Workplace-Based Assessment Creative Community

Manas Das, MD, MS, is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education and a professor in the department of radiology/translational anatomy at UMass Chan Medical School. He earned his MD and MS (postdoc/specialization in clinical anatomy) degrees from the University of Calcutta, India. Following retirement from his practice, Dr. Das transitioned to working full time in medical education in 2005, finding inspiration in working with students.

Previously, Dr. Das served as an associate professor and Director of Anatomical Sciences Education at Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota. He was drawn to UMass Chan for its work environment and further career opportunities. His teaching interests include gross anatomy, histology, embryology and neuroscience.

Dr. Das authored "Medical Histology and Embryology Q&A," published in 2017, and “Medical Neuroscience Q&A,” published in 2019. He is the founding member of the Task Force in Anatomical Sciences within the American Association for Anatomy and has led efforts to develop educational standards in medical histology and embryology.

Komal Kochhar, MD, MHA, is the Assistant Dean for Educational Affairs Data Analytics and the Director for Research in Medical Education. She is an associate research professor in the department of family medicine, and an associate research professor in the department of anatomy, cell biology and physiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She received her MBBS (MD) degree from Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, India, in 1994. Upon completion of medical school, Dr. Kochhar served as a house surgeon in Delhi until 1999. She obtained her master’s degree in health administration from Indiana University in 2003.

Dr. Kochhar was selected as a fellow in the Leadership Education and Development program by the Association of American Medical Colleges. She has served in several leadership roles in national societies, including program planning committee member, international committee chair, and a three-year term as president of the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education, as well as the program co-chair, member-at-large, and a three-year term as chair of The Generalists in Medical Education. In 2024, Dr. Kochhar was elected to serve a four-year term as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges Central Group on Educational Affairs.

Christopher J. Mooney, PhD, MPH, MA, is an associate professor in the Division of General Medicine. He also holds joint appointments in the Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics and Public Health Sciences. Dr. Mooney is the Director of Assessment and the Director of the Medical Education Pathway in the School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

Dr. Mooney is also involved in regional, national and international medication education groups. He is currently the president-elect of the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education. Previously, he served as the chair of the Northeast Group on Educational Affairs' Medical Education Scholarship Research and Evaluation section and the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Medical Education Research Certificate program.

Nitin Puri, MD, PhD, is the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education and an associate professor. His research focuses on cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic system dysregulation. He has made significant contributions to the study of cellular redox mechanisms, particularly the heme-heme oxygenase system and its interactions with reactive species like hydrogen peroxide.

Dr. Puri's work has revealed novel pathways in vascular response and highlighted therapeutic options for obesity through redox biology. His recent research includes investigating gene regulation in the renin-angiotensin system and its implications for hypertension and metabolic syndrome, aiming to advance personalized medicine.

Additionally, he collaborates on studies of redox mediators in obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, exploring mechanisms like the Na/K-ATPase-Src amplification loop. His research has been supported by National Institutes of Health funding since 2019.

Cayla Teal, PhD, MA, received her BS in chemistry from William Jewell College. She received her MA and PhD in community/clinical psychology, with emphases in applied research methods and psychometrics, from Wichita State University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health services research at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston and then served the Center as an investigator for several years. 

At the University of Kansas School of Medicine, she is an education associate professor of population health. She is also the Assistant Dean for Assessment and Evaluation in the Office of Medical Education, having previously served in similar roles at Texas A&M College of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Teal is responsible for the assessment of student performance and program evaluation of the School of Medicine's curriculum. She is a mixed methods medical education researcher, an associate editor for Medical Education Online, and a deputy editor for Teaching and Learning in Medicine. Dr. Teal currently serves as the national chair-elect for the Medical Education Scholarship, Research and Evaluation section at the Association of American Medical Colleges.