Radiology Junior Faculty Development Graduates
Izuchukwu Okafor, PhD, and Jenna Watson, PhD radiology assistant professors in the translational anatomy division graduated from the Junior Faculty Development Program. The 28 UMass Chan Medical School faculty members who completed the Junior Faculty Development Program this year celebrated their graduation from the program on Tuesday, June 9, during a family affair with children, spouses, parents and mentors.
Izuchukwu Okafor, PhD
From Needs Assessment to Innovation: Exploring the Development of a Pre-Dissection Resource on Anatomical Variations
(Mentor: Melissa Fischer, MD, professor of medicine)
My JFDP project grew from an interest in anatomical variation encountered during donor dissection and how we can better prepare medical students to recognize, interpret, and learn from those variations. My project was a need-assessment study. The central idea was that anatomical variation is frequently encountered during donor-based anatomy education, yet students may experience these findings incidentally rather than as an intentionally structured component of their learning. The project therefore examined the perspectives of both students and faculty regarding how anatomical variation is currently encountered and taught, the challenges learners experience, and whether there is a need for a more structured educational approach.
Overall, the JFDP provided an important framework for taking what began as an educational observation in the anatomy laboratory and developing it into a systematic program of educational scholarship with several interconnected outputs. Beyond the project itself, the program provided valuable mentorship, peer feedback, interdisciplinary engagement, and opportunities to strengthen my skills in educational scholarship, project development, academic leadership, and dissemination.
Jenna Watson, PhD
Moving Beyond the Clinic: Developing a session on structural vulnerability and structural determinants of health for fourth year medical students
(Mentor: Hugh Silk, MD, MPH, professor of family medicine & community health)
The Junior Faculty Development Program, established in 2010, is the longest-running professional development program at UMass Chan. The 12-month program comprises a comprehensive curriculum on research, education and career development, and completion of an individual project under the guidance of a senior faculty member.