purpose in life by giving direction to their teaching activities and by helping to them to better support student learning. Furthermore, these workshops provided clarity to teachers regarding what is expected of them, and helped them to design their teaching activities accordingly. Finally, participants explained that the workshops helped them to understand the reasoning behind certain teaching practices, helping them to make informed choices to reach their teaching goals: “I feel at least the decisions that I make are not so much from intuition or personal belief, actually I now have more arguments that I can use, based on the program, […] research shows this and this” (Interviewee H).Reflection  also contributed to participants’ sense of purpose in life. By developing their personal reflective portfolio, participants felt that they were ready to incorporate what they had learned in their future teaching roles. Reflection helped the participants evaluate how the acquired teaching competences contributed to their teaching career. Furthermore, one interviewee mentioned that reflections helped to create meaning and a sense of directedness to continue with their usual teaching practices: “It’s like a confirmation [for] the teaching that I did, the way that makes me feel, it makes me so happy, that I want to continue with that” (Interviewee H).expert coaching  helped them to set and talk about their goals related to their teaching practice. Furthermore, a coaching meeting at the end of the program was described by a recent graduate as helpful when setting goals for their future professional development as a teacher. The learning community  also helped participants to set teaching goals by creating an opportunity for the participants to share experiences: “Through discussions you just realize that we all face some of the same issues […] through sharing of knowledge you are able to implement it, or think about how you would think about it in the future” (Interviewee B). In addition, the feeling of being part of a community supported respondents in the feeling that there is meaning to their teaching role. Feedback was not associated with the dimension of purpose in life.Expert coaching and the learning community were only seldom associated with purpose in life. Participants reported that learning community  with their personal growth as a teacher. Discussing issues and contributing actively toward discussions increased learning from each other and stimulated continual development. Participants described how they improved their teaching methods based on the ideas of others. Furthermore, the exchange with peers helped participants be more open to new experiences:The well-being dimension of personal growth was most often associated with the learning community as well as the formal workshops in the UTQ program. Almost all interviewees associated the A lot of new ideas pop up which makes you immediately more open to thinking and reflecting about those options yourself. Otherwise, you remain stuck in what you have been doing yourself for a while already and you are not really exposed to other things. (Interviewee D).formal workshops  and saw themselves growing and expanding as a teacher over time: “You gain more knowledge on how to put everything into practice, you constantly assess all the things you pick up in the workshops to apply to your own situation, such that you constantly improve your teaching activities” (Interviewee D). Furthermore, participants reported that they had become open to new experiences and saw themselves growing as a result. They were also experimenting more with new teaching and assessment methods: “I am experimenting more with the assessment methods and aligning those, […] the program was very helpful in that” (Interviewee E).Several interviewees mentioned that they gained theoretical and practical knowledge during feedback  received from experts and peers during the workshops in association with personal growth. The feedback was followed up and incorporated in order to expand their teaching skills: “One of my colleagues was there [during the tutorial] to give me feedback, […] afterward we had an evaluation about how I could do it differently next time […] this is a critical incident where I learned a lot” (Interviewee H).The interviewees mainly mentioned Expert coaching  especially served a directive and learning function for the interviewees, and helped with improving their behavior over time. For example, one teacher received expert coaching when struggling with a specific tutorial group:This is not how I would like to have it, and I thought, how can I change that, then I went to the [coach] to ask some tips how to deal with that […] Suddenly, it went really well in that group so that was a really good intervention. (Interviewee H).Reflection  helped participants to become more self-critical and see improvement over time. Similarly, another interviewee stated that the reflective portfolio had helped them to gain more insight into what decisions they made and how these helped them to change their behavior over time. The UTQ program  as a whole helped participants to be open to new experiences, displaying a sense of personal growth.Participants also reported that expert coaching helped them to realize their potential. The aim of this study was to investigate how certain professional development activities in a formal teacher professional development program are related to new university teachers’ well-being at work. The results of our case study show an overall link between professional development activities and well-being at work, with specific activities playing a larger role for university teachers’ well-being than others.First, in our case study, the well-being dimension of self-acceptance was mainly related to reflection, with participants emphasizing that reflection helped them acknowledge and build on their strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. In the field of education, reflective practice has previously been linked to a range of outcomes that facilitate self-acceptance, including increased status and self-esteem , as wellSecond, the well-being dimension of positive relations with others was most strongly associated with the learning community and the formal workshops in the case study. In both activities, the social aspect of professional development was highlighted by the participants, creating opportunities to connect and discuss with each other during the workshops and other community activities during the program, as well as outside of the scheduled program activities. Prior research has already highlighted the positive effects