Dr. Falls leads students through a session
of gross anatomy. |
When MSUCOM alumni are asked to name the teachers they remember best, they all have stories of the professors who spent a little extra time with them or went out of their way to help with a difficult problem. But if there’s one name that comes up more than any other, it has to be Dr. Falls.
William Falls, Ph.D., is the associate dean for student services and a professor of anatomy. As associate dean, he oversees admissions, counseling and academic advising, the student records office, and multicultural services,
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and works closely with the student government and other student organizations. As an instructor, he has taught anatomy to nearly every D.O. to come out of MSUCOM in the last 25 years.
Dr. Falls first joined the college in 1979 after four years at the National Institute of Dental Research. He came on board in the Department of Anatomy and continued with his research on oral and facial pain. In addition, he taught gross anatomy courses for all the osteopathic students. Today, he continues to teach anatomy and neuroscience to students and residents.
Since anatomy is one of the key components of the first year of classes, the medical students at both the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Human Medicine become familiar with Dr. Falls very early. For many, he is the first professor that they encounter, so naturally, students look to him for guidance, and the occasional help with a tough exam.
Former student Mitzi Amelon, D.O., Class of 1992, recalls an incident with Dr. Falls after taking her first board exams. After being stumped by a particularly confusing question, she looked for the answer in her textbook and couldn’t find it. So she called Dr. Falls at home. He gladly took the call and admitted that – in the way it was phrased – the question wasn’t really accurate.
“I had a feeling like I’d won a big prize,” she explains. “The question that had me stumped didn’t really make sense to the main man of anatomy, either.”
Dr. Amelon likes to tell that story as an example of what Dr. Falls meant to her: a teacher and a friend, who treats his students as equals and goes out of his way to make sure they understand what they are learning.
“Dr. Falls was the first person I knew from outside the D.O. community that truly believed in our principles.” She adds, “He spoke very passionately about the profession to the students, many of them newcomers to osteopathy. That means a lot to me.”
In 1995, the new dean of MSUCOM, Allen W. Jacobs, D.O., Ph.D., found himself in need of a new associate dean. He needed someone who knew the students well and would be willing to work on their behalf. That’s when he turned to Dr. Falls.
Dr. Falls was happy to take the job, on one condition. “I told Dr. Jacobs I would only do it if I could continue teaching,” he says. “I get to know some of the students because they come into my office, but teaching allows me to get to know all of the students.”
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That’s important from a personal and professional standpoint. One of his most important responsibilities is writing the “dean’s letters,” a personal evaluation that every student needs for entry into their postdoctoral program. As the head of student services, he is also an advisor to the Student Council and plays an active role in other student organizations and events. So from the first interview to graduation, Dr. Falls watches each student as he or she transforms into a doctor.
What is that transformation like? “They mature tremendously,” he explains. “They learn to
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Dr. Falls helps Jeff Frye, Class of 2007,
review for an upcoming exam. |
communicate and interact with people. They listen to patients, which is one of the most important things a doctor can learn.”
“They also learn to work with each other,” he adds. “You can’t do it all by yourself.”
The students have equally high praise for Dr. Falls. “He truly loves his students,” says second-year student Michael Callan. “He lobbies for us. If you have a problem, he doesn’t just say, ‘That’s the way things are.’ He helps you look for an answer.”
He’s not above tutoring students one-on-one, or leading review sessions before exams – even for sections where he was not the instructor. “He can present the most complicated concepts in a simple and relevant way,” adds Emily Smith, Class of 2006.
For Dr. Falls, such a close relationship to the students is only natural. “The best part of working here is the rapport between faculty and students,” he says. “They treat one another as colleagues, which I think is something you won’t find at some medical schools.”
“I’m very fortunate that I get to meet over 100 new people each year and follow them through four years of medical school,” Dr. Falls adds.
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