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Augusta Webster Fellowship

Augusta WebsterIn 1991, a generous gift from Barbara Olin Taylor, PhD, endowed this fellowship in honor of Augusta Webster, MD. Since that time, numerous faculty members have used this support to improve the quality of medical education at Northwestern and beyond.

A member of Northwestern’s Class of 1934, Augusta Webster was the first woman to be named a full professor at the medical school and in 1960 became the first woman in the country to head a department at a major teaching hospital — the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Cook County Hospital. It was there that she earned her fame as a teacher of medical students and obstetrical residents and as a dedicated physician and friend to the medically underserved of Chicago.

The Augusta Webster Faculty Fellowship in Educational Research and Innovation is an opportunity for career development through investigator-proposed, innovative projects in health professions education.

Please email fame@northwestern.edu if you have any questions about this remarkable program.

Current Augusta Faculty Fellows

2022-2024

Maheen Quadri, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care)
iTreat: A Novel Curriculum to Improve Pediatric Residents’ Ability to Treat Mental Health Conditions in the Primary Care Setting

Nicholas R Zessis, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Hospital-Based Medicine)
A Medical Student Mastery Learning Curriculum for Inpatient to Outpatient Handoffs

Previous Augusta Webster Faculty Fellows

Application Process

Applications for 2022-2024 Augusta Webster Fellowship Currently Closed

Application Deadline: December 6th, 2021

Application Process Steps

  • Applicant submits online application form.
  • The Selection Committee reviews applications and approximately five to six applicants will be invited to move into an eight-week mentored proposal development program.
  • Individuals accepted into the proposal development program must to commit to a total of six hours of in-person meetings over an eight-week period. Meeting days and times will be determined after selection is complete.
  • Final proposals for the two-year grant award are to be submitted at the end of the eight-week period.
  • The committee will release final award decisions within four weeks following proposal submission.
  • Funding for selected projects will begin starting in September, every other year.
  • Ongoing mentorship and support will continue during the Fellowship.

Click here for full application details and fellowship eligibility requirements

Past Augusta Webster Projects

2020-2022

Sami Chaouki, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology)
Mastery Learning Curriculum for Temporary Pacemaker Management

Leslie K Rydberg, MD, Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Medical Education 
Mastery Learning in Electrodiagnostic Education

2018-2020

Kathryn K Hufmeyer, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics)
Responsible Electronic Documentation: A Mastery Learning Curriculum to Improve Trainee Progress Note Writing Skills in the Electronic Health Record (EHR)

James M Walter, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care)
Development and Implementation of a Critical Care Ultrasound Mastery Learning Curriculum for Clinicians in the Medical Intensive Care Unit

2016-2018

Zarina S. Dohadwala, MD, Instructor of Pediatrics (Hospital-Based Medicine)
Development and Evaluation of an Innovative, Interactive Curriculum to Train Physicians to Address Vaccine Hesitant Families and Patients

Arika G. Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology)
Mastery Learning of Neonatal Resuscitation Skills by Pediatric Residents Using Simulation Technology and Deliberate Practice

Bruce L. Henschen, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics)
Can Medical Students, Acting as Health Coaches, Add Value to Primary Care and Improve Health Outcomes? Assessing the Clinical Impact of the Education-Centered Medical Home

2014-2016

Brigid M. Dolan, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics)
A Qualitative Analysis of Pre-clerkship Student Portfolios to Assess Teamwork Skills and Attitudes

Bernice Ruo, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine-General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
Improving the Assessment of Internal Medicine Residents

2012-2013

Eric W. Schaefer, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics)
Does a Faculty Development Project in Cardiac Auscultation Lead to Sustained Improvement in Cardiac Exam Skills for the Faculty, and does that Translate into an Improvement in the Cardiac Exam Skills of Medical Student Learners?

