MINI INTERVIEWS
U.S. medical school to use the MMI for the
entire incoming class. That puts UC Davis
Vice Chancellor Claire Pomeroy described
at the vanguard of the medical admissions
the MMI concept in an article that appeared
process,” Sousa said.
on UC Davis Health System’s “Insider” (see
“An applicant’s disappointing
http://intranet.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/ucdhs/
performance in one MMI station doesn’t
vcupdate/2010/09/9-20-10.shtml).
carry the same weight as with the
The UC Davis School of Medicine
traditional interview. He or she has nine
uses the MMI to interview 20 applicants
other stations in which to do well,” Sousa
every Friday in the Clinical Skills
observed. “With the MMI method, key
Center. Applicants rotate through a
qualitative information about applicants
“circuit” of 10 stations. Each station is
is gathered in a systematic, structured
a timed, eight-minute encounter, with
manner.”
a two-minute respite between.
Unlike interviewers in traditional
long-form sessions who have
access to the academic records
of interviewees, their MMI
counterparts (called “raters”) are
“blinded” from that information
to diminish potential bias. Rather
than assessing medical knowledge,
the MMI discerns the ability of
candidates to analyze problems, see
multiple sides of an issue, work in
a team, communicate and exhibit
passion for medicine.
Sousa and Henderson performed
Mark Henderson, the UC Davis School
much of the groundwork that led to the
of Medicine’s associate dean for Admissions,
School of Medicine’s implementation of the
observed that under the traditional
MMI. After an advance team composed of
interview system, the two interviewers
Sousa, Admissions Selection Subcommittee
who meet with each candidate frequently
Chair Theodore Wun and Office of
disagree in their assessment.
Medical Education Manager Gurmeet
“The MMI, in contrast, exposes each
“Roy” Rai observed the MMI in operation
applicant to 10 raters, yielding more
at the University of Cincinnati College
independent observations about each
of
Medicine, the commitment to move
candidate,” Henderson said. “The raters
forward
for the 2010-11 admissions cycle
focus on communication and problemwas
finalized.
The entire Office of Medical
solving skills – unbiased by academic
Education
staff,
particularly from the Office
records.”
of
Admissions
and
the clinical skills suite,
Henderson credits longtime admissions
was
instrumental
in
implementing MMI in
committee member Francis Sousa for
such
a
short
time.
his leadership in initiating the MMI for
Rai said that because some elements
the 2010-11 admissions cycle. A survey
of
the
MMI process can make it seem
of a wide range of School of Medicine
impersonal,
UC Davis has made some
community members helped identify a set
important
modifications
to tailor the MMI
of values and qualities important in medical
and
the
entire
interview
day
experience to
students and future physicians. Sousa, a
create
a
more
welcoming
environment.
clinical professor of ophthalmology and
“A week in advance, we e-mail appliinternal medicine, helped select and modify
cants
detailed instructions explaining how
the MMI scenarios to reflect the School of
our MMI works,” Rai said, noting that one
Medicine’s mission.
of the 10 stations called “pathway to medi“The MMI is more fair and
cine” is unstructured and gives applicants
comprehensive than the traditional longthe opportunity to tell their story. Current
interview model. We are only the second
FROM PAGE 1
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
students organize and give tours of UC
Davis facilities, and host applicants during
lunch time. In addition, Henderson personally meets with applicants in groups of
five for an hour in an informal session.
“Dr. Henderson is committed to
meeting all applicants throughout the
admissions cycle each year, and I know
of no other medical school dean of
admissions who does that,” Rai added.
Last spring, the Betty Irene Moore
School of Nursing developed and
implemented its own rotational interview
process that was inspired by the
McMaster University model as
well as innovative approaches
in use at other nursing schools.
Candidates for the nursing
school’s Ph.D. program rotated
through eight stations at
which raters were unaware of
applicants’ backgrounds, grades
or qualifications.
Deborah Ward, associate
dean of the School of Nursing,
said that the rotational
approach is intended to give the
admissions committee insights about
each candidate’s career goals and
aspirations rather than simply verifying
academic qualifications.
“The questions at each station address
the applicants’ alignment with the School
of Nursing’s core values: leadership
development, interprofessional
and interdisciplinary education,
transformative research, cultural
inclusiveness, and innovative technology,
as well as teaching and interpersonal
skills,” Ward explained.
“We opted for this process because
it gives the student candidate a better
opportunity to be more engaged in the
process than what is typically seen in a
panel or single-person interview,” Ward
observed. “It also provides opportunity
for applicants to respond to a variety
of questions and case situations,
demonstrating many aspects of their
knowledge and experiences.”
The schools of nursing and medicine
will conduct ongoing monitoring and
analysis to gauge the outcomes of the
rotational process.
UC Davis Health System
Faculty Development Office
2921 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95817
Published by the Faculty Development Office
DECEMBER 2010 – JANUARY 2011
Workshops and other activities
You are invited! We encourage you to enroll
in one of the various workshops, programs
and events sponsored by the Faculty
Development Office. For more event details
and to register, visit www.ucdmc.ucdavis.
edu/facultydev/ and click Enroll Online.
(Event co-sponsors are indicated within
parentheses.) Volunteer Clinical Faculty
members are also welcome and encouraged
to attend faculty development events.
facultyNEWSLETTER
December
Published by the Faculty Development
Office, which administers and coordinates
programs that respond to the professional and
career development needs of UC Davis Health
System faculty members.
1 Application Deadline: Dean’s
Excellence Awards
7 Breakfast With the Dean
2921 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 703-9230
www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev/
10 Scientific Writing for Publication
(JCLP)
January
Edward Callahan, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Personnel
Medical and nursing school admissions officials have long grappled with
a monumental task: selecting the best
applicants from among thousands of
academically qualified candidates who
have the greatest promise to succeed
and thrive. The task involves evaluation
of far more than objective, quantifiable
and easily measurable academic criteria.
Predictors of performance also encompass many subjective, global characteristics, including communication skills,
compassion, ethical decision making,
collegiality, maturity, cultural sensitivity,
empathy, critical thinking skills, powers
of observation, and decisiveness under
pressure.
These and other essential
characteristics may be difficult to discern
during traditional one-on-one interviews
in which an applicant responds to a
predictable battery of questions during
a session lasting 45 minutes to an
hour. That’s one reason why UC Davis
admissions officials took notice of a
radically different approach in which
candidates interpret and respond to a
series of “real-life” situations.
The method, known as the “multiple
mini-interview” (MMI) process, was
devised in 2002 by McMaster University
of Ontario, Canada. The approach has
since been adopted and studied by other
schools in Canada, Australia, and the
United States. Last spring, the UC Davis
School of Medicine purchased a license
to use a bank of scenarios that McMaster
validated, and began implementing the
MMI for the 2010-11 application cycle.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
19 Faculty Forward Advisory Committee
February
Cheryl Busman
Program Representative, Faculty Development
cheryl.busman@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
8 Workshop: Putting Together Your
Academic Packet
11 Mental Models (JCLP)
EditPros LLC
Writing and Editing
www.editpros.com
23 Workshop: Family-Friendly and
Career Flexibility Policies
Save the date:
March 1 Dean’s Recognition Reception
Event co-sponsor
JCLP: Junior Career Leadership Program
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
MMI places UC Davis at vanguard of the admissions process
14 Time Management Skills (JCLP)
Gregg Servis, M.Div.
