Miller School Education Expert Named to Legacy Magazine’s ‘40 Under 40’ List

Achieving significant career accomplishments before your 40th birthday can be notable on its own, but having peers nominate you for an award that highlights those achievements is even more noteworthy.

Dr. Adrian Reynolds
Dr. Adrian Reynolds

That just happened to Adrian K. Reynolds, Ph.D., assistant professor of professional practice and director of academic enrichment at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. As a result, Legacy magazine named Dr. Reynolds one of South Florida’s “40 Under 40: Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow” for 2019.

“This recognition is extremely valuable to me,” Dr. Reynolds said. “I see it as an appreciation for the leading role I have played through school-university partnerships and across departments here at UM in reshaping students’ and trainees’ conceptualizations of what it means to learn in the health sciences.

“I must say I was, indeed, surprised,” he added. “A while ago I remember thinking to myself, ‘It’d be quite an honor to be inducted into Legacy’s 40 under 40.’ However, it was just a fleeting thought.”

A few of Dr. Reynolds’ colleagues at the Miller School, however, took action and submitted his nomination.

“Dr. Reynolds being recognized for this esteemed honor is well deserved,” said Hilit Mechaber, M.D., associate dean for student services. “It is a reflection of his enthusiasm, commitment and leadership in his field.”

Dr. Reynolds’ work focuses on the science of learning. He combines principles from decades of research in the fields of cognitive psychology, educational linguistics and neuroscience to help medical students, physicians in training, college and high school students optimize their learning.

He teaches evidence-based strategies for developing self-regulated, active learning skills through deliberate practice. Part of his mission is to further the understanding of:

  • The ways in which the explicit teaching of self-regulated, active learning strategies can help to level the playing field for students from underserved, low-income communities. This includes students who have limited access to adaptive learning technology, the most up-to-date study aids, textbooks, test prep materials, one-on-one academic coaching, high-quality teaching and more.
  • The optimal conditions for transferring self-regulated learning strategies across courses.
  • The relationship between medical student burnout and the use of self-regulated learning strategies.
  • The role of self-regulated learning strategies in reducing test-taking anxiety.
  • The relationship between reflective journaling and the development of metacognitive (thinking about thinking) awareness over time.
  • The implications of self-regulated learning strategies for high-quality clinical care.

Dr. Reynolds credits many people for helping him get to this point in his career, including Dr. Mechaber; Stephen N. Symes, M.D., associate professor of medicine; Stefanie Brown, M.D., Internal Medicine Residency Program director; and Robert Moore, professor emeritus in the School of Education and Human Development.

The Legacy Miami “40 Under 40” issue was published August 19th and distributed as an insert inside The Miami Herald.

 


Tags: Dr. Adrian Reynolds, Legacy magazine