Medical Education Faculty
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Stacey Arnold, EdD As a career educator, I have had the opportunity to instruct students in the classroom and provide professional development for instructors to assist them in becoming better teachers for the students they serve. am passionate about teaching and bring this passion to medical education. It is my desire to mentor and provide faculty development to educators in the College of Medicine to improve the quality of teaching, which contributes to greater student success. |
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Timothy Boone, MD, PhD Associate Dean, Houston Campus, Clinical Professor Dr. Timothy B. Boone is Director of Education for the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, and a member of the Neurological Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital. He is Professor of Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College and holds appointments as Professor of Urology at Texas A&M College of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine where he is a Clinical Professor of Urology. In 2014, Dr. Boone was appointed Associate Dean, Texas A&M University College of Medicine at the Houston campus. Dr. Boone earned his Master of Science in physiology and Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston. He completed his M.D./Ph.D. at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and urology residency training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. In 1991 he joined the faculty in the Department of Urology at UT Southwestern for two years and then moved to Baylor College of Medicine where he joined the Scott Department of Urology. In 2000 Dr. Boone was named Professor and Chair of the Scott Department of Urology where he served until 2008. For over 20 years he actively participated in the care of spinal cord injured veterans with neurogenic bladder dysfunction at the VA Spinal Cord Injury Unit in Dallas and in Houston. |
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Charles E.L. Brown, MD, MBA, FACOG Clinical Professor Dr. Charlie Brown is a 1980 graduate of the Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency training at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston in 1984, followed by a Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (1984-1986) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern (UTSW). In 1986, Dr. Brown joined the UTSW Faculty -- while at UTSW, he completed a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Texas Graduate School of Business (1991-1993). In 1994, he moved to Austin, Texas and was a founding member of the Texas Perinatal Group, an MFM private practice. While in that practice he served as the Medical Director of Perinatology at Seton/ Ascension Medical Center and Brackenridge Hospital, and was on the Board of Directors and Chief of Obstetrics at the UTMB Austin Women’s Hospital, an obstetric teaching facility. Academic activities in Austin included serving as the Program Director for the Austin Medical Education Programs’ Fellowship in Obstetrics for Family Medicine physicians (1999-2005), becoming the first Program Director for UTMB’s OB/GYN residency program in Austin (2004-2009), transitioning the UTMB residency program to UTSW (2009-2014) after Hurricane Ike (2008), then transitioning the program again in 2014 when it became affiliated with the new University of Texas at Austin - Dell Medical School. In 2016, Dr. Brown returned to UTSW where he served as the Associate Program Director of the MFM Fellowship Program until April of 2022. He joined the Texas A&M School of Medicine faculty in 2022. |
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Kevin H. Brown, MD, Associate Dean, Round Rock Campus, Clinical Associate Professor Physician dedicated to academics and the mission of medical education. It's an honor to help train the next generation of physicians. I continue to enjoy taking care of patients and maintaining a private practice focused on compassionate and contemporary Women's Health. I've used my experiences with medical education, healthcare management, veterans health, and consultant work for malpractice defense, the Office of Inspector General (Texas), and CMO medical advisory to constantly move towards collaboration and improvement. |
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Stephanie S. Bruce, MD, MAS, FACOG, Dr. Stephanie S. Bruce currently serves as the Assistant Chief Quality Officer for Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital in addition to maintaining an active Gynecology practice within the Houston Methodist Physician Organization. In 2020, Dr. Bruce was appointed Assistant Dean for the Texas A&M University School of Medicine at the new Willowbrook site of the Houston Campus. Additionally, she is Assistant Clinical Professor, teaching Gynecology, Practice of Medicine (POM), and overseeing several electives in Administration, Quality, and Health System Science. She is also interested in service and student research, playing an instrumental role in initiating a student-run clinic for the underserved and a Quality and Patient Safety Symposium for student participation. Dr. Bruce earned her undergraduate degree with a double major in Biology and Chemistry from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. After graduation, Dr. Bruce attended Texas A&M University School of Medicine and was very active during her time there, serving as the Class Vice President and being selected as a Clegg Scholar with the British Medical Journal. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology through the University of Texas at Hermann Hospital located in the Houston Medical Center. She was in private practice as a general Ob/Gyn for over 15 years, prior to obtaining a Master of Applied Science in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality in 2020 from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), and is a member of Delta Omega, Honorary Society in Public Health. Dr. Bruce is passionate about Patient Safety, Quality, Health System Science, and High Reliability in Healthcare. |
