The 10th annual William Davidson Medical Education Week kicks off today, with nearly 30 sessions lined up through Friday, including one full day dedicated to research.
Medical Education Week annually celebrates the achievements and research in medical education by faculty and staff at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, says Ann Voorheis-Sargent, Ph.D., director, OUWB Center for Excellence in Medical Education (CEME).
The diverse and multifaceted program includes presentation of poster abstracts and prominent speakers from the medical education field who are invited to share insight and expertise. Nearly 30 sessions are scheduled throughout the week (the full schedule can be found by clicking here). All sessions are being held online.
New elements for 2021 are a day dedicated to research, along with sessions intended to highlight OUWB’s LEAD program, clinical teaching program, and the importance of embracing change. The theme of this year’s Medical Education Week is “A Look Into the Future.”
“Our hope is that participants learn from each other, consider new methods of teaching, and have access to new research,” said Voorheis-Sargent.
OUWB’s Medical Education week exists in large part because of the late William Davidson, a successful businessman and founder of Palace Sports and Entertainment. In late 2007 Davidson initiated plans to donate $1 million to Beaumont with the express direction that the money be used to support medical education under the direction of his physician and friend, Sandor Shoichet, M.D., FACP, program director, Internal Medicine Residency and medical director of Outpatient Clinics at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, and associate professor of Internal Medicine at OUWB. Davidson died in 2009 at 86.
Davidson’s generosity and the vision of Shoichet — who co-chairs Medical Education Week with Voorheis-Sargent — enabled Beaumont the opportunity to permanently endow faculty development, an area that many institutions recognize as important to an educational endeavor’s ongoing success, though one that often lacks adequate resources.
OUWB’s Medical Education Week continues to evolve. This year, for example, features the new Research Day, set for Thursday.
“We felt it was a great opportunity for those who have been doing significant research to present their studies to OUWB,” said Voorheis-Sargent. “It can sometimes be difficult to keep up with all of the great work others are doing, so this is an ideal setting to feature researchers from OUWB, Beaumont, and Oakland University.”
Nine sessions are scheduled for Research Day, including “Biomarkers of Neurodegenerative Disease,” as well as “Cerebrovascular Impact of Chronic Smoking and Vaping: Mechanistic Insights, Biological Targets, and Potential Countermeasures,” and “Machine Using Clinical Notes; Applications in Popular Health.”
Medical Education Week also accomplishes its mission is by sponsoring a nationally esteemed medical educator to be the week’s distinguished speaker in Davidson’s name.
The speaker this year is Leslie Rocher, M.D., professor of Internal Medicine at OUWB. Rocher previously served as senior vice president and Chief Medical Officer of Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. Rocher’s presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, at 8 a.m.
To find the week’s full schedule, as well as the posters being featured this year, please visit OUWB Medical Education Week page by clicking here.
For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, marketing writer, OUWB, at [email protected].
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.
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