Samuel D. Luber, MD, MPH, FACEP


Professor, Executive Vice-Chair for Academic Affairs
Department of Emergency Medicine
Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education
McGovern Medical School
UTHealth Houston

Email: [email protected]
Phone:  713-500-5903

Educational Teaching Philosophy

When I was a resident, I spent time moonlighting in community emergency departments.  While I enjoyed practicing medicine, something was missing.  I quickly discovered the missing piece was an environment of inquiry.  Each physician simply took care of their patients with little to no discourse about the patient’s presentation and/or disease process.  There were no medical students, residents, or other learners and as a result, the work felt empty.   These experiences lead me to enter academics and I began on my trajectory to become an educator.

I believe that mere regurgitation is not knowledge; just being able to repeat something is recall, not comprehension.  With this in mind, I strive to engage learners in their own education and to appreciate that asking the right questions and developing a culture and philosophy of understanding the “why” is how one can master educational objectives.  I am an inquisitive person and I motivate my learners to figure out the “why.”  When I teach at the patient bedside, I often play devil’s advocate, pushing the learner to figure out themselves if they understand something or are just repeating what someone else has told them.

Through local, regional, and national experiences, I have been fortunate to be able to work with some extraordinary educators from whom I have gained invaluable knowledge, skills, and attitudes to improve my role as an educator.  I actively seek opportunities to improve the education of trainees across the spectrum (as well development of faculty colleagues) and constantly evaluate what has been done in the past or by others so as not to re-invent the wheel when introducing new educational initiatives.

Area of Expertise/Interests

Educational Leadership
GME leadership/accreditation

My aims in all activities are:

  • To assist learners in advancing their medical knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors
  • To provide exemplary educational leadership

Past and Current Educational Activities:

  • Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education
  • American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Academic Affairs Committee
  • Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD)
    • Chair, DIO Community of Practice
    • Past Chair, Individualized Interactive Instruction Task Force

Honors/Awards/Appointments

  • Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education
  • Dean’s Teaching Excellence Awards
  • Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine, Academic Assembly, Best Faculty Presenter (2014)
  • Abstract Reviewer, Texas College of Emergency Physicians Annual Meeting
  • Houstonia Top Doctor

Selected Educational Publications

  • Diab J, Riley S, Downes A, Gaeta T, Hern HG, Hwang E, Kass L, Kelly M, Luber S, Martel M, Minns A, Pazderka P, Patterson L, Sayan O, Thurman J, Vallee P, Overton D: A Multicenter study of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and the Standardized Letter of Recommendation: Impact on Emergency Medicine Residency Applicant and Faculty Behaviors. J of Graduate Medical Education. 2014 Jun;6(2):292-5
  • Counselman F, Borenstein M, Chisholm C, Epter M, Khandelwal S, Kraus C, Luber S,Marco C, Promes S, Schmitz G, Keehbauch J. The 2013 Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine. Academic Emergency Medicine. 2014 May;21(5):574-98
  • Stowell J, Vohra T, Luber S. Emergency Medicine Resident Work Hours: A National Survey. Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2015 April;48(4):474-80.
  • Smith CM.; de Strasberg M; Rosenwald R; Luber S; Gang M. Hi-Fidelity Transvenous Pacemaker Simulator with Troubleshooting Mode: Acad Emerg Med 2016. 23 1:S293,