In this session, the audience will embark on an insightful journey delving into the historical and sociological factors influencing generational distinctions. They will explore the communication preferences across various generational groups, and discuss effective strategies for crafting and delivering health professions education that meets the unique needs of Gen Z learners.
Session objectives:
- Recognize the history and sociology behind differences among generations
- Discern the differences in communication preferences of each of the different generational groups
- Develop strategies to design and deliver health professions education to meet the needs of Gen Z learners.
Presenter Bios
Dr. Jimenez is a family physician who practiced for 20 years in a rural community. She began teaching CME in 2003, then taught NP and PA students and started teaching medical students in 2013. She is a Health Policy Fellow and a Costin scholar and just finished her Master of Health Professions Education. She is currently Dean and Chief academic officer at Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has spoken nationally about Spirometry and Asthma, Data on supplement use, and Food as Medicine. Her publications include an article and book chapter on intergenerational communication. She is currently doing research on remediation and struggling medical learners. Dr. Jimenez has been married 27 years, has 2 kids and loves to travel.
Sarah Lerchenfeldt is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Administration in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies. She provides instruction in pharmacology throughout the curriculum and serves as co-director of the Hematology and Oncology course for first year medical students. Dr. Lerchenfeldt is also a Team-Based Learning Collaborative Trainer-Consultant and is actively involved with the many of the team-based learning activities throughout the program. Her scholarly interest is focused primarily on the theme of teamwork in health education, in which most of her research and scholarly output concentrates on several different facets of teamwork and collaborative learning.
Dr. Sawarynski received her Cancer Biology PhD from Wayne State University School of Medicine and Karmanos Cancer Institute. Dr. Sawarynski is an Associate Professor of Foundational Medical Studies at Oakland University William Beaumont (OUWB) with a focus on Medical Education and Cell Biology. Since 2015, Dr. Sawarynski has served as an Embark Program Co-Director which includes development of the longitudinal research design courses and program milestone events, and advising the medical student body in the conception and execution of their required independent research projects. Along with her faculty role, Dr. Sawarynski is the Assistant Dean for Accreditation and Continuous Quality Improvement and is working with medical educators across the continuum to evolve the curriculum to meet the needs of today’s medical student. Dr. Sawarynski’s current research is focused on medical student wellness, improving research design instruction, and developing educational scaffolds to support GenZ students. She is a national AAMC Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) certificate program graduate, an OUWB Diversity Champion graduate and has completed Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead training certificate program. Dr. Sawarynski is passionate about creating an environment in which all students and faculty can thrive.