Erin Sheehy, Ph.D., M.E.H.P.

Professional Background

Dr. Erin Sheehy earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Graceland University in Lamoni, IA. She then traveled to the University of Iowa where she earned her PhD in pharmacology. In her PhD research, Dr. Sheehy studied and researched the novel natural product chemotherapeutic drugs called the schweinfurthins. Her research focused on determining their mechanism of action. After graduate school, Dr. Sheehy completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in Free Radical and Radiation Biology at the University of Iowa where she studied the mechanisms of RABL6A signaling in cancer and neuroendocrine tumor biology and researched the role of NIAM in B-cell lymphomagenesis using transgenic animal models. Dr. Sheehy continued her studies at Johns Hopkins University where she earned a Master’s of Education in the Health Professions (MEHP) degree. She began her medical education career as an Assistant Professor teaching pharmacology at Kansas City University. Dr. Sheehy then transitioned to a new opportunity in Memphis, TN at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine where she worked as both an Assistant Professor teaching pharmacology and as the Assistant Dean of the Pre-Clinical curriculum. Currently, Dr. Sheehy serves as the Associate Dean of Foundational Sciences on the Salina campus and teaches pharmacology within the School of Medicine here at KU. Dr. Sheehy is also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University in the School of Education.

Research

Overview

Dr. Sheehy's research and scholarly interests include medical student study strategies and curriculum design. She aims to be a scholarly medical educator by applying her research findings to improve both student outcomes and student satisfaction in learning.

• Sheehy Ryan, Scott Devin, Davis Diveena, Roffler Marissa, Sweatman Trevor, Nemec Eric. 2024. Medical student use of practice questions in their studies: a qualitative study. BMC Medical Education, 24 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06168-6
• Roffler Marissa, Sheehy Ryan. 2022. Self-reported Learning and Study Strategies in First and Second Year Medical Students. Medical Science Educator, 32 (2), 329-335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01533-w