New Educator Skills Development Series combines education scholarship with teaching practice

Collage of the six Educator Skills Development Series participants

The newly established Department of Medicine Educator Skills Development Series (DOM ESDS), offered as part of the DOM Educator Academy, recently finished its six-session pilot run.

Twenty-two faculty and staff attended the series across all sessions. Most participants were from the DOM, with one from the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. While most participants joined intermittently, as schedules allowed, six completed the full live course:

  • Jacki Johnson, BS, graduate medical education administrator, UW internal medicine residency
  • Justin Levinson, MD, MBA, assistant professor, Rheumatology
  • Sean O'Neill, MD, clinical associate professor, Hospital Medicine, and associate program director, UW internal medicine residency
  • Brandon Temte, DO, pulmonary/critical care fellow, Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
  • Paul Westerman, MBA, graduate medical education coordinator, Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Jessica Young, MD, clinical associate professor, Hospital Medicine

“You could think of this series as a sampler of medical education concepts,” explains Katherine Vaughan, MA, continuing education specialist and one of the series architects. “It’s also a great way to connect with other department members with an interest in education.”

Curriculum

The ESDS consisted of monthly one-hour virtual sessions held over lunch, with topics ranging from curriculum design to adult learning theory to research methods in medical education. 

“Each session provided practical insights and strategies that I could apply to my role in GME. This knowledge will continue to help me better support our GME trainees and ensure our residency program's ongoing success,” Jacki Johnson says.

Each was facilitated by an expert DOM faculty or staff member and combined a didactic overview of the topic with participatory sections focused on skill building.

“We wanted to blend scholarship with teaching methods. Our goal was to make sure participants left each session with some sort of resource they can apply in direct practice,” says Vaughan. 

Sessions were also recorded for those unable to attend live.

“The sessions were excellent, targeted more towards the experienced educator,” says Dr. O’Neill. “I liked the option of being able to review the sessions asynchronously if/when we were not able to attend in person.” 

Future programs

The ESDS will return in the fall with a curriculum focused on dissemination in medical education.

“It is so important to get our work out there and sometimes we get stymied by the daunting task of writing a paper. This series will help by giving you practical strategies and exploring lesser-known pathways that we’re eager to cover,” explains Amy Zelenski, PhD, director of education innovation and scholarship for the department.

Additional information and registration will become available in the summer.

“I strongly recommend participating in the Educator Skills Development Series. The learning opportunities and professional development advantages assist individuals in all stages of their career,” says Paul Westerman.

For questions about future ESDS or other Educator Academy offerings, contact Katherine Vaughan, kvaughan@medicine.wisc.edu.

Banner, left to right, top: Jacki Johnson, Justin Levinson, Sean O'Neill. Bottom: Brandon Temte, Paul Westerman, Jessica Young.

Matt Mallum, MFA