Sarah Atwood, MPH

Experience

• 

  UNC Health Care

  Jul 2005 - May 2007

  Intern with Interpreter Services

  Interpreted and advocated for Spanish-speaking patients in the hospital

• 

  Peace Corps

  May 2007 - Nov 2007

  Public Health Promoter

  Conducted health education programs in mental health, substance abuse, nutrition, and reproductive health in rural communities• Led needs assessments in five rural towns to develop strategic health improvement plans and implement projects to improve health outcomes and quality of life in underserved regions

• 

  UNC Health Care

  Nov 2007 - Jan 2008

  ICU Coordinator and Patient & Family Representative

  Interpreted and advocated for Spanish-speaking patients and families, ensuring their needs were met effectively• Facilitated communication between clinic staff and families• Provided quality improvement recommendations to enhance shared decision-making

• 

  El Centro Latino

  Jan 2008 - Aug 2008

  Program Director

  Designed and directed programs for adults and youth aimed to improve health and wellness• Created educational programs for clients and provided direct social services• Wrote content for public and private grant proposals; managed program budgets and reports• Developed an extensive volunteer orientation program and supervised 60 volunteers

• 

  Duke University Health System

  Aug 2008 - Aug 2010

  Bilingual Health Education Specialist

  Provided learning opportunities and care management for Spanish-speaking patients without insurance• Created patient-centered, and culturally and linguistically appropriate curriculum, including content design and evaluation• Conducted home visits for patients and caregivers on various topics to improve health outcomes• Partnered with clinicians and patients on creating care plans, emphasizing shared decision making and quality of life

• 

  Carilion Clinic

  Aug 2010 - Mar 2013

  Health Educator

  Developed, implemented, and evaluated health education programs for a student body of 9,000 with 40% first-generation college students• Managed peer education program, training students to create and deliver presentations; received National Outstanding Advisor Award in 2012• Partnered with faculty to develop and implement curricula aimed at reducing negative consequences related to substance abuse; published analysis in the American Journal of Health Education• Established task force and obtained funding to develop and implement a tobacco-free policy• Earned the Radford Distinguished Women Honoree Award in 2012 for an “extraordinary commitment to social justice and for serving as an inspirational model for others” Show less

• 

  Radford University

  Aug 2011 - Mar 2013

  Adjunct Professor

  Developed and taught new course "Peer Education – Leadership and Health" designed to empower students with the core training to educate, intervene, listen to, and help their peers make healthy lifestyle choices• Conducted course needs analysis to validate learning requirements; utilized evidence-based learning techniques to increase engagement and enhance transfer of learning among students• 100% of students passed the National Peer Education Certification through the BACCHUS Network after course completion; received 4.84/5 points on student evaluationsFacilitated "New Student" course for first-year college students to develop academic, social and personal success• Developed curriculum and co-instructed class with undergraduate Peer Instructor• Mentored Peer Instructor in leadership and facilitation Show less

• 

  UNC Health Care

  Mar 2013 - Jan 2016

  Health Education & Family Support Specialist

  Developed, implemented, and evaluated programs for 750+ families and 150 nurses annually• Trained clinicians and staff on shared decision making, health equity, and family-centered care based on needs analysis • Chaired hospital-wide committee on patient engagement and shared decision making; facilitated Patient and Family Advisory Councils in the NICU and Children's Hospital; received the Patient and Family Advisory Program Award in 2016 from the NC Quality Center• Designed, facilitated and evaluated curricula for weekly family education programs in the NICU; trained and supervised 15 practicum students, 2 interns and 20 volunteers to support programming• Led process and quality improvements projects in the NICU using Lean Six Sigma and PSDA methods• Earned the UNC Plus Person Award in 2014 for “exemplifying the characteristics of Commitment to Caring; awarded for positive attitude brought to the job, high quality of work, and concern for all people served” Show less

• 

  Duke University Health System

  Jan 2016 - Mar 2018

  Managed division operations, staff, finances, and quality improvement initiatives for the divisions of cardiology, rheumatology and nephrology in the department of pediatrics• Analyzed financial reports and operational metrics to identify areas for improvement and cost-saving opportunities• Recruited, trained and managed eight staff to ensure adequate support for clinics in eleven communities across N.C.; developed ongoing learning activities and performance support tools to support the team’s goals• Coached clinical providers and staff to optimize use of Epic, the electronic medical record application Show less

  • Health Center Administrator

    Jun 2017 - Mar 2018

  • Manager, Division Operations

    Jan 2016 - Jun 2017
• 

  Medscape

  Jul 2018 - now

  Managed a team of learning designers to develop impactful clinician patient simulation and patient education programs• Developed and executed a systematic, evidence-based instructional design strategy for program design, development, implementation, and evaluation• Led quality improvement initiatives to ensure instructional design techniques and adult learning principles are infused through all of our educational programs• Led process re-design for patient education products; identified opportunities for process improvement through milestone analysis and interactions with key stakeholders to enhance operations, reduce delivery time and ensure quality Show less Designed innovative patient simulations for clinicians consistent with Continuing Medical Education (CME) regulations and best practices for adult learning• MedSims's achievements: - Superior Instructional Design score (89-98%) by the Calibre Institute for Quality Medical Education (2020) - Outstanding Continuing Education Outcomes by ACEhp (2020) - Outstanding Innovation in Continuing Professional Development by ACEhp (2018)• Led content design for MedChallenge, a game-based learning platform Show less

  • Director, Learning Design

    Feb 2025 - now

  • Associate Director, Learning Design

    Feb 2024 - Mar 2025

  • Manager, Simulation Learning Design

    May 2022 - Feb 2024

  • Senior Simulation Learning Designer

    Jul 2021 - May 2022

  • Simulation Learning Designer

    Jul 2018 - Jul 2021