Overview of The Academy
The Academy is the intellectual and professional home of our learners and the medical education home of its Faculty Fellows. Organized into four Learning Societies that include small groups of students, clinical faculty, basic and social scientists, it is designed to provide the organization and delivery of several components of the Shared Discovery Curriculum, including post-clinic debriefing, problem-based learning and other small group learning experiences, student portfolio review and individual personal learning plan formulation and tracking. The Academy enables the organization and delivery of specialized educator development to promote excellence in teaching and coaching, as well as ongoing support of scholarly endeavors. Learning societies promote active, student-centered adult learning, and provide a natural model for integrated interdisciplinary education. It is a more personalized medical education and fosters and environment of shared discovery for students and educators.
The Academy, with its composition of students, basic and social scientists, and physicians, anchors our educational enterprise. This administrative structure enables students to interact with educators in a variety of settings over multiple years. Each week, Learning Society Fellows will debrief students’ clinical experiences, lead small groups, teach clinical and necessary science, observe clinical skills performance in simulation or in patient care environments, and hold informal office hours. On a regular basis, they will review the contents of their students’ educational portfolios and guide the development of students’ individualized learning plans. Behind the scenes, Learning Society Fellows create curricular offerings and engage in specific faculty development to build their skills in curriculum design and delivery, small group teaching and facilitation, and learner coaching and assessment. The learning societies enable the development of longitudinal, trusting relationships for students with each other and with faculty to provide a rich collegial environment for educators that facilitates ongoing mentoring and scholarly collaboration.
The Learning Societies
Students and Faculty Fellows are organized in the curriculum through the creation of four learning societies spanning the geographic campuses and medical student years in the curriculum. The Learning Societies are the site of academic coordination of student learning plans as well as the home of post clinic groups that integrate and contextualize students’ experiences in clinic with the programmed content of the curriculum.
What happens in the learning societies?
- Post-clinic debriefing
- Small group instruction
- Portfolio development
- Individual learning plan review
- Professional socialization and career development
Meet the Learning Society Chiefs
Kelly Armstrong, MD Dr. Kelly Armstrong is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician specializing in non operative musculoskeletal and sports medicine. She is an MSUCHM alum with residency training at The Mayo Clinic. In addition to the role as Morrill Chief, she teaches ultrasound and small groups in the SDC. She went through the couples’ match and married another CHM alum who does Anesthesia and Critical Care. Together, they have three small children and constantly work to achieve a great work/life balance. She is an avid Peloton rider and baker.
Chi Braunreiter, MD Dr. Chi Braunreiter is a Pediatric Hematologist and Oncologist at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and Chief of Dewey Learning Society. She was an inaugural Lead Fellow in the Dewey Learning Society and is involved in pediatric resident and hematology /oncology fellow education. Clinically, Dr. Braunreiter is passionate about pediatric and neonatal thrombosis, specifically about research that advances treatment and outcomes for this unique population. Dr. Braunreiter enjoys travelling, exploring different ethnic cuisine, and having late night movie marathons with her family.
Brad Riley, MD Brad Riley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and a practicing Medical Toxicologist. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 2001 and the Michigan State University/ Spectrum Health Residency in Emergency Medicine in 2004. He then went on to complete a Medical Toxicology Fellowship in 2006 at University of Arizona Banner Health in Phoenix Arizona. Dr. Riley has been involved in Graduate Medical Education since returning to Grand Rapids in 2006, and has been a fellow in the Shared Discovering Curriculum since it’s inception.
Sath Sudhanthar, MD is a pediatrician and an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at Michigan State University. He went to medical school in India and completed a master’s degree in public health from Western Kentucky University. He did his internship in pediatrics at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh and completed his residency at Michigan State University-Sparrow Hospital Pediatric Residency Program. He joined the College after his residency training in 2006 and has been in practice since then. He enjoys seeing children for well child visits and also for a wide variety of illnesses. He has also been actively involved in directing clinical skills since 2010, and is our Director of Clinical Skills. He is active in mentoring medical students and residents at all levels of training. When he is not thinking about being a Learning Society Chief, He enjoys listening to all types of music, cheering on the Steelers during football season and spending time with family.