Educational Affairs - Office of Educational Development

Era Buck, PhD
Director, Office of Educational Development

Dr. Buck is director of the Office Educational Development and an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at UTMB. She completed a BS in Education at the University of Texas at Austin and received her MA and PhD in social psychology from the University of Houston. During twenty years in undergraduate and graduate medical education, her work has focused on faculty development, program evaluation, and educational research. She is a UT Distinguished Teaching Professor, a member of the Academy of Master Teachers and the Shine Academy of Health Science Education.

She has been engaged in research in the areas of professional identity formation and humanism in medical education. At UTMB, she serves as chair of the Education Research Committee for the School of Medicine, Associate director of the Physician Healer Track and enjoys serving as director for the Scholars in Education program. Within the broader medical education community, she is as an associate editor for Medical Education Online and reviews for numerous conferences and journals in medical education.

Kathleen M. Everling, PhD
Senior Medical Educator
Program Evaluation Lead

Dr. Everling holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University with Master of Arts Degree Cross-Cultural Studies and Master of Education in Educational Psychology. Her background includes program and curriculum design and evaluation, educational technology, faculty development and educational research. Her research has focused on the education of linguistically and culturally diverse populations.

Ni Zhang, MS
Biostatistician,
Data Management

Ni Zhang received her MS in Management Information Systems from the University of North Texas. Her present position is Biostatistician. Her major responsibilities include providing statistical analyses and data summaries for curriculum evaluation and research projects and managing data collection for the Office of Educational Development's longitudinal research project. She also provides backup support for the Standardized Patient Program.

Karen Szauter, MD
Professor of Department of Internal Medicine

Dr. Szauter received her MD degree from Case Western Reserve University, completed a residency in Internal Medicine, and fellowships in Gastroenterology and Nutrition. She is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine/Gastroenterology and Co-director of the Internal Medicine year-3 Clerkship.

Lana Long, MSHP
Medical Education Specialist

Lana Long received her Master of Science in Health Professions from the University of Texas Medical Branch. In her current position, she works alongside the Senior Medical Educators in areas of curriculum design, program evaluation, and faculty development.