MD Education Team

I am incredibly lucky to lead the highly dedicated and highly capable medical student affairs team. Our goal is to support students both personally and professionally and to make sure that they all graduate highly prepared to continue their training in the specialty of their choice.

My goal is to help student achieve their dreams and to eliminate barriers for students improving their wellness, leadership skills, and success.

The Career Development Office assists students all along the path of deciding what area of medicine to pursue as a career. From early career exploration, to residency applications and interviews, and finally The Match! We are here to help!

I am the face of MSE for Medical Students. Behind the scenes I have my hands in many projects related to Medical Student Education.

Jim Allen, MS, EdS, has more than 40 years of experience as an educator, administrator and mental health professional. Allen began his career as an engineering and design instructor, and led many student teams in winning national and international competitions. He also worked as a career development coordinator. The school-to-work program that Allen developed was recognized as an exemplar program by the state of Michigan. After earning a master’s degree in guidance counseling, Allen transitioned into a counseling role, working with students experiencing academic, emotional, behavioral and/or personal challenges. Allen develops a coaching and mentoring relationship with students that is based on mutual trust and respect. In addition to emphasizing health and wellness activities, Allen’s experience as an educator enables him to assess student learning challenges and strengths in order to create individualized strategies for academic success. These strategies include connecting students with a variety of university and community resources.

I am fortunate to advise, coach, and support students both personally and professionally as they work toward success in medical school and beyond.

Kristina Borger, MA, started at IU School of Medicine-South Bend as a curriculum specialist in 2012. She received an undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, in communications and humanistic studies. Borger also received a master’s degree in higher education administration from Boston College. Borger has been working in higher education and student affairs for almost 10 years. She also spent time in training and development for the corporate banking industry. In addition to serving as the lead advisor, she is also the staff advisor for the Student Life and Serving Learning committee at the IU School of Medicine-South Bend campus.

Kristen Heath, MS, is an Indiana native, born in Bloomington, IN. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Purdue University in 2002 and her master’s degree in counseling from Butler University in 2006. She began her higher education career at Spokane Community College in Spokane, Washington where she worked as a facilitator for students pursuing education credits through work at a cooperative preschool. She moved to Idaho in 2010 and began work at Park University, first as adjunct faculty in the social psychology department and later as the assistant campus center director at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Upon her move back to Indiana in 2014, Heath was hired by the Indiana University School of Nursing as an academic advisor. Heath enjoyed traveling across the country during her husband’s time in the United States Air Force but is happy that after more than eight years of experience in higher education she can call IU School of Medicine’s Indianapolis campus home. Heath, and her husband Kyle have one son, Ryder, who is an active Cub Scout and Tae Kwon Do aficionado. Heath is a chicken mom, an avid camper and hiker, a theater lover, and a dance fanatic. She also teaches Zumba and participates in many other dance-fitness classes. She is passionate about learning, wellness, and enjoying every moment of every day.

Lauren Henninger, MA, grew up on the south side of Chicago. She attended Western Illinois University where she studied communication and graphic communication. She attended Ball State University where she earned a master’s degree in student affairs administration. Henninger has academic advising experience with a community college and professional school. Her creativity and drive have resulted in the implementation of programs in student orientation and advising. She has presented at national conferences including the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), National Association for Academic Advising (NACADA), and National Orientation Directors Association (NODA). Outside of IU School of Medicine, she enjoys spending time with her husband Brett, daughters Gwyneth and Noleigh, and their dog Bazbeaux.

Ashley Holt, MS, was born and raised in Terre Haute. After high school, she attended Indiana State University where she studied Spanish and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2008. She completed a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice in 2009, which she had planned to use for a career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, after obtaining a graduate assistantship and experiencing an internship at the federal level, she realized she was better suited and more interested in a career in higher education. She has been employed at Indiana University School of Medicine–Terre Haute since September of 2012. During her years of employment at the school, Holt has held several roles, all of which have allowed her to work with medical students. In her free time, Holt enjoys portrait photography, going on cruises, exploring cities by foot, musical theater and playing intramural softball with her students.

