Throughout a career that has spanned more than 30 years as a physician, educator, and leader, Paul J. Schenarts, MD, FACS, MAMSE, has always sought out opportunities that would allow him to be a part of something meaningful, to truly make an impact.
And it was that guiding principle that led Dr. Schenarts to WMed where, in February, he began his new role as the medical school’s associate dean for Faculty Affairs.
“There is just tremendous potential in this institution,” said Dr. Schenarts, who also serves as professor in the Department of Surgery. “At many older, more established medical schools, their founders, movers, and shakers are all oil paintings on the walls. Here, we’re much more of a watercolor in that we are developing who we are, we’re maturing and it’s a very important time for the school, and I want to be a part of shaping that.”
“I think this is going to be a fabulous job,” he added. “I’m really excited about it.”
Dr. Schenarts graduated from Fordham University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. He earned his MD degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 1992 and spent one additional year as a post-sophomore fellow in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. He completed a surgical internship and his general surgery residency training at the Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, where he was chief surgical resident. In 1996, he completed a NIH Trauma Research fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriner’s Burn Institute Investigational Intensive Care Unit, as well as a Trauma Surgery and Surgical Care fellowship at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2000 and a Surgical Education Research fellowship at the Association for Surgical Education in 2004.
Dr. Schenarts also served as a colonel and general surgeon in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1994 with an honorable discharge in 2013. He was awarded a Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal, and other recognition for his service in Afghanistan. He also served two tours in Iraq.
“I’m always embarrassed when people say, ‘Thank you for your service,’” Dr. Schenarts said. “I joined the military as a resident solely to give something back and I absolutely loved it. I really got much more out of it than I put into it and we got the opportunity to care for our young men and women who are serving our country.”
During his time in Afghanistan and Iraq, Dr. Schenarts said he and members of the surgical team he led also got the opportunity to provide care to local nationals in communities that were resource-limited.
“Intellectually, it was very challenging,” Dr. Schenarts said. “You didn’t have all of the bells and whistles so you had to think your way out of a lot of problems and the experiences really taught me good leadership lessons.”
Prior to coming to WMed, Dr. Schenarts served as a professor of Specialty Medicine and associate dean for Clinical Affairs at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Iowa. He also was a professor in the Department of Surgery at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska.
In his most recent role as associate dean for Clinical Affairs at DMU, Dr. Schenarts had oversight for all clinical education during the last two years of medical school. He has also served in leadership roles as clerkship director, residency program director, Vice Chair for Education, Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, and assistant dean for Clinical Academic Affairs.
As a practicing clinician, Dr. Schenarts previously provided critical care medicine for the Veterans Health Administration at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and the Iowa City VA Medical Center. Until 2019, he was an attending surgeon, director of Acute Care Surgery, and chief of Trauma Surgery for Surgical Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center where he helped found the institution’s trauma surgery center. He held other clinical positions at East Carolina University/Pitt County Memorial Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Nationally, Dr. Schenarts serves in leadership positions for the American College of Surgeons where he is the Chair of the Medical Student Education Committee, serves on the Faculty Development Committee, is a faculty member in the Certificate in Educational Leadership program, and is the executive course director of the Surgeons as Educators course. He is an Associate Board Examiner for the American Board of Surgery. Previously, he held leadership positions with the Gold Humanism National Honor Society, the Association of Program Directors in Surgery, the Association for Surgical Education, and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Dr. Schenarts has published more than 140 scholarly articles and book chapters and has experience as a formal mentor for career development and research.
At WMed, Dr. Schenarts said he wants to focus on providing clinical and non-clinical faculty with the tools and support they need to excel as educators in the classroom and clinical setting. He also plans to conduct a critical evaluation of the policies that govern the work of WMed faculty to ensure the policies are up to date and in line with the medical school’s mission, vision, and values.
“Elevating people is my goal,” Dr. Schenarts said. “My approach is to have an open-door policy and I want to meet with our frontline faculty because I value that input from our people who are doing that important work.”