Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is seeking experienced, motivated, and dedicated leaders and educators to participate in the design and delivery of an innovative four-year medical school curriculum that engages medical students in active and novel learning.
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The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is looking for an experienced, dynamic, and innovative faculty leader to take on the role of Assistant Dean for Foundational Sciences. This individual will be instrumental in helping design and deliver an innovative, integrated, four-year medical school curriculum that actively engages students through interactive learning methods.
Reporting to the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Foundational Sciences is responsible for the pre-clerkship phase of the ARCHES Curriculum, including curriculum design and integration, student assessment, teaching faculty performance and development, and program evaluation/continuous quality improvement. The Assistant Dean also will be responsible for appropriate integration of foundational sciences content into the third (clerkships) and fourth (electives and preparation for residency) curricula.
Job Description:
Assistant Dean for Foundational Sciences
Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is seeking experienced, motivated, and dedicated leaders and educators to participate in the design and delivery of an innovative four-year medical school curriculum that engages medical students in active and novel learning.
About The Position
The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) is looking for an experienced, dynamic, and innovative faculty leader to take on the role of Assistant Dean for Foundational Sciences. This individual will be instrumental in helping design and deliver an innovative, integrated, four-year medical school curriculum that actively engages students through interactive learning methods.
Reporting to the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Foundational Sciences is responsible for the pre-clerkship phase of the ARCHES Curriculum, including curriculum design and integration, student assessment, teaching faculty performance and development, and program evaluation/continuous quality improvement. The Assistant Dean also will be responsible for appropriate integration of foundational sciences content into the third (clerkships) and fourth (electives and preparation for residency) curricula.
The ARCHES curriculum is built on evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning. It includes the following six core elements:
- Art of Healing: This curriculum component focuses on the human dimensions of care by merging the methodologies used in the humanities and arts with medicine.
- Research: Students learn and complete the basic principles of research and evidence-based medical practice, including how to locate, analyze, synthesize, and apply medical literature effectively.
- Clinical Education: This curricular thread focuses on providing longitudinal clinical skills training and early clinical experiences throughout the first two years of the curriculum. In year three, students complete a diverse array of clinical requirements, and in year four, students explore focused discipline-specific patient care.
- Health Systems Sciences: Students are introduced to current health system structures, processes, and consequences, focusing on developing design skills to address them.
- Embracing Whole Health: Students learn the fundamentals of whole person-centered care, which considers the physical, behavioral, spiritual, and socioeconomic aspects of a person's life experience.
- Science of Medicine: Foundational sciences are featured and integrated into the curriculum in a horizontal and vertical pedagogical model. Students learn the core concepts of the foundational sciences of medicine and how they relate to normal and abnormal processes in the body in an organ-system approach.
All six threads of the curriculum will be interwoven throughout the four-year curriculum.
We are building a workplace and learning climate in which inclusive excellence and whole health principles are inextricable parts of our culture and practices. All voices are heard and valued, and professional and personal growth are actively supported. While AWSOM does not have a tenure track, we are building a school that will facilitate exceptional professional development opportunities for our faculty and other team members.
Major Responsibilities/Essential Functions Specific to the Position:
- Operational responsibility for the successful completion and delivery of all foundational sciences courses of the ARCHES Curriculum, with direct responsibility for oversight of high-stakes testing and the weekly cases.
- Supervising and evaluating foundational sciences course directors and educators.
- Liaising with leaders of other components of the ARCHES curriculum to assure appropriate integration of content and development of weekly cases in the first two years.
- Designing and implementing curriculum improvement projects in all foundational sciences courses, as determined by student needs, trends in medical education, accreditation requirements, and recommendations by AWSOM Curriculum Committee.
- Overseeing foundational science curricular integration within all phases of the ARCHES curriculum.
- Providing and/or participating in faculty development initiatives as needed for the foundational sciences educators.
- Assuring timely assignment of final course grades, communicating grades to students and adjudicating informal grade appeals
- Participating as an ex-officio member of the AWSOM Curriculum Committee, providing reports on the pre-clerkship phases of the curriculum as a whole or on any of its components.
- Chairing Phase 1 and 2 Subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee.
- Participating as an ex-officio member of the Phase 3-4 Subcommittee.
- Assisting the Associate Dean of Curricular Affairs with implementing strategic initiatives for the four-year medical curriculum as they pertain to Foundational Sciences
- Ensuring that the foundational science portions of the curriculum are in compliance with all regulatory and accrediting bodies, including but not limited to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
- Participating in accreditation and reaccreditation processes.
- Coordinating with appropriate leaders, departments, and institutions to ensure continued development, assessment, and improvement of all foundational science curriculum elements.
- Production of scholarly contributions and facilitating scholarly output by UME personnel and teaching faculty
- Staying abreast of national trends in medical education; advocating for and strategically planning necessary changes in the education environment.
- Assisting in the recruitment and hiring of faculty and staff.
- Supporting the medical school strategic planning process.
- Other duties as assigned.
Education/Certification
- Outstanding credentials, including PhD, MD/PhD, or equivalent degree.
Minimum Work Experiences
- At least 8 years of experience as an educator and scholar in an LCME accredited medical school
- Experience with curriculum design, development, evaluation, assessment, and curriculum mapping.
- Knowledge of current efforts to transform medical education using innovative curricula, technologies, and teaching/learning methodologies.
- Extensive experience developing, planning, and delivering medical education.
- Expertise in the principles of learning and instructional design, adult learning theory, educational research, development of competency-based education, and knowledge of assessment of student learning.
- An entrepreneurial and proactive spirit; comfortable in a start-up environment.
- Ability to work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders, including project staff and faculty, students, and administration from a variety of disciplines.
- Commitment to promoting a culture that respects and advances diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Ability to work collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams in a complex organization.
- Outstanding teaching skills and teaching evaluations from medical students.
- Experience with student-centered pedagogies (e.g., flipped classrooms, small-group interactive learning, problem or case-based learning environments).
- Understanding and appreciation of the use of technology in an academic medical setting and/or integrated care system, especially as related to education.
- Experience with faculty and staff recruitment, development, and retention.
- Ability to leverage past experience and bring new perspectives, insights, and skills while fitting into the School of Medicine culture and organizational model.
- A record of nationally recognized achievement in research, educational, and/or public health pursuits commensurate with the rank of associate/full professor.
Skills Expected of All AWSOM Team Members
- Exemplary written, verbal, and other communication skills.
- Adaptability: Flexible to the needs of the position and the school.
- Collaborative Skills: Build and maintain internal and external relationships to the organization.
- Highly self-directed, reliable, and accountable.
- Strong commitment to self-care.
- Committed to Diversity and Inclusion: Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders (e.g., co-workers, students, community members).
- Ability to effectively mentor a diversity of individuals.
- Commitment to meet and maintain professional and/or faculty development requirements related to this role.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Physical demands: In the work environments described below, position requires utilizing a computer and other educational technology for prolonged periods of time, interpersonal and written conversation with others, large group facilitation of educational activities requiring extended periods of standing and walking throughout the classroom setting, transporting (up to 10 lbs.).
- Work Environment: Work will be performed in an office environment and in academic spaces (e.g. classrooms, labs, etc.). The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Some overnight travel may be necessary. Flexibility in working hours, including weekends and evenings, may be necessary to support operational needs.
All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement, background check, and verification of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States on your first day of work.
The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.