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Diane E. Chico, PhD, Department Head, Instructional Professor My commitment to medical education began with medical gross anatomy, having taken the course as a graduate student with first-year medical students. Engaging medical and health professional students in learning the fundamental concepts of the anatomical sciences and then teaching them how to teach themselves the details and clinical applications of the knowledge they have acquired continuously challenge me to become a more effective educator. Most importantly, the relationships built with the students as I contribute to, and observe their progress through medical school and with my colleagues invested in our learners’ professional development all motivate me to meet the challenges of promoting excellence in medical education. The interpersonal connection with students and colleagues to create a comfortable, dynamic learning environment for learners is as important as teaching the fundamentals in biomedical and clinical sciences. At the end of the day, seeing our learners recognize their potential and pursue their goals in the medical profession and academia makes teaching a most rewarding experience. |
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Cristie Columbus, MD, Associate Dean, Dallas Campus, Clinical Associate Professor Cristie Columbus, MD, is an associate dean for the Texas A&M College of Medicine. Her research interests include medical education, infection control and prevention, and hospital epidemiology. She serves Baylor University Medical Center as chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC) and Baylor Scott & White Health-North Division as medical director for epidemiology and infectious diseases and emergency management and infectious diseases. At BUMC, she also serves as director of Graduate Medical Education. Since 2010, Dr. Columbus has served as the program director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship at BUMC. Dr. Columbus received her Bachelor of Science in zoology from University of Texas, Master's degree and Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. She then completed an internship and residency and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Baylor University Medical Center. Dr. Columbus is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and of the Subspecialty Board of Infectious Diseases, and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. |
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Gloria Conover, PhD, Director, Medical Student Research, Instructional Assistant Professor Throughout my career as a biomedical educator, I have taught numerous undergraduate, graduate and medical students and postdoctoral trainees. I have inspired them to dream big and work towards achieving their full potential while being mindful of the challenges and opportunities of their environment. In my current positions as Instructional Assistant Professor and Director, I am thrilled to offer research learning opportunities that cultivate interdisciplinary scholarly collaborations to improve patient care. In particular, I am interested in developing courses on interprofessional telemedicine models of health care delivery and vertical integration of the medical school pre-clerkship to the clerkship curriculum. For more details on my vision to support life-long scholarship, visit our Medical Scholar Research Pathway Program. Through my teaching I facilitate learner engagement of state-of-the-art biologically-based technologies which will pave the way for highly robust personalized treatments to manageist devistating illnesses. I aspire to be a role model to my students, and particularly to inspire those students from diverse groups with advice and support based on my own academic journey. For more details on my scholarly activity, I invite you to visit my TAMU profile |
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Danielle Dickey, PhD Instructional Assistant Professor and Associate Dean, Academic Affairs Dr. Dickey is Instructional Assistant Professor in Medical Education and Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Texas A&M Health Science Center. She received her Doctor of Education degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. |
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Robyn Fader, MD Director of Internal Medicine Clerkship, Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Robyn R. Fader received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her medical doctorate from UT Medical School at Houston, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Baylor School of Medicine in Houston. She served as chief medical resident at Ben Taub Hospital and St. Luke's Hospital. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and a designated fellow of hospital medicine. Dr. Fader joined Baylor Scott and White Health in 2008 as an inpatient medicine hospitalist, and she served as the medical director of the hospitalist group for 5 years. She joined the faculty of TAMU in 2010 and became the Internal Medicine clerkship director in 2017. She practices as an academic hospitalist and core faculty member for the Baylor Scott and White-Round Rock Internal Medicine residency program. |
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Olawale Fashina, MD Associate Dean, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor Olawale O. Fashina., M.D, was appointed the Chief of Staff for the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) effective July 13, 2014. Dr. Fashina is responsible for all medical programs, policies and medical operations of this multi-million-dollar VA health care system. It is comprised of the Temple and Waco VA medical centers, a large stand-alone outpatient clinic in Austin, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Brownwood, Bryan/College Station, Cedar Park, La Grange, and Palestine. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Fashina served as the Associate Chief of Staff for Ambulatory Care from 2007-2014 with responsibility for Primary Care, C&P, Women Veterans’ Health, and Patient Education. He served as VISN 17 Lead for Primary Care. Dr. Fashina earned his medical degree from the University of Lagos in 1982. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and holds a Masters’ Degree in Health Administration. Dr. Fashina is a Certified Physician Executive and an assistant professor at Texas A&M College of Medicine. Dr Fashina serves as Associate Site Dean for Texas A&M Medical School. |
