Primary Faculty

Assistant Professor of Professional Practice

Dr. Adrian Reynolds is the founding Director of Academic Enrichment Services at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the new Department of Medical Education. In this role, Dr. Reynolds works closely with the offices of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, Student Affairs, and the Department of Medicine. His work is located within the rapidly growing field of applied learning sciences, and is driven by both socio-cognitive and sociocultural approaches to learning and teaching. Over the past four years, in close collaboration with student leaders, Dr. Reynolds has established three peer-teaching programs that serve first- and second-year medical students. Through these robust academic support programs, learners are introduced to key evidence-based learning and study strategies that have shown to be positively correlated with both academic and clinical performance.   
 
Since joining the Miller School of Medicine in 2016, as a learning specialist, Dr. Reynolds has held hundreds of individual, one-hour academic coaching sessions with medical students, residents, fellows, and pre-med students. His overarching goal is to facilitate the development of self-regulated learning skills through deliberate practice. Dr. Reynolds’ "blueprint" for academic coaching in medical education has been published in Medical Teacher. Driven by the science of learning, his preventive model of academic coaching seeks to not only help students rethink what it means to learn in the 21st century, but also to level the playing field for learners from underserved, low-income communities who, unfortunately, have limited, personal access to resources such as adaptive learning tools, the most up-to-date study aids, textbooks, test prep materials, and individualized tutoring.  

Assistant Professor of Professional Practice
Director of Program Evaluation

He received his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in vocational-technical education from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.   He has been a medical educator since 1993 and has worked in the full spectrum of medical education including continuing, graduate and undergraduate medical education in various institutions.

Assistant Professor of Professional Practice
Director of Transformational Learning and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice.

Dr. Kaplan has a degree in Higher Education Administration and Curriculum: Teaching Learning Leadership from Northeastern University. During her 20-year career in higher education as a faculty member and an instructional designer, she has mastered transformational leadership, program design, outcomes assessment, and curriculum development that enhances educational experiences and student achievement. Dr. Kaplan maintains an in-depth understanding of educational needs, with the insight to evaluate programs, redesign course content, create learning objectives, and structure curricula. Dr. Kaplan considers herself an educational leader with a strong interest in social justice and racial equity. Her primary research has been focused on critical race theory and academic resilience, in students of color, in graduate and post-graduate education. She is a proven educator with expertise in teaching, advising dissertation candidates, and managing and delivering educational programs across multiple disciplines related to Health Informatics, Clinical Informatics, Higher Education Administration, Undergraduate Education, and First-year Medical Education. Dr. Kaplan’s personal interests include collaborating on new projects, conducting research, and engaging with students.

 

 

Assistant Professor of Professional Practice
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement

A proud first-generation college graduate, Dr. Nanette Vega serves as the Assistant Dean for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Her professional interests focus primarily on access and equity in education, creating inclusive environments and developing the next generation of student affairs practitioners. In her role as Assistant Dean, she provides leadership in developing the Miller School’s plan to achieve diversity with the goal of enhancing an environment that celebrates the unique contribution of every member. Dr. Vega is responsible for faculty development programs and developing pipeline programs for underrepresented students interested in medicine. She has served in a number of administrative capacities to include Assistant Director of Admissions, Assistant Director of Multicultural Student Affairs and Assistant Dean of Students & Director of the Alcohol and Other Drug Education Center.
Dr. Vega graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish. She completed her Master of Arts and a Certificate in Enrollment Management and her Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Miami. She has presented workshops at numerous conferences on topics such as, cultural competency and first generation college students. She has been recognized with several national and university awards, including the Insight into Diversity-Diversity Visionary Award, University of Miami Student Affairs Laurel Award for Outstanding Work with Students, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, and the ACPA Coalition for Multicultural Affairs Outstanding Contribution to Multicultural Education Award. She is a dedicated volunteer and has served as Faculty Member of the NASPA NUFP and Chair of the ACPA Latinx/a/o Network. Currently, she serves as a board member for the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Alumni Board Member, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Leadership Miami Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisor, NASPA-FL Membership Coordinator and the Latinx/a/o Knowledge Community Awards Co-Chair.

Associate Professor of Professional Practice

She started her professional career in geriatric nursing and obtained her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Miami. She completed her psychology residency training with a focus on neuropsychology and health psychology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Jackson VA Consortium.

Dr. van Zuilen is the Director of the Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine curriculum for medical students and the Associate Director of the Educational Development Office. Since 2018, she has served as the President of the Women in Academic Medicine group at the Miller School of Medicine. She has been engaged in medical student education and faculty development for over 20 years. Over the years, she has been involved in several major geriatrics curricular initiatives at the local, state and national levels. Dr. van Zuilen was a co-investigator and lead program coordinator and evaluator for a Donald W. Reynolds Foundation grant to develop a competency-based curriculum for medical students targeting key geriatric syndromes, a curriculum which is nationally recognized for its innovative competency-based focus.

Dr. van Zuilen has a long track record of educational scholarship including peer-reviewed educational publications and presentations at regional and national conferences. She has been actively involved as a contributor, reviewer, and peer mentor for AAMC’s MedEdPORTAL. She also serves as a peer reviewer for a range of geriatrics, palliative medicine, and educational journals and conferences. The curricular resources she and her colleagues published on MedEdPORTAL have allowed universities across the globe with more limited resources to access high quality educational materials. Dr. van Zuilen has been involved in a range of faculty development efforts and interprofessional trainings over the years with a focus on educational scholarship and academic promotion. She serves as a mentor for faculty and trainees. She has been recognized for her work with awards for mentoring, service, and educational scholarship.

Visiting Professor of Professional Practice

Dr. Shalom Saada Saar believes that everyone has the capacity to lead and a growth mindset is not predetermined. Every potential can be nurtured and developed. He has dedicated his career to helping others identify and cultivate their unique leadership talents. Believing deeply that you can’t lead others until you know how to lead yourself.
Whether working one-on-one with executives, or challenging his students in seminars, Dr. Saar brings his unique experiences and perspectives to everything he does. Companies rely on his counsel because he understands the challenges business leaders face. He also knows that culture and leadership are the only sustainable competitive advantages. He challenges leadership teams to think collectively and act differently in order to create fundamental change that will create exceptional value for the shareholders.
Throughout his career as an academic administrator, VP for executive development and consultant to governmental agencies and corporations, Dr. Saar has dedicated himself to providing coaching and counseling to individuals and teams around the world.
Dr. Saar has brought his unique perspective on leadership to audiences around the globe. Participants consistently remark that they are inspired by his insights and common-sense approach to leading oneself and leading others.  
Dr. Saar has taught at: Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance; Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing; China European International Business School; Harvard University; MIT; Luiss University in Rome and Southern Methodist University.  
His concepts of leading in challenging times were presented in his book Leading with Conviction published by Jose-Bass.
Dr. Saar received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology from Swarthmore College and Master and Doctoral degrees in Organizational Behavior and Administration from Harvard University.
Dr. Saar serves as a keynote speaker focusing on leading change and the power of teams in mobilizing people and resources.