MEDED - Master of Academic Medicine

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Table of Contents:
The Program
Tuition Cost and Degree Requirements
Courses
Sample Course of Study
Faculty
Admission Process

Program Information

The Master of Academic Medicine is offered through the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in collaboration with the Schools of Dentistry and Pharmacy. Our program employs a blended model, combining on-line coursework with on-campus face-to-face sessions, one week each March.

A Masters Program for Today's Challenges
Our goal is to cultivate leaders who will develop and advance educational programs for healthcare professions globally. Health professions education is continuously evolving, which requires leaders that are process experts with a broad repertoire of approaches that can be applied to varied content arenas and situations. The program addresses a challenge in health professions' education - the need for qualified educators who can model and lead change in their respective schools and programs. Graduates will be positioned to guide future generations of health professionals toward better meeting the health needs of our global society.

Who Should Apply?
Medical and health professions' faculty, prospective faculty or staff who are focused on education of health professionals at the undergraduate, graduate or continuing education levels should apply.

Program Objectives
Graduates will be able to demonstrate skills within academic medicine and health including:

Developing, leading and evaluating programs
Leading of self and others
Designing curricula and assessing learners
Addressing policy and accreditation issues and challenges
Designing, implementing and studying innovations

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Tuition Cost & Degree Requirements

A minimum of 32 units of graduate-level course work is required, 26 units of core coursework and 6 units of electives. A faculty advisor will help guide your decision about a program of study including selection of electives.

The program can be completed in only six semesters, taking as few as two courses per semester.
Alternately, you can take only one course per semester the entire first year and finish in eight or nine semesters.

Tuition and fees will be at USC’s prevailing graduate course rate. For Summer 2009 the per unit tuition is $1263.00. Fees vary depending on the number of units taken. Consult your faculty advisor for the details when you develop your Program of Studies.

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Courses

Required Courses (26 Units)

ACMD 501 Introduction to Academic Medicine Worldwide (3 units) Introduces masters program, historical development of training in the health professions, issues challenges and opportunities for faculty in academic medicine, competencies needed for success.
ACMD 502 Becoming a Leader in Academic Medicine Worldwide (3 units) Current approaches to leadership within the context of global academic medicine and health professions education; individual applications, group dynamics, teamwork, and interpersonal skill enhancement.
ACMD 503 Leading Change in Academic Medical Centers (3 units) Exploration and practice of skills for promoting programs within academic medicine and health professions� education; building trust, organizational change, conflict resolution, negotiation, and managing resources.
ACMD 511 Competencies in Academic Medicine and Health I (3 units) Acquisition of cognitive knowledge and problem solving skills in health professions worldwide; instructional methods, assessment techniques, designing curricula for health professions education.
ACMD 512 Competencies in Academic Medicine and Health II (3 units) learning theory, teaching methods, assessment techniques related to acquisition and reinforcement of competencies related to patient care, practice-based learning and improvement and systems based practice.
ACMD 513 Professionalism in Academic Medicine and Health (3 units) Acquisition and evaluation of interpersonal and communication skills and professionalism including ethics and cultural competence; within the context of health care disparities and health initiatives.
ACMD 514 Accreditation and Program Evaluation in Academic Medicine (3 units) Evaluating health professions training programs within guidelines of relevant accreditation organizations; models of evaluation, designing plans and tools for evaluation of program elements.
ACMD 591 Designing Research on Innovations in Academic Medicine (2 units): Introduction to design and scholarly review of innovations in health professions education; needs assessment, problem selection, use of research methods to study an innovation.
ACMD 592 Implementing Research on Innovations in Academic Medicine (2 units): Mentored research on an innovation in academic medicine leading to the Master�s Degree. The project will result in a formal written research report. (Prerequisite, ACMD-591)
ACMD 598 Field Work in Designing Innovations for the Health Professions (1-3, max 3) Individual projects designing curricular or other innovations for the home program as an application of Year 1 concepts and as part of the capstone experience.

Electives (6 units)

Six (6) units of electives may be selected from the recommended courses below, or these may be replaced with any approved courses at the 500 level or above within USC that equal 6 units.

