Getting a New Medical School Ready for Take-Off - Dr. Stephen Halm, Dean of Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine

February marks a major transition for Dr. Steven Halm as he moves on from leading one of the nation’s oldest schools of osteopathic medicine, at Des Moines University, to launching of one of its newest, at Xavier University, which is set to welcome its first class in 2027. Launch is actually a fitting word to use due to his background in aviation as a licensed pilot and former Senior Aviation Medical Examiner for the FAA. In fact, Halm believes medicine has a lot to learn from commercial aviation in the use of simulation to achieve the highest standards of safety. “One of my goals for the first week of the new medical school at Xavier is to have students in a simulation lab, working with task trainers and interacting with standardized patients in real scenarios of taking care of patients.” Other plans include an emphasis on newer teaching approaches such as small group and active learning paired with what he considers to be the fundamentals. “Student success depends on a combination of great faculty and great resources.” Join host Hillary Acer for a birds-eye view of osteopathic medical education and stay tuned to learn about Halm’s leadership education program for medical students and residents.

Mentioned in this episode:

Xavier University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Why Hospitals Should Fly by John Nance

If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast