Rebekah Cole Ph.D., M.Ed.

Education

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA - Ph.D. Counseling
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA - M.Ed. School Counseling
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA - BA English, minor in Hispanic Studies

Biography

Dr. Rebekah Cole is the Director of Research in the Department of Military and Emergency Medicine at USU. She also holds a faculty appointment as a Research Associate Professor in the Center for Health Professions Education at USU. Dr. Cole conducts quantitative and qualitative field research during high-fidelity military medical simulations- Operation Bushmaster, Operation Gunpowder, and the Advanced Combat Medical Experience (ACME)- to determine their impact on military medical student readiness.

With her clinical background in mental health counseling, Dr. Cole also studies the impact of mental health and wellness on military performance. She is currently conducting DoD grant-funded research on the impact of mindfulness training on performance in the operational environment.

Throughout her career, Dr. Cole has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at more than 25 international, national, and regional conferences. She is currently Chair of the Society for Academic and Emergency Medicine's (SAEM) Educational Research Interest Group.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

Rudinsky, S.L., Weisbrod, E., & Cole, R. (2023). “Not for the Faint of Heart”: First-year military medical students’ professional identity formation during the innovative Patient Experience at Operation Bushmaster. Military Medicine. 188(3), 34-40. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac427

Cole, R., Egan, S., Schwartz, J., Rudinsky, S.L. (2023). The impact of high-fidelity simulations on medical student readiness. Military Medicine, 188(3), 7-14. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac382

Wager, R., Cole, R., Egan., S.J., Van Shufflin, M.W., & Tilley, L. (2023). The impact of special operations medics and corpsmen on military medical student training. Journal of Special Operations Medicine. doi:10.55460/RSA6-6FA7

Van Shufflin, M., Barry, E., Vojta, L., Yarnell, A., Cole, R. (2023). Students' leadership development during a high-fidelity military medical field practicum. Military Medicine, 188(3), 15-20. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac377

Cole, R., Garrigan, A.G., Peters, S.A., Conley, S.P. Rudinsky, S.L., Tilley, L., Vojta, L., Scwartz, J., Weston, C., & Goolsby, C. (2023). The impact of Operation Bushmaster on medical student decision making in a high-stress, operational environment. Military Medicine, 188(3), 28-33.https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac373

Cole, R., Garrigan, A.G. Peters, S.A. Tilley, L., Conley, S.P. Schwartz, J., Vojta, L., & Rudinsky, S. (2023). Medical students’ integration of formative feedback during simulation: A grounded theory study. Military Medicine,188(3), 48-55. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac378

Rudinsky, S.L., Weisbrod, E., & Cole, R. (2022). The impact of the patient role on medical student learning during peer simulation: A qualitative phenomenological study. Simulation in Healthcare. doi: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000698

Cole, R., Peters, S.A., Garrigan, A.G.,Tilley, L., Conley, S.P. Schwartz, J., Vojta, L., & Rudinsky, S. (2022). Medical students’ professional identity formation during Operation Bushmaster. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac132

Rudinsky, S.L., Spalding, C, Conley, S., Everett, L., & Cole, R. (2022). The development, implementation, and evaluation of a medical student peer teaching training curriculum during a high-fidelity pre-hospital trauma simulation. Academic Emergency Medicine Education and Training, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/aet2.10782

Cole, R., Rudinsky, S., Conley, S.P., Vojta, L., Kwon, S.W. Garrigan, A.G., Prosek, E.A., & Goolsby, C. (2022). The impact of medical school on military physicians’ readiness for their first deployment. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac049

Representative Bibliography

Cole, R., Hildreth, A., Pickering, R., & Rudinsky, S.L. (2024). Peer teachers’ professional identity development during a prehospital simulation: A grounded theory study. Simulation in Healthcare. doi:10.1097/SIH.0000000000000791

Shumaker, J, Shen, C., & Cole R. (2024). Ukrainian healthcare professionals' experiences during Operation Gunpowder: Implications for increasing and enhancing training partnerships. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usad484

Cole, R., Wagner, R., Egan, S.J. Van Shufflin, M.W. & Tilley, L. (2023). Military medical student experiences during a Prolonged Casualty Care simulation. Journal of Military and Veteran Health. https://doi-ds.org/doilink/10.2023-98438352/JMVH Vol 31 No 4

Cole, R., Steffins, K., Flash, Z., Conley, S., & Givens, M. (2023). The impact of progressive simulation-based training on tourniquet application. Journal of Special Operations Medicine. doi:10.55460/X6XO-RVXC

Cole, R., Herman, S., Hughes, J., & Rudinsky, S. (2023). The Military Medical Officer’s current day professional identity: An enhanced model. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usad094

Cole, R., Durning, S., Reamy, B., Stewart, H., Williamson, S., Rudinsky, SL. (2023). A Comparison of HPSP and USU graduates’ preparation for residency. Military Medicine, 188(2) 98-105. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usac437

Cole, R., Wagner, R., Egan, S.J. Van Shufflin, M.W. & Tilley, L. (2023). Military medical student experiences during a Prolonged Casualty Care simulation. Journal of Military and Veteran Health. https://doi-ds.org/doilink/08.2023-87359537/Online First

Cole, R., Wightman, J. (2023). The impact of a high-fidelity military medical simulation on military medical students’ self-confidence. Military Medicine, 188(3), 21-27. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usad074

Cole, R., Van Shufflin, M., Smith, D., & Woodard, S. (2023). The Antietam Staff Walk at the Uniformed Services University: A program evaluation. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usad317

Cole, R.F., Cowan, R.G., Dunn, H., & Lincoln, T. (2021). Investigating military spouse suicide: A qualitative phenomenological study. The Professional Counselor, 11(2), 203-217. doi: 10.15241/rfc.11.2.203