Current Appointments 

   University of Colorado, School of Medicine                                                              2002 – Present

      Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

   Metropolitan State College of Denver                                                                       1998 – Present

      Affiliate Faculty, Department of Communication Arts & Sciences

   R. garret Studios, LLC                                                                                              1995 – Present

      President/CEO

 

Education    

    Ph.D., University of Denver, Human Communication Studies                                                      1996

                 Dissertation topic: Physician-patient collaborative decision-making

                 Honors: Colorado Graduate Fellowship, 1992 – 1993

   M.A., University of Northern Colorado, Human Communication Theory                                       1992

   B.A., University of Oregon, Asian Studies: Chinese emphasis                                                     1989

                 Minors: Business Administration and Rhetoric & Communication

                 Honors: Deans List, 1987 – 1989; Top 5% in School of Business, 1988 – 1989

   Certificate, Normal College of Foreign Language, Beijing, People’s Republic of China                  1986

 

Professional Experience – Teaching  

Faculty Appointments

   University of Colorado, School of Medicine                                                                  2002 – Present

      Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

            Coach first and second year medical students in the Foundations of Doctoring

            Provide student assessments and individualized feedback

            Facilitated problem-based learning groups in Molecules to Medicine curriculum

      Participates in ongoing curriculum enhancement decisions

   Metropolitan State College of Denver                                                                       1998 – Present

      Affiliate Faculty, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences

      Teach Public Speaking, Cultural Influences, and Interpersonal Communication

            Instruction provided to traditional and non-traditional students, on campus and online

      MetroLeads leadership development program, 2008-2009

      Excellence in Teaching participant 1999-2000

   Platt College                                                                                                                           2006

      Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing

            Taught 300 level Interpersonal Communication

   University of Colorado, School of Medicine                                                                     2001 – 2004

      Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine & Biometrics

            Co-taught PRMD 6620 Questionnaire Design

 

Senior Communication Consultant

   Center for Personalized Education for Physicians                                                     1996 – Present

      Responsible for assessing physician communication skills

      Provided physician clients with immediate feedback and a written report

      Recruited, trained, and continuously developed professional actors for roles as simulated patients

      Continuously developed and refined simulated patient cases

      Oriented and trained new consultants and organizational personnel

      Developed, validated, and copyrighted evaluation and reporting forms

 

Communication Coach

   Rose Medical Center, Department of Family Medicine                                                       1997 – 2006

      Provide initial resident assessments to identify target skills and develop individualized learning plans

      Provide individualized tutoring and feedback

      Consult with and provide reports to referring organizations

 

Behavioral Scientist

   Colorado Foundation for Medical Care                                                                         1999 – 2002

      Applied social scientific constructs to quality improvement initiatives

      Designed measurement tools to assess effectiveness of quality improvement activities

      Published technical articles concerning organizational activities

      Chaired internal education program

      Wrote grant applications in response to opportunities for additional funding       

      Represented organization in community and national arenas

 

Mentor

    University of Colorado, School of Medicine                                                                    1999 – 2000

      Conduct Culture of Medicine learning exercises with third year medical students

      Advise and provide support to students in regularly scheduled group sessions

 

Student Financial Planning Counselor

   University of Denver, College of Law                                                                                         1998

      Responsible for development and implementation of a comprehensive financial planning curriculum

      Conducted multiple focus groups with current students and recent alumni

      Facilitated incorporation of community resources to meet needs of campus population

Academic Interests  

Teaching Interests

   Advanced Public Speaking

   Communication and the Trainer

   Communication Theory Building and Research Methodology

   Cultural Influences on Communication

   Interpersonal Negotiation

   Psychology of Communication

   Team and Group Communication

   Techniques of Persuasion

Course Development Interests

   Biology of Communication

   Clinical Communication

   Health Communication

   Leadership Communication

 

Research Interests

   Change Leadership

   Leading Healthcare Change

   Neuropsychology of Communication

   Physician-patient Communication

   Tactical Leadership

 

Professional Activities      

Nearly 30 published works

Over 20 presentations at regional and national professional and academic meetings

A dozen guest lectures

Proven record writing successful grant proposals