of participating in a learning community and increased interaction and social support between colleagues . BuildinThird, the well-being dimension of autonomy is not strongly associated with the professional development activities included in the case study. Based on prior research e.g., , we expeFourth, formal workshops played the biggest role by far for the well-being dimension of environmental mastery, along with participation in the learning community. We found that formal workshops provide pedagogic tools and structure that support teachers in the ability to control the complex array of teaching activities, in line with findings by Fifth, based on prior research by Finally, all professional development activities supported the participants’ feeling of personal growth. The learning community, formal workshops, and feedback were especially associated with this well-being dimension. Previous studies have shown that professional development programs can lead to positive personal changes in cognitions, beliefs and practice . ParticiIn conclusion, teacher professional development programs can play a significant role for teacher well-being in a context of high workload and pressure, when designed with social interaction, learning community, and reflection in mind.The present study follows an exploratory case-study approach, offering in-depth information on the relationship between teacher professional development activities and teacher well-being at work. Although our sample consisted of teachers from different departments, the sample size was rather small, calling for future research to study the relationships on a larger scale. Furthermore, we studied one specific teacher professional development program in one specific faculty at a Dutch university, limiting the generalizability of our findings. Conducting a comparative study across different institutes of higher education to account for variability in the design and delivery of professional development activities is therefore a critical next step. Specifically, a closer look needs to be taken at coaching and feedback, as in the current study, the support for psychological well-being from coaching and feedback was not conclusive. Other universities may have integrated feedback and coaching to a greater extent in teacher professional development, resulting in additional insights. Furthermore, the perceived value of certain teacher professional development activities for the work well-being of participants might be dependent on the progress of the participant toward completing the program. Participants might evaluate certain professional development activities as more meaningful toward the end of the program or after completion of the program, compared to earlier stages of the program.A second limitation concerns the heterogeneity of the interviewees. Their demographic and professional characteristics diverged to the extent that one participant had taught at the university for 9 years, but the average was less than half that (3.4 years). Length of employment seems to influence the perceptions of the usefulness of the professional development program; however, we were not able to further explore this link given the present sample. The results for the formal workshops in particular indicated that newcomers perceived the program as crucial for their professional development, compared to the more negative perceptions of teachers with longer employment. The differences in experience and knowledge were laid bare in the workshops, where certain regulations were new to some, but repetitive for others. It would be interesting to explore how professional development programs can remain relevant for KSAs and well-being for more experienced teachers as well. Further avenues for research should therefore aim to compile a more homogenous sample or focus on a comparative study between teachers with shorter and longer employment.Third, due to the COVID-19 regulations in the Netherlands at the time of data collection, it was impossible to conduct the interviews in person. Although a video call was sufficient to establish a relationship, there were two interviewees who preferred an audio call only. Additionally, due to weak internet connections, certain questions or answers were repeated, and this detracted from the sincerity of the initial story. Nevertheless, the qualitative research design allowed for deep understanding of the relationship between teacher professional development activities and teacher well-being. Based on our exploratory study, future research should establish causal relationships through large-scale quantitative research.The results presented in this study are relevant for educational developers who seek to pay explicit attention toward supporting psychological well-being of teachers. To address well-being, universities should include different types of activities that lead to changes in teachers’ professional practice as well as in their thinking about that practice—our study shows that including specific professional development activities in such a program can be effective for targeting specific dimensions of well-being at work.First, creating possibilities for social exchange between participants is crucial for almost all dimensions of well-being. Creating possibilities for teachers to discuss their teaching experiences and learn from each other can increase their sense of environmental mastery and fosters collegiality. Implementing a learning community for teachers can help them to resist social pressures and become more self-determined in their teaching. The learning community also provides a platform for teachers to approach each other on a deeper level with the collective purpose of enhancing student learning . In addiFurthermore, new teachers in particular are often struggling with insecurities regarding their teaching role . CreatinFinally, the importance of a teacher professional development program for teachers’ purpose in life depends to a large extent on the importance this program is given within the institution, as well as on a national level. Although most participants in our study seemed to be intrinsically motivated to improve their teaching practices, participation in the program is mandatory, in many cases, for promotion. Even very intrinsically motivated teachers often do not prioritize their professional development in this regard, as departmental expectations conflict with their own academic identity . EmbeddiThe raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.IG: conceptualization. IG and MN: methodology, formal analysis, and investigation. All authors wrote and edited the manuscript.