Courtney Lewellen, MS, has more than 15 years of experience in student affairs and advising. Prior to her time at IU School of Medicine, Lewellen was employed at the University of South Florida in athletics, nursing, and criminology programs. In 2013, she earned the University of South Florida Outstanding Undergraduate Advising Award. Lewellen has specialized in life skills coaching, at-risk advising, and career planning. She enjoys assisting students on their road to graduation. Prior to her career in student affairs, Lewellen competed as a Division I softball student-athlete at University of South Florida. Highlights from her athletic career include being the Conference USA Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2001 and being inducted into the University of South Florida Softball Hall of Fame. She holds a bachelor and master’s degrees in criminology as well as a graduate certificate in higher education leadership. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Lewellen relocated to Indiana in 2015. She enjoys spending time with her partner, Laura, and dogs, Scooby and Molly, exploring the outdoors, wine tasting, and watching football.

Kelly Matthews, MS, earned her master’s degree in Education from Indiana University in Bloomington and has more than nine years of experience in advising. Prior to her position with the IU School of Medicine, Matthews worked with undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Mathematics at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. In that role, she guided students from matriculation through graduation ensuring they met appropriate benchmarks along the way. She also helped initiate programs and policies to improve retention and provide a better experience for students. In addition to academic advising, she has experience in admissions, orientation and career advising.

I am passionate about student success! Student success is not only what my job description is, it is my passion. As an IU School of Medicine student, I believe you are ready to be successful. In addition to setting students up for success, I work with students who choose to transfer to Indianapolis in their third year, as well as students who come for a short rotation. I support these students by being a recognizable face on campus and answering questions.

Iyabode Okoro, EdD, joined IU School of Medicine as the lead transitions and student success advisor in 2018. One of Okoro’s primary roles is working with students who transfer to Indianapolis from another IU School of Medicine campus, meeting a need directly identified by medical students. Prior to joining the school, Okoro was a team leader and student success advisor in University College at IUPUI, where she received the Outstanding Advisor of the Year award in 2015. Okoro enjoys one-on-one mentoring and worked as a marriage counselor for 20 years before becoming a higher education advisor.

My job as Lead Advisor is to advise, coach, and empower medical students throughout their four years of medical school to reach their educational and career goals. I am the student’s go-to person for any questions or concerns related to medical school.

Gin Moore, MSEd, is a graduate of Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, where she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1989. Upon graduation, she was employed in community mental health in Fort Wayne. Moore pursued a master’s degree in mental health counseling from IPFW in 1997. She is a licensed mental health counselor and board-certified professional counselor and PTSD clinician. Moore has served as a student advisor for over 15 years. She also has provided individual and group counseling, hosted workshops in mental health, and served as administrator of professional development. Moore received several awards during her tenure in mental health, including the President’s Award and Vice-President’s Award for her outstanding contributions. As a side interest, she volunteers as a family coach for a child placement program that assists families in crisis. Moore became the lead advisor at the Fort Wayne campus in May 2016 and resides in Fort Wayne with her husband and son.

Keith Powers, PhD, worked at the University of Southern Indiana as director of the advising and resource center in the Pott College of Science, Engineering and Education prior to his role at IU School of Medicine. He was at Kansas State University from 2004 to 2014 as the senior academic advisor in the College of Education. Before advising, he was a teacher with the Ponca City Public Schools in Ponca City, OK. Powers received a doctorate in counseling and student development-student affairs in higher education in 2012 from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in counseling and student personnel in 2004 from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor’s degree in music education at the University of Central Oklahoma. Powers presented the results of his research at the NACADA 2013 Annual Conference followed by publication in the NACADA Journal in 2014.