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Margaret J. Foster, MLIS, MPH Professor, Medical Education and Director Ms. Margaret J. Foster, MS, MPH, AHIP, is a Professor at Texas A&M University School of Medicine where she serves as the Director of the Center for Systematic Reviews and Research Syntheses. With nearly 2 decades of experience collaborating on reviews, she has published in medicine, public health, veterinary medicine, education, agriculture, engineering, and other fields. She is the founder of the Systematic Reviews Caucus of the Medical Library Association, and the co-author of the first book written on systematic reviews for librarians- Assembling the Pieces of a Systematic Review: A Guide for Librarians (2017) and recently Piecing Together Systematic Reviews and Other Evidence Syntheses (2022). She received the Presidential Impact Award from Texas A&M in 2018.Link to Center website: https://medicine.tamu.edu/centers/systematic-center.html |
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Jennifer Friedman, MD, FACOG Clinical Assistant Professor, Primary Care Medicine & Population Health The term, “lifelong learning”, has broad meaning, as it applies to a wide range of educational theories and individual experiences. I view lifelong learning from my endeavors and accomplishments as the ways that I have gained knowledge from them, grown from them and changed from them. I also see lifelong learning as a mutual relationship between learning and teaching. As a physician of 21 years, my patients have taught me about medicine and life and vice versa. As a mother, my 3 daughters have helped me grow and learn just as I have helped them. As a community member, civic duty and volunteer work are central to my active engagement and have given me a greater understanding of those around me, just as I have contributed to society. I am passionate about medical education because I view medical education as a mutual relationship between teaching and learning. I believe in my ability to give to and teach students about the unique life experiences I have been afforded, just as I believe in their ability to teach me about their unique lives. |
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Sheila Green, M.S.L.S. Adjunct Associate Professor I spent many years applying my BS in Computer Science to corporate software training, quality assurance, and project management. I recognized I was more interested in information and what people did with it than I was in the technology that delivered the information. I now leverage my computer background, an MS in Library Science, and over a decade of medical libraries experience to partner with faculty, post docs, staff, and students to advance their goals for learning, teaching, research, and impact. |
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Angela Hairrell, PhD Director of Academic Support Services and Assistant Professor of Medical Humanities My passion for education started as a little girl hosting “school” for a diverse group of stuffed animals! From those humble beginnings, my career has been devoted to helping others help themselves through education. Whether it was teaching preschoolers their first sight words, reading to elementary school children and children with disabilities, test-taking to high schoolers, or teaching future Aggie teachers how to teach, my goal has always focused on helping everyone reach their highest potential. All these experiences culminate in the College of Medicine where I am privileged to watch and journey alongside future Aggie Docs as they become physicians. My desire is to provide support (academic and social) to our medical students, as well as ensure they develop life-long learning skills. In my mind, our future Aggie Docs are amazing and each one is capable of greatness. |
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Teresa Isbell, PhD Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for Continuous Quality Improvement Growing up in rural Texas, I know first-hand how important it is to have access to good medical care. Working for a medical school that has rural medicine as a priority means that I get to unite two passions: rural healthcare and education. Also, I am back where it all started for me: Texas A&M University. Now I am able to give back by helping future Aggie physicians get started on their careers. I am honored to be able to serve the College of Medicine and its students. |
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Chetan Jinadatha, MD Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Chetan Jinadatha received his Medical Doctor from JJM Medical College, in India, and his master’s in public health from the School of Public Health, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas. He completed his internship, residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, in Temple, Texas. Dr. Chetan Jinadatha currently is the Chief of Infectious Diseases Section at Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple, Texas. He is also a Clinical Professor, department of medical education, School of Medicine at Texas A & M University, College Station, TX. Dr. Jinadatha is practicing clinician, researcher, and educator. He is involved with education of medical students, residents and infectious diseases fellows. He has extensive experience as hospital epidemiologist and researcher. His clinical and research interests focus on the role of surfaces in causation of HAIs and how technology might be able to solve the problem of HAIs as well as Legionella and COVID prevention. Dr. Jinadatha has also testified as an expert witness in US Congress and participated in several task force related to Legionella prevention in the VA as well as wastewater surveillance for COVID. Dr. Jinadatha has also authored chapters in the APIC textbook of Infection prevention and control and has published several manuscripts in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Jinadatha hold multiple patents in the area of HAI prevention technologies and serves as a grant reviewer on various study sections. |
