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Center for Educator Development, Advancement and Research

The mission of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine Center for Educator Development, Advancement and Research (CEDAR) is to champion the use of evidence-based teaching and learning practices, develop our faculty as educators across the Undergraduate Medical Education, Graduate Medical Education, Graduate Education and Continuing Professional Development continuum, and support collaborative educational scholarship. 

A saint louis university school of medicine logo lockup that says Center for Educateor Development, Advancement and and Research (CEDAR)
 

Strategic Goals

  • Offer evidence-based educator development resources and programs focused on foundational teaching and learning practices
  • Support and strengthen our community of medical and biomedical educators 
  • Serve as the institutional education scholarship unit and engage medical and biomedical educators in the collaborative development of educational scholarship
  • Recognize medical and biomedical educators for excellence in teaching and educational scholarship

Community

CEDAR welcomes medical and biomedical educators from throughout the Saint Louis University School of Medicine to engage with us as part of our educator community. Email CEDAR at cedar@health.slu.edu with suggestions for resources or opportunities for collaboration regarding the development of our faculty as medical and biomedical educators. 

Leadership

Headshot of Kristina Dzana

Kristina Dzara, Ph.D.
Assistant dean, Scholarly Teaching and Learning 
Director, Center for Educator Development, Advancement and Research
Associate professor, Family and Community Medicine 

Kristina Dzara, Ph.D., has a Master of Medical Sciences in Medical Education from Harvard Medical School and a doctorate in sociology from Southern Illinois University. Dzara has more than 12 years of experience in medical education and more than 40 publications in the medical and health professions education scholarly literature. She has expertise in educator development, curriculum development and evaluation, the development of collaborative educational scholarship, and the use of social media in medical education.  

Ginger Adkins Professional Photo

Ginger Adkins
Program coordinator, Center for Educator Development, Advancement and Research 

Ginger Adkins has a Master of Education in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Adkins has more than seven years of experience in medical and health professions education. She has expertise in experiential learning, accreditation and OSCE coordination. 

Recognition of Teaching Excellence

The Saint Louis University School of Medicine is pleased to recognize the following educators for their exemplary efforts that make the experience of our medical students most memorable.   

These awards are made possible through the support of Jay Tureen, M.D., a Saint Louis University School of Medicine alumnus (1978) and emeritus professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. 

  • Ryan Freedle, M.D. 
    Assistant professor of Internal Medicine 
    Inaugural Dr. Jay Tureen Faculty Teaching Award (2023) 
  • Kenneth Smithson, D.O. 
    Assistant professor of Anesthesiology  
    Dr. Jay Tureen Faculty Teaching Award (2024) 
  • Jamil Neme, M.D. 
    Assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine 
    Inaugural Dr. Jay Tureen Rising Star Teaching Award (2023) 
  • Kento Sonoda, M.D. 
    Assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine 
    Dr. Jay Tureen Rising Star Teaching Award (2024) 

Upcoming Educator Development Events

  • CEDAR and Medical Education Distinction No-Prep Journal Club with Kristina Dzara, Ph.D.: Noon to 1p.m., Thursday, Sept. 4, in the Learning Resource Center. This event is open to medical students. Lunch will be served. Email CEDAR to register. 
  • CEDAR Principles to Encourage Adult Learning Session by Kristina Dzara, Ph.D.: Noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 17, in the SLU SSM Hospital Conference Room F/G. Free and open to all interested. No registration required. 
  • CEDAR Community Blog Post Discussion Circle with CEDAR community members Brittany Hollister, Ph.D., associate dean for graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs and assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine, and Kristina Dzara, Ph.D.: Noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Learning Resources Center. Lunch will be served.

Register to attend the event

  • CEDAR AI in Medical Education Session with CEDAR community members Paul Kunnath, M.D., Cynthia Nebel, Ph.D., Annie Suydam, M.D., and Kristina Dzara, Ph.D.: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 19, in the Pitlyk Auditorium. Refreshments will be served.

Register to attend the event

CEDAR Virtual USC Innovations in Medical Education Conference Sponsorship

  • CEDAR will again send a cohort of faculty, staff or trainees with a SLU affiliation to attend the virtual University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine Innovations in Medical Education Conference. The conference is completely virtual on Feb. 11 and 12, 2026. Learn more about this opportunity and apply for CEDAR sponsorship by Saturday, Aug. 30, via the link below.

  Apply for CEDAR sponsorship

Academic Leadership Series Session Recordings

  • Recordings from the four sessions in our academic leadership series are available upon request to those with a SLU School of Medicine affilation and a SLU login. Email CEDAR at cedar@health.slu.edu to request.  

National Affiliations

CEDAR is proudly affiliated with the following national medical education organizations: 

Educator Development Resources

CEDAR maintains an archive of educator development and educational scholarship resources that are available to faculty, staff, and students upon request. Email CEDAR at cedar@health.slu.edu to request resources on a specific topic.

Additional resources include:

CEDAR Sessions Available Upon Request

  • Principles to Encourage Adult Learning
  • Curriculum Development
  • Survey Design
  • No-Prep Medical Education Journal Club 
  • Email CEDAR at cedar@health.slu.edu to request and schedule a CEDAR session with your group 

CEDAR Consultations Available Upon Request

CEDAR offers consultations to Saint Louis University School of Medicine medical and biomedical educators in the following areas: 

  • Curriculum development and evaluation
  • Teaching strategies
  • Peer observation of teaching
  • Education survey design
  • Educational scholarship

Request a Consultation