Director, Faculty Development
gregg.servis@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
5
ROTATIONAL MINI INTERVIEWS BEGUN
6
The School of Medicine’s MMI team members include (from left) Ed Dagang,
admissions director; Joanna Garcia, MMI coordinator; Denise Nelson, interim
MMI support; Lanina Sanders, admissions support; Francis Sousa, MMI training and development director; Gurmeet “Roy” Rai, chief administrative officer;
and Mark Henderson (inset photo), associate dean fpr admissions. The team
also includes Kendra Harris, director of clinical education; and Haydee Pineda-Johnson,
standard patient administrator. (Photo by Emi Manning)
officeVISIT
NEUROLOGIST RICHARD RIEMER GIVES
PATIENTS AND HIS STUDENTS BEST SHOT
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you
never take.”
Ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky
made that observation, and neurologist
Richard B. Riemer, D.O., has found that
that observation can apply not only
to competition on the ice, but also to
interactions with patients, to medical
treatments, and to career advancement.
Riemer is an award-winning volunteer
clinical faculty member who teaches in
the UC Davis Department of Neurology’s
outpatient continuity clinic and is active
in the department’s Traumatic Brain Injury
Research Consortium. In addition to
owning and operating a private neurologic
and neuro-rehabilitation practice in
Sacramento, he fulfills prominent roles
in representing the statewide interests
of osteopathic physicians and surgeons.
As part of their four years of traditional
medical training, osteopathic physicians
undergo intensive training in the
musculoskeletal system.
In his referral-based practice, Riemer
diagnoses and treats many neurologic
conditions, including traumatic brain
injury, diseases of the spine, peripheral
nerve and muscular disorders, and a host
of neurologic complications that follow
injuries and trauma.
“My referrals come predominantly from
physician colleagues with patients who
need to see a neurologist who has expertise
in musculoskeletal structures,” said Riemer
(pronounced REE-mer).
After considering a career in medical
research, Riemer decided to pursue a D.O.
degree because he wanted to work with
people and he greatly appreciated the care
he was given by an osteopathic physician.
He declined acceptance notices from
several medical schools, choosing instead
to attend Kirksville College of Osteopathic
Medicine in Missouri – the nation’s
oldest osteopathic educational institution,
founded in 1892. Only 5 percent of
viewPOINT
A WELCOME TO NEW
FACULTY COLLEAGUES
By Amparo Villablanca
and Lydia P. Howell
Jessica Ferranti
CAREER-FLEXIBILITY POLICIES NEED
AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT
Alan Shindel
Each edition of the Faculty Newsletter introduces several faculty colleagues who recently joined the UC Davis
Health System community. Watch for more new clinical and research staff members in the next issue.
associate medical director of Sutter
PRIDE, a rehabilitation program for
traumatic spine injury patients; and
exam commissioner for the State Board
of Medical Examiners.
He serves as medical director for the
Schools Insurance Authority Workers’
Compensation Department, which
represents the interests of 50 Northern
California school districts; is the program
director for the Sutter Back Pain Program;
and serves on numerous committees for
the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons
of California. Those and other activities,
including teaching at UC Davis, offer ways
in which Riemer can contribute to society.
physicians in the United States have
In his teaching, Riemer emphasizes the
D.O. degrees, according to the American
subtleties of human interaction.
Association of Colleges of Osteopathic
“In this information age, facts can be
Medicine. Riemer found that distinction
easily collected from traditional or online
appealing, and relished the concentrated
resources. But I can influence how a
training he received in musculoskeletal
young physician thinks about and frames
biomechanics.
the medical issue. When the student
After receiving his D.O. degree in
makes a connection or thinks about an
1984, he served a medical internship at
issue in a novel way, you witness the
an osteopathic-accredited facility, Tucson
mental epiphany. For me, this is the most
General Hospital, along with the University rewarding contribution I can make as a
of Arizona Health Science Center. The
teacher,” Riemer said.
following year he gained acceptance as the
“I’m thankful for the opportunity the
first D.O. resident at UC Davis.
UC Davis Department of Neurology gave
When he completed his residency in
me during my residency, and for the
1988 he joined an established neurologic
volunteers who taught me. Returning the
practice. Two years later, with the help of
favor is part of community service for a
his wife, Ronni – who had earned an MBA physician,” added Riemer, who for two
degree – he established his own practice.
consecutive years (2008-09 and 2009-10)
Ronni remains the office manager of the
has received an Outstanding Teaching
practice. The couple, celebrating 30 years Award by a vote of residents and fellows in
of marriage, have one son, Ryan, who
the Department of Neurology and recently
recently completed undergraduate studies was promoted to professor of clinical
in political science at University of San
neurology.
Francisco.
Riemer’s interest in teaching extends to
Even while launching his practice,
the hockey arena. The athletic physician
Riemer became entrenched in numerous
and former competitive hockey player mainother professional activities. He has
tains his certification from USA Hockey to
served as secretary-treasurer and then
teach and coach kids through high school
vice president of the Greater Sacramento
level, and complements his on-ice activities
Osteopathic Medical Association; the
with jogging and weight lifting.
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
facultyROUNDS
Earlier this year we began work on a
National Institutes of Health-funded study
titled “Women’s Careers in Biomedical
Sciences: Family-Friendly Policies and
Career Flexibility” (see February-March
2010 Faculty Newsletter). Under that
grant, we are conducting an ongoing
survey of male and female faculty
members in the schools of Medicine and
Veterinary Medicine, and in the College of
Biological Sciences.
We asked these faculty physicians
and scientists about their awareness
of, usage and satisfaction with specific
career flexibility options available to
them. Those options include allowances
for child bearing,
rearing, adoption,
family care,
personal illness,
disability, tenure
clock extension,
and part-time
appointments.
Our baseline
survey found that
faculty overall
have very low
Lydia Howell
awareness of
Jessica Ferranti establishes
expertise in forensic
psychiatry
sexual desire disorder and other male
anatomic change over the course of
radiation therapy. Her investigations are
sexual health conditions.
intended to lead to improvements in
“I use a couple-centered approach to
treatment delivery accuracy and in the
sexual problems that involves the man’s
Expertise in forensic criminal
quality of radiation therapy treatment. Cui
partner in the process and addresses both
investigations has placed Jessica
also is interested in ways to improve data
biological
and
psycho-emotional
aspects
Ferranti, M.D., in demand as a
sharing capabilities between institutions
of
the
concern,”
Shindel
explained.
forensic psychiatry expert witness
and
among different software applications.
