UR Schools of Medicine and Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health Launch Academy of Educators
A new initiative is bringing together faculty from Eastman Institute for Oral Health and across the University of Rochester Medical Center to strengthen healthcare education through collaboration and mentorship.
The URMC Academy of Educators is designed to foster a vibrant inter-professional community for those who are deeply committed to education. Among the Academy’s founding leaders is EIOH’s Jin Xiao, DDS, PhD, professor and associate dean for Oral Health Education at the University’s School of Medicine and Dentistry.
What sets URMC’s Academy of Educators apart from the 51 similar programs at universities worldwide, is its focus on an inter-disciplinary approach. Other programs are limited to a single discipline focus, such as nursing, surgery, or medicine.
URMC’s Academy of Educators will be comprised of faculty from the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD), Eastman Institute for Oral Health (EIOH) and the School of Nursing (SON). Members of the Academy will engage in mentorship, shared resources and learn from colleagues across disciplines, advancing health professions education while improving and expanding their own skills.
The vision for the URMC Academy of Educators was introduced by Sarah Peyre, EdD, SMD’s chief operating officer and vice dean for Education, whose experience in a similar program at Harvard Medical School was pivotal to her career.
“I was at an earlier stage in my career and the academy experience shaped me as an educator and researcher,” she said. “It gave me a genuine sense of belonging. As I look to the future, I want to help cultivate that same welcoming and supportive environment here—an educational community I have grown to deeply appreciate and value over the past 15 years.”
Interdisciplinary collaboration is already at the heart of EIOH post-doctoral specialty programs. Residents receive in-depth training that includes exposure to medical conditions and disabilities that impact oral health. They also rotate through a wide range of specialty clinics and URMC departments where dentists and physicians alike gain a broader perspective of patient care.
“Collaboration is essential for healthcare,” said Xiao. “By learning from each other and applying research across disciplines, the URMC Academy of Educators will better prepare our current and future educators and clinicians to support patients in all dimensions of health.”
Several founding members have also been named who will help shape the Academy’s direction and review applications for its inaugural cohort: EIOH’s Drs. Jack Caton and Cyril Meyerowitz SMD’s Drs. Rita Dadiz, Chris Mooney, Anne Nofziger, and Christopher Seplaki, and SON’s Drs. April Haberyan and Meghan Underhill.
In addition to Drs. Peyre and Xiao, the leadership team includes Valerie Lang, MD, MHPE, Tara Serwetnyk, EDD, RN, and Meghan Plate, MA. EIOH Director Eli Eliav, DMD, PhD, MBA, SON Dean Lisa Kitko, PhD, RN, and SMD’s Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Judy Baumhauer, MD, MPH, have played integral roles in establishing the Academy.
Applications are open until November 15, to all URMC junior and senior faculty who have dedicated a significant portion of their careers to education. Up to 50 members will be selected in the first cohort. For more information, visit the Academy of Educators website.
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