He spoke about the dedicated curriculum to genomic sequencing at the medical school. His remarks included the relationship with one’s genome with predicting health and disease, help design specific therapies for diseases, genetic counseling and ethical considerations in this field.
“Significant concerns continue to be expressed regarding the disconnect between the ever-expanding scientific understanding engendered by sequencing of one’s genome, yet a huge gap with translating this information into implementation in addressing health and health care,” Dean Flynn said. “One such area is the role that your genes play in metabolizing medicines you take with scores of drugs now identified being impacted in this fashion. Simply, the dose of a drug that would be appropriate for you is impacted by your genes, so-called pharmacogenomics. As we sequence more and more people, the availability of this information will impact your care.”
Dean Flynn also spoke during a webinar with Microsoft® in early October addressing the role of augmented and virtual reality in education. He talked about the medical school’s use of the Microsoft HoloLens and HoloAnatomy, an augmented reality modality, which is a highly valued component in teaching our students anatomy.
“The future of this technology adds components such as pathology, imaging, and histology, among others curricular elements into a composite matrix of educational tools,” Dean Flynn said.
Lastly, Dean Flynn presented to the International Society of Cardiovascular Research, an impressive international membership that champions the role of research and education in cardiovascular medicine.
He discussed the medical school’s mandatory four-year research project and thesis (Scholarly, Pursuit & Thesis), mirroring their interest. He also presented the clinical trial research consortium that the school and its highly valued clinical partners in Fort Worth and North Texas are designing and hope to open for trials soon.
“A major value of this consortium is the ability to enroll a diverse and large population of patients, allowing trials to be opened and closed rapidly, a major asset for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies as they want to assess the value of their product,” Dean Flynn said. “US members of the Society shared the immense value of this model as they often struggle to find enough sites to enroll enough patients to complete a study.”
FORT WORTH – As faculty and staff watched, medical students went into action to treat a patient with hypercalcemia, a condition in which the calcium level in the a person’s blood is above normal. The students confidently went through the procedures to ensure the patient’s safety and care.
“One of the big things about our school is that it is very clinically oriented,” said Quinn Losefsky, MS-4 at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. “These Manikins can be programmed to do the correct human response or physiology that you do to it during a procedure. It’s also helpful to us if our faculty members are thinking of real-life cases while they are teaching us.”
The simulation team set up multiple task trainers and high-fidelity Manikins, Microsoft HoloLens and HoloAnatomy, along with web-based technology such as ScholarRx, Osmosis, Aquifer and MedHub.
“When creating curriculum for students a lot of the things you can forget about are the hands-on portions,” said Corbin Santana, Mixed Reality Specialist at Burnett School of Medicine. “Things like simulation allow you to get in these really critical situations and allows students to put those things into practice and make mistakes and learn how to improve.”
Simulation training has been an integral piece of medical education at the Burnett School of Medicine.
Simulation provides an environment for students to apply their knowledge and experience; safely build confidence in clinical and technical skills; and make decisions without actual risk to patients. The collaboration between faculty, staff, departments and the community allows the medical school to construct simulated scenarios that compliment and support the curriculum.
“Whatever learning objective you have in clinical medicine we can set that up here,” said Karim Jamal, Assistant Director of Clinical Skills, at the Burnett School of Medicine. “I think the most important thing is to have your learning objectives and then set it up in a simulated environment. We can build an infinite number of cases.”
Studies have shown that the information retention rate among medical students is higher when simulation is incorporated. Brandon Mallory, MS-4 at Burnett School of Medicine, added that he learns better getting firsthand experience and immediate feedback from faculty.
“Instead of reading about what a cardiac arrest looks like why don’t we use a part of class where we run a cardiac arrest,” Mallory said. “Have students think on their toes and use the knowledge they are learning to solidify that information.”
“The students have really gone wild over this. It created such a buzz,” Craig Keaton, Assistant Director of THRIVE Medical Student Well-Being, said of the animal encounter. “The intention of the visit was to give the medical students a break, give them a moment to step out of the classroom or the clinic and have a little pause in their day.”
THRIVE is the longitudinal, integrated and collaborative system of instruction, learning and support for the School of Medicine students focusing on their well-being. The desired outcome of this program is the continuance and/or development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes about wellness.
“I love that we have dedicated time to meet with Student Affairs team and other students,” said McKenna Chalman, a fourth-year medical student. “They always have fun stuff to give us a break and hang out with together, catch up with everybody and do something unique.”