A 2008-2009 American Urologic
on the California Superior Court
She
is
eligible for certification by
Association Foundation Research Scholar,
expert witness panels in Sacramento,
the
American
Board of Radiology in
Shindel plans to conduct research studies
Yolo, Placer, Alameda, and Contra
therapeutic
radiologic
physics.
of alternative medicines, notably icariin
Costa counties. Ferranti, an assistant
(an extract of horny goat weed) for
clinical professor in the Department
• The director of gastroenterology and
treatment of male sexual problems. He
of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’
hepatology at the UC Davis Health
also intends to investigate the roles that
Division of Psychiatry and the Law,
System’
s Folsom primary-care facility is
lifestyle and dietary factors may play in
practices general adult as well as
Nirmal
S. Mann, M.D., a professor of
the management of sexual concerns.
forensic psychiatry. She also is the
internal medicine and gastroenterology
associate training director of the UC
Other new colleagues
with expertise in endoscopy. He also is
Davis general psychiatry residency
a senior consultant in gastroenterologytraining program, and teaches and
• Khyati Brahmbhatt, M.D., an
hepatology at UC Davis Medical Center.
supervises psychiatry residents in the
assistant clinical professor of
The Royal College of Physicians of
outpatient psychiatry clinic.
psychiatry and behavioral sciences,
Canada has certified him as fellow and
Ferranti teaches aspects of forensic
practices child and adolescent
as a specialist in internal medicine
psychiatry including workplace
psychiatry. She treats medically ill
and gastroenterology. Mann, who has
violence, legal aspects of substance
children and anxiety disorders on
conducted research in acute pancreatitis,
abuse and sexual harassment. Her
an outpatient basis, and performs
peptic ulcers and therapeutic endoscopy,
research interests encompass psychotic
inpatient consultations at the UC
is investigating application of the
violence, forensic evaluation of
Davis Medical Center. She also is a
hydrogen breath test in irritable bowel
deception and malingering, and gender
hospital staff psychiatrist at Shriners
disease.
differences in violent criminal offenders.
Hospitals for Children – Northern
Alan Shindel treats male
California. Brahmbhatt is board• Kai Yang, Ph.D., an assistant adjunct
reproductive and sexual
certified in adult psychiatry, and
professor of radiology, concentrates on
board-eligible in child and adolescent
disorders
diagnostic X-ray imaging research. An
psychiatry.
expert in image quality evaluation and
Urologist Alan W. Shindel, M.D.,
improvement, he is interested in imaging
who specializes in andrology – the
• Medical physicist Jing Cui, D.Sc.,
applications using X-ray computed
study of men’s reproductive and
an
assistant
professor
of
radiation
tomography (CT). Yang has been
sexual health – has joined the medical
oncology,
has
expertise
in
imageworking
on development and evaluation
staff of the new UC Davis Men’s
guided
radiation
therapy
and
beam
of dedicated breast CT scanners for
Health Program. Shindel, an assistant
modeling. Her research interests also
early breast cancer detection, as well
professor of urology, treats patients for
include Monte Carlo dose calculation
as application of micro-CT for tissue
erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease,
and patient dose change caused by
specimen imaging.
premature ejaculation, hypoactive
2
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
these policies;
liked, indicating that academic medical
consequently,
careers have a major influence on
use is also low.
personal aspects of women’s lives. Women
In contrast,
indicated that they have hesitated to
faculty members
utilize the policies to avoid burdening
participating
colleagues or because they worry about
in the survey
repercussions.
ranked these
We encourage faculty members to
policies as
stimulate change by learning more about
important to
policies. Ask your department chairs,
their career
managers and academic personnel office
Amparo Villablanca
satisfaction,
staff members about leave policies, and
recruitment
use the policy benefits if you need them.
and retention. That disparity indicates
We also encourage faculty members to
the need to increase promotion of these
support each other in use of these policies,
policies.
so that we can create a culture that values
More than 75 percent of our male and personal life as well as professional life.
female respondents reported increased
Lastly, we urge departments to bring
satisfaction with UC Davis as a place to
these policies to the attention of faculty
work merely because of the existence of
members. We have prepared a brochure
these policies – regardless of whether they that all faculty will receive and should
might use them.
utilize, and are enhancing a website
Even so, data from the Office of the
(www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/academic/
Dean showed that no men had used
personnel/academicleaves.html) with
family-supportive policies during the
policy information.
past three years. Our survey also revealed
We will be re-surveying each spring,
significantly more women than men
so please retake our survey when it is
who are childless or who say they had
offered so that we can measure changes
fewer children than they might have
in use and satisfaction, evaluate effects
on academic advancement, and drive
adjustments in policy implementation.
Amparo C. Villablanca is professor
and Lazda Endowed Chair in Women’s
Cardiovascular Medicine; director of the
Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program;
and associate director of the Women’s
Center for Health.
This excerpt from a presentation that Villablanca and Howell prepared shows that awareness of
family-supportive policies is low among female as well as male faculty members.
3
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
Lydia P. Howell is professor and chair
of the Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine.
4
officeVISIT
NEUROLOGIST RICHARD RIEMER GIVES
PATIENTS AND HIS STUDENTS BEST SHOT
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you
never take.”
Ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky
made that observation, and neurologist
Richard B. Riemer, D.O., has found that
that observation can apply not only
to competition on the ice, but also to
interactions with patients, to medical
treatments, and to career advancement.
Riemer is an award-winning volunteer
clinical faculty member who teaches in
the UC Davis Department of Neurology’s
outpatient continuity clinic and is active
in the department’s Traumatic Brain Injury
Research Consortium. In addition to
owning and operating a private neurologic
and neuro-rehabilitation practice in
Sacramento, he fulfills prominent roles
in representing the statewide interests
of osteopathic physicians and surgeons.
As part of their four years of traditional
medical training, osteopathic physicians
undergo intensive training in the
musculoskeletal system.
In his referral-based practice, Riemer
diagnoses and treats many neurologic
conditions, including traumatic brain
injury, diseases of the spine, peripheral
nerve and muscular disorders, and a host
of neurologic complications that follow
injuries and trauma.
“My referrals come predominantly from
physician colleagues with patients who
need to see a neurologist who has expertise
in musculoskeletal structures,” said Riemer
(pronounced REE-mer).
After considering a career in medical
research, Riemer decided to pursue a D.O.
degree because he wanted to work with
people and he greatly appreciated the care
he was given by an osteopathic physician.
He declined acceptance notices from
several medical schools, choosing instead
to attend Kirksville College of Osteopathic
Medicine in Missouri – the nation’s
oldest osteopathic educational institution,
founded in 1892. Only 5 percent of
viewPOINT
A WELCOME TO NEW
FACULTY COLLEAGUES
By Amparo Villablanca
and Lydia P. Howell
Jessica Ferranti
CAREER-FLEXIBILITY POLICIES NEED
AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT
Alan Shindel
Each edition of the Faculty Newsletter introduces several faculty colleagues who recently joined the UC Davis
Health System community. Watch for more new clinical and research staff members in the next issue.
associate medical director of Sutter
PRIDE, a rehabilitation program for
traumatic spine injury patients; and
exam commissioner for the State Board
of Medical Examiners.
