AOGME Member Spotlight: Katie Harden, MBA
Published December 20, 2023
GME Blog
Katie Harden, MBA, is a passionate and involved member of the osteopathic medical education community. As Residency Placement Coordinator at Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCUCOM), Ms. Harden devotes her time to supporting medical students through the residency match process alongside her colleagues in a recently developed residency placement advising program. Together, Ms. Harden and her team hope to further expand their program to provide more intentional advising for all KCUCOM students through each year of training. Ms. Harden is no stranger to medical education, having spent over 20 years at Mercy Hospital Joplin, 14 years of which were dedicated to creating and developing a robust medical education department. Through this experience, Ms. Harden established clinical rotation opportunities for hundreds of medical and advanced practice professional students annually. Additionally, Ms. Harden paved the way for a career exploration program in partnership with dozens of school districts to expose local students to healthcare careers through hands-on learning and shadowing experiences. Ms. Harden’s commitment to bettering the medical profession is evident through her establishment of learning experiences within the community, which is regarded as one of the most gratifying accomplishments of her career. As she states, “there is nothing more rewarding than watching a student realize their potential”.
In a constant pursuit to prepare students with the highest quality of advisement, Ms. Harden actively participates in national committees and organizations, such as the Assembly of Osteopathic Graduate Medical Educators (AOGME), the Council on Residency Placement (CORP) and the AACOM UME-GME Task Force. Within the Task Force, Ms. Harden chairs the Unmatched Action Group, which recently released a toolkit to guide osteopathic colleges on how to support students who do not place into a residency program. Ms. Harden embodies both leadership and camaraderie, finding the extensive network of AOGME and CORP to be a great asset devoted to building the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to support our students. One such avenue, the CORP Resources subgroup, is where Ms. Harden works to develop accurate and relevant content to advise on the transition to residency. To those interested in walking down the path of medical education, Ms. Harden strongly recommends taking advantage of the supportive network of individuals that share the common goal of ensuring the best outcomes and learning experiences for students. There is no shame in asking for guidance from those around you as they are more than willing to help. As an inquisitive individual herself, Ms. Harden is currently pursuing a doctorate in education and leadership, higher education concentration, with an anticipated graduation date in 2025. The AOGME is in awe of Ms. Harden’s robust accomplishments and is eager to await her many more!