Joel M. Felner, M.D.

Dr. Felner joined the faculty of EUSM in 1974 as Assistant Professor of Medicine, rose to Professor in 1982 and became Associate Dean for Clinical Education 1985.  He graduated from Columbia College and the Cincinnati University School of Medicine, worked at the CDC for 2 years, completed a medical residency at Grady Hospital and a cardiology fellowship at EUSM.  

He wears three hats: 

1. cardiologist at Grady, where he directed the CCU for 10 years, the echocardiography division for 32 years and the senior elective, that uses “Harvey”-the Cardiology Patient Simulator he helped develop, for 29 years;
2. associate dean, where he has written every Dean’s Letter since 1985 with the exception of his two sons who graduated from EUSM.  He also creates the junior and senior students’ schedules, and counsels students concerning residency choices.  He chaired the Progress and Promotions committee from 1985-2010;
3. director of the sophomore pathophysiology course, from its inception in 1992 when he developed it, through 2008, when the curriculum was modified to multiple organ-based modules.  Since that time, Dr. Felner has directed the 5-week intensive Cardiovascular Module of that curriculum.

For the 5 week Cardiovascular Module, he gives the majority of all 16 lectures, coordinates all facets of the course, heavily incorporates "Harvey", as well as the computer programs he also personally helped develop, and attends each of the small group sessions.  His son will now take over the fall semester directorship of this course.  Dr. Felner has won numerous teaching awards included among them are those from the medical school (Papageorge), the university (Emory Williams), nationally (Robert Glaser: AOA-AAMC) and internationally (Japanese Medical Society).  He continues to devote time to research in echocardiography (blunt and penetrating cardiac trauma) and medical education and has been a consistent invitee, as a presentor and workshop director, to the international AMEE conference.