He serves as medical director for the
Schools Insurance Authority Workers’
Compensation Department, which
represents the interests of 50 Northern
California school districts; is the program
director for the Sutter Back Pain Program;
and serves on numerous committees for
the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons
of California. Those and other activities,
including teaching at UC Davis, offer ways
in which Riemer can contribute to society.
physicians in the United States have
In his teaching, Riemer emphasizes the
D.O. degrees, according to the American
subtleties of human interaction.
Association of Colleges of Osteopathic
“In this information age, facts can be
Medicine. Riemer found that distinction
easily collected from traditional or online
appealing, and relished the concentrated
resources. But I can influence how a
training he received in musculoskeletal
young physician thinks about and frames
biomechanics.
the medical issue. When the student
After receiving his D.O. degree in
makes a connection or thinks about an
1984, he served a medical internship at
issue in a novel way, you witness the
an osteopathic-accredited facility, Tucson
mental epiphany. For me, this is the most
General Hospital, along with the University rewarding contribution I can make as a
of Arizona Health Science Center. The
teacher,” Riemer said.
following year he gained acceptance as the
“I’m thankful for the opportunity the
first D.O. resident at UC Davis.
UC Davis Department of Neurology gave
When he completed his residency in
me during my residency, and for the
1988 he joined an established neurologic
volunteers who taught me. Returning the
practice. Two years later, with the help of
favor is part of community service for a
his wife, Ronni – who had earned an MBA physician,” added Riemer, who for two
degree – he established his own practice.
consecutive years (2008-09 and 2009-10)
Ronni remains the office manager of the
has received an Outstanding Teaching
practice. The couple, celebrating 30 years Award by a vote of residents and fellows in
of marriage, have one son, Ryan, who
the Department of Neurology and recently
recently completed undergraduate studies was promoted to professor of clinical
in political science at University of San
neurology.
Francisco.
Riemer’s interest in teaching extends to
Even while launching his practice,
the hockey arena. The athletic physician
Riemer became entrenched in numerous
and former competitive hockey player mainother professional activities. He has
tains his certification from USA Hockey to
served as secretary-treasurer and then
teach and coach kids through high school
vice president of the Greater Sacramento
level, and complements his on-ice activities
Osteopathic Medical Association; the
with jogging and weight lifting.
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
facultyROUNDS
Earlier this year we began work on a
National Institutes of Health-funded study
titled “Women’s Careers in Biomedical
Sciences: Family-Friendly Policies and
Career Flexibility” (see February-March
2010 Faculty Newsletter). Under that
grant, we are conducting an ongoing
survey of male and female faculty
members in the schools of Medicine and
Veterinary Medicine, and in the College of
Biological Sciences.
We asked these faculty physicians
and scientists about their awareness
of, usage and satisfaction with specific
career flexibility options available to
them. Those options include allowances
for child bearing,
rearing, adoption,
family care,
personal illness,
disability, tenure
clock extension,
and part-time
appointments.
Our baseline
survey found that
faculty overall
have very low
Lydia Howell
awareness of
Jessica Ferranti establishes
expertise in forensic
psychiatry
sexual desire disorder and other male
anatomic change over the course of
radiation therapy. Her investigations are
sexual health conditions.
intended to lead to improvements in
“I use a couple-centered approach to
treatment delivery accuracy and in the
sexual problems that involves the man’s
Expertise in forensic criminal
quality of radiation therapy treatment. Cui
partner in the process and addresses both
investigations has placed Jessica
also is interested in ways to improve data
biological
and
psycho-emotional
aspects
Ferranti, M.D., in demand as a
sharing capabilities between institutions
of
the
concern,”
Shindel
explained.
forensic psychiatry expert witness
and
among different software applications.
A 2008-2009 American Urologic
on the California Superior Court
She
is
eligible for certification by
Association Foundation Research Scholar,
expert witness panels in Sacramento,
the
American
Board of Radiology in
Shindel plans to conduct research studies
Yolo, Placer, Alameda, and Contra
therapeutic
radiologic
physics.
of alternative medicines, notably icariin
Costa counties. Ferranti, an assistant
(an extract of horny goat weed) for
clinical professor in the Department
• The director of gastroenterology and
treatment of male sexual problems. He
of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’
hepatology at the UC Davis Health
also intends to investigate the roles that
Division of Psychiatry and the Law,
System’
s Folsom primary-care facility is
lifestyle and dietary factors may play in
practices general adult as well as
Nirmal
S. Mann, M.D., a professor of
the management of sexual concerns.
forensic psychiatry. She also is the
internal medicine and gastroenterology
associate training director of the UC
Other new colleagues
with expertise in endoscopy. He also is
Davis general psychiatry residency
a senior consultant in gastroenterologytraining program, and teaches and
• Khyati Brahmbhatt, M.D., an
hepatology at UC Davis Medical Center.
supervises psychiatry residents in the
assistant clinical professor of
The Royal College of Physicians of
outpatient psychiatry clinic.
psychiatry and behavioral sciences,
Canada has certified him as fellow and
Ferranti teaches aspects of forensic
practices child and adolescent
as a specialist in internal medicine
psychiatry including workplace
psychiatry. She treats medically ill
and gastroenterology. Mann, who has
violence, legal aspects of substance
children and anxiety disorders on
conducted research in acute pancreatitis,
abuse and sexual harassment. Her
an outpatient basis, and performs
peptic ulcers and therapeutic endoscopy,
research interests encompass psychotic
inpatient consultations at the UC
is investigating application of the
violence, forensic evaluation of
Davis Medical Center. She also is a
hydrogen breath test in irritable bowel
deception and malingering, and gender
hospital staff psychiatrist at Shriners
disease.
differences in violent criminal offenders.
Hospitals for Children – Northern
Alan Shindel treats male
California. Brahmbhatt is board• Kai Yang, Ph.D., an assistant adjunct
reproductive and sexual
certified in adult psychiatry, and
professor of radiology, concentrates on
board-eligible in child and adolescent
disorders
diagnostic X-ray imaging research. An
psychiatry.
expert in image quality evaluation and
Urologist Alan W. Shindel, M.D.,
improvement, he is interested in imaging
who specializes in andrology – the
• Medical physicist Jing Cui, D.Sc.,
applications using X-ray computed
study of men’s reproductive and
an
assistant
professor
of
radiation
tomography (CT). Yang has been
sexual health – has joined the medical
oncology,
has
expertise
in
imageworking
on development and evaluation
staff of the new UC Davis Men’s
guided
radiation
therapy
and
beam
of dedicated breast CT scanners for
Health Program. Shindel, an assistant
modeling. Her research interests also
early breast cancer detection, as well
professor of urology, treats patients for
include Monte Carlo dose calculation
as application of micro-CT for tissue
erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease,
and patient dose change caused by
specimen imaging.
premature ejaculation, hypoactive
2
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
these policies;
liked, indicating that academic medical
consequently,
careers have a major influence on
use is also low.
personal aspects of women’s lives. Women
In contrast,
indicated that they have hesitated to
faculty members
utilize the policies to avoid burdening
participating
colleagues or because they worry about
in the survey
repercussions.
ranked these
We encourage faculty members to
policies as
stimulate change by learning more about
important to
policies. Ask your department chairs,
their career
managers and academic personnel office
Amparo Villablanca
satisfaction,
staff members about leave policies, and
recruitment
use the policy benefits if you need them.
and retention. That disparity indicates
We also encourage faculty members to
the need to increase promotion of these
support each other in use of these policies,
policies.
so that we can create a culture that values
More than 75 percent of our male and personal life as well as professional life.
female respondents reported increased
Lastly, we urge departments to bring
satisfaction with UC Davis as a place to
these policies to the attention of faculty
work merely because of the existence of
members. We have prepared a brochure
these policies – regardless of whether they that all faculty will receive and should
might use them.
utilize, and are enhancing a website
Even so, data from the Office of the
(www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/academic/
Dean showed that no men had used
personnel/academicleaves.html) with
family-supportive policies during the
policy information.
past three years. Our survey also revealed
We will be re-surveying each spring,
significantly more women than men
so please retake our survey when it is
who are childless or who say they had
offered so that we can measure changes
fewer children than they might have
in use and satisfaction, evaluate effects
on academic advancement, and drive
adjustments in policy implementation.
