Gustavo ​Valbuena, MD, PhD

Biography

Dr. Valbuena studied Medicine in his native Colombia and moved to Texas in 1996 to complete a program combining a residency in Pathology and a PhD in Experimental Pathology. In 2003, he returned to Colombia to design the basic sciences curriculum of a new school of medicine and to pursue epidemiological research on rickettsial diseases. From 2006 to 2015 Dr. Valbuena joined the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Medical Branch where he eventually reached the level of Associate Professor with tenure. He focused his effort on education and research in infectious diseases.

In 2015, Dr. Valbuena moved to the Bay Area, and he decided to completely focus his professional career on Medical Education. He joined the faculty of the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP) where he currently is the Head of the Problem-Based Learning curriculum. In addition to his duties at the JMP, he is also a graduate student in the Doctoral program in Health Professions Education run in collaboration between UCSF and Utrecht University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

Research Interests

• Conceptualization and operationalization of inquiry in medical education.
• The relationship between inquiry and the process of integration between basic sciences and clinical sciences.
• Integration-supportive instructional design.

Education

• PhD – Experimental Pathology
  The University of Texas Medical Branch, 2003
• Residency – Pathology
  The University of Texas Medical Branch, 2001
• Medical School – Javeriana University, 1995

Publications

• PubMed

Courses Taught

• • HMS 200
  • Foundational Sciences through Problem-Based Learning