CBS 11 launched a series on Tarrant County’s infant mortality rates. Featured in the series called “Survival of the Smallest” from the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University are Founding Dean Stuart D. Flynn, M.D.; April Bleich, M.D., Chair of OB-GYN ; David Riley, M.D., Associate Professor; Terri Weinman, D.O.; Lucy Eletel, MS3, and Amber Broderick, MS3. Here are links to the entire series:
Founding Dean Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., addresses the issue of high infant mortality rates in Tarrant County. Click here.
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU students Lucy Eletel, MS3, and Amber Broderick, MS3, work to find a solution with their research projects with guidance from faculty members April Bleich, M.D., Chair of OB-GYN at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU and David Riley, M.D., Associate Professor at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. Click here.
Terri Weinman, D.O., Assistant Professor at Burnett School Medicine at TCU, helps parents facing infant loss. Click here.
“I’ve had my fair share of concussions and broken bones,” Naworksi said. “Most of the broken bones were from snowboarding.”
Naworksi’s love for the outdoors and extreme sports has played a huge role in him wanting to become an emergency medicine physician.
“It’s fast paced. You’re always on and you have to know a little bit of everything,” Naworksi said . “That’s what attracted me to it especially if something were to happen in public or my family has a question.”
Last Summer, Naworksi did several away rotations in preparation for Match Day 2025 at Kern Medical Center (Bakersfield, CA), University of Southern California Keck Medicine of USC, and Mammoth Hospital (Mammoth Lakes, CA).
Each year, fourth-year medical students in the United States complete their away rotations and the interviewing cycle for Graduate Medical Education (GME)/residency positions. Those four-week auditions during away rotations carry a huge weight as they interview for residency slots at hospitals or health care centers.
Away rotations are not required to apply to a residency program, but they can give medical students a chance to distinguish themselves from others and leave a lasting impression on residency directors.
“Going into it, you really wish you could have a crystal ball,” Naworksi said. “I think the biggest thing is being genuine and showing up and being ready to work.”
Even without a crystal ball, Naworksi was equipped with much more clinical exposure than most medical students thanks to the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) curriculum. It pairs each student with a physician from the outset of their education and they get to see patients over a longer period.
“We got a lot of early exposure that I didn’t see in other curriculums so that attracted me from the beginning. It kind of kept you on top of everything,” Naworksi said. “You always have that strong base because you’re always having to work with everything.”
At Kern Medical Center, he worked with a lot of trauma cases. Being able to jump in and help when the residents were overwhelmed was something he received praise for from attending physicians, Naworski added.
He would be asked: “Hey, could you clean out this wound? or Could you do this laceration repair?”
Naworksi also had an away rotation in orthopedics at Mammoth Hospital in Mammoth Lakes, California. It was a different pace than working in the emergency department. In the emergency department, he would work 8- to 12-hour shifts, but in orthopedics some days could be four hours in the clinic while other days with surgery shifts could last from 12 hours to 15 hours.
For now, his time will be focused on finishing up his clinical elective courses and waiting patiently until Match Day arrives.
“Right now, the dream of becoming a physician is happening but that’s the next concrete step and I’m going to be an emergency medicine resident somewhere,” Naworski said.
FORT WORTH – Providing team-based health care is a lot like assembling a championship level football team.
That was the message Nancy Dickey, M.D., Professor and Past President of Texas A&M Health Science Center and Past President of the American Medical Association, gave to nearly 100 health care providers during the2025 Healthcare in a Civil Society Conference.
“If you can’t find a team that fields all of the positions, all of the things that need to be done, then you’re not going to win championships,” Dr. Dickey said.
Dr. Dickey, the keynote speaker and a panelist at the conference, said having primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other staff members working together would provide the best care for patients.
“You can’t have a team of only quarterbacks,” Dr. Dickey said. “We need to find a way for this concept of teams to work so the patient is getting the care that they need at the time that they need it from the person most able to provide that care.”
Health care providers from across North Texas and beyond gathered at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University to discuss ways that providers could improve primary care for patients during the annual conference, which was sponsored by the Tarrant County Medical Society, Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, Cook Children’s, JPS Health Network, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.
The conference seeks to engage leaders of varying perspectives in a civil conversation that focuses on the health care issues that are important and devoid of rhetoric that often undermines these conversations. The 2025 program explored the future of primary care by analyzing current trends to anticipate what the future workforce and care delivery models would look like.