Amparo C. Villablanca is professor
and Lazda Endowed Chair in Women’s
Cardiovascular Medicine; director of the
Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program;
and associate director of the Women’s
Center for Health.
This excerpt from a presentation that Villablanca and Howell prepared shows that awareness of
family-supportive policies is low among female as well as male faculty members.
3
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
Lydia P. Howell is professor and chair
of the Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine.
4
officeVISIT
NEUROLOGIST RICHARD RIEMER GIVES
PATIENTS AND HIS STUDENTS BEST SHOT
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you
never take.”
Ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky
made that observation, and neurologist
Richard B. Riemer, D.O., has found that
that observation can apply not only
to competition on the ice, but also to
interactions with patients, to medical
treatments, and to career advancement.
Riemer is an award-winning volunteer
clinical faculty member who teaches in
the UC Davis Department of Neurology’s
outpatient continuity clinic and is active
in the department’s Traumatic Brain Injury
Research Consortium. In addition to
owning and operating a private neurologic
and neuro-rehabilitation practice in
Sacramento, he fulfills prominent roles
in representing the statewide interests
of osteopathic physicians and surgeons.
As part of their four years of traditional
medical training, osteopathic physicians
undergo intensive training in the
musculoskeletal system.
In his referral-based practice, Riemer
diagnoses and treats many neurologic
conditions, including traumatic brain
injury, diseases of the spine, peripheral
nerve and muscular disorders, and a host
of neurologic complications that follow
injuries and trauma.
“My referrals come predominantly from
physician colleagues with patients who
need to see a neurologist who has expertise
in musculoskeletal structures,” said Riemer
(pronounced REE-mer).
After considering a career in medical
research, Riemer decided to pursue a D.O.
degree because he wanted to work with
people and he greatly appreciated the care
he was given by an osteopathic physician.
He declined acceptance notices from
several medical schools, choosing instead
to attend Kirksville College of Osteopathic
Medicine in Missouri – the nation’s
oldest osteopathic educational institution,
founded in 1892. Only 5 percent of
viewPOINT
A WELCOME TO NEW
FACULTY COLLEAGUES
By Amparo Villablanca
and Lydia P. Howell
Jessica Ferranti
CAREER-FLEXIBILITY POLICIES NEED
AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT
Alan Shindel
Each edition of the Faculty Newsletter introduces several faculty colleagues who recently joined the UC Davis
Health System community. Watch for more new clinical and research staff members in the next issue.
associate medical director of Sutter
PRIDE, a rehabilitation program for
traumatic spine injury patients; and
exam commissioner for the State Board
of Medical Examiners.
He serves as medical director for the
Schools Insurance Authority Workers’
Compensation Department, which
represents the interests of 50 Northern
California school districts; is the program
director for the Sutter Back Pain Program;
and serves on numerous committees for
the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons
of California. Those and other activities,
including teaching at UC Davis, offer ways
in which Riemer can contribute to society.
physicians in the United States have
In his teaching, Riemer emphasizes the
D.O. degrees, according to the American
subtleties of human interaction.
Association of Colleges of Osteopathic
“In this information age, facts can be
Medicine. Riemer found that distinction
easily collected from traditional or online
appealing, and relished the concentrated
resources. But I can influence how a
training he received in musculoskeletal
young physician thinks about and frames
biomechanics.
the medical issue. When the student
After receiving his D.O. degree in
makes a connection or thinks about an
1984, he served a medical internship at
issue in a novel way, you witness the
an osteopathic-accredited facility, Tucson
mental epiphany. For me, this is the most
General Hospital, along with the University rewarding contribution I can make as a
of Arizona Health Science Center. The
teacher,” Riemer said.
following year he gained acceptance as the
“I’m thankful for the opportunity the
first D.O. resident at UC Davis.
UC Davis Department of Neurology gave
When he completed his residency in
me during my residency, and for the
1988 he joined an established neurologic
volunteers who taught me. Returning the
practice. Two years later, with the help of
favor is part of community service for a
his wife, Ronni – who had earned an MBA physician,” added Riemer, who for two
degree – he established his own practice.
consecutive years (2008-09 and 2009-10)
Ronni remains the office manager of the
has received an Outstanding Teaching
practice. The couple, celebrating 30 years Award by a vote of residents and fellows in
of marriage, have one son, Ryan, who
the Department of Neurology and recently
recently completed undergraduate studies was promoted to professor of clinical
in political science at University of San
neurology.
Francisco.
Riemer’s interest in teaching extends to
Even while launching his practice,
the hockey arena. The athletic physician
Riemer became entrenched in numerous
and former competitive hockey player mainother professional activities. He has
tains his certification from USA Hockey to
served as secretary-treasurer and then
teach and coach kids through high school
vice president of the Greater Sacramento
level, and complements his on-ice activities
Osteopathic Medical Association; the
with jogging and weight lifting.
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
facultyROUNDS
Earlier this year we began work on a
National Institutes of Health-funded study
titled “Women’s Careers in Biomedical
Sciences: Family-Friendly Policies and
Career Flexibility” (see February-March
2010 Faculty Newsletter). Under that
grant, we are conducting an ongoing
survey of male and female faculty
members in the schools of Medicine and
Veterinary Medicine, and in the College of
Biological Sciences.
We asked these faculty physicians
and scientists about their awareness
of, usage and satisfaction with specific
career flexibility options available to
them. Those options include allowances
for child bearing,
rearing, adoption,
family care,
personal illness,
disability, tenure
clock extension,
and part-time
appointments.
Our baseline
survey found that
faculty overall
have very low
Lydia Howell
awareness of
Jessica Ferranti establishes
expertise in forensic
psychiatry
sexual desire disorder and other male
anatomic change over the course of
radiation therapy. Her investigations are
sexual health conditions.
intended to lead to improvements in
“I use a couple-centered approach to
treatment delivery accuracy and in the
sexual problems that involves the man’s
Expertise in forensic criminal
quality of radiation therapy treatment. Cui
partner in the process and addresses both
investigations has placed Jessica
also is interested in ways to improve data
biological
and
psycho-emotional
aspects
Ferranti, M.D., in demand as a
sharing capabilities between institutions
of
the
concern,”
Shindel
explained.
forensic psychiatry expert witness
and
among different software applications.