At present, earthquakes cannot be predicted. Scientific decision-making and rescue after an earthquake are the main means of mitigating the immediate consequences of earthquake disasters. If emergency response level and earthquake-related fatalities can be estimated rapidly and quantitatively, this estimation will provide timely, scientific guidance to government organizations and relevant institutions to make decisions on earthquake relief and resource allocation, thereby reducing potential losses. To achieve this goal, a rapid earthquake fatality estimation method for Mainland China is proposed herein, based on a combination of physical simulations and empirical statistics. The numerical approach was based on the three-dimensional (3-D) curved grid finite difference method (CG-FDM), implemented for graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture, to rapidly simulate the entire physical propagation of the seismic wavefield from the source to the surface for a large-scale natural earthquake over a 3-D undulating terrain. Simulated seismic intensity data were used as an input for the fatality estimation model to estimate the fatality and emergency response level. The estimation model was developed by regression analysis of the data on human loss, intensity distribution, and population exposure from the Mainland China Composite Damaging Earthquake Catalog (MCCDE-CAT). We used the 2021 Ms 6.4 Yangbi earthquake as a study case to provide estimated results within 1 h after the earthquake. The number of fatalities estimated by the model was in the range of 0–10 . Therefore, Level IV earthquake emergency response plan should have been activated . The local government finally reported three deaths during this earthquake, which is consistent with the model predictions. We also conducted a case study on a 2013 Ms7.0 earthquake in the discussion, which further proved the effectiveness of the method. The proposed method will play an important role in post-earthquake emergency response and disaster assessment in Mainland China. It can assist decision-makers to undertake scientifically-based actions to mitigate the consequences of earthquakes and could be used as a reference approach for any country or region. Earthquakes are among the most severely damaging natural disasters on Earth. This is especially true in China, where many catastrophic earthquakes have occurred in recent history, such as the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that caused ~242,000 deaths and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake that caused ~69,000 deaths [Current earthquake fatality estimation methods can be divided into two categories: analytical and empirical methods . The forThis estimation model mainly relies on data of seismic intensity distribution and population exposure. Many high-precision population datasets are freely available on the Internet, such as CIESIN , AsiapopWith the rapid development of computer technology, the third method, namely a large-scale parallel fast numerical calculation method based on physical simulation, has gained significant attention ,23,24. TIn the following sections of the paper, we first introduce the physically-based numerical simulation method and the earthquake fatality assessment model for Mainland China. Subsequently, considering the Ms 6.4 Yangbi earthquake that occurred in Yunnan Province on 21 May 2021 as an example, we present the results of a rapid assessment of the fatalities after the earthquake. Finally, the proposed method and its features are discussed, followed by concluding comments.The proposed method combines the 3-D CG-FDM with an earthquake fatality estimation model based on regression analysis. The numerical simulation is solved by a GPU owing to its high computational performance. As aforementioned, the 3-D CG-FDM ,26 was sThe first-order velocity-stress equations for the wave equation in elasticity were as follows:To simulate complex surface conditions, the physical quantities in Equations (1) and (2) were mapped from the curved grid in the physical space  to the uniform grid in the computing space , as shown in F and B represent the forward and backward difference operators, respectively; i represents the grid index; and During the specific implementation of the numerical calculation, for integration in the time domain, we adopted the fourth-order Runge–Kutta integral form. When calculating the difference in the spatial domain, the forward and backward difference operators in the DRP/opt MacCormark scheme  were useFDM, see ,26.To rapidly calculate large-scale natural earthquakes, we must also adopt parallel calculation. The graphics processing unit (GPU) has strong parallel computing power, high memory access bandwidth, and low latency . Wang etWe used the Mainland China earthquake fatalities estimation model developed by Li et al. , which iAccording to the characteristics of the geological structures, historical seismicity, focal mechanisms, and social and economic development in Mainland China, the MCCDE-CAT was divided into five sub-regions ), I is the seismic intensity. Intensity V-XI is the minimum and maximum intensities of all known seismic records of damaging earthquakes in Mainland China. HDI represents the human development index, which is the correction term for the fatality ratio, r, and I.The earthquake-related fatalities were calculated as follows:β and θ of the fatality function were obtained by minimizing the objective function as follows:iO represents the recorded fatalities for the ith earthquake event, iE represents the estimated fatalities in Equation (5), and N represents the number of earthquake events.The two parameters P of a specific fatality range was calculated as follows:iE), and the log residual, According to the relevant provisions in the National Earthquake Emergency Plan (NEEP) (see Data Availability Statement) for Mainland China, the Chinese government classifies the earthquake emergency response into four levels as follows: Level IV , Level III , Level II , and Level I . To rapidly evaluate the response level after an earthquake, we constructed a normal cumulative distribution function based on the estimated fatalities and fitting residual calculated using this method . The prdel, see .Using the above rapid earthquake fatality estimation method, we rapidly calculated the seismic intensity distribution, estimated a total of five deaths, and determined an earthquake emergency response of Level IV within 1 h after the 2021 Ms 6.4 Yangbi earthquake. Later, the government reported that there were three fatalities during this