NASHVILLE, Tenn. Chante Stubbs, MPH, CPH recently attended the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in Health Professions in Boston, Mass.
The program was comprised of a series of courses and workshops aimed at enhancing the professional development of educators in the health professions. It was built around six major themes:
- teaching and learning
- curriculum
- evaluation
- leadership
- educational research
- information technology
“It was an intellectual boot camp,” Stubbs, who serves as Program Coordinator II for the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, said. “There were several courses that related to not only your own teaching and learning styles, but also focused on being attentive of how those personal styles can unconsciously affect aspects of your project design and implementation.”
It also, she noted, helped attendees learn to how to adapt their styles to benefit students and learners.
To apply for the program, Stubbs submitted a description of herself and the community-engaged inter-institutional interprofessional project – a collaborative program between the academic community and community partners – as well as where she is in her professional career. “A selection committee reviews your application and determines whether you and your project would benefit from the extensive curricula and training offered,” Stubbs explained.
Learning formats included large group presentations, interactive exercises, problem-based learning, observations, reflective use of journals and discussions in large and small groups. A variety of faculty-facilitated small group formats were used to support learning from observations, to draw together scholars with common interests and to further the development of each scholar’s project for educational change.
“Discussions focused on producing scholarly products, project development and how to improve project elements of project design, such as implementation and evaluation,” Stubbs said.
Stubbs will return to the Harvard Macy Institute in May for a second session, continuing discussions on professional and project development. “It will be an opportunity to share project updates and changes born of this introspective journey that started in the first session,” she added.
Stubbs has been with the MVA for two years. In her role as Program Coordinator II, she strives to build lasting ties between members of various health professions, health students and institutions with medical and health-based programs. She is responsible for planning and implementing collaborative interprofessional opportunities for students, educators and community stakeholders.
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University and the communities they serve.
