The University Record, January 16, 1996
Woolliscroft,first endowed chair in medical education
By Bruce Weintraub
Medical Center Public Relations
The Medical School has been awarded $2 million by the New York-based Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation to establish the nation’s first endowed chair in medical education. The appointment of James O. Woolliscroft, professor of internal medicine and chief of clinical affairs, as the first faculty member to hold the Josiah Macy Jr. Professorship of Medical Education has been approved by the Regents.
Woolliscroft will lead a team of medical education experts to develop, implement and evaluate models for teaching medical students in outpatient settings. “One of the major challenges now facing medical educators is how best to educate students in ambulatory settings,” Woolliscroft wrote in his proposal for the endowment. “Any model of education that proves successful in this setting must enable faculty-physicians to guide student learning around real patients while simultaneously providing the highest quality medical care available.”
Woolliscroft has been active in medical education for 15 years and is internationally recognized for his expertise in clinical care, medical education and educational research. He will serve an initial five-year term as the Macy Professor, an appointment that may be renewed for an additional five years. Ten years is the maximum an individual can serve in that position.
The Medical School was selected from among 51 medical schools that applied for the endowment. The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation is a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of individuals and the public by advancing the education and training of health professionals.
