— College of Medicine — Department of Internal Medicine — Education — Residencies — Internal Medicine Residency — Curriculum — Tracks — Health Educators and Academic Leaders

Health Educators and Academic Leaders

The Health Educators & Academic Leaders curriculum provides a foundation in best teaching practices, educational scholarship and academic leadership to UNMC's health professionals in training.

HEAL is the first competency-based interprofessional health educator track in the nation. With involvement from many UNMC colleges and departments, HEAL is designed to allow health professional trainees the opportunity to develop essential skills as educators before transitioning into their careers.

Objectives & Overview

The objectives of UNMC's HEAL track include:

To facilitate clinical educator excellence through mentorship, coaching and self-determined learning
To foster an interprofessional community of practice among health professionals in training
To develop future leaders, scholars and change agents in health professions education

The HEAL curriculum is divided into two tiers to accommodate variability in learner interest, career aspirations, and time.

The Foundations program includes four 1-credit courses comprised of a series of seminar-workshops, faculty mentorship, relevant readings, and contributions toward a teaching portfolio.
The Advanced program adds three asynchronous courses from the Masters of Health Professions Teaching and Technology program. Upon completion, participants will have earned the program’s Professional Certificate (12 MS credits).

Apply to the HEAL Track

Applications for the 2023 HEAL cohort are due March 20, 2023. Apply here.

Inquiries about application fee waivers can be emailed to Jill McIntosh-Carnes but must be done before you submit payment through the application link. A limited number of vouchers are available each year to offset this fee.

Application Checklist

Guidelines and procedures for applying to HEAL

Application Instructions

Non degree seeking application instructions

Contact Information

Program Coordinator: Jill McIntosh-Carnes

Current Health Educators and Academic Leaders

Domenic DiSanti, DO

House Officer III

Kaitie Dougherty, MD

Instructor, Department of Emergency Medicine

Amy Dreessen, MD

Chief Resident

Jonathan Hall, MD

Quality and Patient Safety Chief Resident

Jacob Hettenbaugh, MD

Assistant professor, Division of Nephrology

Phone: 402-559-9227
Fax: 402-559-9504

Mackenzie Keintz, MD

Infectious Diseases Fellow

Jen Luedders, MD

Allergy & Immunology Fellow

Clayton Oakley, DO

Internal Medicine Chief Resident

Joe Pachunka, MD

Med-Peds Faculty

Jaclyn Rivington, MD

Cardiology Fellow

Tomoki Sempokuya, MD

Gastroenterology Fellow

Alexandra Sorrick, MD

House Officer III

Pat Twohig, MD

Gastroenterology Fellow

Nabil Al-Kourainy, MD

Infectious Diseases Fellow

Brett Begley, MD

House Officer II

Teddy Black, MD

Anesthesiology HOIII

Kath Borghoff, MD

Nephrology Fellow

Conor Dass, MD

Emergency Medicine HOIII

Moe Eliliwi, MD

Pulmonary Fellow

Annie Pearson, MD

Emergency Medicine HOII

Elizabeth Reiche, DO

Emergency Medicine HOIII

Jonathan Ryder, MD

Instructor, Division of Infectious Diseases

Phone: 402-559-8650
Fax: 402-559-5581

Shiva Vangimalla, MBBS

Gastroenterology Fellow

Debra Wekesa, MD

House Officer II

Nicholas Yeutter, MD

House Officer II

Jose Zamora-Sifuentes, DO

Allergy & Immunology Fellow

Cory Rohlfsen, MD

HEAL Track Leadership

Read more about how HEAL came to be, its current impact and plans for the future ...

New curriculum spans departments, closes gaps in residency training | Newsroom | University of Nebraska Medical Center (unmc.edu)

"…health professionals are expected to assume the role of teaching others in their daily practice, whether their audience consists of patients and families, fellow colleagues, or students as prospective members of a given profession. However, very few members of the health disciplines have ever been educated on the principles of teaching and learning to successfully and securely carry out their role as educator."

- Susan B. Bastable, EdD, RN

Health Educators and Academic Leaders

Objectives & Overview

Application Information

Current Health Educators and Academic Leaders

Cory Rohlfsen, MD