“We were so honored to host this event,” said Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., Founding Dean of Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. “We love showing off our beautiful medical education building and I love the topic that we’ve all come together to discuss.”
The narrative about primary care being overwhelming contributes to the shortage of medical students choosing the specialty, according to Frank Lonergan, M.D., MSW, Medical Director, Tarrant County Jail Diversion Program and Assistant Professor at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.
“It gives the students the message of ‘well, I respect them, but boy I don’t think I want to do it,’ ” Dr. Lonergan said.
Dr. Lonergan was a panelist during the conference alongside Dr. Dickey; Tracy Hicks, DNP, MBA, President-elect of the Texas Nurse Practitioners; and Jo Tilley, DNP, Director of Nursing Practice for Cook Children’s Medical Center. The discussion was moderated by Pete Geren, who is president and CEO of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation and was Congressman for the 12th District of Texas from 1989-1997.
The future of team-based care will rely on current medical students going into primary care and putting an emphasis on team intelligence versus personal intelligence, according to Dr. Lonergan.
“By the time that they are in practice, a lot of these separations between the nurse practitioners, physician assistants, MDs and DOs are going to disappear,” Dr. Lonergan said. “I think everybody out in the community really sees them as being equal. The students have interacted with both so I think the same thing is going to happen over the next 10 years.”
Another pertinent issue is leveraging technological and operational innovations to improve the health of communities.
“I’ve noticed that students have different projects on social media platforms so they’re already jumping ahead and I think that’s great because with the literacy issues and just people’s attention the more you can move it to the audio visual the better,” Dr. Lonergan said.
Having faculty members at medical schools encourage students to explore primary care and show them the opportunities to be dynamic is important.
For example, the family medicine residency program at JPS Health Network equips residents with skills to perform ultrasounds, baby delivery, and intensive care unit (ICU) skills, Dr. Lonergan added.
“But the reality is a fair amount of them will go into a practice where they utilize none of those skills,” Dr. Lonergan said. “That’s the big miss and we need to somehow broaden primary care to the way that it was.”
Students are taught how to interact with patients, ask questions to get medical information, and how to do physical exams.
“I think it’s one of the most important things,” said Sandra Esparza, M.D., Assistant Dean of Clinical Curriculum. “You have to have the medical knowledge, but you also have to know how to treat patients. It’s an important part of being a physician.”
With close supervision, students learn these skills by working with Standardized Patients (SP), who are trained to portray what could happen during a real patient visit. Students are then given immediate feedback on their performance.
“It’s one of the reasons why I chose Burnett School of Medicine at TCU,” said Thien An Nguyen, MS-2. “I love the thought of learning in clinic rather than just a book. Burnett School of Medicine emphasizes being an Empathetic Scholar® and I feel we learn that when we are in clinic.”
As health care and medical education continue to evolve, this program enhances the ability of physicians, nurses and allied health professionals to deliver high-quality instruction, develop engaging curricula and assess student learning effectively.
“Health care professionals play a critical role in shaping the next generation of practitioners, and this certificate strengthens their ability to teach with confidence and impact,” said Frank Hernandez, dean of the College of Education at TCU.
With a growing emphasis on interdisciplinary health care education, competency-based assessments and evidence-based teaching methods, this certificate is designed to prepare the next generation of academic leaders in medicine and health sciences.
Designed for Health Care Professionals and Academic Faculty The program is designed to be flexible and fully online, making it accessible for working professionals balancing clinical, teaching and administrative responsibilities.
The 9-credit hour certificate focuses on key areas of health professions education, including:
Science of Adult Learning – Understanding cognitive and non-cognitive factors that shape how health care professionals learn.
Curriculum and Instruction in Health Professions – Developing and delivering effective, research-based educational experiences.
Assessment and Accreditation – Ensuring program quality, student success and compliance with accreditation standards.
TCU is committed to moving medical education forward. “We are committed to training the next generation of leaders in academic medicine with skills that will prepare them for the challenges of health care education and the ability to mentor students to provide the highest level of patient care,” said Burnett School of Medicine Dean Stuart D. Flynn, M.D. “Partnering with the College of Education provides the experience and skills necessary to advance pedagogical skills and advances student learning outcomes.”
Graduates of the program will be equipped to lead training programs, improve health care curriculum and enhance medical education across academic and clinical settings.
Applications are now open. Whether you’re a clinician transitioning into teaching, a faculty member expanding your expertise or an educator looking to improve student learning outcomes, this program provides the knowledge, tools and flexibility to help you excel in health professions education.
