Simulation medicine

Dr. Monahan received a B.S. in Chemistry from Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI), a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), and an M.D. from the University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston, TX). He had an Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center (San Antonio, TX). Completing his initial training in 1998, Dr. Monahan served as Staff Internist at military hospitals in Osan, Korea and Landstuhl, Germany. In 2003, he became Staff Internist and Internal Medicine Clinic Element Leader at USU-affiliated Malcolm Grow USAF Medical Center (Andrews AFB, MD) and was appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine at USU. He soon rose to Chief Consultant for Internal Medicine Services at the USAF Office of the Surgeon General and later rose to Chief of the Medical Staff for the 579th Medical Group.

            In 2011, Dr. Monahan returned to training in Preventive Medicine and Public Health programs at USU, leading to his receipt of an MPH at USU (2012) and a move to Chief for Population Health Operations for the Air Force Medical Operations Agency at Joint Base San Antonio (San Antonio, TX), In 2017, Dr. Monahan assumed the position of Director of Integrated Clinical Skills at USU in 2017, with responsibility as Assistant Dean for Simulation Education added in 2020.  He currently is the Associate Dean for Simultation Education at USU as well as the director of the Val G. Hemming Simulation Center, the largest such center in the Department of Defense.

            Dr. Monahan has received numerous military awards. Most notably, he was accorded the USAF Special Experience Identifier (MF SEI) for Excellence in Clinical/Academic Teaching.  More recently, he received the 2019 School of Medicine Dean’s Impact Award for his important and highly regarded upgrades for the USU curriculum, specifically enhancing student and faculty participation in the Neuroscience module. Dr. Monahan has served on major scholarly bodies locally and nationally. Most notably, he was recently appointed to the Technical Task Force of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Clinical Skills and Assessment Project. He was also selected for the Item-Writing Task Force of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). These appointments reflect his accomplishments and national recognition as an expert in key facets of medical education.

            Dr. Monahan has been involved with USU teaching programs for over 20 years, from residency to key faculty and clinic staff at various institutions in the DoD. During this time, he has taken active leadership roles in clinical and academic programs and have been recognized for teaching excellence. His outstanding contributions relate to his functions at USU since 2017: he has been the creative, caring leader and organizer of instruction that introduces clinical concepts and clinical practice methods to all USU medical students. In addition to reshaping and updating teaching modules, he has involved himself deeply and personally with USU students during key phases of their preclinical instruction. He has inspired and instructed the many faculty members who support these teaching programs and has provided strong, successful remediation for students needing special help. His innovations in curriculum development and his research studying teaching methods have led to regional and national presentations to enhance medical education broadly.