Illinois Medicine

methods and tools for educators worldwide ARLY IN HIS CAREER, David Rogers, MD, MHPE '03, realized he was enjoying the teaching aspect of academic medicine and wanted to pursue it further. He also real- ized he had little knowledge of teaching methodology or educational theories. To address those issues, Rogers en- rolled in the master of health professions education (MHPE) program in the Col- lege of Medicine's department of medical education. "I was looking for a grounding TEACHERS E in medical education as part of my intention of making it the main focus of my career," says Rogers, a professor of pedi- atric surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Rogers is one of the growing number of medical educators who have sought training in the MHPE pro- gram, which draws the likes of program directors, department heads and deans from medical schools and centers around the world—including such eminent institutions as Harvard Medical School, University of Chicago, Stanford and the Mayo Clinic. "People who teach and have education leader- ship roles have subject-matter expertise but may not have received formal training to function optimally in those roles," says Ilene Harris, PhD, professor and head of the department of medical education, who also is the director of the MHPE program. "They need help in curriculum design, in instructional design, in assessment of perfor- mance, in evaluation of programs, and in faculty develop- ment to help their faculty improve their skills in all those areas." The MHPE program helps students master those skills. The first program of its kind when launched in the 1960s, it has become a reference model for the 70 or so similar programs in existence today and has been hailed Dean Azar attends the annual MHPE graduation ceremony in the Faculty Alumni Lounge in July. Medical Education Professor Georges Bordage was the first director of the MHPE program, helped develop the curriculum and later helped launch the online course offerings. ILLINOIS MEDICINE | 29 as the gold standard for such programs by reviewers for the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The program took a major step forward in the early 1990s, when Georges Bordage, MD, PhD, professor of medical education, became its director. He restructured the curriculum, restoring neglected areas and building up its elective course offerings. Bordage also participated in the 1996 launch of the online ver- sion of the program, the first completely online degree program at the University of Illinois. As the program's quality improved, so did its word-of-mouth reputation, and enrollment grew from 17 students to 90 by the time Bordage handed over the pro- gram's leadership to Harris in 2003. Today, the program en- rolls 130 students, a number limited by the need to keep class size manageable and ensure quality educational experiences. "This year we had 70 ap- plications for 18 openings, and two-thirds of them would have been fine [students]. We could easily admit three times as many qualified students if we had the resources," Harris says. The elite few who are admitted into the program have the choice of attending courses on the college's Chicago campus or online. On-campus courses are offered mainly in one- or two-week intensive sessions during the summer. Online courses take place during the regular academic year, and those students also par- ticipate in summertime on-campus wrap-up sessions. Students take five required courses and three to four electives chosen from more than two-dozen varied options. "The basic courses give you a really nice expo- sure to contemporary practices in medical education," Rogers says. The electives allow students to deepen their understanding in areas of personal interest. "For example, some people want to get more skilled in I DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL EDUCATION ALSO OFFERS PHD, CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS N ADDITION TO the MHPE program, the department of medical education offers both a PhD program in collaboration with the UIC College of Education and a weeklong intensive certificate program for clinical education program directors that draws students from the Middle East and Asia. "We have the continuum, from the certificate program through the master's degree to the doctorate," says Ilene Harris, PhD, professor and head of the department of medical education. This school year, the department also has started a collaboration with nearby Malcolm X College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, which has a focus on the health professions. The department conducted a weeklong certificate program in faculty development on-site at the college, and Malcolm X faculty also have completed the clinical education program directors certificate program. — K.M. PHOTO: LLOYD DEGRANE PHOTO: LLOYD DEGRANE

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