Programs of Distinction

Like the field of medicine itself, medical education continues to evolve. The era of full-day lectures and exclusive "book learning" is drawing to a close. Interactive(case-based) learning, simulation, and early clinical exposure are replacing historically rigid designs. Instead of simply teaching "what a doctor needs to know," medical education is bending toward "how to be a doctor."What is not included, however, are courses/educational opportunities designed to foster character growth in the face of adversity.

The Active Resilience Training (ART) in Medicine program proposes to fill this void. At key inflection points within medical student training that are often associated with higher degrees of stress or the potential for burnout, the ART program will teach and promote actions, attributes, and behaviors that foster resilience.

Faculty Contact

David Popoli, MD
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Marcia Wofford, MD
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Global health is “an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide” (Koplan JP, et al. Lancet 2009;373:1993-1995). Given the importance of Global Health education and training and the growing demand from our learners, Wake Forest University School of Medicine has developed a Global Health Scholarly Concentration. To prepare and educate the next generation of learners, the longitudinal curriculum certificate program provides students with a better understanding of the interdisciplinary nature, transnational issues, and determinants of global health while also reducing health inequalities in underserved populations locally. The global health scholarly concentration consists of a 20-month longitudinal curriculum and faculty-mentored scholarly capstone project.   Through this program, students are equipped to build a foundation of knowledge that will serve to advocate for and promote innovative approaches to solving complex global health problems so that individuals can be healthy and live productively. The Global Health Program within the School of Medicine has been in place since 2014. Since then, the 2-year program has graduated many cohorts of students (2014-16, 2016-18, 2018-20, 2020-22, and 2022-24).

Faculty Contact

Avinash Shetty, MD
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Student Contacts

Bailey McCracken
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Brandon Garcia Fuentes 
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Gabriella Puchall 
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Christopher Franco 
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The program has been designed to provide health equity education and training opportunities to medical students, graduate students, and medical residents who are part of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine system. The program focuses on experiences to increase knowledge regarding health disparities, health policy, social determinants of health, and the care of medically underserved populations. This training engages participants in the planning and development of effective solutions to address health inequities presented in the curriculum. Participants will be prepared to integrate an understanding of the social, cultural, and other non-medical factors that influence health outcomes for patients into their professional work. Hosted by Maya Angelou Research Center for Healthy Communities (MARCH) within the School of Medicine, the Health Equity Concentration Program offers multidisciplinary educational and professional development opportunities for medical, nursing, and graduate students as well as medical residents and fellows. The format of the concentration will include self-directed coursework, monthly group sessions on topical issues in health equity, interspersed with virtual learning opportunities, a “Community Plunge” tour, and activities in the community. A capstone project conducted in conjunction with a community organization or Affiliate Faculty member, dissemination at a health equity symposium, and submission of program evaluations will be required for successful completion of the program. The Health Equity Concentration Program can be extended to the clinical years by combining it with the Health Equity Elective Rotation.

Faculty Contact

Kimberly Montez, MD
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Training in adult learning theory and evidence-based instructional design is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of teaching in health professions education. The Interprofessional Medical Education Concentration was developed to provide this foundational training to health professions students, particularly those aspiring for future careers in academic medicine.

Faculty Contact

Michelle Keating, MD
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The MAESTRO Program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine aims to train culturally respectful Spanish-speaking providers who will go on to care for the increasing number of Hispanic patients in Winston-Salem and across the U.S. The ultimate goal of the MAESTRO program is to make a contribution in the fight against health inequities. We seek to equip medical students with the necessary cultural awareness and communication skills to care effectively for Spanish-speaking patients and positively impact the health and well-being of this growing and underserved population.

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The RAW Medicine Scholarly Concentration provides a longitudinal educational experience for MS2 to MS4 students, focusing on the practice of medicine in austere, extreme, and resource-limited environments. Through a combination of didactic instruction, experiential learning, and independent scholarship, students will develop critical decision-making skills, resilience, and adaptability necessary for medical practice in wilderness and disaster scenarios.

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The Advanced Training in Gender and Sexual Minority Health Care Scholarly Program is designed to support the cultivation of critical knowledge to enhance the delivery of quality, culturally competent patient-centered care to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. This program includes a comprehensive series of modules involving a variety of medical specialties including but not limited to Primary Care, Adolescent Medicine, Psychiatry, Endocrinology, OBGYN, and Plastic and Urologic Surgery. Topics included in the curriculum include Social Determinants of Health, Sexual Health and Wellness, Gender Affirming Care, Family Planning, Vocal Therapy, and Advancements in GSM Research and Innovation.