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Seamus Kelleher, Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor Seamus Kelleher is an adjunct assistant clinical professor at Texas A&M School of Medicine and a much in demand motivational speaker. For almost five decades, Seamus Kelleher, a native of Galway Ireland, now residing in Naples Florida, has performed as a musician in major venues and festivals across the U.S. and Europe including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Excelsior in Rome. He is currently an adjunct assistant clinical professor at Texas A&M School of Medicine and a much in demand motivational speaker. He was also an adjunct professor at New York University and Fordham University and a marketing executive in the corporate world. Throughout his career, Seamus has battled depression, anxiety, and an addiction to alcohol. His message during his classes at Texas A&M and in his motivational talks across the country is one of hope and resilience no matter what the situation. He provides his students with concrete tools and strategies to help ensure their mental wellness as they embark on their exciting journey. “When physicians and others in healthcare take care of their own mental wellness, I believe they are better equipped to provide the best possible care to their patients and they also position themselves for longevity in what is a wonderful but challenging profession,” says Seamus. |
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Terri Kurz, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor Dr. Terri Kurz, PhD is the Assistant Dean for Faculty Development. Since joining the School of Medicine in 2012, she has served in various roles in the Office of Faculty Development which provides support and resources for the professional development of the School of Medicine faculty. She is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Medical Education and teaches in the Education for Healthcare Professionals program. |
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Rodney Lewis, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Rodney Lewis, MD, has been a teaching faculty member for the Texas A&M School of Medicine since 2008. He has served as the Surgical Clerkship Director on the Round Rock campus since the inception of the campus. He also serves as co-director for the Practice of Medicine course at the Bryan-College Station campus. Recently retired from over 30 years of clinical practice as a general surgeon, Lewis continues to teach with the desire to give back what he has learned to the next generation of physicians. |
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Gary C. McCord, MD Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions, Clinical Professor After being in full time private practice of radiology for several years following residency, I realized that I missed teaching, but had no time to do it. I ultimately cut back my practice time to enable me to spend some time teaching at the medical school. I started teaching in the Medical Gross Anatomy course in 1991 and then in the Neuroscience course that followed it, and have been doing so ever since. Teaching is a labor of love and you do it repetitively because you can’t imagine doing anything else. I get a real charge out of trying to take a complicated topic and make it understandable. To me, the key is showing that what you are teaching is practical and will actually be usable someday. That is what I aspire to do by bringing in interesting radiology cases that correlate with what we are teaching at the time. My advice to new teachers is always the same: Make it practical. |
| Rob Milman, MD, Associate Department Head, Clinical Assistant Professor The future of medicine depends on well trained and compassionate physicians. The delivery of excellent patient care and best possible patient outcomes begins with medical school training emphasizing knowledge and skills, critical thinking, and professional identify formation. I have a specific interest in health communication education and teaching learners how to apply concepts from the world of improvisational theater to significantly improve physician-patient and interprofessional communication. Ultimately, better communication leads to improved patient outcomes. For me, participating in the process of educating the future generation of physicians and passing down “pearls of wisdom” I learned along the way is exciting and very rewarding. |
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Catherine Pepper, MLS, MPH Senior Associate Professor Catherine Pepper, MLIS, MPH, is a Senior Associate Professor for the Department of Medical Education and teaches in evidence-based medicine and interprofessional education courses. She retired from the Medical Sciences Library at Texas A&M University in August 2022 as the Regional Services Coordinator and holds the rank of tenured Associate Professor Emerita. Based in Austin, TX, as medical librarian for the Round Rock campus of the Texas A&M Health Science Center, Cathy also served as the liaison librarian for HSC campuses and residencies in locations outside of College Station, including Houston, Corpus Christi, Temple, Dallas, and McAllen. She has taught evidence-based medicine/practice for medical, nursing, and public health students and a credit-bearing course on public health informatics. Cathy earned her master's degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Texas and her Master of Public Health in health informatics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Cathy is a graduate from the CDC’s Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program (PHIFP) and was recognized for outstanding service to the Informatics Office at the Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases. Cathy’s primary research has focused on qualitative studies on teaching evidence-based medicine, as well as on clinical decision support tools, the use of scholarly metrics to quantify faculty research impact, and the potential use of social network analysis for evaluation of public health information systems. |