A 2008-2009 American Urologic
on the California Superior Court
She
is
eligible for certification by
Association Foundation Research Scholar,
expert witness panels in Sacramento,
the
American
Board of Radiology in
Shindel plans to conduct research studies
Yolo, Placer, Alameda, and Contra
therapeutic
radiologic
physics.
of alternative medicines, notably icariin
Costa counties. Ferranti, an assistant
(an extract of horny goat weed) for
clinical professor in the Department
• The director of gastroenterology and
treatment of male sexual problems. He
of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’
hepatology at the UC Davis Health
also intends to investigate the roles that
Division of Psychiatry and the Law,
System’
s Folsom primary-care facility is
lifestyle and dietary factors may play in
practices general adult as well as
Nirmal
S. Mann, M.D., a professor of
the management of sexual concerns.
forensic psychiatry. She also is the
internal medicine and gastroenterology
associate training director of the UC
Other new colleagues
with expertise in endoscopy. He also is
Davis general psychiatry residency
a senior consultant in gastroenterologytraining program, and teaches and
• Khyati Brahmbhatt, M.D., an
hepatology at UC Davis Medical Center.
supervises psychiatry residents in the
assistant clinical professor of
The Royal College of Physicians of
outpatient psychiatry clinic.
psychiatry and behavioral sciences,
Canada has certified him as fellow and
Ferranti teaches aspects of forensic
practices child and adolescent
as a specialist in internal medicine
psychiatry including workplace
psychiatry. She treats medically ill
and gastroenterology. Mann, who has
violence, legal aspects of substance
children and anxiety disorders on
conducted research in acute pancreatitis,
abuse and sexual harassment. Her
an outpatient basis, and performs
peptic ulcers and therapeutic endoscopy,
research interests encompass psychotic
inpatient consultations at the UC
is investigating application of the
violence, forensic evaluation of
Davis Medical Center. She also is a
hydrogen breath test in irritable bowel
deception and malingering, and gender
hospital staff psychiatrist at Shriners
disease.
differences in violent criminal offenders.
Hospitals for Children – Northern
Alan Shindel treats male
California. Brahmbhatt is board• Kai Yang, Ph.D., an assistant adjunct
reproductive and sexual
certified in adult psychiatry, and
professor of radiology, concentrates on
board-eligible in child and adolescent
disorders
diagnostic X-ray imaging research. An
psychiatry.
expert in image quality evaluation and
Urologist Alan W. Shindel, M.D.,
improvement, he is interested in imaging
who specializes in andrology – the
• Medical physicist Jing Cui, D.Sc.,
applications using X-ray computed
study of men’s reproductive and
an
assistant
professor
of
radiation
tomography (CT). Yang has been
sexual health – has joined the medical
oncology,
has
expertise
in
imageworking
on development and evaluation
staff of the new UC Davis Men’s
guided
radiation
therapy
and
beam
of dedicated breast CT scanners for
Health Program. Shindel, an assistant
modeling. Her research interests also
early breast cancer detection, as well
professor of urology, treats patients for
include Monte Carlo dose calculation
as application of micro-CT for tissue
erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease,
and patient dose change caused by
specimen imaging.
premature ejaculation, hypoactive
2
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
these policies;
liked, indicating that academic medical
consequently,
careers have a major influence on
use is also low.
personal aspects of women’s lives. Women
In contrast,
indicated that they have hesitated to
faculty members
utilize the policies to avoid burdening
participating
colleagues or because they worry about
in the survey
repercussions.
ranked these
We encourage faculty members to
policies as
stimulate change by learning more about
important to
policies. Ask your department chairs,
their career
managers and academic personnel office
Amparo Villablanca
satisfaction,
staff members about leave policies, and
recruitment
use the policy benefits if you need them.
and retention. That disparity indicates
We also encourage faculty members to
the need to increase promotion of these
support each other in use of these policies,
policies.
so that we can create a culture that values
More than 75 percent of our male and personal life as well as professional life.
female respondents reported increased
Lastly, we urge departments to bring
satisfaction with UC Davis as a place to
these policies to the attention of faculty
work merely because of the existence of
members. We have prepared a brochure
these policies – regardless of whether they that all faculty will receive and should
might use them.
utilize, and are enhancing a website
Even so, data from the Office of the
(www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/academic/
Dean showed that no men had used
personnel/academicleaves.html) with
family-supportive policies during the
policy information.
past three years. Our survey also revealed
We will be re-surveying each spring,
significantly more women than men
so please retake our survey when it is
who are childless or who say they had
offered so that we can measure changes
fewer children than they might have
in use and satisfaction, evaluate effects
on academic advancement, and drive
adjustments in policy implementation.
Amparo C. Villablanca is professor
and Lazda Endowed Chair in Women’s
Cardiovascular Medicine; director of the
Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program;
and associate director of the Women’s
Center for Health.
This excerpt from a presentation that Villablanca and Howell prepared shows that awareness of
family-supportive policies is low among female as well as male faculty members.
3
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
Lydia P. Howell is professor and chair
of the Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine.
4
MINI INTERVIEWS
U.S. medical school to use the MMI for the
entire incoming class. That puts UC Davis
Vice Chancellor Claire Pomeroy described
at the vanguard of the medical admissions
the MMI concept in an article that appeared
process,” Sousa said.
on UC Davis Health System’s “Insider” (see
“An applicant’s disappointing
http://intranet.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/ucdhs/
performance in one MMI station doesn’t
vcupdate/2010/09/9-20-10.shtml).
carry the same weight as with the
The UC Davis School of Medicine
traditional interview. He or she has nine
uses the MMI to interview 20 applicants
other stations in which to do well,” Sousa
every Friday in the Clinical Skills
observed. “With the MMI method, key
Center. Applicants rotate through a
qualitative information about applicants
“circuit” of 10 stations. Each station is
is gathered in a systematic, structured
a timed, eight-minute encounter, with
manner.”
a two-minute respite between.
Unlike interviewers in traditional
long-form sessions who have
access to the academic records
of interviewees, their MMI
counterparts (called “raters”) are
“blinded” from that information
to diminish potential bias. Rather
than assessing medical knowledge,
the MMI discerns the ability of
candidates to analyze problems, see
multiple sides of an issue, work in
a team, communicate and exhibit
passion for medicine.
Sousa and Henderson performed
Mark Henderson, the UC Davis School
much of the groundwork that led to the
of Medicine’s associate dean for Admissions,
School of Medicine’s implementation of the
observed that under the traditional
MMI. After an advance team composed of
interview system, the two interviewers
Sousa, Admissions Selection Subcommittee
who meet with each candidate frequently
Chair Theodore Wun and Office of
disagree in their assessment.
Medical Education Manager Gurmeet
“The MMI, in contrast, exposes each
“Roy” Rai observed the MMI in operation
applicant to 10 raters, yielding more
at the University of Cincinnati College
independent observations about each
of
Medicine, the commitment to move
candidate,” Henderson said. “The raters
forward
for the 2010-11 admissions cycle
focus on communication and problemwas
finalized.
