Dr. Holly West, DHEd, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA is a proud UTMB alum and has built a distinguished career spanning academia, clinical practice, research, and leadership. She is a trained Physician Assistant and earned a Doctorate in Health Education. Faculty appointments have included the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department as a Women’s Health Specialist focused on clinical research and UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Studies Department (2008-2014; 2020-Present). Her Faculty Development role began in the JSSOM Office of Educational Development, where she provided expert consultation in curriculum development, teaching pedagogy, learner assessment, and faculty development. Following the implementation and success of a newly launched interprofessional, institution-wide faculty development and mentoring initiative within the UTMB Provost’s Office of Faculty Development, Dr. West assumed the full-time role of Director of Mentoring Programs- Education in September 2025. In this capacity, she continues her commitment to supporting faculty across the academic continuum.
Dr. West is recognized for excellence in education and leadership, receiving numerous teaching awards, four named educational endowments, and designation in the UT System as a Distinguished Teaching Professor and by the national Association of PAs as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Physician Associates. She was inducted into the University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education and the UTMB Academy of Master Teachers. Recently, she was awarded the UTMB PA Distinguished Alumni award in recognition of her achievements. She chairs educational committees at the national, state, and local levels and served as the elected Director of the 75+ member UTMB Academy of Master Teachers and is currently the President-Elect of the University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education. Dr. West is an author of peer-reviewed publications and seven textbook chapters. She has delivered over 100 invited and peer-reviewed presentations, workshops, and posters internationally, nationally, state-wide, and locally.
Supplemental Training Received:
Leadership:
- Coaching and Mentoring Peers (American Medical Association and Cleveland Clinic Center for Excellence in Coaching and Mentoring),
- Leadership and Change Management (AAMC)
- Communication (AAMC)
- Program Evaluation
- Project Management
- Lifestyle Coaching
Teaching:
- Curriculum Development
- Peer Observation of Teaching
- TED-Style Microlessons
- Programmatic Assessment
- National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Item Writing
- Education Scholarship
- TeamSTEPPS 2.0
- Team Based Learning
- Problem Based Learning
Areas of Expertise (for speaking engagements, retreat development and facilitation, consultations)
Leadership
- Leadership of interprofessional and interdisciplinary faculty (e.g., Steering Committees, Advisory Boards, Academies, Task Forces)
- Leadership of educational conferences and symposia
- Using coaching and coach approaches for Faculty
- Building mentoring relationships
- Change management
- Professional identity formation of faculty across the continuum
- Communication (Mental Modeling and Feedback)
- Giving and receiving effective feedback
- Program development, implementation, and evaluation
Career Development
- Mentoring, sponsoring, coaching faculty
- Advancement and promotion processes including writing personal statements
- Creating Educator Portfolios and Teaching Philosophy Statements
- Developing the academic CV
- Presentation skills
- Faculty recognition programs
Health Professions Education
- Learner assessment (e.g., examination tools, items, rubrics, evaluations)
- Curriculum design and development for faculty and for learners
- Program Evaluation
- Educational scholarship (e.g., research, innovation, enduring materials, manuscript and abstract development, poster design)
- Instructional design
- Teaching pedagogy (i.e., Active learning, Team-Based and Problem-Based Learning)
Mentoring, advising, coaching learners - Peer observation of teaching
- Providing learner feedback
- Residents and trainees as teachers
- Presentation skills