FORT WORTH – In front of a room filled with first-year medical students and community members, retired police officer Jason Schechterle recounted his harrowing tale of survival: “I had tons of miracles occur that I was able to survive it.”
Schechterle, a burn survivor, was the guest speaker at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University during the students’ second week of Introduction to Medicine.
In 2001, Schechterle’s patrol car was hit from behind by a taxi cab going more than 100 miles per hour. The collision engulfed the car in flames, and he suffered 4th- and 3rd-degree burns on his face, chest, shoulders and thighs.
Schechterle talked about the importance his physicians carried throughout his recovery process.
“My physicians were everything to me, they truly were. It’s the human side, the compassion, the love and the belief in themselves,” he said. What’s amazing about these students “is not only will they have their own adversity in life like we all do, they’re taking on other people’s adversity. And I give them a lot of credit and respect for that, and so to talk to them while they’re new and eager and bright eyed, it’s a lot of fun for me.”
The speaking engagement was the first of many content framing sessions for the medical students. During the sessions, students have the opportunity to meet patients or family members of patients as a way of putting a face to the information the students will learn.
“Patients who share their own experience and story let the students really have that in the back of their minds to make the rest of the content stick,” said Erin Nelson, Psy.D., Assistant Dean of Admissions, Outreach and Financial Education at the Burnett School of Medicine.
Schechterle talked about his recovery, the different stages and how it affected himself and his family as well as the positives that came after the accident.
“Learning about what happened in his life and how he overcame it just showed that you have to be resilient,” said Parminder Deo, a first-year medical student.
Despite everything he has been through, Schechterle has a positive outlook on life.
“One thing we’re created equal in is our human spirit,” he said. “It doesn’t matter your age, your race, your gender, how much money you have in the bank. We’re all completely equal on our human spirit and its desire for one thing — to take you away from risk and straight towards reward. You just have to let it fly.”
The Burnett School of Medicine will be located at the corner of West Rosedale and South Henderson streets in the heart of Fort Worth’s medical district. The building will support 240 medical students and hundreds of faculty and staff. Completion is expected in summer 2024 and additional facilities are expected as part of the site’s master plan.
The new building projectin the city’s Near Southside neighborhood shows TCU’s continued investment in Fort Worth, Tarrant County and the state of Texas.
It’s been a scorching summer in Texas, so the Burnett School of Medicine enlisted the help of TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr.; Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., Founding Dean of the Burnett School of Medicine; former Mayor Betsy Price and several medical students to create a “Groundbreaking” video in lieu of a traditional in-person event.
“Through the unique and compelling stories of our medical students, we’ve been able to showcase our unconventional medical school and novel approach to medical education,” said Maricar Estrella, Director of Digital Development and Content Strategy, who founded the program in 2019. “The new cohort of brand ambassadors brings great enthusiasm and we look forward to watching their stories unfold.”
The 35 Burnett Brand Ambassadors represent the Fort Worth medical school in media interviews as well as marketing and social media campaigns. They may also be asked to attend special events and functions and give reports or speeches about the school.
The 2022-23 SOM Brand Ambassadors are:
Class of 2023: McKenna Chalman, Briana Collins, Mei Mei Edwards, Edmundo Esparza, Sam Evans, Kav Kaur, Charna Kinard, Jonas Kruse, Quinn Losefsky, Sarah Lyon, Brandon Mallory, Ive Mota Avila, Connor Rodriguez, Nathalie Scherer, Dilan Shah, Juhi Shah, Shelby Wildish
Class of 2024: Toni Igbokidi, Lauren Moore, Danielle Sader, Sam Sayed, Kyle Simon, Ilana Zago
Class of 2025: Isabella Amado, Kevin Chao, Christopher Corona, Alejandra Gutierrez, Ethan Vieira, Lindsay Zumwalt
Class of 2026: Angela Abarquez, Parminder Deo, Lauren Hui, Kailie McGee, Jonah Schmitz, Winston Scambler
The program has grown to include media training from local journalists such as NBC 5 Today Anchor Deborah Ferguson, who gave tips on communicating effectively during a broadcast interview, and experts such as Sheila Scott, MBA, who taught persuasive speaking techniques.