Linnette White, MS, has more than 20 years of advising experience. Prior to taking her position at IU School of Medicine, Linnette served as director of the Office of Multicultural Programs, College of Pharmacy; assistant director of the Science Diversity Office; and as an academic counselor in the School of Technology — all at Purdue University. She is particularly proud of finding creative ways to connect youth with mentoring opportunities and engaging them in hands-on activities focused in STEM-related areas. Prior to working at Purdue University, White was involved with academic advising and dual enrollment at Ivy Tech Community College and served as director for the Career Center at Lafayette Jefferson High School. White received a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication and African American studies with a minor in sociology from Indiana University-Northwest, and earned a master’s degree in student affairs and higher education from Indiana State University. She is certified in academic advising from Kansas State University. White also serves as the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Interest Group Chair on Coaching and Academic Advising. She is a recipient of the 2017 Executive Journey Fellowship funded through the Eli Lilly Endowment.

I help students build strengths and conquer challenges so that they can succeed in medical school. I also help develop strategies to enhance student advising.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Calumet College of St. Joseph and a Master of Science in technology management from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. My background includes PC instruction, academic advising and coordination of undergraduate academic operations. I was born and raised on the Southeast Side of Chicago. I enjoy traveling, playing sports and spending time with family and friends.

I have the privilege of working with students to help them with creating study plans and hone study and test-taking strategies. I also work with tutors and connect students with tutors. Students who have questions about applying for disability accommodations are welcome to reach out to me, and I will walk them through the process.

Kristin Richey is the Learning Strategist at the Indiana University School of Medicine. As a higher education professional with more than 15 years of experience, she is passionate about student development and creates experiences to allow students to reach their fullest potential. To that end, she has been involved in the implementation of an advising program, cultivated an honors culture, improved retention and instituted a career development and planning course. Kristin exercises creativity to initiate new programs and revitalize existing programs. She has developed programs to improve retention and academic performance. In one-on-one sessions, Kristin uses coaching techniques to determine student motivation and elicit buy-in. To continue her own development, she works with colleagues to present at local, regional and national conferences.

American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC)

• “Red Light: Green Light: A Roadmap for Getting Struggling Students Back on Track in Medical School” June 2016
• “You’re Not an MD, How Can You Help Me? Using Professional Advisors to Build Connection and a Support System for Medical Students” May 2018

I provide oversight of the Academic Records Office that helps students with Phase 2 and Phase 3 scheduling (including special electives and away rotations), writing letters or good standing or confirming enrollment for external reasons (e.g., scholarships, insurance discounts). I assist students who meet with the Student Promotions Committee. I also provide guidance on policies related to student records such as grade appeals, campus transfers, or general student record inquiries.

I work with all medical students. I work with third- and fourth-year students who want to do special electives, which include away electives, VSAS/VSLO, and independent research electives. I also help with elective changes, ERAS tokens, and grades.

My job is to mange the development, implementation and maintenance of the foundational science curriculum across all phases of the curriculum, across all nine campuses. Essentially my job is to ensure that our curriculum provides all graduates with a solid foundation in the basic sciences that are the foundation of the practice of medicine.

Working with the Associate Dean for Foundational Sciences, I manage the foundational science component of the Phase 1 curriculum, including implementation of quality improvements. I also oversee the remediation process for Phase 1 courses. I am always happy to talk with students about their concerns or ideas for continuing to improve our curriculum.

I work with students, faculty, and staff to integrate the clinical experiences of first- and second-year medical students with their other courses, as well as to best prepare them for their clerkships and clinical practice.

I oversee the Phase 2 curriculum which includes the mandatory clerkship as well as the Transitions 2 and Intersessions Courses. My door is always open to meet regarding questions about this section of the curriculum and to hear your feedback and suggestions.

I develop the Phase 3 curriculum to create outstanding opportunities that prepare our students to begin the supervised practice of medicine in residency. My goal is to build opportunities for students to develop skills and passions complementary to the pursuit of clinical excellence, strengthening their career preparation and broadening the scope and depth of their impact on patients, communities, organizations, and the medical profession. My hope is to see our thriving graduates achieving their dreams and leading the future of our profession.

My role is to lead the teams developing the Phase 2 Intersessions and the new Phase 3 Transitions 3 course that will begin in April of 2020. Our goal with Intersessions is to help students develop skills that will help make them fantastic doctors, but are not covered elsewhere in the curriculum. Transitions 3 is a “transitions to residency course” that is designed to help students prepare for the exciting but stressful transition from medical school to residency with a review of medical knowledge and skills, but also “life hacks” to reduce the stress of intern year.

