Curriculum Reform

Committees

Committees, task forces and support groups were established to guide the "Molecules to Military Medicine" reform process. These advisory groups are comprised of USU faculty members whose expertise spans the disciplines. They were formed to address all the stages of the medical education continuum.

Committees

The responsibilities of the committees vary according to group. However, all committees are responsible for achieving the following functions:

  • Addressing the key questions and making recommendations for the overall structure of the "Molecules to Military Medicine" curriculum
  • Conferring with key stakeholders in the School of Medicine curriculum including students, faculty, department chairs, leaders in graduate medical education, patients, and the services' Surgeons General and their representatives
  • Identifying resources needed for their recommendations including faculty development, simulation, information technology and distance learning

The individual responsibilities of each committee are defined below.

Pre-Clerkship Committee

  • Ensured the tightest possible linkage of basic science teaching with authentic clinical contexts and recommended experiences and teaching methods to foster deep and lasting mastery of the foundational sciences for medical practice in the military
  • Worked with other committees to define the optimal scientific content for the pre-clerkship period and determined when the clerkship period would begin
  • Worked with other committees to define the optimal sequence for the introduction of essential and clinical skills into the curriculum to participate in pre-clerkship experience and be ready for the clerkships
  • Provided for a seamless transition from pre-clerkship planning to oversight of the new pre-clerkship curriculum by the Council of Module Directors

Chair
Martin Ottolini, M.D.
Director of Education for the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Program and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Co-Chair
Louise Teel, Ph.D.
Course Director for Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Members
Stephen Rothwell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics

David Grahame, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Andrew Waters, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology

Trueman Sharp, M.D.
CAPT, MC, USN
Chair, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine

Barbara Knollmann-Ritschel, M.D.
CAPT, MC, USN
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology

Thomas Côté, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Simon Auster, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Jeffrey LaRochelle, M.D.
Maj, USAF, MC
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

Dinchen Jardine
ENS, MC, USN
Medical Student

James Contestable
ENS, MC, USN
Medical Student

Mary Alice Pass
2LT, MS, USA
Medical Student

Matthew Landon
ENS, MC, USN
Medical Student


Clerkship Committee

  • Determines the core clerkships to be included, clerkship period, curriculum and defines the length, clerkships
  • Determines whether continuity of place for the students can be achieved across several clerkships so that students may spend six months in a single clinical setting, and discern how students can achieve continuity of faculty mentoring and patient contacts over this period
  • Establishes with other committees how students will achieve mastery, basic and clinical science knowledge and skills that have been deferred from the pre-clerkship period

Chair
Lisa Moores, M.D.
COL, MC, USA
Assistant Dean for Clinical Sciences

Co-Chair
E. Matt Ritter, M.D.
LtCol, USAF, MC
Director of Academic Surgery

Members
Al Seyfer, M.D.
Distinguished Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics

Christopher Broder, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Emerging Infectious Diseases Graduate Program

Jessica Servey, M.D.
Col (s), USAF, MC
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine

Gerald Dodd Denton, M.D.
CAPT, MC, USN
Associate Professor of Medicine

Gary Crouch, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics

Patcho Santiago, M.D.
LCDR, MC, USN
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry

William Kelly, M.D.
COL, MC, USA
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine

Annesley Copeland, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Surgery Clerkship Director

Christopher Zahn, M.D.
Col, USAF, MC
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

David Garcia
2Lt, MSC, USAF
Medical Student

Jacob Berry
2Lt, MSC, USAF
Medical Student


Post-Clerkship Committee

  • Determines the program of required and selective courses for a formal return to the study of science prior to graduation
  • Designs a program of required, selective and elective clinical rotations and intersessions to ensure the ability to accept responsibility for supervised practice
  • Designs programs to assure that students achieve a higher level of self-directed learning prior to starting post-graduate training including a capstone, scholarly project in one of a variety of areas such as clinical research, basic science research, quality management and patient safety, mental health, etc.

