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

Professional Background

Dr. Ryan Sheehy earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Graceland University in Lamoni, IA. He then traveled to the University of Iowa where he earned his PhD in pharmacology. In his PhD research, Dr. Sheehy studied and researched the novel natural product chemotherapeutic drugs called the schweinfurthins. His 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 he 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 his studies at Johns Hopkins University where he earned a Master’s of Education in the Health Professions (MEHP) degree. He began his 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 he 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. He aims to be a scholarly medical educator by applying his 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