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Halil Sari, PhD Director of Evaluation and Assessment, Instructional Assistant Professor I completed my master's and PhD in the Research and Evaluation Methodology Program in the College of Education at the University of Florida. I did my post-doctoral studies in the Family Nutrition Program at the University of Florida and in the Counseling & Human Department at the University of Rochester, NY. I joined Texas A&M University in 2022 as the Instructional Assistant Professor. I also have joint appointment as Assistant Director of Assessment & Psychometrics with the Office of Evaluation and Assessment. I am teaching quantitative methods and psychometrics courses at the graduate level and mentoring medical students in their research. I enjoy using my quantitative skills to contribute to the research that is conducted by smartest researchers. I like camping outside of work. |
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Pawan Sikka, MD Assistant Dean, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Clinical Associate Professor It is a source of great pride for me to be able to serve a population that has always been very close to my heart – The Veterans, while working at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care in Temple, TX since 2002 in many roles. I started as staff physician in Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep medicine and later became the chief of the same section in 2010. I also served in other roles at the same time, including being associate program director of the Pulmonary and Critical care fellowship, medical director of the Sleep program for several years, core key clinical faculty for Internal medicine residency and block leader of the respiratory block for Texas A&M 2nd year medical students. I was appointed ACOS /Chief Medicine in 2016 and thereafter ACOS/Chief Education in April 2019, in which role I am currently continuing. I enjoy learning continually and am passionate about innovation and collaboration to enhance learning for all levels of medical education. My connection with the VA began in 1996 as a medical resident and then as a fellow who tremendously enjoyed interacting with the Veterans, taking care of them and listening to their stories. This connection has always been a special part of my journey and has continually motivated me to do more. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this great organization with so much potential and a most noble mission, to be able to serve the Veteran population and make a difference. |
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Micheal Spohn, MD Associate Dean, Bryan-College Station Campus, Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Micheal Spohn is an award-winning emergency medicine physician, researcher, and educator with twenty years of service in the United States Air Force. Since 2009, Dr. Spohn has served as an emergency medicine physician at CHI St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan, a Level II trauma center that sees more than 50,000 ED patients annually and is recognized as a major stroke, chest pain, and trauma center. He has received the hospital’s Reverence Award, Stewardship Award, and many other honors, and he is consistently ranked among the nation’s top medical professionals for patient care and compassionate service. In addition to his work in the emergency room, Dr. Spohn serves as Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Medicine. In his additional capacity as Special Assistant to the Dean for Military Medicine, he helped found the Department of Military Medicine at Texas A&M. Since becoming the Emergency Medicine Education Director and Medical Student Clerkship Director, Dr. Spohn has consistently elevated the program. He has been named to the Texas A&M School of Medicine Faculty of the Year in Emergency Medicine for seven out of the last ten years. Before pursuing his career in emergency medicine, Dr. Spohn earned his B.S. in Management at the U.S. Air Force Academy and served twenty years in the military. |
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Vincent VanBuren, PhD Instructional Assistant Professor Dr. Vincent VanBuren earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Lehigh University in 2002 for his dissertation on computational modeling of microtubules. He completed his postdoctoral training in bioinformatics at the Laboratory of Genetics at the National Institute on Aging in 2006. His expertise lies in computational biology, bioinformatics and biostatistics. Dr. VanBuren began his faculty appointment at the Texas A&M School of Medicine in 2006 and joined the Round Rock campus in 2015. He is an instructional assistant professor in the Department of Medical Physiology and the Director of Computational Biology and the Bioinformatics Laboratory. Dr. VanBuren was elected as Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee for the School of Medicine in 2022. |
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Christine Cappelle Whitelaw, MD Clinical Assistant Professor Having enjoyed many years serving as an emergency room physician in a teaching hospital, I have worked with and learned from some of the most talented doctors and staff in the medical field. This opportunity to share that experience with the next generation of health care professionals is an exciting and fulfilling capstone to my career that I eagerly look forward to. |
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Scott Wieters, MD |
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Johna Wright, MA, Program Coordinator, Research and Graduate Studies, School of Medicine; Assistant Lecturer As an andragogical educator, I truly believe students learn better if they are engaged and self-directed. I also know that education comes in many forms. Currently as an educator in both the professional and graduate side of the School of Medicine, I get to truly engage with a variety of students. My desire to teach comes from seeing the effort of learning. What I mean by that is, watching students engaging with each other and the content so they can truly learn and stretch their understanding of the material. Witnessing this is truly a great thing and knowing that it is just the beginning of the learning process…that is really the best part. |