I am the Phase 3 Clinical Sciences Curriculum Specialist. I update and maintain the curriculum data for the Phase 3 required courses to facilitate Phase 3-related and IUSM program-related curricular changes and initiatives. I also work with my team to upload the curriculum data to the AAMC to support national benchmarking and research regarding medical school curriculum. In addition, I act as a project manager for various curriculum development initiatives and assist individual faculty and curriculum teams on the design and development of new curriculum. I serve in an advisory capacity on a variety of curriculum committees. I also facilitate curriculum-related data collection in accordance with our LCME accreditation reporting standards.

I am the Thread director. The Threads were developed to ensure that curricular content related to how medical care is integrated into the school’s curriculum. As medical care continues to change and evolve, we need to make sure that what we are teaching and how we are teaching also changes and evolves. I also am involved in ensuring that students are prepared to enter their residencies so that they not only have knowledge of medicine and patient care, but they also have the attitudes necessary to provide care in an effective, caring and patient-centered manner.

I work with the Phase 2 Assistant Dean for Curriculum in the Clinical Sciences to manage clinical curricular programs and activities, including work to develop, implement, evaluate and maintain the statewide clinical medical school curriculum at all IU School of Medicine (IUSM) campuses. I also work with clerkship teams to collate curriculum data to upload to the AAMC to assist initiatives in research regarding medical school curriculum. In addition, I act as a project manager for various curriculum evaluation and revision initiatives and serve in curriculum committees.

I manage all aspects of Foundations of Clinical Practice 2 and Transitions 2. I serve as the front line position for all activities related to those courses in the new curriculum. Additionally, I am responsible for coordinating the Indianapolis site logistics for effective course delivery.

Phase 2 is only in its 2nd academic year and Phase 3 is new this year, so the scope of my job is still unfolding. My usual week is comprised of attending planning meetings either about content updates and revisions based on feedback for Phase 2 or about new content development for Phase 3 (Critical Care selective and Transitions 3). Then it is my job to transfer those non-clerkship curricular visions developed by the Faculty, Curriculum Specialists, and MSE leadership into easily followed course instructions for students. This includes designing Canvas course sites, student guides, facilitator guides, editing video content, and creating interactive assessments. I also coordinate the logistics for Orientation to Clerkships for Phase 2, Intersession, T3, and various course and clerkship meetings, as well as assisting the statewide clerkship and regional campus coordinators in any aspect that will help them prepare their students for rotations.

I have been with Medical Student Education since April 2017 as the MedHub Manager. I led the effort to migrate from E*Value to MedHub for the tracking of student work hours, required clinical experiences, and evaluations. I work with the medical student education staff to investigate ways to better track and report data from our students and faculty.

I work primarily with MedHub and assist students, faculty and staff in navigating the system. Along with the MedHub Manager, we resolve any immediate concerns for our users and work with MedHub to continuously improve functionality to meet the needs of the School.

My job involves supporting MedNet for medical students, staff and faculty. If you need help with utilizing MedNet, I’m here for that!

My role focuses on managing the Curriculum Council committees for the school, including managing the educational policies. I keep information flowing through the curriculum committees and the most current version of policies on MedNet.

I assist with client services, staff management, talent management and fiscal affairs. I typically don’t get to work with students often but I am a frequent event volunteer and will provide funding reimbursement from the university for approved out-of-pocket expenses that students request payment for.

I provides administrative support in the Student Affairs office, specifically to Dr. Walvoord and Dr. Haywood. I can assist with scheduling meetings and answering student questions. Come say hello in Gatch 5th Floor!

I support efforts to evaluate curriculum and programs that are part of medical student education. This includes collecting information needed to create surveys and analyze data, as well as cleaning and organizing data sets. Evaluation data is then shared with others in the department in order to improve medical education for the benefit of students, and ultimately, for the wider community.

I work with electives. I also verify faculty appointments. I am Dr. Maureen Harrington’s administrative support.