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Council on Curriculum
Charge
The goal of the Council on Curriculum is to provide centralized oversight of a coordinated curriculum that supports the educational objectives of the School of Medicine, including the competencies stated in the Competency-Based Curriculum Guide.
The Council is responsible for the design and management of the core curriculum leading to the M.D. degree, as well as for the review and approval of elective courses. The Council is also responsible for the regular review of the entire curriculum and components therein, evaluating learning outcomes, examining pedagogy, and attending to vertical and horizontal integration of content. The Council approves student petitions for changes in curricular plans as necessary.
Members
Members of this council include basic and clinical scientist faculty, docents, social science and humanities faculty, clinical performance assessment and remediation representatives, and students. The bylaws (PDF) ensure wide representation of medical fields and disciplines relevant to the practice of medicine.
- Sara Gardner, M.D. | Chair, Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education
- Michael Wacker, Ph.D. | Associate Dean of Pre-Clinical Medical Education
- Jacqueline Walker, M.D. | Associate Dean of Clinical Medical Education
- Doug Cochran, M.D. | Elected Docent
- Anthony Makovec, M.D. | Docent – Alternate
- Emily Goodwin, M.D. | Clinical Science Faculty
- Sarah Ifteqar, MBBS | Clinical Science Faculty
- Allison Swanson, M.D. | Clinical Science Faculty
- Daniel Scott, Ph.D. | Basic Science Faculty
- Soheila Hamidpour, M.D. | Basic Science Faculty
- Trent Myers, M.D. | Humanities/Social Sciences Representative
- Sarah Hibbs, M.D. | Saint Luke’s Hospital Representative, Clinical Science Faculty
- Angelia Martin, M.D. | St. Joseph Campus Representative
- Maria Dycoco, M.D. | Clerkship Director
- Ayla Nguyen | Student Representative, Voting Member
- Nathan Gassel | Student Representative, Alternate
- Shreya Kosuru | Student Representative, Alternate
- Avery Foster | Student Representative, Alternate (St. Joseph campus)
- Emily Haury, M.D. | Assistant Dean of Clinical Medical Education*
- Darla McCarthy, Ph.D. | Assistant Dean of Pre-Clinical Medical Education*
- Megan Frasher | Manager of Medical Education*
- Devin Vinzant | Curriculum Administrative Assistant*
- Tyler Smith, M.D. | Office of Inclusive Excellence Representative*
- Jennifer Quaintance, Ph.D. | Office of Assessment and Quality Improvement Representative*
- Kristy Steigerwalt | Clinical Medical Librarian*
- Brandon Elder, M.D. | Simulation Representative*
- Connor Fender | Council on Evaluation Representative*
- Krisana West | Student Affairs Representative*
*Ex-officio member
Council organizational structure (PDF)
Position Descriptions
Chair
The senior associate dean for medical education is also the chair of the Council on Curriculum. The chair is appointed by the dean of the School of Medicine for a term of seven years.
The duties of this position are to:
- Serve as the principal source of information about the medical curriculum for others, both internally and externally verify compliance with all relevant LCME accreditation standards
- Integrate and implement policies and procedures approved by the Council on Curriculum that are consistent with university and/or medical school policies and procedures
- Direct and coordinate the overall structure and goals of the Council on Curriculum.
Voting Members
The Council on Curriculum consists of twelve voting members, six of which are elected by the faculty and five are appointed by the Dean of the School of Medicine. The chair is the twelfth voting member and he/she only votes to meet a quorum or in the case of a tied vote.
The duties of these members include:
- Attending monthly meetings to draft, review and revise curriculum policies and procedures
- Develop and supervise the ongoing review of all clinical clerkship and coursework required for graduation at the School of Medicine via the executive performance review process
- Coordinate and advise as new curriculum is proposed
- Provide recommendations for curricular renewal and change based on outcome measures
- Monitor and report on student, clerkship, and cohort-specific measures of students’ clinical experiences on all required clerkships by using patient tracking-generated data
- Review all student curriculum petitions and new electives
- Occasionally serve on ad-hoc committees to accomplish the aforementioned duties.
Ex-officio
The council also consists of the following ex-officio, non-voting members, including:
- One clinical medical librarian
- One representative Department of Medical Education and Research
- One representative Clinical Performance Assessment and Remediation Committee
- One representative of Student Affairs
- One representative Office of Inclusive Excellence
Subcommittees
Curriculum Policies
Discover information on the curriculum, rotations, licensing exams, clerkships, electives, and petition policies.
Documents and Resources
- 2024-25 B.A./M.D. and M.D. Curriculum Calendar (PDF)
- 2023-24 B.A./M.D. and M.D. Curriculum Calendar (PDF)
- B.A./M.D. Required Medicine Courses and Rotations (PDF)
- Petition to Change Curriculum (PDF)
- Petition to Change Alternate Program Curriculum – Years 1 and 2 (PDF)
- New Elective Course Description (PDF)
- Independent Readings Block (PDF)
- Creating Objectives for Study and Reading Blocks (PDF)
- Change of Docent Unit or Docent Rotation (PDF)
- Clerkship Absence form
- Student Personal Holiday policy
Contacts
Sara Gardner, M.D.
Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education
816-235-6445
Email
Megan Frasher, M.A.
Manager of Medical Education
816-235-1850
Email
Isabella Huang
Kansas City Curriculum Coordinator
Email
Rashaun Riggans
St. Joseph Curriculum Coordinator
Email
Sandra Bernard
Senior Course Coordinator
816-235-1718
Email
Vacant
Course Coordinator
Jillian Barcellona
Student Support Specialist
Email
Devin Vinzant
Administrative Assistant
Email