ACMD 593 Foundations of Scholarly Writing in Academic Medicine (1 unit): Focus is on writing a journal article. Students should have a completed study of an innovation in health professions training ready to take to publication.
ACMD 604 Supporting the Educational Enterprise in Academic Medicine (3 units): Explores support functions in academic medical centers and health professions schools; financial, scientific, educational, faculty and student affairs departments, and offices of medical education.
ACMD 605 Faculty Development for Health Professions Faculty (2 units): Role of faculty development programs in health professions schools; tools for delivering effective continuing education and faculty development; models for mentoring clinical faculty.
ACMD 615 Maintenance of Competence in the Health Professions (2 units): Maintenance of competence and continuing professional development (CDP) of physicians and other health care professionals; trends, needs, strategies, assessing outcomes, examining effectiveness of CDP programs.

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Sample Course of Study

Fall - Year 1 (all activities on-line)
ACMD 501 Introduction to Academic Medicine Worldwide (3 units)
ACMD 511 Competencies in Academic Medicine and Health I (3 units)

Spring - Year 1 (on-line combined with one week at USC)
ACMD 512 Competencies in Academic Medicine and Health II (3 units)
ACMD 591 Designing Research on Innovations in Academic Medicine (2 units)

Summer - Year 1 (all activities on-line or at home site)
ACMD 513 Professionalism in Academic Medicine and Health (3 units)
ACMD 598 Field Work in Designing Innovations for the Health Professions (2 units)

Fall - Year 2 (all activities on-line or at home site)
ACMD 502 Becoming a Leader in Academic Medicine Worldwide (3 units)
ACMD 592 Implementing Research on Innovations in Academic Medicine (2 units)

Spring - Year 2 (on-line combined with one week at USC)
ACMD 503 Leading Change in Academic Medical Centers (3 units)
ACMD 514 Accreditation and Program Evaluation in Academic Medicine (3 units)

Summer - Year 2 (all activities on-line)
ACMD 604 Supporting the Educational Enterprise in Academic Medicine (3 units)
ACMD 605 Faculty Development for Health Professions Faculty (2 units)

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Faculty

Julie G. Nyquist, PhD, Program Director (Professor, Pediatrics/Medical Education, Program Evaluator for Medical Student Education)

Kathleen Besinque, PharmD, MSEd (Director, Professional Experience Programs and Office for Teaching Resource, School of Pharmacy)

Donna Elliott, MD, EdD (Associate Dean, Student Affairs)

Dixie Fisher, PhD (Assistant Professor, Pediatrics/Medical Education)

Jerry Gates, PhD (Chair, Department of Family Medicine; Director, AIDS Education and Training Center for Southern California)

Peter Katsufrakis, MD, MBA (Associate Vice President for Postgraduate and Developmental Programs, National Board of Medical Examiners)

Lori Marshall, PhD, MSN (Manager, Patient Care Services, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles; Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics)

Win May, MD, PhD (Associate Professor, Pediatrics/Medical Education; Director, Standardized Patient Program)

Jeffrey Ring, PhD (Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Behavioral Science, White Memorial Medical Center, Family Medicine Residency Training Program)

Maura Sullivan, PhD, MSN (Associate Chair of Educational Affairs, Executive Director, Surgical Skills Training & Education Center, Department of Surgery)

Dwight Warren, III, PhD, MSEd (Professor, Cell and Neurobiology and Educational Affairs)

Beverly Wood, MD, PhD (Professor, Radiology and Pediatrics/Medical Education)

Samuel Yanofsky, MD, MSEd (Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology)

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Admission Process

Pre-Admission Process

All potential applicants should complete the pre-application form on the bottom of this page and email it along with your curriculum vitae to nyquist@usc.edu (may also fax it to (323) 442-2051)

Upon successful review of your pre-application information you will be notified. You will then apply through the University of Southern California's graduate application process as a candidate in the Master of Academic Medicine program.

Criteria for Admission

Applicants for admission to the Master of Academic Medicine program are generally expected to have an advanced degree in a health profession. Proof of graduation is required.

For applicants who do not have an advanced degree in a health profession, a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution is required. A grade point average of 3.0 (A = 4.0) is usually expected as well as satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.

Official transcripts and three letters of recommendation are required.

For questions or to make an appointment with a faculty advisor: Call (323) 442-2372 or send a request to Dr. Julie Nyquist, nyquist@usc.edu.

Click here to download the Pre-Application form

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