College of MedicineCollege of MedicineAboutDepartments & UnitsCIPHERSEducation Scholars Program

CIPHERS Education Scholars Program 2025–2026

Course Director: Dawn DeWitt, MD, MSc, MACP, FRACP
Professor & Senior Associate Dean, CIPHERS Director, WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Assistant Course Director: Julie Larsen, PhD, ACSM-CEP, RDN
Associate Professor, Dept. of Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Program Administrator: Jennifer Anderson
Commitment: Synchronous: 3.5 Hours/session x 9 sessions, 2-3 hours preparation for and reflection about each session | October 2025 – May 2026

Overview 

The Education Scholars Program (ESP) is a longitudinal faculty development program aimed at WSU health professions faculty who want to deepen their understanding of educational theory as it informs practice and apply these concepts to developing skills in education scholarship. ESP 2025-26 will engage ~10 faculty and staff scholars from the WSU colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Residency Programs and other health professions in nine monthly 3.5-hour sessions over the academic year. The instructional format is flexible to accommodate a hybrid of in-person and virtual participation.

Designed as a longitudinal “community of practice,” enrolled scholars will work together to consider various theoretical frameworks as they apply to principles of and methodology for education scholarship and practice. Applications from faculty and staff across the WSU health sciences colleges and campus locations are welcome.

The application deadline is Monday, June 16, 2025. Questions about the program can be directed to: medicine.ciphers@wsu.edu

Distinctive Features

  • ESP develops promising teachers with career paths dedicated to research, scholarship, and leadership in health professions education. 
  • ESP fosters participation in a community of practice that supports longitudinal learning for each scholar. 
  • ESP will focus on using theories of learning to inform educational practices. Participants will develop creative and adaptive problem-solving skills and scholarly activities that are applicable in their teaching situations. 

Instructional Approach

Classroom activities provide the foundation for applying educational concepts and teaching strategies in the classroom and clinical workplace and reflection-on-practice solidifies learning and promotes personal growth. 

Questions?

Contact

Dr. DeWitt has held medical education leadership roles for 30 years in three countries. After obtaining her MD at Harvard Medical School, she completed Internal Medicine training, a Chief Residency, and a Certificate in Medical Education at the University of Washington. During her 10 years on faculty at the UW WWAMI program, she led innovations in curriculum, distance education, and rural faculty development and was named one of the “Best Doctors in America” by her peers. Dr. DeWitt is a Master in the American College of Physicians, a national Wellness Champion, and co-author of the best-selling book “Teaching in Your Office.” While at the Melbourne Medical School, her team developed Australia’s first purpose-built interprofessional teaching clinic and was awarded both the Medical School and University Program Innovation in Education Awards. At the University of British Columbia, she provided strategic leadership for the MD Program and curriculum renewal. Transitioning to WSU COM in 2016, she served as the inaugural Vice Dean for Student and Faculty Experience, the Inaugural Associate Dean for Clinical Education (Spokane Campus), and the Inaugural Director for Year 4. She is spearheading development of CIPHERS (Collaboration for InterProfessional Health Education Research & Scholarship) and is PI a $2M HRSA grant for IP education.

Dr. DeWitt has focused her clinical work on under-served patients and volunteers at a clinic for the homeless. Her work in diabetes includes a systematic review of insulin (JAMA) and an Australian National Health Medical Research Council grant for diabetes treatment in collaboration with Indigenous Australians. She publishes on issues in medical education, rural workforce, health disparities, and career choice. She loves skijoring with her Australian labradoodle, and singing with the Spokane Symphony Chorale.

Contact

Dr. Julie Larsen is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP) Department within the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University’s Health Sciences campus. She has taught most of the undergraduate NEP courses at one time and currently teaches Strength Training and Conditioning, Nutrition Assessment and Lifestyle Counseling, Exercise Testing and Prescription, Human Health Behavior and Behavioral Interventions, Nutrition and Exercise Practicum I and II, and Nutrition and Exercise Capstone. She is also the BS NEP Program Director and oversees all BS NEP internships.

Dr. Larsen is credentialed as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist. She also volunteers as a Health Promotion Clinical Director with Special Olympics Washington, President-Elect of the Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Membership Chair for the Greater Spokane Dietetics Association.