The program aims to provide students with the tools to develop interprofessional health profession course and curricular design, research, and assessment skills.
The PhD in Health Professions Education (HPE) program aims to provide students with the necessary tools to further develop interprofessional health profession course and curricular design, research, and assessment skills. Learners will build on existing health professional competencies gained through their professional education.
Dr. Christina Cestone, PhD, program director and associate professor, PhD in HPE, sat down to answer questions about the HPE program.
1. Can you talk about the need for more health professions faculty with educational preparation?
Health professionals are trained to be expert clinicians and care providers. Their curricula prepare them to perform these roles effectively. The HPE program uniquely contributes to the educational preparation of faculty in all health professions to address the growing demand for learner enrollment in health care programs occurring across the region and nation. Professions such as medicine, nursing, physician assistants, physical therapists, and social work are suffering, and will continue to suffer, critical faculty shortages, which influences the number of students that may enroll. HPE graduates will be well-prepared to assume faculty roles, educational leadership positions, oversee curricula, and conduct educational research and evaluation.
2. Why are you passionate about this program?
Given UMB's rich history as the first public medical school, first dental college, and long history of top ranked nursing, social work, and pharmacy schools, it’s exciting that health professionals can now also earn a graduate degree focused on education, many on the same campus where they work, teach, or graduated. Due to its online structure, this program provides a vital, accessible program for health professionals working across the University System of Maryland. HPE students learn as an interprofessional community, from and with each other; I am excited to see the research, teaching, and scholarly collaborations that this program will launch.
3. What are criteria for prospective students applying for this program?
A master’s degree with a 3.0 grade point average are the minimum requirements for the doctoral program. Applicants can be from any health profession, allied health professions, public health, pharmacy, and physician assistants. The application is open late summer and prospective students are encouraged to visit the program's website, for the most up-to-date application information.
4. How do you see philanthropy playing a role in growing the program?
Pursuit of a graduate degree beyond one’s professional training can be a financial investment that many health professionals are reluctant to assume. Philanthropy will provide student scholarships and enhance our ability to offer merit-based funding to well-qualified students. As the program grows, philanthropy will help the HPE program attract established faculty members through named chairs or endowments and fulfill our commitment to sustaining a diverse roster of expert faculty.
5. Is there anything we didn’t ask that you’d like to say?
HPE is defined by its community of learners — those who are deeply passionate about education in their profession. Our first cohort described their transition to the program as “finally finding their people.”
Health professionals often talk about using evidence in their practice, but yet they don’t do the same with respect to teaching and learning — they do what is intuitive. HPE learners will apply evidence from the learning sciences to conduct research, become educational leaders, and adopt tools for designing excellent, engaging, and effective learning environments.
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Gifts to the HPE program will assist in offsetting the cost of attendance for students. Any gift of any size will assist in providing support to current and future students. Gifts of $50 or more, made before Feb. 28, 2021, will be matched 50 cents on the dollar up to $25,000 by the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees until matching funds are exhausted. To contribute, please click here.