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Health Educators and Academic Leaders

The Health Educators & Academic Leaders curriculum provides a foundation in best teaching practices, educational scholarship and academic leadership to UNMC's health professionals in training.

HEAL is the first competency-based interprofessional health educator track in the nation. With involvement from many UNMC colleges and departments, HEAL is designed to allow health professional trainees the opportunity to develop essential skills as educators before transitioning into their careers.

Objectives & Overview

The objectives of UNMC's HEAL track include:

To facilitate clinical educator excellence through mentorship, coaching and self-determined learning
To foster an interprofessional community of practice among health professionals in training
To develop future leaders, scholars and change agents in health professions education

The HEAL curriculum is divided into two tiers to accommodate variability in learner interest, career aspirations, and time.

The Foundations program includes four 1-credit courses comprised of a series of seminar-workshops, faculty mentorship, relevant readings, and contributions toward a teaching portfolio.
The Advanced program adds three asynchronous courses from the Masters of Health Professions Teaching and Technology program. Upon completion, participants will have earned the program’s Professional Certificate (12 MS credits).

Watch this video to learn more about HEAL.

“Their dedication to fostering an effective learning environment and individualized approach to teaching made them invaluable mentors in my medical education. The HEAL program played a pivotal role in my professional development and will continue to shape my growth as a future physician.”

Cole Homer

UNMC College of Medicine Class of 2025

Apply to the HEAL Track

Applications for the 2025 HEAL cohort are due March 20, 2025. Apply here.

Inquiries about application fee waivers can be emailed to Jill McIntosh-Carnes but must be done before you submit payment through the application link. A limited number of vouchers are available each year to offset this fee.

Application Checklist

Guidelines and procedures for applying to HEAL

Application Instructions

Non degree seeking application instructions

Contact Information

Program Coordinator: Jill McIntosh-Carnes

Current Health Educators and Academic Leaders

Nabil Al-Kourainy, MD

Infectious Diseases Fellow

Brett Begley, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Teddy Black, MD

Anesthesiology HOIII

Conor Dass, MD

Emergency Medicine HOIII

Moe Eliliwi, MD

Pulmonary Fellow

Annie Pearson, MD

Emergency Medicine HOII

Elizabeth Reiche, DO

Emergency Medicine HOIII

Jonathan Ryder, MD

Assistant Professor, UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases

Phone: 402-559-8650
Fax: 402-559-5581

Deb Wekesa, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Nick Yeutter, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Jose Zamora-Sifuentes, DO

Allergy & Immunology Fellow

Austin Barry, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Madeline Cloonan, MD

General Surgery Resident

Nosakhare Edogun, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Alexandra Fiedler, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Gabriel Garbin, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Evangeline Green, DO

Internal Medicine Resident

Kayla Heidbrink

Pediatrics Critical Care Medicine Fellow

Tyler Larson, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Jen Legino

Pediatrics Neonatology Fellow

Annie Nyffler, DO

Emergency Medicine Resident

Pranav Renavikar, MBBS

Pathology Resident

RemyGrace Sass, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Rachel Sundman, DO

Family Medicine Resident

Evan Symons, DO

Pediatrics Hospitalist Fellow

Jonathan Trinh, MD

Internal Medicine Resident

Paul Witt, MD

Pediatrics Resident

Tristen Zimmerman, MD

Emergency Medicine Resident

Cory Rohlfsen, MD

HEAL Track Leadership

Read more about how HEAL came to be, its current impact and plans for the future ...

New curriculum spans departments, closes gaps in residency training | Newsroom | University of Nebraska Medical Center (unmc.edu)

"…health professionals are expected to assume the role of teaching others in their daily practice, whether their audience consists of patients and families, fellow colleagues, or students as prospective members of a given profession. However, very few members of the health disciplines have ever been educated on the principles of teaching and learning to successfully and securely carry out their role as educator."

- Susan B. Bastable, EdD, RN

Health Educators and Academic Leaders

Objectives & Overview

Application Information

Current Health Educators and Academic Leaders

Cory Rohlfsen, MD