Toshiko L. Uchida, M.D., medical director of outpatient simulation and element leader of clinical medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, has been appointed as the inaugural associate dean for curriculum at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (UVM). Her appointment, following a national search, will be effective on July 1, 2025. The announcement was made by Richard L. Page, M.D., dean of the Larner College of Medicine, and Christa Zehle, M.D., senior associate dean for medical education at Larner and director of UVM Health Network Education.

In her new role, Uchida will work closely with medical educators and colleagues in the Office of Medical Education (OME) at Larner and the UVM Health Network. She will oversee the ongoing development of the curriculum, mentor both students and faculty, and help further establish Larner as a national leader in medical research and education.

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Toshiko Uchida to the Larner College of Medicine as our inaugural associate dean for curriculum,” said Zehle. “Dr. Uchida brings a wealth of experience in her prior roles as element leader in clinical medicine and medical director of outpatient simulation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and as an inpatient and outpatient attending physician in internal medicine. Her involvement and leadership in the Directors of Clinical Skills Education (DOCS) and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Central Group on Educational Affairs (CGEA) organizations, as well as her commitment to inclusive practices, will be an asset to our medical education community.”

Uchida brings nearly 25 years of experience in medical education. From 2001 to 2008, she held academic positions in the Department of Internal Medicine at Rush University Medical College in Chicago while serving as an attending physician at Stroger Hospital of Cook County. In 2008, she was appointed assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She was promoted to associate professor and received a secondary appointment in the Department of Medical Education in 2015, and in 2024 she was promoted to professor. Uchida held these roles, along with her responsibilities as medical director of outpatient simulation and element leader of clinical medicine, and attending physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, until her move to UVM.

Uchida earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in primary care internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Over more than two decades, she has been involved in nearly every aspect of medical education, from teaching to curriculum development, assessment, program evaluation, and the LCME accreditation process.

Her leadership extends to several national organizations. Uchida recently completed her term as chair of the Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) Section of the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) at the AAMC. Before this, she served as UME Chair for the Central Group on Educational Affairs (CGEA), where she also held roles as membership director and program chair for the CGEA Regional Spring Meeting in 2016. She was president of DOCS from 2020 to 2021 and served as the inaugural treasurer and as the CGEA representative to DOCS. Due to her national recognition in clinical skills, she was invited to serve on the Advisory Taskforce for the GEA’s Clinical Skills Assessment and Standardization (CLASS) Project and on the NBME’s Clinical Skills Assessment Advisory Taskforce following the discontinuation of Step 2 CS.

Uchida is a well-regarded author in the field of clinical skills, with several articles published in Academic Medicine and a recent chapter on standardized patient-based assessment in a textbook on clinical performance. She has presented her work at over 20 national and international conferences.

“I congratulate Senior Associate Dean Christa Zehle on the successful completion of this search,” Dean Page said. “I look forward to Dr. Uchida’s contribution to our college’s rich tradition of innovation in medical education.”