Britta M. Thompson has joined the medical education staff at Penn State College of Medicine as associate dean for student assessment and program evaluation. In this role, Dr. Thompson will serve as a resource for medical and graduate education programs as well as for residency training. Her areas of expertise include program evaluation, learner assessment and educational research and scholarship
Thompson earned her bachelor of science from Kansas State University, her master of science from the University of Missouri at Columbia and her doctorate in educational psychology from Texas A&M University. After receiving her doctorate, she joined the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine in 2004 where she became the director of evaluation and assessment and the director of the Simulation Program. In 2009, she accepted a position at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine as assistant dean for medical education and director of the Office of Medical Education. In her role, she oversaw activities associated with medical education and simulation, such as curriculum evaluation and learner assessment, faculty development (including directing the Academy of Teaching Scholars), simulation, curriculum development and instructional technology, as well as the Willed Body Program.
Thompson’s research interests in medical education include evaluating curricular innovations, assessing cultural competency and the hidden curriculum, evaluating faculty development programs, and evaluating ways to promote student reflection. Through her work, she has been awarded several teaching and educational research awards.
On a national level, she has served as a member of the Association of American Medical Association (AAMC) steering committee for the Medical Education Research Certificate Program. She is currently the co-director for the AAMC Leadership Education and Development Certificate Program. Her research has resulted in over 150 regional and national peer-reviewed and invited presentations and 40 peer-reviewed articles.