The entire Office of Medical
solving skills – unbiased by academic
Education
staff,
particularly from the Office
records.”
of
Admissions
and
the clinical skills suite,
Henderson credits longtime admissions
was
instrumental
in
implementing MMI in
committee member Francis Sousa for
such
a
short
time.
his leadership in initiating the MMI for
Rai said that because some elements
the 2010-11 admissions cycle. A survey
of
the
MMI process can make it seem
of a wide range of School of Medicine
impersonal,
UC Davis has made some
community members helped identify a set
important
modifications
to tailor the MMI
of values and qualities important in medical
and
the
entire
interview
day
experience to
students and future physicians. Sousa, a
create
a
more
welcoming
environment.
clinical professor of ophthalmology and
“A week in advance, we e-mail appliinternal medicine, helped select and modify
cants
detailed instructions explaining how
the MMI scenarios to reflect the School of
our MMI works,” Rai said, noting that one
Medicine’s mission.
of the 10 stations called “pathway to medi“The MMI is more fair and
cine” is unstructured and gives applicants
comprehensive than the traditional longthe opportunity to tell their story. Current
interview model. We are only the second
FROM PAGE 1
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
students organize and give tours of UC
Davis facilities, and host applicants during
lunch time. In addition, Henderson personally meets with applicants in groups of
five for an hour in an informal session.
“Dr. Henderson is committed to
meeting all applicants throughout the
admissions cycle each year, and I know
of no other medical school dean of
admissions who does that,” Rai added.
Last spring, the Betty Irene Moore
School of Nursing developed and
implemented its own rotational interview
process that was inspired by the
McMaster University model as
well as innovative approaches
in use at other nursing schools.
Candidates for the nursing
school’s Ph.D. program rotated
through eight stations at
which raters were unaware of
applicants’ backgrounds, grades
or qualifications.
Deborah Ward, associate
dean of the School of Nursing,
said that the rotational
approach is intended to give the
admissions committee insights about
each candidate’s career goals and
aspirations rather than simply verifying
academic qualifications.
“The questions at each station address
the applicants’ alignment with the School
of Nursing’s core values: leadership
development, interprofessional
and interdisciplinary education,
transformative research, cultural
inclusiveness, and innovative technology,
as well as teaching and interpersonal
skills,” Ward explained.
“We opted for this process because
it gives the student candidate a better
opportunity to be more engaged in the
process than what is typically seen in a
panel or single-person interview,” Ward
observed. “It also provides opportunity
for applicants to respond to a variety
of questions and case situations,
demonstrating many aspects of their
knowledge and experiences.”
The schools of nursing and medicine
will conduct ongoing monitoring and
analysis to gauge the outcomes of the
rotational process.
UC Davis Health System
Faculty Development Office
2921 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95817
Published by the Faculty Development Office
DECEMBER 2010 – JANUARY 2011
Workshops and other activities
You are invited! We encourage you to enroll
in one of the various workshops, programs
and events sponsored by the Faculty
Development Office. For more event details
and to register, visit www.ucdmc.ucdavis.
edu/facultydev/ and click Enroll Online.
(Event co-sponsors are indicated within
parentheses.) Volunteer Clinical Faculty
members are also welcome and encouraged
to attend faculty development events.
facultyNEWSLETTER
December
Published by the Faculty Development
Office, which administers and coordinates
programs that respond to the professional and
career development needs of UC Davis Health
System faculty members.
1 Application Deadline: Dean’s
Excellence Awards
7 Breakfast With the Dean
2921 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 703-9230
www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev/
10 Scientific Writing for Publication
(JCLP)
January
Edward Callahan, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Personnel
Medical and nursing school admissions officials have long grappled with
a monumental task: selecting the best
applicants from among thousands of
academically qualified candidates who
have the greatest promise to succeed
and thrive. The task involves evaluation
of far more than objective, quantifiable
and easily measurable academic criteria.
Predictors of performance also encompass many subjective, global characteristics, including communication skills,
compassion, ethical decision making,
collegiality, maturity, cultural sensitivity,
empathy, critical thinking skills, powers
of observation, and decisiveness under
pressure.
These and other essential
characteristics may be difficult to discern
during traditional one-on-one interviews
in which an applicant responds to a
predictable battery of questions during
a session lasting 45 minutes to an
hour. That’s one reason why UC Davis
admissions officials took notice of a
radically different approach in which
candidates interpret and respond to a
series of “real-life” situations.
The method, known as the “multiple
mini-interview” (MMI) process, was
devised in 2002 by McMaster University
of Ontario, Canada. The approach has
since been adopted and studied by other
schools in Canada, Australia, and the
United States. Last spring, the UC Davis
School of Medicine purchased a license
to use a bank of scenarios that McMaster
validated, and began implementing the
MMI for the 2010-11 application cycle.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
19 Faculty Forward Advisory Committee
February
Cheryl Busman
Program Representative, Faculty Development
cheryl.busman@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
8 Workshop: Putting Together Your
Academic Packet
11 Mental Models (JCLP)
EditPros LLC
Writing and Editing
www.editpros.com
23 Workshop: Family-Friendly and
Career Flexibility Policies
Save the date:
March 1 Dean’s Recognition Reception
Event co-sponsor
JCLP: Junior Career Leadership Program
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
MMI places UC Davis at vanguard of the admissions process
14 Time Management Skills (JCLP)
Gregg Servis, M.Div.
Director, Faculty Development
gregg.servis@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
5
ROTATIONAL MINI INTERVIEWS BEGUN
6
The School of Medicine’s MMI team members include (from left) Ed Dagang,
admissions director; Joanna Garcia, MMI coordinator; Denise Nelson, interim
MMI support; Lanina Sanders, admissions support; Francis Sousa, MMI training and development director; Gurmeet “Roy” Rai, chief administrative officer;
and Mark Henderson (inset photo), associate dean fpr admissions. The team
also includes Kendra Harris, director of clinical education; and Haydee Pineda-Johnson,
standard patient administrator. (Photo by Emi Manning)
MINI INTERVIEWS
U.S. medical school to use the MMI for the
entire incoming class. That puts UC Davis
Vice Chancellor Claire Pomeroy described
at the vanguard of the medical admissions
the MMI concept in an article that appeared
process,” Sousa said.
on UC Davis Health System’s “Insider” (see
“An applicant’s disappointing
http://intranet.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/ucdhs/
performance in one MMI station doesn’t
vcupdate/2010/09/9-20-10.shtml).
carry the same weight as with the
The UC Davis School of Medicine
traditional interview. He or she has nine
uses the MMI to interview 20 applicants
other stations in which to do well,” Sousa
every Friday in the Clinical Skills
observed. “With the MMI method, key
Center. Applicants rotate through a
qualitative information about applicants
“circuit” of 10 stations. Each station is
is gathered in a systematic, structured
a timed, eight-minute encounter, with
manner.”
a two-minute respite between.
