Julie E. Kutac, MA, PhDAssistant Professor of Instruction
Director of PA Program Assessment
Department of Physician Assistant Studies
John Sealy School of Medicine
Dr. Kutac is an Assistant Professor of Instruction and Director of Program Assessment in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies in the John Sealy School of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Kutac earned her BS in Molecular
Biology from Texas Lutheran University, her MA in Religious Studies from Rice University, and her PhD in Medical Humanities from UTMB. While a PhD student, she completed a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Minority Aging from the National Institute on Aging.
Prior to joining the UTMB Faculty, Dr. Kutac worked as Professional Education and Research Specialist at the Alzheimer's Association-Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter. There, she prepared and taught dementia curricula to well over 1,000 health care
practitioners across the state of Texas. She also served as a spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association, educating lay audiences within the Houston media market via television, print, and podcast interviews. For her promotion of dementia education,
Dr. Kutac has been awarded the Texas Lutheran University Distinguished Alumnus Award. She has also been awarded the Chester R. Burns Institute for the Medical Humanities Alumni Award and the John Stobo Award in Oslerian Medicine.
As a faculty member, Dr. Kutac teaches and guides physician assistant students as they consider the social, ethical, and communicative dimensions of the practice of medicine. Using creative, active, teaching methods and an accessible communication
style, she brings the scholarship of the medical humanities in order to create brave spaces for moral reflection and intellectual inquiry. With Dr. Robert Beach, Dr. Kutac has initiated a Humanism in Clinical Care elective for PA students at UTMB.
Dr. Kutac also maintains an abiding interest in faculty development and program assessment. Through the Office of Educational Development, she has presented both Tech Times and Teaching Skills Workshops. She has also co-presented twice at the AMT
Grand Rounds. Nationally, she serves as a Site Visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, helping to ensure the rigorous standards of quality for PA education across the United States.
Dr. Kutac was inducted into the Academy of Master Teachers in 2022.
Learner Types: JSSOM - Physician Assistant Sciences.
Assessment of Learners: Feedback to Learners, Debriefing Techniques.
Advancement/Promotion: Educator Portfolio.
Curriculum: Curriculum Design, Curriculum Mapping, Curriculum Evaluation.
Diversity Issues: Disability, Gender, LGBTQIA+, Race/Ethnicity.
Instructional Methods: Flipped Classroom, Narrative Pedagogy, Theater for Education (Medical Improv).
Scholarship - Ed Research or Curriculum Innovation: Poster Development, Presentation Skills, Manuscript Writing.
Special Content: Ethics in Health Professions Education, Humanities in Health Professions Education, Professionalism , Spirituality in Health Professions Education.