Students are selected through an application process in which a committee consisting of faculty, staff and current student brand ambassadors evaluates applications and conducts interviews. The program, which is voluntary, is run by the Strategy and Communications team.
Here is what is expected of a Burnett Brand Ambassador:
Serve during the 2022-2023 Academic Year, which begins in July 2022 and ends June 2023.
Attend at least one of the SOM Brand Ambassadors Media training sessions. .
Submit IG Takeover Responsibility Agreement form and host at least one IG Takeover during the academic year or participate in a SOM social media campaign (FWMD Live, video, etc.)
Participate in at least one media interview request, SOM interview request, marketing request, advancement request, video request, photo request or social media request during the academic year.
Charna Kinard, a fourth-year medical student, will serve as Academic Affairs Committee Co-Chair, and Toni Igbokidi, a third-year medical student, was appointed National Treasurer at the 2022 SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) in April.
SNMA is the nation’s oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of students of color who are underrepresented in medicine. SNMA has more than 150 chapters across the nation with a membership of more than 7,000 medical students, pre-medical students, and physicians.
About Charna Kinard
Charna Kinard
Charna Kinard, MS-4, was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. She attended Loyola University Chicago, where she received her Bachelors of Arts in Economics, with minors in Biology and Dance. She later attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale to complete the post baccalaureate program MEDPREP.
Kinard is passionate about student advocacy in medical education and is involved with the AAMC Organization of Student Representatives where she provides the student voice to numerous AAMC stakeholder committees.
She is also deliberate about mentorship and community outreach, leading numerous collaborative projects with local healthcare systems. She will be applying to general surgery residencies this fall, with the career goal of becoming an academic general surgeon with an interest in restorative medical education to cultivate effective community outreach and relationships. In her spare time, Kinard can be found binge-watching anime, playing videogames on Nintendo Switch or spending time with loved ones.
About Antonio Igbokidi
Toni Ikbokidi
Igbokidi, MS-3, graduated from the University of Arkansas with degrees in Biology and African American Studies and is complimenting his current medical education with a masters in Bioethics from Creighton University.
Igbokidi said he believes that true advocacy and positive change stems from the community level upwards. He started an initiative called the Barbershop Talk Therapy Project, designed to integrate mental health professionals into the barbershop in order to heal and de-stigmatize mental health in men of color. He is passionate about integrating community health in his role as a future physician to uplift the voiceless and marginalized.
Igbokidi said it is imperative that we “lift as we climb” by giving back to the community, uplifting the people from our community and creating a healthy space for people of color to be healed, to belong and to thrive.
About the Burnett School of Medicine
The Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth’s M.D. school, opened with a class of 60 students in July 2019. The allopathic medical school was formed in 2015. The Burnett School of Medicine’s focus on communication, a first-of-its-kind curriculum and the development of Empathetic Scholars® uniquely positions the school to radically transform medical education, improving care for generations.
Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion will remain the epitome of a philanthropist and leader; her work at TCU has made a truly transformational difference for the university. In fact, she comes from a family with a 100-year history of participating in and supporting important initiatives at TCU.
Before her passing in February 2020, Mrs. Marion said, “I am inspired by the vision of the School of Medicine to transform medical education. This school is bringing considerable advances and innovations that are reshaping curriculum and preparing its graduates to better serve the community. I am pleased to make this gift.”
Facts About Anne Burnett Marion
Anne Burnett Marion was a member of the Board of Trustees of TCU, serving as a Trustee 1979-1992, Emeritus Trustee 1992-2006, and Honorary Trustee 2006 until her death on February 12, 2020.
She established the renowned Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she served as chairman of the museum for 20 years.
In Fort Worth, she was a primary influence and benefactor of the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, and the driving force behind the museum’s internationally renowned building, designed by acclaimed architect Tadao Ando, which opened in December 2002.
For 40 years, she also served as a director on the board of the Kimbell Art Museum.
In addition to serving as chairman of the Burnett Ranches, she was the chairman and founder of the Burnett Oil company and president of The Burnett Foundation.
Her holdings included the historic Four Sixes Ranch in King County, Texas. The 6666 Ranch is world-renowned for its Black Angus cattle and American Quarter Horses. At the time of her death, the three ranches encompassed 275,000 acres.
Over nearly 40 years, the Burnett Foundation has distributed more than $600 million in charitable grants, supporting arts and humanities; community development; education, health and human services.
Marion served as a director of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and was the namesake of the Marion Emergency Care Center at the hospital.
