Certificate in Health Professions Education
This four-course health professions education certificate program prepares individuals to function as skilled health professions educators. Individuals with the certificate credential are effective educators with foundational knowledge and skills in three of the five domains of health professions education: teaching and learning, curriculum development, and assessment. Basic competence in these areas form the basis for preparing students to function as health professions educators in academic, clinical, and community-based health professions education environments. All of these credit hours may be applied to the MEd in Health Professions program should the student wish to continue in the MEd program, or 9 credit hours (three 3-credit courses) may be applied directly to the EdD in Health Professions Program.
The mission of the Certificate in Health Professions Education program is to prepare health professions educators by developing their foundational knowledge and skills in teaching and learning, curriculum development, and assessment, so that they may contribute to improving overall population health and furthering the osteopathic traditions of whole person healthcare through quality health professions education.
Program essentials
Certificate in Health Professions Education program curriculum overview
ATSU-CGHS’s Certificate in Health Professions Education program will be 12 credits
Career Advancement
This program helps to prepare students to function as highly skilled health professions educators in academic, clinical, and community-based health professions education environments. Graduates are effective educators with knowledge and skills in three of the five domains of health professions education: teaching and learning, curriculum, and assessment.
Requirements
The new Certificate in Health Professions Education program prepares individuals to be leaders in the field of teaching. Candidates applying for admission must have the following:
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Application:
- Completed and signed admissions application along with a nonrefundable application fee.
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Academic:
- An accredited bachelor’s degree from a university recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Applicants who received their qualifying degree from a university outside the United States will have to provide a degree equivalency evaluation.*
- Official transcript from the qualifying degree-granting institution. For students using VA benefits transcripts for all institutions attended are required.
- Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) at the qualifying degree institution.
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Elements of Success:
- A current resume
- Completion of an essay
- English Proficiency **
- Meet technology requirements***
*Applicants who have graduated from a foreign college or university should submit acceptable evidence of U.S. degree/course equivalency. All course work taken at the foreign institution must be evaluated for American institution equivalence by one of the following services:
- World Education Services P.O. Box 5087 Bowling Green Station New York, NY 10274-5087 p: (212) 966-6311 f: (212) 739-6139 info@wes.org
- Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. P.O. Box 514070 Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470 (414) 289-3400
- American Assn. of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 520 Washington, DC 20036-1135 (202) 293-9161
- Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. International Education Consultants 7101 SW 102 Avenue Miami FL 33173 p: (305) 273 -1616 f: (305) 273 -1338 info@jsilny.com
- Intl. Education Research Foundation, Inc. PO Box 3665 Culver City, CA 90231-3665 (310) 258-9451
**Applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English when applying to A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Studies. Written and spoken proficiency in the English language may be demonstrated by one of the following options:
- Option 1 - English is your first language.
- Option 2 - Graduated from a regionally accredited four year college/university in the United States with a BA/BS or graduate degree.
- Option 3 - You are demonstrating your English proficiency by submitting acceptable scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Accepted test types for CGHS are: The Computer Based Test (CBT), Internet Based Test (iBT), or the Paper Based Test (PBT) are accepted. The following are the minimum required score based on test type:
- CBT - minimum total score of 213
- iBT - minimum total score of 80
- PBT - minimum total score of 550
The TOEFL is administered by TOEFL/TSE Services, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ, 08541-6151, USA 609. 771.7100. A.T. Still University’s institutional code is 0339. Please be sure to include this information when you submit your application packet. TOEFL Educational Testing Services P.O. Box 6151 Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, 609.771.7100 ***ATSU technology requirements
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Innovative Teaching Strategies in the Health Professions+
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Students will learn about traditional and emerging learning theories in pedagogy and andragogy. Topics discussed include student-centered learning, heutagogy, Pedagogy 2.0 and 3.0, problem-based learning, and transformative learning. Emphasis will be placed on teaching and learning in the face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning environments.
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Instructional Design and Program Planning+
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Students will examine the use of a systematic process-based on learning theory to plan, design, and implement effective instruction for health professions education. Students will use educational taxonomies for the creation of instructional objectives for traditional and competency-based programs, and they will learn techniques for mapping curriculum.
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Student Assessment +
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Students will learn how to create authentic assessments within a health professions curriculum. Best practices in assessment will be discussed, and students will create problem-based, competency-based, and transformative assessments that provide them with critical thinking and career-specific skills to facilitate training and education in the workplace.
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Teaching with Simulation+
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Students will examine the use of simulation as an instructional and assessment tool in health professions education. Students will explore the learning effectiveness of simulation, evaluate simulation methodologies, and conduct critical reviews of research related to simulation-based education and assessment. Students will develop a simulation teaching and/or assessment project.
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Tuition
Review tuition and fees for the Certificate in Health Professions Education program. Please note tuition and fees are subject to change.
Financial Aid
Federal financial aid is not available for certificate and non-degree enrollments.
Chair and Associate Professor
Dr. Erin Breitenbach is program chair of the health education program at ATSU’s College of Graduate Health Studies. She holds a MA and PhD in health education from The University of Texas at Austin, and a MEd in curriculum and instruction from the University of Houston. Dr. Breitenbach’s research interests include factors influencing doctorate program completion, innovative online teaching strategies, interprofessional education, and scholarly writing development.
Associate Professor
Joshua Bernstein joined A.T. Still University College of Graduate Health Studies in 2010. His work involves outcomes-based higher education andragogy, course development, curriculum assessment, and contributions to the literature in health promotion, health education, and wellness. Dr. Bernstein is involved in health sciences research activities, editing and reviewing for professional publications, course authorship and administration, and undergraduate health education internship and mentorship programs.
