Resumé
1. Education
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
2021:
2020:
2018:
Master of Science, Instructional Design and Development; 2021 Honors Convocation Awardee (Outstanding Master’s Student in IDD).
Online Design & Teaching Certificate, UAB Center for Teaching & Learning
Bachelor of Art, English Literature (Honors). Honors Thesis: Trapped in Love: A Memoir on Marriage, Parenting, and Loss; Faculty mentors: Kerry Madden-Lunsford and James Braziel.
Georgia College (Milledgeville, GA)
1996: Bachelor of Music Therapy (Psychology)
Darton College (Albany, GA)
1992: Associate of Liberal Arts
2. Professional Experience
University of Alabama at Birmingham (2007 to present)
Education Administrator (October 2016–present)
- Certified – Training Administrator of Graduate Medical Education, National Board for Certification, 2018. Recertification, 2024.
- With the Program Directors, responsible for the operational management of the Geriatric Medicine and Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Training Programs.
- With Faculty Rotation Directors, coordinate and plan Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Medicine rotations for medical students, residents (internal and visiting), and fellows from other subspecialties.
- Assess and direct programmatic issues including long range planning, recruiting trainees, developing projects and curriculum, analyzing administrative workflow, maintaining databases, rotation scheduling, communicating with faculty and trainees regarding administrative issues, due dates, and deadlines, and managing internal and external program relations.
- Ensure compliance with national accreditation policies, hospital policies, and departmental policies.
Program Coordinator II (March 2012–October 2016): Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program
Financial Associate (June 2011–November 2011): Spain Rehabilitation Services.
Administrative Support Specialist (March 2007–June 2011): General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
3. Curriculum Development
2023-present: As a participant in the UAB Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation Leadership Program, working within a team to create an interactive, team-based, interprofessional experience to strengthen learners’ knowledge of how roles, responsibilities, and effective team communication can enhance employee morale, patient satisfaction, and health outcomes. Deliverables of the program include a one-hour workshop to be held at least annually, scholarly project submissions to local, state, and/or national conferences, and develop, implement, and evaluate an Interprofessional Education project.
2021-present: With faculty from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, held focus group sessions with learners and faculty, identified common themes and areas of focus and, with AAMC guidelines, we are using the information gathered to inform the creation of an LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship.
2021-2023: As an Inter-Professional Education (IPE) Task Force member, we mapped competencies in Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Nursing, and Psychology to identify overlap and create a Geriatrics-Palliative-Nurse Practitioner-Psychology core curriculum. In 2020, we were accepted to take part in iPEX program which culminated in the creation of a one-day workshop focused on the dying process and the roles of the interprofessional team as it pertains to prognostication, imminent death, and grief and bereavement. The first workshop was held in 2022 and continues to be held annually.
2019: With Program Administrators and Coordinators Leadership Team (PAC), developed a 6-month rolling curriculum for onboarding new Program Coordinators in Graduate Medical Education. Sessions cover seven topic areas. Each team member is able to co-present on any given session but have specific assignments based on area of expertise. As of 2021, our GME Office has taken ownership of the curriculum, acknowledging PAC involvement in its design and inviting team members to take part in presentations.
Craft J, Fleming R, Hanhauser L, McAlister E, and Millette N. Graduate Medical Education (GME). Provides overview of accreditation and maintaining compliance with national, institutional, and departmental policies.
Chambless S, Freiger B, McAlister E, and Millette N. Professional Development. Provides overview of the coordinator role, the importance of professional development, and opportunities for professional development
4. Publications and Presentations
Publications:
Anees A, McAlister EG, Garber AM, Calderon AS, Butler J, Mallin E, Levine D, Sanders ML, Kwan B, Clewing JM, Barczi S, Mateja C, Ismail N. Bridging the Gap in Competency Assessment During Transition from Undergraduate Medical Education to Graduate Medical Education: A Perspective Piece. Am J Med. 2023 Sep;136(9):941-945.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2023.06.001. Epub 2023 Jun 18. PMID: 37339726.
Poster Presentations
Howard S, Kopf S, McAlister E, Simmons E. Interprofessional Healthcare Simulation: Enlightening Students on Healthcare Professionals’ Roles from Patient Perspectives. Association of University Programs in Health Administration. June 2024 in Tampa, Florida.
Howard S, Kopf S, McAlister E, Simmons E. Interprofessional Healthcare Simulation: Enlightening Students on Healthcare Professionals’ Roles from Patient Perspectives. Alabama League for Nursing; March 2024 in Huntsville, Alabama.
Kezar C, Barnett MD, Bowman E, McAlister E, Taylor R, Huang S. (2022, February). Synergizing curricula through structured review of interprofessional palliative care competencies. Accepted for AAHPM 2022 State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Care; Nashville, TN. Abstract: JPSM 63(6) 1129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.04.122
Craft J, Fleming R, Pickens T, Freiger B, Butler K, Chandler R, Chambless S, McAlister E, Millette N, Veazey M, Whitehead J. (2019). Program Coordinators Onboarding—It Takes a Village to Be Successful. Association for Hospital Medical Education 2019 AHME Institute; Savannah, GA.
Oral Presentations (Institutional)
2020 – Crash Course: Zoom Meetings. Presented to Internal Medicine Subspecialty coordinators after COVID shut down.
2020 – Zoom Breakout Rooms. Leading up to fellowship interview season, created two presentations: one for Internal Medicine Subspecialty coordinators on how to run Breakout Rooms and one for Internal Medicine Subspecialty faculty on what to expect.
2018 – Emotional Intelligence: What’s DISC got to do with it? Presented to Internal Medicine Subspecialty Coordinators’ group.
