An Introduction to Medical Teaching

Kathryn N. Huggett, Ph.D. is Director of The Teaching Academy, Robert Larner, MD ’42 Professor of Medical Education, and Assistant Dean for Medical Education at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Dr. Huggett received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin, and also received a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. As the Director of the Teaching Academy she directs faculty development activities and works with faculty to promote educational scholarship. She also oversees course and program evaluation and participates in the management of the curriculum. In 2021 Dr. Huggett completed a term as Member-at-Large for the AAMC Northeast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA). She is a past President of the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education (SDRME). Dr. Huggett also serves as Chair Emerita of the national Academies Collaborative and is a past member of the IAMSE Board of Directors. Her recent publications address mentoring, academies of educators, academic program quality, and interprofessional education. 

Kelly M. Quesnelle, PhD is Professor and Chair of Biomedical Sciences at The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Dr. Quesnelle is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She earned her doctorate degree in Molecular Pharmacology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Quesnelle completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine that included a training fellowship with the United States Food and Drug Administration in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. She was a founding faculty member at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine. Dr. Quesnelle has directed medical student courses, taught extensively throughout the pharmacology discipline, and has served as Chair of an IRB and co-Chair of a Curriculum Committee. Her educational research focuses on teaching innovations, curricular integration, and the reward and recognition of basic science educators. She is a past recipient of the Early Career Award for Excellence in Teaching and Innovation from the International Association of Medical Science Educators.

William Jeffries, PhD is currently the Vice Dean for Medical Education and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. He received his master's and doctoral degrees in Pharmacology from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas in the Department of Pharmacology. In his role at Geisinger he is responsible for oversight of the medical curriculum, student affairs and admissions. He has held similar positions at the medical schools of the University of Vermont and at Creighton University. Dr. Jeffries’ scholarly efforts in medical education include effective teaching through active learning, curriculum design, strategic institutional planning and technological innovation. He has served in leadership roles on numerous national groups and committees of the Association for American Medical Colleges, the International Society of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and The American Heart Association.  He has been a long-term contributor for national and regional faculty development programs of these organizations, contributing numerous workshops and seminars, and he has authored more than 100 scholarly works. He received IAMSE’s Master Scholar Award in 2017.