Medical school academic adviser organizes regional collaborative

Joni Trempe, medical education learning specialist in the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

To support the continued development of physicians in the state of Ohio, an academic adviser at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine has organized a group of advisers and support personnel from medical schools around the state.

The group formed recently and held its first meeting in June 2018. In addition to advisers from the Boonshoft School of Medicine, the group is comprised of others from Case Western Reserve University, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati and University of Toledo.

“I organized the group earlier this year in order to facilitate discussions with other medical school academic advisers, as well as other professionals who support successful student matriculation through medical school,” said Joni Trempe, medical education learning specialist. “I wanted to work regionally with others in my field to support and learn from others who face similar challenges.”

When Trempe reached out to the medical schools in Ohio, she received a positive response. “We all have the same mission,” she said.

Forming a regional cooperative makes sense, as attending special interest group meetings at medical conferences can be costly. Meetings of Ohio medical education support professionals are also more focused on issues that affect medical students in the state.

Meetings of the group are held quarterly at a different medical school campus. The next one takes place in September and will be hosted by the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

“We choose topics based on the pertinent events we are addressing at the time of year we meet,” Trempe said. “This upcoming meeting’s focus will be on adjusting to medical school and academic coaching and support for first-year students.”