2012-2015

Shari L. Meyerson, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery (Thoracic Surgery) and Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care)
Utility of an Errors-Based Curriculum to Improve Advanced Skill Acquisition in Surgery

Rashmi K. Sharma, MD MHS, Assistant Professor in Medicine-Hospital Medicine
Developing and Evaluating a Mastery Learning Program for Code Status Discussion Skills

Mary E. McBride, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology) and Medical Education
Teamwork and Communication in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

2011-2014

Jennifer A. Bierman, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics) and Medical Education
Heather H. Heiman, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics) and Medical Education
Sonya Rasminsky, MD
Responsible Electronic Documentation (RED): A Needs Assessment and Curricular Intervention to Teach Medical Students Optimal Note Writing Skills Using the Electronic Health Record

Debra A. DaRosa, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Surgery
Validity Evidence for a Competency Based Resident OR Instruction and Assessment System

David H. Salzman, MD, MEd, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Education
Assessment of Medical Student Achievement: Development of Simulation-Based Gateway Examinations for Implementation in the Feinberg School of Medicine Curriculum Renewal

2009-2011

Daniel B. Evans, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics)
Web-based Education for Beginning interns on Handoffs (WEB-Handoffs)

Marianne Tschoe, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine (Hospital Medicine) 
Improving Hospitalist Teaching Skills

Donna M. Woods, PhDAssociate Professor of Pediatrics
Achieving Patient Safety Competence in Medicine: Testing Methods for Patient Safety Education and Evaluation

Heron E. Rodriguez, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery (Vascular Surgery) and Radiology
An Engineered-Designed Time-Management System for Prioritizing and Actualizing Resident Clinical Learning Activities Based Upon Curriculum Goals and Objectives

Eytan Szmuilowicz, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine (Hospital Medicine)
Development and Assessment of a Palliative Care Curriculum for Hospital Medicine Physicians

2007-2009

Melissa Brannen, MD
Using Simulation to Teach Leadership Skills to Pediatric Fellows

Christine Park, MD
Training and Assessing Novice Anesthesiology Resident Competencies Using a Simulation-Based Curriculum      

2006-2009

Larry R. Cochard, PhD, Associate Professor of Medical Education and Cell and Molecular Biology
Lori A. Goodhartz, MDAssociate Professor of Radiology
A Website for the Integration of Radiology and Radiographic Anatomy in the First Two Years of the Curriculum at the Feinberg School of Medicine

Jon W. Lomasney, MDAssociate Professor of Pathology and Pharmacology
Second Year Medical School Teaching-Learning Initiative   

2006-2008

Jeffrey H Barsuk, MDProfessor of Medicine (Hospital Medicine) and Medical Education
Use of Simulation Technology to Assess and Improve the Proficiency of Internal Medicine Trainees in Central Line Insertion

Alice Salzman, PT, EdD, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences
Analysis of a Summative Cross-Course Examination Using Standardized Patients and Creation of a Process to Develop Additional Cross-Course Evaluations

2005-2008

Lee A. Lindquist, MD, MPH, MBA,  Associate Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics)
Geriatrics Immersion Program for First Year Medical Students to Improve the Care of Elderly Patients

Peter Pang, MD
Curriculum Re-Design Focused on Systems-Based Practice to Improve Patient Safety and Quality

Nancy Schindler, MD
Collaborative On-Line Learning Modules (COLM)

2005-2007

Patricia M. Garcia, MD, MPH, Associate Dean for Curriculum, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternal Fetal Medicine) and Medical Education
Integration and Assessment of Computer-Facilitated Group Learning and Digital Cases in the PBL Curriculum

Carla Pugh, MD, PhD
Evaluating Potential Uses of Simulation Technology in Teaching and Assessing Hands-On Technical Skills

2002-2004

Douglas Reifler, MD

2000-2002

Angela Nuzzarello, MD, MHPE

1997-2000

Robert M. Golub, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics) and Preventive Medicine

1992-1994

Rowland W. Chang, MD, MPH, Professor of Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology),Medicine (Rheumatology) and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

1991-1993

Raymond H. Curry, MD

Carl Waltenbaugh, PhD