UMatters

Chancellor Leo Morton, Dean Betty Drees, and medical school student Steven Curti.

Students, staff and faculty at the UMKC School of Medicine joined Dean Betty Drees and Chancellor Leo Morton on Aug. 3 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, officially opening the school’s newly renovated docent unit.

The unit is one of five docent units – key elements supporting the School of Medicine’s emphasis on a team-based approach to patient care and creating “learning communities” for its students. The docent units are comprised of 10-12 students and provide individual office space, as well as flexible common space, for studying and networking with mentors and fellow students.

The new unit will serve as a prototype for feedback prior to planning further remodeling of the school’s other docent units. Funding for the renovation came from the Caring for Missourians initiative and also included the construction of a new 37-seat computer testing and training lab on the first floor of the school. The renovations are part of a move to keep the School of Medicine moving forward as a state of the art medical school and to enhance the learning environment for students. The first step in the updates took place when the School renovated the lobby and first-floor theaters in 2008.