Learn more about the program and admissions online.
FORT WORTH – Third-year medical students at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University watched attentively as two of their classmates assumed the roles of physician and medical student on a hospital care team as part of a role-playing exercise.
Justin Choy, MS3, was the medical student and Cort Ewing, MS3, played the physician.
During the role play, Choy had a conversation with Ewing about disparaging remarks the physician made about a Black resident physician’s braided hair.
“I would argue that when you do it in that setting in front of the patients and you kind of put a spotlight on people it can create an uncomfortable culture,” Choy said.
The medical students in the room observed eagerly to hear Ewing’s response as the physician.
“At the end of the day, I can’t control what the patients’ thoughts are,” Ewing said.
The eye-opening exercise was called, “Unsolicited Feedback” and was taken from a real-life incident. It’s part of a new nationally recognized training program called Heroes for Health Care.
Medical students at the Burnett School of Medicine will be the first in the nation to become certified to report misconduct in hospital settings, according to Erin Nelson, Psy.D., Assistant Dean of Physician Communication at the medical school.
“It really creates a formal training to empower people to be able to speak up,” Dr. Nelson said. “Many people have that gut feeling when something is wrong but there are many obstacles in reporting misconduct.”
The program is a collaboration between the Burnett Marion School of Medicine and the Heroes Active Bystandership organization. The eight-hour training sessions will begin for medical students in Spring 2025 with curriculum developed by the medical school. Health care professionals in North Texas will also be able to sign up for training sessions.
“What active bystandership does is create an actual structure where you can contemplate how you might approach and intervene and take that action,” Dr. Nelson said.
Heroes for Health Care is a new medical-focused iteration of peer intervention training that was launched by Heroes Active Bystandership. Heroes was created by co-founders of Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) who, in conjunction with Sheppard Mullin, developed the program in 2014 to give New Orleans Police Department officers peer intervention skills to help reduce police misconduct.
Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, Georgetown University Law Center partnered with ABLE in 2021 to launch a nationwide program teaching police officers how to intervene when they witness misconduct.
Active bystandership already exists in many settings including health care, according to Abigail Tucker, a Co-Founder of Heroes.
“That environment gives permission to the medical assistants, the attending, the nurse and everybody in that room because we’re all responsible for this patient’s care,” Tucker said.
Heroes for Health Care uses peer intervention training to help healthcare professionals and medical students identify and diffuse misconduct and avoid mistakes in health care settings.
“For a medical student or a health care professional, the stakes are so high because lives are at stake and there is a hierarchy,” Dr. Nelson said.
The training could prevent or stop harm, save lives and careers, and promote healthcare professional health and wellness.
“Whether it’s a mistake or because they are tired and overworked it is essential that folks know how to step in,” Dr. Nelson said.
Participants learn evidence-based ways to intervene through role playing exercises based on real-life cases. The Burnett School of Medicine’s unique Empathetic Scholar® curriculum put an emphasis on communication and patient-centered care.
This innovative approach to medical education coupled with early clinical exposure sets students up to be better advocates for patients and colleagues, Ewing added.
“These training give us opportunities to ask questions of attendings and other team members about how they go about their interactions with others in a way that’s non-judgmental,” Ewing said.
Participants in the training will be given their certification upon completion of the course.
“Our medical students will have these skills to take with them not just in their medical practice but also in their lives,” Dr. Nelson said.
For a medical student, the journey to become a physician can be challenging.
Nearly half of U.S. medical students report experiencing burnout, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Medical Education report,
“As medical students we face a lot of stressors in our daily life.”, said Shiroya, who serves as the President of the Mindfulness and Meditation Student Interest Group at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.
To help address the problem of burnout with students and physicians, Burnett School of Medicine at TCU welcomed Holly Rogers, M.D., to Arnold Hall to hear about her mindfulness practice tips for stress and burnout.
It was part of the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU Physician Communications and Medical Humanities Speaker Series.
“Dr. Rogers provides clear and relatable steps for staying grounded, managing stress and building resilience,” said Heather Hale Nguyen, M.S., Director of Humanities and Communication at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. “Her methods are efficient, relatable and manageable for students who are strapped for time.”
Rogers is a psychiatrist and co-founder of the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults, an agency dedicated to developing and delivering mindfulness programs for young adults. She was introduced to mindfulness practices after she finished her residency and was dealing with a lot of stress.