Research interests include wellness among transitional populations, nutrition in emerging and low-income regions, higher education, and adolescent risk perception.
Dr. Bernstein holds a doctorate degree in health education from Texas Woman’s University. His dissertation investigated the relationship between automobile-related fatalities among novice drivers and state-level graduated drivers licensing programs. He also earned a masters degree in education from Centenary College of Louisiana and a bachelors degree in sports medicine from New Mexico State University. Dr. Bernstein also holds leadership positions within the American Public Health Association and the National Wellness Institute.
Prior experiences include 15 years in sports medicine as a professional athletic trainer and manager of an outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation clinic. Dr. Bernstein lives in Dallas, Tx, enjoys cultural and sporting events, and serves as a varsity official for high school basketball and the Special Olympics.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Ayars holds a doctoral degree in Community Health Science from the University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, and completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. She also holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Houston–Clear Lake in biology with a physiology concentration and two Bachelor of Science degrees (biology/anthropology) from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Dr. Ayars is a member of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and the American Evaluation Association.
She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of chronic disease risk factors in children, beginning as a project and field director for three large NIH funded epidemiologic studies (Project HeartBeat!, Project HealthVOICE, and The Heartfelt Study). Most recently, she served as the Director of the Healthy Communities Section of the Kansas Department of Health & Environment where she led evidence-based statewide efforts to reduce the burden of primary chronic disease risk factors in Kansas. She served as the State Health Department Expert Advisor for the Kansas ACHIEVE (Action Communities for Health Innovation and Environmental Change) grants. Prior to joining KDHE, she collaborated with clinicians in the Geisinger Healthcare System of Pennsylvania to develop research initiatives for primary care and school-based pediatric obesity prevention and treatment programs. Dr. Ayars’ work in chronic disease risk factors in children has been published in peer-reviewed publications, such as Preventive Medicine, and presented at national and international conferences, including The Obesity Society and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
Associate Professor
Lynda Tierney Konecny earned her doctor of health education degree from ATSU-CGHS. She obtained her master of science in counseling/student personnel services from Emporia State University in Kansas and bachelor of science in behavioral psychology from Northern Michigan University. Dr. Konecny is also a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES).
Dr. Konecny has been with ATSU since 2005 and began teaching for ATSU-CGHS in 2008. In addition to her experience with online education, she has taught in various public and private, civilian and military residential institutions. Dr. Konecny speaks at many state, national, and international conferences. She is involved in professional organizations serving on various committees, acting as governing councilor, conference session peer-reviewer, and session moderator. She is a published author, and serves as a journal review board member. During her career, she has held a variety of positions in college student services including admissions/recruitment, marketing, student activities/intramural sports, and residential life. Dr. Konecny also spent many years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves. In addition, she has extensive experience working in the fitness industry as a certified group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and fitness center manager.
Dr. Konecny’s research interests include the development, implementation and evaluation of innovative teaching methodologies and introducing new technologies to enhance curriculum delivery and student learning; educating and improving overall wellness, or dimensions of wellness, within various and diverse populations; exploring the practical application of health education behavior theories and the educational aspects of health promotion; examining learning theory in relation to online and residential instructional design, assessing the impact and value of student services for the online learner; and psychological research emphasizing behavior modification in public health and health education settings.
Dean
Marisa Hastie, EdD, MS, ACSM-EP, PN-1, FACSM is the Dean of the College of Graduate Health Studies at AT Still University. Dr. Hastie received her doctor of education from George Fox University (2013), her master of science in exercise and sport science with an emphasis in biomechanics from the University of Oregon (2003), and her bachelor of science in exercise science from Gonzaga University (2001). She is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and is a certified Exercise Physiologist.
Prior to joining ATSU, she was a Professor of Exercise Science and Program Chair for the Exercise Science Program at Lasell University (Newton, MA). Dr. Hastie also served as the Faculty Fellow for the Fuss Center for Research on Intergenerational Education and Aging and received the deWitt Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from Lasell University. Dr. Hastie served as Faculty Chair of the University’s governance system.
Dr. Hastie has served in several leadership roles at the regional and national level of the ACSM, which include her current roles on the Professional Education Committee at the national level and as the President-Elect for the New England chapter. Her research interests have included exploring the connection between lifelong physical activity and long-term health outcomes, the relationship between exercise training and cognition, and the effects of discrimination experiences on health-related coping behaviors.
Dr. Hastie has extensive experience in online program development, teaching, and assessment. She developed an online Master of Science in Nutrition for Human Performance program and has 18 years of experience in both synchronous and asynchronous teaching formats. She became an educator because she strongly believes in the development of the whole student as a crucial responsibility of higher education institutions.
Chair, Department of Health Professions Education
Accreditation
A.T. Still University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500,
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 800.621.7440 | Fax: 312.263.7462
Email: info@hlcommission.org
Certificate in Health Professions Education program faculty
The ATSU-CGHS faculty and staff are dedicated to the success of each certificate student. Most ATSU-CGHS instructors hold doctorate degrees, with diverse academic and professional backgrounds in education, public health, and health education.
Their academic areas of interest include curriculum and instruction, adult education, health professions education, program evaluation, allied health and health sciences education, online learning, and innovative teaching methodologies.
Offering a challenging educational experience, the Certificate in Health Professions Education program enables professional and intellectual advancement with the resources that support you throughout your journey. Comprehensive student services are available, including advising, technical support, and career services.
Application
Review application deadline dates
For additional information contact an Enrollment Counselor:
877.626.5577 or cghsonlineadmissions@atsu.edu
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Missouri Campus
800 W. Jefferson Street Kirksville, MO 63501
877.626.5577
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