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Jennifer Occhipinti Howell

Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke Women's Health Associates
246 Baker House, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, Durham, NC 27705
5601 Arringdon Park, Suite 430, Morrisville, NC 27560

Teaching Activities


Teaching/Learner Support:
-Resident Education (OB/GYN and Pediatrics) - Duke University Hospitals 2021 - current
  • 9/2021: Pediatric Resident Noon Conference: “Prepubertal Vaginal Bleeding," Large group lecture:15-20 Pediatric residents, 60 minutes, 1x/year;
  • 10/2021: OBGYN Resident Didactics:“Current Management of Menopause," Large group lecture: 15-20 OBGYN residents, 60 minutes, 1x/year 
  • 3/2022 OBGYN Resident Didactics: "Vulvar Dystrophy and Vaginitis," Large Group lecture: 15-20 OBGYN residents 60 minutes, 1x/year
  • 4/2022 - 2023 REI and Gyn One fellow didactics: “Current Management of Menopause, small group lecture; 3 fellows and 1 resident; 60 min, 1x/year
  • 4/2023 REI fellow didactics "AUB in the Pediatric population" small group lecture; 3 fellows and 1 resident; 60 min 1x/year
-Resident Education (OBGYN and Pediatrics) - University of North Carolina School of Medicine 2011-2021
  • Small group lecture: 7-10 OB-GYsN residents, 60 minutes, 1x/year Examples:“primary and preventative care,” “shoulder dystocia drill,” “Vaginitis and STI’s, “Prenatal Care,” “Management of Abnormal Labor and Induction of Labor,” “CREOG Board Review: Practice Management”
  •  Large group lecture: 15 –20 OB/GYN residents; 60 minutes 1x/yearExamples: “Benign Breast Disease” “Menopausal Health”, Wellness didactics: “The Third Thing,” “Nurturing the Whole Self,”“Fostering Empathy through Narrative Medicine,”“Abnormal Uterine Bleeding in Adolescents,”“Obstetrical complications,”“Topics in Pediatric Gynecology,” “Coding in the Ambulatory Environment”
  • 2014 –2021 Large group lecture: 20-30 Pediatric residents, 60 minutes, 1x every other year. “OB/GYN Basics for the Pediatrician”
- Medical Student Education 

Pre-Clinical Medical Students; Duke University Medical School 2021 - present
  • 2021 Faculty Facilitator for Body and Disease Reproductive Medicine sessions; 90-100 students; 120 minutes; 1x/year diagnostic reasoning session(Abnormal vaginal bleeding); team-based education sessions (Contraception; Emergency Contraception)
Pre-clinical Medical Students; University of North Carolina Medical School 2016 –2021
  • Large group lectures: 150-200 students/year; 60 minutes; 60 hours course preparation
  • Curricula example:https://media.med.unc.edu/tec/found/rep/BenignGYNDisease/story.html
  • Healer’s Art Instructor: 2019 -2021
Clinical medical students: Duke Medical School
  • 4/2022 -Transition to OB/GYN residency course - multiple small group sessions 6-8 students; 60 minutes;  Health Systems science; Residents as Teachers: Goal setting; Feedback; Obstetrical Skills
Clinical medical Students: UNC School of Medicine:
  • 2012-2017: Transition to OBGYN residency: Small group sessions -15-20 students, 90-minute sessions; once/yearExamples: “Obstetrical Skills,” “Oral Contraception and the Menstrual Cycle,”“Anatomical Dissection”
  • 2014 –2021: Clerkship -small and large group work: Team-Based Learning, OB/GYN SHELF review, individual longitudinal clinical preceptorships approximately 6 3rd year students, and 4-6 4th year students per year
Development of Courses/Education Programs:
Coding in the Ambulatory Environment: 2012 -2020
  • Developed a Coding Handbook for OB-GYN residents, used by 28 residents/year to acquaint them with coding for billing purposes; 10 hours curriculum development 92. Core Curriculumin Ambulatory OB/GYN:2012 (still used by UNC OBGYN residency upon my departure in 2021)
Ambulatory OBGYN curriculum delivered weekly since 2012- 2020 UNC. Recently adapted for DWHA rotation at Duke
  • 30-minute small group sessions for 5-8 learners; topics include primary care, professional development, practice management, ambulatory GYN, and prenatal care; 20 hours of curriculum development.
Hospitalized, Interventional and Surgical Care –Application Phase of UNC Medical School Translational Care at Carolina Curriculum: 2014 -2016
  • Co- developed an integrated clinical experience with didactic sessions and assessments, including observed structural clinical experiences (OSCE) in inpatient gynecology, surgery, family medicine and internal medicine; 40 hours of curriculum development.
Menopause Specialty Clinic: 2016 -present 
  • Developed, planned, and executed a Menopause Specialty Clinic one half day per week beginning in July of 2016 staffed by an experienced Obstetrician/Gynecologist on faculty at UNC. I have successfully transitioned this program to Duke as well with the opening of the Center for Menopause at our Arrington clinic facility in Morrisville, NC. Created a didactic curriculum on various topics related to menopausal health based on a resident survey which assessed their self-reported knowledge and confidence regarding caring for menopausal patients. Developed a validated test of knowledge-based questions to assess curricular effectiveness; 60 hours curricular development. 
  • Curricula example: story.html
Pediatric Adolescent Clinic Curriculum (PAG): 2019-present 
  • Developed, planned, and executed a Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic 1 ½ days per month beginning in July of 2019 staffed by an experienced Obstetrician/Gynecologist on faculty at UNC. Created a didactic curriculum on various topics related to PAG. I have successfully transitioned this service over to Duke University Hospitals 1/2 day week 
  • Pediatric Adolescent Gynecology Web Ed (PAG Web ED) cases -Developed several cases available nationally as part of the North American Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology curriculum available on-line to members and other educators.
           Example: Case 33: Complex ovarian masses- pagwebed-information. (password protected - available upon request)

Development of Assessment Tools and Methods:
  • Observed Structured Clinical Experiences (OSCE) 8 cases currently used in UNC OBGYN clerkship since 2016.
  • Midterms and final exams in Reproductive Block of Medical Sciences for Pre-Clinical Medical Students atUNC School of Medicine: 2016 –2021. 
  • Validated test of knowledge-based questions to assess curricular effectiveness for Menopause Specialty Clinic for OBGYN residents: 2016
Education Management/Leadership:

Duke University
  • Medical Education Leadership team member:Director of Instructional Design: 2021 - 2022
  • Vice Chair of Education for Department of OBGYN - 7/2022 - present
My job as a Medical Education team member is detailed below; I now also lead the team and am part of the Executive Leadership representing the Education mission.
-  working on several programs including the Pre-clinical Undergraduate Medical Education in Reproductive Medicine, and the Transition to residency course for 4thyear medical students, Residency Ombudsman, and GME Curricular design

University of North Carolina
Residency:
  • Rotation Director of Ambulatory OB/GYN: 2014 –2021
  • Member, OB/GYN Residency Clinical Competency Committee: 2014 –2021
School of Medicine:
  • Clerkship Co-Director: 2014 –2018 
  • Reproductive Medicine Co-Course Director: 2016 –2021
  • Course Director, Ambulatory OB/GYN Women’s Health Selective (4thyear elective): 2018 to 2021