Unlike interviewers in traditional
long-form sessions who have
access to the academic records
of interviewees, their MMI
counterparts (called “raters”) are
“blinded” from that information
to diminish potential bias. Rather
than assessing medical knowledge,
the MMI discerns the ability of
candidates to analyze problems, see
multiple sides of an issue, work in
a team, communicate and exhibit
passion for medicine.
Sousa and Henderson performed
Mark Henderson, the UC Davis School
much of the groundwork that led to the
of Medicine’s associate dean for Admissions,
School of Medicine’s implementation of the
observed that under the traditional
MMI. After an advance team composed of
interview system, the two interviewers
Sousa, Admissions Selection Subcommittee
who meet with each candidate frequently
Chair Theodore Wun and Office of
disagree in their assessment.
Medical Education Manager Gurmeet
“The MMI, in contrast, exposes each
“Roy” Rai observed the MMI in operation
applicant to 10 raters, yielding more
at the University of Cincinnati College
independent observations about each
of
Medicine, the commitment to move
candidate,” Henderson said. “The raters
forward
for the 2010-11 admissions cycle
focus on communication and problemwas
finalized.
The entire Office of Medical
solving skills – unbiased by academic
Education
staff,
particularly from the Office
records.”
of
Admissions
and
the clinical skills suite,
Henderson credits longtime admissions
was
instrumental
in
implementing MMI in
committee member Francis Sousa for
such
a
short
time.
his leadership in initiating the MMI for
Rai said that because some elements
the 2010-11 admissions cycle. A survey
of
the
MMI process can make it seem
of a wide range of School of Medicine
impersonal,
UC Davis has made some
community members helped identify a set
important
modifications
to tailor the MMI
of values and qualities important in medical
and
the
entire
interview
day
experience to
students and future physicians. Sousa, a
create
a
more
welcoming
environment.
clinical professor of ophthalmology and
“A week in advance, we e-mail appliinternal medicine, helped select and modify
cants
detailed instructions explaining how
the MMI scenarios to reflect the School of
our MMI works,” Rai said, noting that one
Medicine’s mission.
of the 10 stations called “pathway to medi“The MMI is more fair and
cine” is unstructured and gives applicants
comprehensive than the traditional longthe opportunity to tell their story. Current
interview model. We are only the second
FROM PAGE 1
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
students organize and give tours of UC
Davis facilities, and host applicants during
lunch time. In addition, Henderson personally meets with applicants in groups of
five for an hour in an informal session.
“Dr. Henderson is committed to
meeting all applicants throughout the
admissions cycle each year, and I know
of no other medical school dean of
admissions who does that,” Rai added.
Last spring, the Betty Irene Moore
School of Nursing developed and
implemented its own rotational interview
process that was inspired by the
McMaster University model as
well as innovative approaches
in use at other nursing schools.
Candidates for the nursing
school’s Ph.D. program rotated
through eight stations at
which raters were unaware of
applicants’ backgrounds, grades
or qualifications.
Deborah Ward, associate
dean of the School of Nursing,
said that the rotational
approach is intended to give the
admissions committee insights about
each candidate’s career goals and
aspirations rather than simply verifying
academic qualifications.
“The questions at each station address
the applicants’ alignment with the School
of Nursing’s core values: leadership
development, interprofessional
and interdisciplinary education,
transformative research, cultural
inclusiveness, and innovative technology,
as well as teaching and interpersonal
skills,” Ward explained.
“We opted for this process because
it gives the student candidate a better
opportunity to be more engaged in the
process than what is typically seen in a
panel or single-person interview,” Ward
observed. “It also provides opportunity
for applicants to respond to a variety
of questions and case situations,
demonstrating many aspects of their
knowledge and experiences.”
The schools of nursing and medicine
will conduct ongoing monitoring and
analysis to gauge the outcomes of the
rotational process.
UC Davis Health System
Faculty Development Office
2921 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95817
Published by the Faculty Development Office
DECEMBER 2010 – JANUARY 2011
Workshops and other activities
You are invited! We encourage you to enroll
in one of the various workshops, programs
and events sponsored by the Faculty
Development Office. For more event details
and to register, visit www.ucdmc.ucdavis.
edu/facultydev/ and click Enroll Online.
(Event co-sponsors are indicated within
parentheses.) Volunteer Clinical Faculty
members are also welcome and encouraged
to attend faculty development events.
facultyNEWSLETTER
December
Published by the Faculty Development
Office, which administers and coordinates
programs that respond to the professional and
career development needs of UC Davis Health
System faculty members.
1 Application Deadline: Dean’s
Excellence Awards
7 Breakfast With the Dean
2921 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 703-9230
www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev/
10 Scientific Writing for Publication
(JCLP)
January
Edward Callahan, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Personnel
Medical and nursing school admissions officials have long grappled with
a monumental task: selecting the best
applicants from among thousands of
academically qualified candidates who
have the greatest promise to succeed
and thrive. The task involves evaluation
of far more than objective, quantifiable
and easily measurable academic criteria.
Predictors of performance also encompass many subjective, global characteristics, including communication skills,
compassion, ethical decision making,
collegiality, maturity, cultural sensitivity,
empathy, critical thinking skills, powers
of observation, and decisiveness under
pressure.
These and other essential
characteristics may be difficult to discern
during traditional one-on-one interviews
in which an applicant responds to a
predictable battery of questions during
a session lasting 45 minutes to an
hour. That’s one reason why UC Davis
admissions officials took notice of a
radically different approach in which
candidates interpret and respond to a
series of “real-life” situations.
The method, known as the “multiple
mini-interview” (MMI) process, was
devised in 2002 by McMaster University
of Ontario, Canada. The approach has
since been adopted and studied by other
schools in Canada, Australia, and the
United States. Last spring, the UC Davis
School of Medicine purchased a license
to use a bank of scenarios that McMaster
validated, and began implementing the
MMI for the 2010-11 application cycle.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
19 Faculty Forward Advisory Committee
February
Cheryl Busman
Program Representative, Faculty Development
cheryl.busman@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
8 Workshop: Putting Together Your
Academic Packet
11 Mental Models (JCLP)
EditPros LLC
Writing and Editing
www.editpros.com
23 Workshop: Family-Friendly and
Career Flexibility Policies
Save the date:
March 1 Dean’s Recognition Reception
Event co-sponsor
JCLP: Junior Career Leadership Program
facultyNEWSLETTER | December 2010 – January 2011 | www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/facultydev
MMI places UC Davis at vanguard of the admissions process
14 Time Management Skills (JCLP)
Gregg Servis, M.Div.
Director, Faculty Development
gregg.servis@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
5
ROTATIONAL MINI INTERVIEWS BEGUN
6
The School of Medicine’s MMI team members include (from left) Ed Dagang,
admissions director; Joanna Garcia, MMI coordinator; Denise Nelson, interim
MMI support; Lanina Sanders, admissions support; Francis Sousa, MMI training and development director; Gurmeet “Roy” Rai, chief administrative officer;
and Mark Henderson (inset photo), associate dean fpr admissions. The team
also includes Kendra Harris, director of clinical education; and Haydee Pineda-Johnson,
standard patient administrator. (Photo by Emi Manning)