About

Ronald Edelstein, EdD, is the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU). Dr. Edelstein previously has served as CDU Associate Provost, Dean of Academic Affairs, Acting Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Medicine. Dr. Edelstein is Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Charles Drew University of Medicine. Dr. Edelstein holds a dual appointment in the UCLA School of Medicine in conjunction with the joint Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program.

Dr. Edelstein has served at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science since 1978. He is an educational psychologist and clinical psychologist and received his doctorate in educational psychology at UCLA. As the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Edelstein is responsible for academic planning and implementation, academic administration (Faculty Affairs and Advancement, CME accreditation (ACCME) and CDU- Medical School Accreditation (LCME), and curriculum.

Dr. Edelstein has served on national committees for organizations including the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) as the Western Regional Representative for the Continuing Medical Education Committee. He has also participated in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) invited conference, “Health Professions Education Summit,” held to “discuss and help the committee develop strategies for restricting clinical education to be consistent with the principles of the 21st- century health system.”

Dr. Edelstein was selected as one of the recipients of the 2006 David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Award for Excellence in Education for work with the CDU Medical Education Program

Research Interests

  • Dr. Edelstein’s research interests include: medical education, memory and learning theory; instructional design and evaluation; and behavioral science in medical education. His research includes work with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and evaluating their pilot computerized clinical simulation examination and the PEW Foundation Health of the Public Program developing new models of medical education.
  • Dr. Edelstein was part of a CDU research team that published the funding of a multi-year assessment of the CDU/UCLA Medical Education Program in the research journal, Academic Medicine. The manuscript was titled “Impact of the University of California, Los Angeles/Charles R. Drew University Medical Education Program on Medical Students’ Intentions to Practice in Underserved Areas.”