“I really felt transformed in really important ways,” said Rogers who is the author of the book, “The Mindful Twenty-Something.” “I was much less anxious, I was much better at listening, I was much less likely to waste my time worrying.”
Meditation is often associated with mindfulness, but Rogers says there are many other techniques to practice mindfulness including walking, swimming, running or counting your breath.
Rogers had the group practice breathing techniques to get an understanding of how it works.
Her hope is that future physicians will take these skills and find that it helps them be better doctors.
Shiroya said he will apply these tips going forward: “Being able to step back, gives you space to think. When you can think, that’s when you can start understanding your patients and how you can be compassionate and empathetic.”
The Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society promotes the professional development of women in orthopaedics throughout all stages of their careers.
The Burnett School of Medicine’s chapter of RJOS chapter has been awarded a $2,000 AAOS IDEA Grant to host a four-part journal club series promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in orthopedics. This initiative will focus on networking, mentorship and inspiring female students to explore careers in orthopedics, with guest speakers offering valuable insights into the field.
When you’re the medical expert, you need to be truthful and accurate, said Scruggs who was the featured guest for a media training event called the “Secrets To Media Success” at Arnold Hall.
“You also should instill hope in others,” he said. “People always want hope. In anything you do, even if it’s tough news.”
Scruggs is an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster with 32 years of media experience. He graduated from the TCU Neeley School of Business Executive MBA program in 2023.
“I really love that TCU has its own medical school and to see what you all are doing,” Scruggs said. “You’re the next generation of doctors right here in Fort Worth.”
The Burnett Brand Ambassador program has won multiple national and regional awards for empowering medical students to be the voice of the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. The program has done this while reinforcing the medical school’s mission of creating Empathetic Scholars® that are compassionate physicians with the ability to “walk in a patient’s shoes” through their health care experience.
Being able to show empathy is important for medical professionals, Scruggs added.
“Being empathetic sometimes might allow someone else to change their viewpoint,” he said.
The students did mock interviews with Scruggs, without any prep, to see how they could handle tough media questions. It was such a great opportunity to get advice, according to Zacariah Ismaio, MS1 at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.
“Right off the bat being put on that hot seat was hard but I think I got so much out of it,” Ismaio said.
Scruggs has interviewed many sports medicine physicians throughout his career about iconic sports figures such Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and more.
The unique brand ambassador program gives the medical students additional opportunities to grow as communicators. Scruggs urged the medical students to talk the media in the simplest terms to have their messages connect with viewers.
“Talk to me like a sixth grader,” Scruggs said. “What is the medical term? How long will the recovery be? Will they need surgery and how long will their recovery be if they don’t need surgery? That’s the kind of stuff that I want to know.”
Those messages resonated with Ashley Kenney, MS2 at Burnett School of Medicine, who also minored in Journalism for her undergraduate degree.
“I had a preceptor tell me communication is the hardest discipline in medicine,” Kinney said. “I think the brand ambassador program and trainings like these have helped me blossom into being a better communicator.”
Led by Judy Bernas, Senior Associate Dean and Senior Officer for Communication and Strategy, the communications team was honored by the Greater Fort Worth Public Relations Society of America (GFW PRSA) with four awards at the 2024 Worthy Awards on November 8, 2024. The awards recognized the following strategic communication programs and tactics:
Prescotte Stokes III
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s 2024 Match Day News Release: Prescotte Stokes III. The tactic received a Worthy Award, the top honor.
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s 2024 Match Day: Judy Bernas, Amy Estes, Maricar Estrella, Lewis Jackson, Gorland Mar, Prescotte Stokes III and Nicole Wright. The program received an Award of Excellence.
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s 2024 Match Day Video: Lewis Jackson, Prescotte Stokes III, Nicole Wright and Maricar Estrella. The video received an Award of Excellence.
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s On the Move Newsletter: Maricar Estrella. The newsletter received an Award of Excellence.
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s Inaugural Match Day: Judy Bernas, Amy Estes, Maricar Estrella, Gorland Mar, Prescotte Stokes III and Nicole Wright.
The inaugural Match Day event was previously named a GFW PRSA Worthy Award winner and Best of Show Finalist in 2023. The event also received an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Bronze Award for Excellence at the 2024 GIA Awards.
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s ON-SITE Video Series: Prescotte Stokes III, Judy Bernas and Maricar Estrella.
The video series previously received a GFW PRSA Worthy Award in 2023 and an AAMC Silver Award for Excellence at the 2024 GIA Awards.
