Macy Initiative in Health Communication

Leadership

Evaluation

Judith K. Ockene, PhD, MEd, Director, Research and Evaluation, Macy Initiative. Dr. Ockene started working with the Macy Project in December 1998 and has been actively involved in the centralized evaluation plan and in the local UMass evaluation plan. Her tasks include regular conference calls with the other individuals involved in the evaluation of the Macy Project, meetings with staff and faculty at UMass for arranging the end of second year OSCE evaluation, discussion of other evaluation priorities, assistance in development of cases for the Macy OSCE, and providing a link between evaluation and the other aspects of the Macy project at UMass, including curriculum development and faculty development. Dr. Ockene also serves as a member of the UMass Chan Macy Steering and Executive Committees.

Dr. Ockene has been involved in teaching communication skills to medical students and house staff since she joined the UMass faculty in 1983. She has a long history of research regarding the physician's role in helping patients make health behavior changes, and the importance of developing competencies in communication skills in order to be effective with health behavior change interventions. Dr. Ockene has been involved in the UMass curriculum since 1984. She has a strong interest in the doctor/patient relationship and medical education, and how this relationship can enhance educating patients about their health. Dr. Ockene is Director of the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Medicine and has held this position since 1984. She received her PhD and MEd degrees in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. Her prior work experience includes, as noted above, strong involvement in research and education at UMass as well as nationally and internationally. She is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine.

Kathleen Mazor, EdD, Macy Evaluation Committee. Dr. Mazor started working with the Macy Project in December of 1998. As a member of the UMass Chan Macy Evaluation team, she has been actively working on the design and implementation of the evaluation component of the project. She has been involved in the planning and development of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and will be directly involved in the development of additional instruments to measure program impact. Dr. Mazor joined the project because of her interest in communication skills, and the challenges inherent in measuring such skills. Director of Research and Evaluation in the UMass Chan Office of Medical Education, Dr. Mazor has been involved in medical education research and evaluation at UMass Chan for approximately three years. Prior to that, she worked in Institutional Research at Smith College. She has also worked as a consultant to numerous educational and measurement projects. Dr. Mazor received her EdD in Measurement from the University of Massachusetts.

Wendy Gammon, MA, MEd, Macy Evaluation Committee. Ms. Gammon joined the Macy Project in December of 1998. As a member of the UMass Macy Evaluation team, she serves as the Academic Director and Trainer of the UMass Standardized Patient Program. She has been actively involved in the case-writing and OSCE implementation process in a collaborative effort with the Case Western Reserve and New York University Evaluation teams. The UMass Program has been internationally recognized as a well-established and innovative Standardized Patient Program, and will serve as an anchor in the Macy SP recruitment and training process. Prior to assuming directorship of the Standardized Patient Program in 1993, Ms. Gammon worked for six years as a UMass standardized patient, teaching the complete physical exam as well as communication skills and structure of the medical interview. Prior to working at UMass, Ms. Gammon taught on the elementary and Advanced Placement levels in New Jersey and London, England. She became interested in the field of medical education when serving as a senior administrator in the Department of Medical Education at Overlook Hospital, a teaching hospital located in central New Jersey affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. She received her MA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and her MEd from Kean University.

Mark Quirk, EdD, Macy Evaluation Committee.
(See full bio in Faculty Developmentsection)

Emily Ferrara, BS, Macy Evaluation Committee.
(See full bio in Project Administrationsection)