Faculty Contact

Katherine Schafer, MD
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Anatomy and Physiology Peer-Led Education (APPLE) is a student group which serves as a peer-facilitated study resource for first-year medical students completing the HSF course on the Winston Salem campus at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The goal of this program is to develop competency in the anatomy curriculum, as well as in peer-directed education and mentorship.

Faculty Contact

Thomas Perrault, PhD
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To increase awareness and education in the field of ophthalmology and to expose students to the various subspecialties in ophthalmology through ophthalmology related community service and online learning modules. Students will interact with several ophthalmology faculty who can provide mentorship and detail their journey to ophthalmology.

Faculty Contact

Gillian Treadwell, MD
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The Culinary Medicine Scholarly Program is an educational and service-learning opportunity for students in the MD Program at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine that focuses on building nutrition knowledge and skills that will translate to future patient care. This program focuses on 3 core principles:

1. Education
2. Skill Building
3. Service

Faculty Contact

Joseph Skelton, MD
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Financial stress has been well-documented as a burden on medical professionals in training. In fact, student loan burdens and low financial literacy have been linked to lower In-Training Exam (ITE) scores in residency, increased burnout, and has been shown to impact both specialty and fellowship choices. In addition to this, the landscape of medicine is constantly changing as reimbursements fall and margin shrinks, leading to consolidation of the healthcare landscape. For this reason, it has never been more important than now for physicians to learn about the healthcare system, the business of medicine, and the value that they provide. FLARE aims to solve both of these problems by reducing financial stress among graduating medical students through financial literacy and equipping our students to not only understand the revenue that is generated in medicine, but the value that they provide in creating it as physicians in an ever more complicated healthcare landscape.

Faculty Contact

Jimmy Turner, MD
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To increase awareness and education about the integrative medicine approach and modalities so that the learner can be knowledgeable in-patient counseling and appropriate referrals (such as to an integrative specialist/nutritionist, etc.) regarding these topics to address a variety of patient concerns. Through service-learning opportunities, educational and experiential experiences, as well as pursuing student-led initiatives as a final project, students will build confidence, resilience, and familiarity with the practice and application of integrative medicine in healthcare.

Faculty Contact

Vanessa Baute, MD
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This program connects students with faculty advisors and opportunities to explore pathology as a specialty. It also helps students strengthen pathology skills for step 1 and beyond. Participants are connected with faculty so that they can ask questions about the profession, and through hands-on autopsy and biopsy interpreting sessions can experience life as pathology residents for the day.

Faculty Contact

Mark Giffen, MD
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The Point of Care ultrasound program provides students with instruction beyond the required US curriculum and is intended to move students from the knowledge acquisition phase of ultrasound learning to performance. Students who complete the program will be able to demonstrate the appropriate performance of one or more bedside ultrasound exams and have applied that skill to a number of actual patient encounters.

Faculty Contact

Casey Glass, MD
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The Radiology Scholars Program (RSP) is a point-based, year-long extracurricular radiology program supported by the Wake Forest Department of Radiology. It supplements the preclinical medical curriculum by offering students structured, hands-on exposure to radiology. RSCP consists of four core components:

1. Radiology shadowing
2. Knowledge acquisition through CaseStacks.com modules
3. Interactive workshops and team-based exam preparation sessions
4. A capstone scholarly project

Faculty Contact

Kevin Hiatt, MD
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The Service Learning Scholar Program (SLS) is a longitudinal experience that connects medical students with meaningful service opportunities in both healthcare and non-healthcare settings. The program promotes student engagement in the community while encouraging reflection on issues related to health equity, access, and advocacy.

Faculty Contact

Sara Blackwood
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The Spectrum of Pain and Addiction Scholar Program will provide students the opportunity to explore a holistic view of care for patients with pain or substance use disorders. Through the perspectives of providers and patients, as well as community engagement, this program will improve scientific and medical knowledge and decrease stigma surrounding these topics.

Faculty Contact

Jesse Lynch
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This program aims to create a more equitable, affordable, and transparent health system by training medical students to communicate financial and insurance information to patients in an empowering way. Through a two-pronged approach, students will learn about healthcare waste, high-value and cost-effective care, and health insurance to better guide patients in making informed treatment decisions.

Faculty Contact

Amresh Hanchate, MD
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