School of Medicine Ombuds
Email med-ombuds@tamu.edu to schedule an appointment.
MED Ombuds
Texas A&M School of Medicine is committed to cultivating a safe and effective learning environment on all of our campuses, at all of our sites and for all of our constituents (faculty, staff, and students). To aid in cultivating the learning environment for faculty and staff, the School of Medicine, with input from the University Faculty Ombuds Officer created the role of the School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Ombuds in fall 2018 within the Office of Medical Education.
The role of the School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Ombuds is to serve as a confidential, impartial and neutral sounding board regarding any faculty or staff concerns within our learning environment. The School of Medicine faculty and staff ombuds is aware of college and Texas A&M policies and procedures and can provide information on appropriate pathways to resolve issues related to the learning environment. The School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Ombuds does not provide advice (legal or otherwise), replace a university official, determine responsibility, assign sanctions or get involved in official School of Medicine grievances.
The duties of the School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Ombuds include, but are not limited to:
- Serving as a confidential outlet if a School of Medicine faculty or staff person needs to verbally process an issue
- Being available within a timely manner to meet one-on-one with the School of Medicine faculty and staff
- Interfacing with the Texas A&M Faculty Ombuds where appropriate/indicated
- Participating in the monthly Learning Environment Enrichment Committee meetings
- Working collaboratively with the School of Medicine Faculty Ombuds to address learning environment concerns
- Being familiar with the School of Medicine and Texas A&M policies (such as Title IX) and procedures
The School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Ombuds are guided and informed by the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the International Ombuds Association.
Erin Herbrich, Staff Ombuds
Prior to beginning her career with the School of Medicine, Erin obtained a Bachelor of Science in bioenvironmental sciences from Texas A&M University, followed by a Masters of Public Health in health policy and management from the Texas A&M School of Public Health. She began her career with the School of Medicine in 2011 as a medical education program coordinator and now serves as an Assistant Director for Academic Affairs working specifically with the clinical curriculum.
Erin's role as the Staff Ombuds is to serve as a confidential, impartial, and neutral sounding board regarding any staff concerns within our learning environment.
Erin M. Herbrich, MPH
979.436.0105
med-ombuds@tamu.edu
Vernon Tesh, PhD Faculty Ombuds
Dr. Vernon Tesh received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. He joined the faculty in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine in 1992. He rose through the academic ranks and was promoted to Professor in 2005. Dr. Tesh’s research interests were focused on Shiga toxins, a family of bacterial protein toxins. Dr. Tesh’s laboratory showed that Shiga toxins are powerful inducers of innate immunity and signal through activation of the unfolded protein response. His work was continuously funded by the NIH for 20 years generating approximately $5.2M in direct support. He published 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Dr. Tesh chaired the dissertation committees of eight graduate students and served as a committee member for 27 additional students. He teaches in both the School of Medicine graduate and medical education programs. He is a recipient of the American Society of Microbiology’s ICAAC Young Investigators Award, and the G. Malcolm Trout Memorial Award in Food Safety and Human Nutrition from Michigan State University. He is a Texas A&M University Montague Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar. In 2011, he was named the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the School of Medicine, and in 2014, he was appointed by the Board of Regents as the Vice President for Academic Affairs for the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Dr. Tesh is currently Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology in the School of Medicine.
Vernon Tesh, PhD
979.436.0105
med-ombuds@tamu.edu