She was director of the Texas andSouthwestern Cattle Raisers Association; member of the Board of Overseers of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; and director emeritus of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
Other past directorships included the board of regents of Texas Tech University, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Fort Worth Stock Show.
Her many awards include the Great Woman of Texas (2003); the Bill King Award for Agriculture in 2007; and in 1996 the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, in Santa Fe, N.M. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2005; the American Quarter Horse Association’s Hall of Fame in 2007 and The Great Hall of Westerners National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2009.
FORT WORTH – Texas Christian University today announced that the School of Medicine will be named the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine in honor of the late Anne Burnett Marion’s lifetime of friendship and support and her extraordinary generosity to the TCU School of Medicine.
The estate of the late Anne Burnett Marion and The Burnett Foundation, a charitable foundation based in Fort Worth, have made a second $25 million gift to The Anne W. Marion Endowment in support of the TCU School of Medicine operations in perpetuity.
Courtesy of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum/Photo by Robert Wood
“During her lifetime, Anne Marion’s support of the university through her service as a trustee and her philanthropy played a vital role in strengthening TCU’s academic profile and reputation. Her investment of $50 million in our School of Medicine enhances her legacy and will have a momentous influence on TCU for the next 150 years,” TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. said. “The history of TCU is beautifully intertwined with the Burnett family’s legacy. It is impossible to imagine where we would be without their generosity and longstanding loyalty. We are grateful to Anne’s daughter, philanthropist Windi Grimes, for the honor of establishing this tribute to her mother, marking her indelible contributions to TCU and generations of physician leaders.”
The first gift ever made by The Burnett Foundation, formerly known as The Anne Burnett Tandy and Charles Tandy Foundation, was to TCU, an endowment in her mother Anne Burnett Tandy’s and Charles Tandy’s names. Marion gave to nearly every area of the university, culminating with her final gift of $25 million to TCU through The Burnett Foundation, among the most generous gifts in university history. It was a pivotal one for the TCU School of Medicine as it established The Anne W. Marion Endowment to support the students, faculty and programming of the school permanently.
“This level of generosity will create a lasting legacy through the many doctors who will go on to be physician leaders in their communities and in the field of health care, serving others and changing lives for the better for generations to come,” Boschini said. “We could not be more proud to have our School of Medicine bear her and her family’s great name forever.”
Anne Burnett Marion was a native of Fort Worth and was deeply committed to her community and supporting the future of medical education. Her family ties to the Fort Worth community date back nearly a century. They have a long history of supporting the priorities of the city and its institutions. The Burnett Foundation has been a generous patron of the city, investing significant resources to enhance the community in myriad ways. The foundation focuses on building capacity in organizations and people through the arts and humanities, education, community affairs and health and human services.
“Legacy and loyalty have always been Burnett family traits,” Windi Grimes said. “My grandmother’s first foundation gift was to TCU, and it seems fitting that my mother’s last foundation gift goes to support the University as well. My mother was inspired by the TCU School of Medicine, and we hope that the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine will provide a profound impact to all those it serves.”
The gifts that total $50 million for the School of Medicine strengthen TCU’s endowment and propel the university closer to its $1 billion goal for Lead On: A Campaign for TCU. This historic fundraising effort fuels the university’s strategic plan and positions TCU for even greater success in the future.
“The Anne W. Marion Endowment will provide funds to support our students, faculty and programming for the medical school and continue to fuel our mission of transforming health care by inspiring Empathetic Scholars®,” said Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., the founding dean of the School of Medicine. “This generosity empowers us to continue recruiting and nurturing talented and diverse students who are shaping the future of medicine and health care in an abundance of ways. We continue to carry out the vision of creating physicians who are knowledgeable and compassionate care givers.”
The Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine, which will be known as the Burnett School of Medicine, welcomed its first class of medical students in July 2019, and they will graduate in 2023. The Burnett School of Medicine’s fourth class began in July 2022 bringing the school to full enrollment.
TCU is also expanding the university’s footprint in Fort Worth into the Near Southside area and Medical District to open a new campus for the Burnett School of Medicine. The four-story, and approximately 100,000-square-foot medical education building will sit at the northeast corner of South Henderson and West Rosedale streets. It will be the academic hub for 240 medical students and hundreds of faculty and staff. Completion is planned for fall 2024, and additional facilities are part of the master plan.
