Rebekah Cole
Ph.D., M.Ed.
Education
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA - Ph.D. CounselingCollege 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