Billings Clinic Internal Medicine Residency - Gay Canaris, MD, FACP

Ashley Dennis, PhD

Ashley Dennis is the Director for the Office of Medical Education and Interim Designated Institutional Official for Billings Clinic, where she supports graduate medical education, undergraduate medical education, undergraduate health professions education, continuing medical education, workforce development, and the medical library. She has worked for Billings Clinic since 2017.

Dr Dennis went to college at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. She completed her PhD in psychology at the University of St Andrews in 2012. Dr. Dennis has worked in medical education for over 12 years, first as a postdoctoral researcher and then as a faculty member at the Centre for Medical Education at the University of Dundee, Scotland. She moved back home to Billings to be closer to her family and support the continued growth of medical education at Billings Clinic and the region.

Dr Dennis has gained a broad foundation in medical education and medical education research through her teaching, research, and administrative roles. She is particularly interested in how educational structures support resiliency in learners. Other research interests include rural healthcare education and the development of healthcare education research priorities and curriculums.

Selected Publications

  • Dennis, A.A., Colton, L., Tewari, P., Slavin, S. (2023). Promoting well-being in Graduate Medical Education: Embracing principles rather than ’recipe.’ Academic Psychiatry, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40596-023-01827-0.
  • Dennis, A.A., Brand, G., Mohl, V., Riha, G., Seger, C. (2023). Low volumes, high stakes: Developing a rural critical care fellowship. Medical Education, https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.15209.
  • Harrison, N., Dennis, A.A. (2022). Developing an integrated national simulation-based educational programme for Scottish junior doctors through structured, multi-step action research cycles. BMJ Open, 12:e059229. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059229.
  • Dennis, A.A., Mohl, V.K., Temporal, M., Brant, J.M. (2022). Art infusion: Using creative strategies in rural multi-disciplinary healthcare education. Medical Education, 56:5, 582-583, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14784.
  • Trivate, T., Dennis, A.A., Sholl, S., Wilkinson, T. (2019). Learning and coping through reflection: Exploring patient death experiences of medical students. BMC Medical Education, 19, 451, DOI:10.1186/s12909-019-1871-9
  • Chan, L., Dennis, A.A. (2019). Resilience: Insights from medical educators. Clinical Teacher, 16(4), 384-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13058