earthquake, consistent with our assessment expectations. This case study of the 2021 Yangbi earthquake is described in detail below.At 21:48:34 on 21 May 2021, a Ms 6.4 earthquake occurred in Yangbi County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The epicenter was located at 99.87° E, 25.67° N, and the focal depth was 8 km. The maximum intensity on the surface was VIII. The earthquake area was located near the southwest boundary of the Chuan-Dian block, where historically strong earthquakes have been relatively frequent. In addition, this region features complex mountains and gullies, rendering it difficult to perform post-earthquake relief work. The 3-D terrain data were extracted from the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission digital elevation dataset (see Data Availability Statement) provided by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research-Consortium for Spatial Information . This daThe Yangbi earthquake was numerically simulated using the GPU-based 3-D CD-FDM described in Based on GPU parallel computing, we calculated the seismic intensity distribution according to the PGV-intensity relationship provided by the latest China Seismic Intensity Scale GB/T 17742-2020) (see Data Availability Statement), as shown in -2020  was used to calculate regional superposition using LandScan population distribution data to obtain population exposure values in different seismic intensity areas. Equations (5) and (7) are then used to estimate the fatalities related to the Yangbi earthquake and the probability of the emergency response levels, as shown in On 23 May, the Yunnan provincial government reported a final fatality count of three for the Yangbi earthquake (see Data Availability Statement). Even though the estimates deviated from the reported fatalities, the error remained within one order of magnitude, consistent with expectations. In addition, the reported fatalities also occurred within the 0–10 fatality range estimated in this study. In summary, the estimation results for the Yangbi earthquake were ideal, which shows that the fatality estimation method is sufficient to conform to the actual needs of the government for rapidly implementing earthquake emergency response decisions after an earthquake.Even though the Yangbi earthquake is a low-fatality earthquake event, it was selected as a case study here, because it was not among the earthquake events used in the original fatality estimation model. To further verify the effectiveness of this method, we selected the Ms 7.0 Sichuan Lushan earthquake on 20 April 2013 in our estimation model data. This earthquake caused great damage, which resulted in 196 deaths and direct economic losses of more than 10 billion US dollars. The source model used in this case was provided by Wang et al. . The seiThe numerical simulation results depended on the source model, velocity medium, terrain, and other data. At present, there are no unified results of other studies for the previously mentioned variables, except terrain, and determining the same is beyond the scope of this paper. Most source models are derived from the inversion of teleseismic waveform data; the maximum frequency of waveforms is usually lower than that of the near-field waveforms. Zhang et al. comprehensively discussed the influence of different frequencies on the numerical simulation results for strong ground motion, based on the Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer . The supercomputer is the world’s first supercomputer with a peak performance exceeding 100 PFlops and 1.3 PB memory . They foThe fatality estimation method is an empirical method based on regression analysis. Therefore, the estimated results cannot be used as an accurate prediction for the fatalities of an earthquake. However, the estimated value can be guaranteed to be within one order of magnitude of the actual number of fatalities . In otheThere are some limitations of this study, for example, the uncertainty of each parameter in the fatality estimation model needs to be further determined. The model is currently too simplified. In the future, some parameters that are highly correlated with the fatalities can be considered to further enhance the estimation accuracy. In addition, the far-field data carries fewer high-frequency components than the near-field. In the future, if we can cooperate with earthquake-related institutions in Mainland China to obtain near-field data as soon as possible, the accuracy of the final calculation results will be further increased.The above result demonstrates the potential of the proposed method to assist the government in a rapid post-earthquake emergency response. In the future, if an earthquake occurs in Mainland China, the application of this method will facilitate rapid estimation of the earthquake fatalities and indicate the appropriate emergency response level. These estimations can provide scientific guidance to the government and relevant institutions for real-time disaster relief applications, such as rapid post-earthquake emergency response decision-making and appropriate relief and resource allocation. Finally, it can reduce additional losses and save more lives.Combining a physics-based numerical simulation of earthquake intensity and a statistics-based fatality estimation model, we propose a method for rapidly estimating the number of fatalities and emergency response levels after an earthquake. We successfully applied it to the Ms6.4 Yangbi earthquake in Yunnan on 21 May 2021, and the calculated results are reasonable compared with the actual number of deaths. In the future, if an earthquake occurs in Mainland China, the application of this method will facilitate rapid estimation of the earthquake fatalities and indicate the appropriate emergency response level. These estimations can provide scientific guidance to the government and relevant institutions for real-time disaster relief applications, such as rapid post-earthquake emergency response decision-making and appropriate relief and resource allocation. Finally, it can reduce additional losses and save more lives.Other similar countries or regions that have experienced many earthquakes can use the method proposed in this study as a reference. Based on the local historical human loss data, the fatality assessment model was constructed using regression analysis, and combined with the open-source GPU numerical simulation program; consequently, a method for timely assessment of fatalities was developed. In areas with few historical earthquakes, information on adjacent areas can be considered to evaluate the fatalities.