2017 – Understanding ACGME Work Hours. Presented to coordinators taking part in Training Administrators for Graduate Medical Education (TAGME) Certification Study Group.
Oral Presentations (National)
Recruitment and Interview Season – Quick Hit. Presented at the 2024 Program Coordinator session of the American Geriatric Society Annual Conference held May 2024.
DISC and Emotional Intelligence (or How to Communicate Effectively with Almost Anyone). Presented at the National Society of Academic Medical Administrators conference held virtually on March 30, 2023.
DISC and Emotional Intelligence (or How to Communicate Effectively with Almost Anyone). Presented May 12, 2022 at the Program Coordinator session of the American Geriatric Society Annual Conference held in Orlando, Florida.
5. Memberships and Societies
2024 to present: Past Chair, Program Administrators and Coordinators Leadership Team
2024 to present: Member, Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation
2021-2022: Member, AAIM Competencies Task Force
2021 to 2024: Chair, Program Administrators and Coordinators Leadership Team
2020 to present: Member, Association for Educational Communications and Technology
2020 to 2023: Member, Inter-Professional Education Task Force (UAB Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Medicine)
2019 to 2021: Member, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
2018 to present: Member, American Geriatric Education Administrator / Coordinator Team
2018 to present: Alumni Member, Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society)
2017 to 2021: Secretary, Program Administrators and Coordinators Leadership Team
2016 to present: Member, Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM)
2016 to present: Alumni Member, Sigma Alpha Iota (Music Fraternity)
Curriculum Vitae (Narrative)
Wife, mom, church pianist-organist, program coordinator, lifelong learner.
I started playing for churches when I was around 16 years old. All I will say is I’ve done it long enough I was able to retire and come out of retirement. In 1996, I got a Bachelor of Music Therapy when the field was new then moved to Huntsville, Alabama to be near my then boyfriend (now husband). We moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 2003 (Our daughter was 9 months old at the time—as long as I can remember her age, I’ll be able to tell you how long we’ve lived in Birmingham) then finally landed in Gardendale, Alabama around 2005. I am currently the Program Coordinator for three small fellowship programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the pianist-organist for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Early Career
I’ve always had an eye for how things are laid out and for interesting angles to view the world. My first job upon moving to Birmingham was as the Executive Secretary to the Senior Pastor, Mark Correll, at Cathedral of the Cross. I dabbled with Photoshop and then dove in head first, creating graphics for his Wednesday night teachings—everything from overhead projector sheets (that’s what he preferred) to cards with that night’s take-home points which were given to members. I was also responsible for the monthly newsletter layout and content, usually creating images to support the main message. Last, but not least, I was part of the team who put together two books based on his Psalms sermon series which he published (The Journey Begins and The Journey Continues). The Associate Pastor, Armand Egnew, was the cover creator. I was responsible for transcribing sermon recordings (with a LOT of help from my mom!) and rewriting for clarity. The Administrative team worked together to proofread. He has since released the third book of the series, The Journey Narrows (I believe it was to be a 6-book series) and I’m honestly not sure how much of my work is a part of that one.
UAB Career
I started at UAB in 2007 in the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. In 2012, I moved up to co-coordinator for the Internal Medicine Residency Program and then, in 2016, moved on up to my three small fellowship programs: Geriatric Medicine , Palliative Medicine, and Rheumatology.
Do you see what I did there? No? Look again… notice the progression. There ya go! (If you still don’t get it: Pediatrics-Adolescent Medicine to Internal Medicine (Adults, basically) to Geriatrics, Palliative, and Rheum. I grew up!)
When I first started at UAB, my only opportunities for flexing my creative muscles came in the form of designing spreadsheets, rewording phrases that often triggered red flags to our Financial folks or the Institutional Review Board, and creating the occasional flyer or newsletter.
Upon moving to the Internal Medicine Residency Program, I continued to feed my rather unhealthy affinity for Excel but also had the opportunity to get creative when asked to design a booklet given to Interns at orientation.
In my current role as Fellowship Coordinator, I still love me some Excel but also get to be creative by helping revamp our program websites, designing material provided to applicants to our programs, and designing materials given to new fellows at orientation. In 2018, upon realizing just how much I love Medical Education, I decided to sit for the Training Administrators for Graduate Medical Education Certification. Additionally, I have been able to put my Instructional Design courses to work on improving curriculum for our residents’ rotations and our fellowship programs.
Current
In 2019, I had the opportunity to dust off and polish my Photoshop skills when I offered to help a friend clean up his logo, create a book cover, and then redesign his logo! I was also honored to be among his readers (people who read your books prior to publishing and make suggestions for edits). A breakdown of my graphics work can be found here.
In case you can’t tell, I’m a creative. You can find some samples of my writing on our main (though not often posted to) blog, themcalisters.net. I also did a guest post in 2011 on Alice J. Wisler’s blog, Writing the Heartache, after the death of our son, Keith, in November 2010.
And because I have a weird idea of “fun,” I’m a lifelong learner, I decided to get a second Bachelor’s degree (this one in English Literature). Samples of my writing can be found here, including some assignments I’m particularly proud of as well as snippets of my Honors Thesis project, a work of creative non-fiction.
I completed a Master of Science in Instructional Design and Development at UAB in Spring 2021 and was pleasantly surprised to be named “Outstanding Master’s Student” in IDD. Classes involved lots of hands-on, experiential learning which enabled me to apply what I was learning. While working on that, I was also taking part in UAB’s Center for Teaching and Learning workshops on Online Design and Teaching (completed Nov 2020) and Teaching Foundations. Samples of my IDD work can be found here.