Just as the new curriculum integrates basic science and clinical medicine in the training of medical students, Henson hopes to better integrate the two in the training of residents. Henson has a unique perspective on the value of integrating the teaching of basic science and clinical medicine. After spending two years pursuing a Ph.D. in nutrition and physiology, she interrupted her Ph.D. work to attend medical school. Then, after graduating medical school and completing a year of internship in internal medicine, she took a fellowship that allowed her to complete her Ph.D. research and write her dissertation. She served on the faculty of UCLA as a clinical nutritionist for six years before starting a residency in anesthesiology.
Science is the foundation for understanding what's happening in our patients.
If you aren't skilled and current in science, you're missing an important part of the picture when you're looking at a sick patient. A native of Los Angeles, Henson earned a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an M.S. at Cornell University. At the University of California at Los Angeles she earned her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, worked as a research fellow, completed a residency in anesthesiology, and served on the medical school faculty. She joined the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1992 as a Senior Instructor and Director of Medical Student Education in the Department of Anesthesiology. In 1994 she was promoted to Assistant Professor, Director of Education, and Residency Program Director in the Department of Anesthesiology.