Chair
Mark B. Stephens, M.D.
CAPT, MC, USN
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine

Co-Chair
D. Scott Merrell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Members
Kristin Heitman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical History/Military & Emergency Medicine

Robert Friedman, M.D.
Chair, Department of Pathology

Suzanne Bausch, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology

William Kelly, M.D.
MAJ, MC, USA
Ambulatory Clerkship Medicine Director for Third Year Students

Gregory Gorman, M.D.
LCDR, MC, USN
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Thomas Clarke, M.D.
Col, MC, USAF
Assistant Professor, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine

Timothy Mallon, M.D.
COL, USAF, MC
Assistant Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics

Ian Breckenridge
2LT, MS, USA
Medical Student


Assessment Committee

  • Designs a series of assessments to evaluate student progress in knowledge, skills and competencies
  • Monitors the success, curriculum reform program itself and implements a systematic study of process and outcomes

Chair
Paul Hemmer, M.D.
Professor and Vice Chairman for Educational Programs, Department of Medicine

Co-Chair
Richard Conran, M.D.
COL, MC, USA
Professor, Department of Pathology

Members
Charles Beadling, M.D.
Director, Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine

Meir Chernofsky, M.D.
Director of Faculty Development, Department of Anesthesiology

Aaron Saguil, M.D.
LTC, MC, USA
Assistant Dean for Recruitment and Admissions and Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Joseph Lopreiato, M.D.
Associate Dean for Simulation Education

Stephen Waller, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine & Biometrics/Global Health

Charles Magee, M.D., MPH
CAPT, USA, MC
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

William Pitts
2LT, MS, USA
Medical Student


Steering Committee

  • The committee responsible for redesigning the existing (as of academic year 2010) medical school curriculum
  • Comprised of two Faculty Directors of Curriculum Reform, the Director, Office of Curriculum Reform, the chairs of the Pre-Clerkship, Clerkship, Post-Clerkship, and Assessment Committees, along with the Associate Dean for Medical Education and the Assistant Dean for Curriculum.
  • Reviews and coordinates inputs from the curricular reform committees, associated task forces & support groups in order to develop a comprehensive set of plans and recommendations that can be presented to the Dean, USU School of Medicine, for final review and approval
  • Interacts with and updates the Advisory Panel on curriculum reform related issues, challenges and/or developments; regularly elicits Advisory Panel guidance, particularly with regard to major policy and strategic deliberations
  • Communicates and coordinates curriculum reform related developments to and/or with internal & external stakeholders; conducts Town Hall and related meetings as appropriate

Members
Louis Pangaro, M.D., MACP
Professor and Chairman, Department of Medicine
Faculty Director, Curriculum Reform

Alison O'Brien, Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Faculty Director, Curriculum Reform

Arnyce Pock, M.D.
Col, USAF, MC
Director, Office of Curriculum Reform

Paul Hemmer, M.D. (Assessment)
Professor and Vice Chairman for Educational Programs, Department of Medicine

Lisa Moores, M.D. (Clerkship)
COL, MC, USA
Assistant Dean for Clinical Sciences

Martin Ottolini, M.D. (Pre-Clerkship)
Director, Capstone Program
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Mark B. Stephens, M.D. (Post-Clerkship)
CAPT, MC, USN
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine

William Gilliland, M.D.
Assistant Dean for Curriculum


Council of Module Directors

  • Consists of the two module directors, one from basic science and one from clinical, for each of the seven modules of the pre-clerkship curriculum
  • Provides oversight of the new pre-clerkship curriculum

Members

CAPT Barbara Knollmann-Ritschel, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology

COL Patrick O'Malley, M.D., MPH
Professor, Department of Medicine

LtCol Anthony Beutler, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine

Stephen Rothwell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics

Maj Brian Neubauer, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

Timothy O'Neill, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics

Col Daniel Balog, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry

David Mears, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics

David Grahame, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

COL Richard Conran, M.D.
Professor, Department of Pathology

Thomas Côté, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Col Anthony Propst, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

COL Louis Dainty, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Louise Teel, Ph.D.
Course Director for Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Catherine Decker, M.D.
Professor, Department of Medicine


Council of Department Chairs

  • A group that served a transitional function during the initial phase-in process of the new curriculum
  • Comprised of three basic science and three clinical chairs who served on a rotating basis as advisors to the Steering Committee on the content and sequencing of the new and/or evolving curriculum
  • At least two basic science chairs were from the departments of anatomy & physiology, microbiology & immunology, biochemistry, pathology or pharmacology
  • Chairmanship rotated on an annual basis, between a basic science chair and a clinical science chair

Members
Chairman
Leonard Sperling, M.D.
Chair, Department of Dermatology

Jeffrey M. Harmon, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Pharmacology

CAPT Patricia L. McKay, M.D.
Deputy Chair, Department of Surgery

Harvey Pollard, M.D., Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics

Gerald V. Quinnan, Jr., M.D.
Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine

CAPT William Watson, M.D., Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Neurology