2011 Macy Foundation Scholars

Alan Dow is Assistant Dean of Medical Education and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. In this role, he oversees the clinical education of third- and fourth-year medical students. He also researches and teaches about patient safety and communication in healthcare, including the application of techniques of theatre to improve medical communication and influence outcomes. Because of his educational and scholarship accomplishments, he has been the recipient of the VCU School of Medicine’s Enrique Gerszten Faculty Excellence Award, the School’s highest recognition for teaching, and the School’s Educational Innovation/Educational Research Award.

Dr. Dow is also a practicing hospitalist with a scholarly focus on various aspects of healthcare delivery including medication safety. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Virginia and his MD degree from Washington University, and completed internship, residency, and a health administration degree at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Hassouneh is a tenured Associate Professor at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Nursing. Dr. Hassouneh teaches and mentors doctoral students, maintains an ongoing program of federally funded research, and provides leadership in the School of Nursing. She is currently President-elect of the School of Nursing faculty. Her scholarly work focuses on two key areas: addressing inequalities in nursing education and understanding and improving mental health disparities in women. To address the experiences of faculty and students of color in the United States Dr. Hassouneh has conducted research and published theoretical work addressing racism in nursing education. She has also worked to improve nursing education internationally by helping design and bring to fruition a BSN program in the Palestinian territories.

Dr. Hassouneh received a BSN and a BA in Women Studies from the University of Washington. She received an MSN in Community Health Nursing, Post-Masters Certificates for ANP and PMHNP specialties, and a PhD from Oregon Health & Science University. Her education also includes an NIH supported post-doctoral fellowship completed at Oregon Health & Science University. In recognition of her accomplishments in teaching and research, Dr. Hassouneh received the 2011 School of Nursing Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award and the 2011 OHSU Faculty Senate Collaboration Award.

Dr. Eve Colson is an associate professor of pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine where she is the director of the curriculum for the clinical clerkships and director of the pediatric clerkship. She is also director of assessment of clinical skills at the medical school. She has focused her career on newborn care, qualitative research and medical education.

Dr. Colson studied at Yale University School of Medicine and completed her residency in pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in health professions education.

As a Macy Faculty Scholar, Dr. Colson will design an innovative clinical curriculum that includes interprofessional teaching and learning for students within the context of longitudinal clinical experiences.

Jennifer S. Myers, MD is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University Of Pennsylvania and Director of Quality and Safety Education for Penn Medicine. In this role she oversees undergraduate and graduate medical education in the field of healthcare quality and patient safety, and aligns this education with the quality and safety goals of the Penn Medicine healthcare system. Other roles at Penn include Patient Safety Officer, Assistant Residency Program Director, and Director of Training Programs in the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Safety.

Dr. Myers received her MD degree from Hahnemann University and completed a residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She continues to practice internal medicine as an academic hospitalist and was the 2010 recipient of the Clinical Excellence Award from the Society of Hospital Medicine. She has published and spoken nationally in the area of patient safety and patient safety education.

Roberta Waite is a tenured Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Academic Integration and Evaluation of Community Programs at Drexel University, College of Nursing and Health Professions. Her scholarly work focuses on (i) educational strategies to improve leadership and research capacity for minority student populations and (ii) help-seeking behaviors and treatment engagement targeting depression, adult ADHD, and trauma and adversity.

Dr. Waite serves on the Board of Directors for the Southeastern Area Pennsylvania Black Nurses Association; National Attention Deficit Disorder Association; and Black Women’s Health Alliance. She is an editorial board member for Perspectives in Psychiatric Care and Nursing Education Today.

Dr. Waite attended Widener University for her BSN and Doctorate in Higher Education Administration-Leadership, the University of Pennsylvania for her MSN and 2-year post doctoral research fellowship at the Center for Health Disparities Research. In October 2011, she will be inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.