Cynthia A. Standley, PhD

Cynthia A. Standley, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Bioethics and Medical Humanism at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She received her PhD in Physiology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Standley is an accomplished medical educator with more than 20 years’ experience teaching physiology to both osteopathic and allopathic medical students. She was formerly among the inaugural faculty at Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM) and also an inaugural faculty member at the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (SOMA) associated with A T. Still University. In addition to an active research career in the area of hypertension in pregnancy, her work has focused on constructing and implementing the medical school programs at AZCOM, SOMA and now at UA COM-Phoenix, as well as faculty development in the areas of exam question writing and innovations in medical education. Dr. Standley is the Director of the Nervous System II Block and currently teaches physiology at the interface of basic and clinical science, integrating physiology in clinical scenarios with emphasis on student interaction to promote life-long learning. She also teaches the Human Physiology course for year 1 physician assistant students on the Phoenix campus of Northern Arizona University. She is currently funded by the Team Based Learning Collaborative to examine student learning and communication skills in moving from lecture to team-based learning. She has chaired the Curriculum Committee at UA COM-Phoenix for the past 8 years. She founded the Art in Medicine program at the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix and has partnered with the University of Arizona Museum of Art and the Phoenix Art Museum to provide arts education to medical students with the goal of improving patient care as well as medical student wellness. She is certified through the QPR Institute as an Instructor to teach suicide awareness and prevention. She has received funding from the BHHS Legacy Foundation and the Arizona Commission on the Arts for the development of a Creativity in Elder Care program to train medical and health professional students in how to use the arts to enhance quality of life in older adults.

International Association of Medical Science Educators
Team Based Learning Collaborative
University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center