About Texas Christian University
Founded in 1873, TCU is a world-class, values-centered private university based in Fort Worth, Texas. The university comprises 10 schools and colleges offering 114 areas of undergraduate study, 60 master’s level programs, and 38 areas of doctoral study. Total enrollment stands at 11,938, including 10,222 undergraduates and 1,716 graduate students. The student/faculty ratio is 13.6:1, and 88 percent of TCU’s 699 full-time faculty members hold the highest degree in their discipline. TCU consistently ranks among the top universities and colleges in the nation, and the Horned Frog family consists of more than 97,195 living alumni. For more information, please visit TCU’s website.
About Lead On: A Campaign for TCU
In October 2019, TCU launched the community phase of Lead On: A Campaign for TCU. The $1 billion goal of this campaign will strengthen TCU’s people, programs and endowment. To date, more than 51,000 donors have contributed over $835 million. For more information, please visit the Lead On: A Campaign for TCUwebsite.
About the Burnett School of Medicine
The Burnett School of Medicine, Fort Worth’s M.D. school, opened with a class of 60 students in July 2019. The new allopathic medical school was formed in 2015. The Burnett School of Medicine’s focus on communication, a first-of-its-kind curriculum and the development of Empathetic Scholars® uniquely positions the school to radically transform medical education, improving care for generations. To make this new school possible, the greater North Texas community continues to offer generous philanthropic support. The school’s current Founding Donors include Alcon Vision; Amon G. Carter Foundation; Baylor Scott & White Health; Mrs. Rebecca and Mr. Jon Brumley; The Burnett Foundation; Cook Children’s; Mrs. Anita and Mr. Kelly Cox; Mr. H. Paul Dorman; Mrs. Harriette and Mr. Arnold Gachman; Mrs. Priscilla and Dr. John Geesbreght; Martha Sue Parr Trust; The Morris Foundation; Sid W. Richardson Foundation; Thomas M., Helen McKee, & John P. Ryan Foundation; Tartaglino Richards Family Foundation; Texas Health Resources; and three anonymous donors.
The medical school was created with an innovative curriculum that focuses on developing Empathetic Scholars® and future physicians who are able to walk in a patient’s shoes. This forward approach to medical education includes flipped classrooms without lectures and partnering students with physicians from their first day in medical school.
The Burnett School of Medicine has also launched graduate medical education collaborations with Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center Fort Worth and Texas Health Resources that will remain in place. Those important partnerships will improve health and the delivery of care in North Texas as well as help address the increasing physician shortage in Fort Worth and beyond.
FORT WORTH – Sixty new medical students at TCU School of Medicine received their customary white coats as they begin their journey to become physicians.
“Those of us at the TCU School of Medicine are passionate about being a part of your journey,” said Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., the Founding Dean of the TCU School of Medicine. “Celebrate this moment. You all have worked hard to get here and you’re going to work hard from this point forward and we are going to be next to you every step of the way in your journeys.”
The students received their white coats at TCU’s Legends Club at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Each year, white coat ceremonies are held by medical schools all across the U.S. and medical students receive their short white coats. It signifies the beginning of their journey to achieve the long white coat, when they are physicians, according to the American Medical Association.
The TCU School of Medicine adds their own twist to the celebration by having family members gathered around each medical student to help them put on their white coat for the first time.
The Class of 2026 also, made history by rounding out the student body at the medical school bringing the total amount of students to 240.
“As we stand here all together in this room we are making TCU School of Medicine history,” said Erin Nelson, Psy.D., Assistant Dean of Admissions, Outreach and Financial Education at the TCU School of Medicine. “You all are bringing the house together and we have students in all four years.”
Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg, TCU Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, was also on hand to welcome the new medical students into the Horned Frog Family with words of encouragement.
“You have worked hard to get here for the privilege to take care of your fellow human beings with compassion, empathy and skill,” Provost Dahlberg said. “You belong here and you are now a part of the TCU Horned Frog community.”
The festive event was capped off with speeches by Jonas Kruse, MS-4 at TCU School of Medicine, and Parminder Deo, MS-1 at TCU School of Medicine.
Deo spoke about the importance of celebrating the achievement of making it to medical school.
“This rite of passage is an important one because it marks the beginning of medical school,” Deo said. “We are now physicians in training taking the first steps on a difficult path but one that we chose to pursue and one that is bursting with potential.”
