Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/863733
8 | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 OSF HEALTHCARE DONATES $1M TO COLLEGE OF MEDICINE SF HEALTHCARE HAS COMMITTED $1 MILLION to support the expansion of the College of Medicine Peoria and Rockford to a four-year curriculum, including $750,000 for the Peoria campus and $250,000 for the Rockford campus. Historically, Rockford and Peoria medical students have spent their first year in Urbana, but that's changing for both campuses this fall, when enrollment will grow to about 220 students annually on each campus. The expansion will bring approximately 55 first-year medical students each to the Rockford and Peoria campuses. Facility upgrades on these sites include technology-rich classrooms designed for team-based learning and new anatomy laboratories. "We are delighted about this generous gift and the continued support OSF HealthCare provides," says Alex Stagnaro-Green, MD, regional dean in Rockford. "This expansion is a historic moment, not just for the medical school, but for our entire community." "The curriculum we are building to support the expansion of the Peoria campus will instill the traditional values of medical practice, such as compassionate care and communication, while incorporating cutting-edge technology, advanced research, and longitudinal continuity of clinical training," says Sara Rusch, MD, Res '81, regional dean in Peoria. "In order to prepare the next generation of physicians and health care leaders, it is critical we build a technology-rich learning environment where these objectives may intersect." OSF HealthCare operates OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, while OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is one of several primary clinical training affiliates for the COM Peoria. "We are proud of our long-running partnership with the College of Medicine and recognize the importance of the need for expansion at the medical school," says Kevin Schoeplein, MBA, MHA, chief executive officer of OSF HealthCare. NEW COM PEORIA SIMULATION FELLOWSHIP BUILDING EXPERTISE HE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE IN PEORIA — in collaboration with Jump Simulation and the University of Illinois at Chicago — has joined the likes of Harvard, Stanford and other high- quality programs in launching a Simulation Fellowship Training Program, one of fewer than 10 nationwide. John Vozenilek, MD, the fellowship's program director and the Duane and Mary Cullinan Professor of Simulation Outcomes, says there's an increased demand for simulation-trained healthcare professionals, and fellows in the Peoria program will have exclusive experiences. "Because we help train medical students, residents, nurses, nurse practitioners, and first responders at Jump — not even traditional medical schools have such a deliberate differentiator of experiences," says Vozenilek, an emergency medicine physician and the medical director at Jump, who's recognized internationally for simulation education. "And with the exposure to engineering that Jump ARCHES (Applied Research for Community Health through Engineering and Simulation) provides, we can find and build technologies where gaps exist." Fellows, who can participate on a one- or two-year track, will gain simulation expertise in the creation of immersive curricular content, be able to evaluate the curriculum others construct, and participate in the creation of potentially new medical devices or technology. The two-year engagement, which could expand to three or four fellows per year, is a degreed program and requires separate application and acceptance into the UIC Master of Health Professions Education program. The one-year program is a certificated fellowship. Greg Podolej, MD '13, the first fellow enrolled in the simulation program, has been assigned to help advance the technology for teaching anatomy at the Peoria campus and create more robust simulation curriculum for the OB-GYN residency. "I get to interface with Jump, all the resources here, the clinical faculty, the engineers, and there's so many projects going on," he says. "I think simulation is a great medium to help foster communication, teamwork, personal skills, emotional intelligence — things that doctors need to be effective." O The new Simulation Fellowship is one of fewer than 10 such programs nationwide. The OSF donation will help the Peoria and Rockford campuses expand to a four-year curriculum as M1s assigned to each site will now begin training on those campuses. T