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
Stanford University, Stanford, CA - Certificate, Foundations of Data Science

Biography

Dr. Rebekah Cole is an Associate Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Military and Emergency Medicine at USU. Her research focuses on evaluating the impact of USU's Military Unique Curriculum on the learning, development, and readiness of military medical students. Before joining USU, Dr. Cole was the Program Director for the MSE School Counseling Program at Arkansas State University, where she spearheaded the development and implementation of a comprehensive graduate education program.

With a clinical background in mental health counseling, Dr. Cole also explores how mental health and wellness influence military performance. She is currently leading Department of Defense grant-funded research on the effects of mindfulness training on military medical students' performance in the operational environment.

Dr. Cole has published more than 75 peer-reviewed journal articles and presented at over 50 international, national, and regional conferences. She serves as Chair of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine's Educational Research Interest Group and also chairs USU’s School of Medicine Assessment Committee.

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

Cole, R. (2024). Validation of experiential learning at USU. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae435

Cole, R., Pearce, E., Hildreth, A., Xiao, R., & Vojta, L. (2024). The impact of a pre-hospital simulation on medical students’ resourcefulness, personal growth initiative, and uncertainty tolerance. Academic Emergency Medicine Education & Training. https://doi.org/10.1002/aet2.11032

Cole, R., Shen, C., Shumaker, J., Matthews, K., Brown, Z., Cuestas, J., & Rudinsky, SL. (2024). The impact of simulation-based training on medical students’ whole blood transfusion abilities. Transfusion. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.17906

Cole, R., Durning, S., Shen, C., Reamy, B., & Rudinsky, SL. (2024). Civilian and military medical school graduates’ readiness for deployment: Areas of strength and opportunities for growth. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae167

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

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

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

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., Bowling, C., Ren, X & Vojta, L. (2024). Simulation-based education’s impact on medical students’ tolerance of uncertainty: A grounded theory study. Medical Teacher, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2024.2438787

Cole, R., Crawford, K., Olmstead, M., Vojta, L., Schwartz, J., & Rudinsky, SL. (2024). The relationship between the Military Medical Officer and Commanding Officer: Implications for education and training. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae337

Matthews, K., Walther, S., Brown, Z., Cuestas, J., Shumaker, J., Moore, D., & Cole, R. (2024). Preparing future military medical officers to conduct emergency fresh whole blood transfusions in austere environments: A novel training curriculum. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae162

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

Cole, R., & Bronstein, MV. (2024). Stress and resilience among military medical students completing a high- fidelity educational deployment simulation. International Journal of Healthcare Simulation. https://doi.org/10.54531/bhtx8590

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