Inspiration and Innovation shine at the 2023 DOM Education Day

Photo of the 2023 DOM Education Award winners, left to right, between department chair Lynn Schnapp, MD (far left) and Laura Zakowski, MD (far right): Tiffany Lin, MD; Mark Reichelderfer, MD; Zachary Goldberger, MD, MS; Sandesh Parajuli, MD; Laurel Romer, MD; Christine Sharkey, MD; Andrea Schnell, MD.

February 3, 2023 was the eighth annual Department of Medicine Education Day—an event that brings together faculty leaders, learners and staff to focus on the subject of advancing undergraduate and graduate medical education.

The day began with a Grand Rounds session titled Can We Educate Physicians to Be Trustworthy? It Depends from Adina Kalet, MD, MPH, Stephen and Shelagh Roell Endowed Chair at the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education, Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dr. Kalet was followed by the presentation of the Department of Medicine Education Awards, breakout sessions, and roundtable discussions over lunch.

Education Awards

The Excellence in Education Mentoring Award is given to two faculty mentors who exemplify extraordinary selflessness as they support and contribute to the education, career development and advancement of other clinician-educators:

  • As director of the rheumatology fellowship, Tiffany Lin, MD, assistant professor, Rheumatology, doubled the program size from two to four. She is also assistant block leader of the medical school Invaders and Defense course and serves on the department’s Education Committee. Her nominator notes: “Dr. Lin has made an…impact regionally, nationally, and internationally, championing the educational careers of those around her including trainees and junior faculty.”
  • Sandesh Parajuli, MD, associate professor, Nephrology, has individually mentored SMPH students in the Shapiro Summer Research Program and developed department-wide training programs for Shapiro students to enhance their experiences with other mentees. His nominator writes: “Dr. Parajuli provides learners and faculty with opportunities to grow their skills in research and in dissemination of their results. [He] is a tremendous asset to our teaching and research missions.”

The Dr. Bennett Vogelman Excellence in Education Mentoring Award recognizes a senior faculty member with a career-long devotion to mentoring that exemplifies the long-time former internal medicine residency director’s dedication to educators:

  • Mark Reichelderfer, MD, professor, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, has trained, advocated for, and mentored dozens of medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty in the course of his 40-plus year career. To demonstrate the scale of his impact, his nominator offers this: “To this day, although I myself am now a senior member of the GI division, I still look to Dr. Reichelderfer for guidance when I’m stumped or just need reassurance that I am on the right track.”

This year, the Inspirational Educator Awards recognized four faculty who display unparalleled energy, passion and skill for educating students, residents and fellows:

  • Zachary Goldberger, MD, MS, associate professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, is frequently named as a passionate, masterful educator of medical students, who can communicate complex topics ranging from evidence-based medicine to electrocardiography in a manner that connects with the level of the learner.
  • Laurel Romer, MD, clinical professor, General Internal Medicine, is known for her openness, patience, and the ability to awaken self-confidence in her trainees.
  • Andrea Schnell, MD, associate clinical professor, General Internal Medicine, is widely respected for her ability to create a safe, comfortable, supportive environment for learners and her skill in delivering constructive feedback.
  • Christine Sharkey, MD, assistant clinical professor, Rheumatology, has helped elevate the department’s Fellow-as-Medical-Educator (FAME) program by championing a vital focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in the curriculum.

Breakout Sessions

  • “Professionalism Remediation Through a Professional Identity Development Lens,” led by Adina Kalet, MD, MPH
  • “Best Practices for Hybrid Teaching,” presented by Amy Stickford Becker, MA, director of longitudinal curriculum and instruction, UW SMPH, and Theresa Pesavento, PhD, director of medical student education continuous quality improvement, UW SMPH
  • “Medical Education Scholarship: Research or Program Evaluation?” led by Jess Tischendorf, MD, MS, assistant professor, Infectious Disease, and Amy Zelenski, PhD, associate professor, General Internal Medicine, and Director of Education Innovation and Scholarship, Department of Medicine
  • “Antiracism Learning Series for Coordinators: Documenting the Journey Since 2020,” led by Kara Westmas, MS, graduate medical education program administrator, Administration

Watch the breakout sessions.

Vice Chair for Medical Education, Laura Zakowski, MD, professor, General Internal Medicine, counts Education Day as a tremendous success, saying, “[It] was filled with excellent conversation and community, starting with an outstanding Grand Rounds presentation and ending with small group discussions around important educational topics. A sincere thank you to the organizers of our Education Day whose commitment made the day enjoyable: Abi Rudzianis, Allison Ishizaki, Tara Loushine and Joe Orman.”

Banner image: the 2023 award winners, left to right, between department chair Lynn Schnapp, MD (far left) and Laura Zakowski, MD (far right): Tiffany Lin, MD; Mark Reichelderfer, MD; Zachary Goldberger, MD, MS; Sandesh Parajuli, MD; Laurel Romer, MD; Christine Sharkey, MD; Andrea Schnell, MD.

All photo credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine.

Above, clockwise from top-left: Allison Ishizaki, MPH, student affairs associate director; Inspirational Educator recipients Drs. Lin and Sharkey, with Rheumatology chief Christie Bartels, MD; Sam Strennen, graduate medical education program manager, Emily Ruedinger, MD, MEd, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, and Maryam Zamanian, MD, MSC, assistant clinical professor, Hospital Medicine, at one of the breakout sessions; Elizabeth Felton, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Neurology, UW
Above, clockwise from top-left: Allison Ishizaki, MPH, student affairs associate director; Inspirational Educator recipients Drs. Lin and Sharkey, with Rheumatology chief Christie Bartels, MD; Sam Strennen, graduate medical education program manager, Emily Ruedinger, MD, MEd, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, and Maryam Zamanian, MD, MSC, assistant clinical professor, Hospital Medicine, at one of the breakout sessions; Elizabeth Felton, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Neurology, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, discusses educator resources.

 

Above, clockwise from top-left: Christine Seibert, MD, professor, General Internal Medicine, and Associate Dean of Medical Student Education and Services, asks a question of the Grand Rounds speaker; Dr. Kalet delivers her Grand Rounds presentation; Dr. Schnell enjoys the presentation; other onlookers listen.
Above, clockwise from top-left: Christine Seibert, MD, professor, General Internal Medicine, and Associate Dean of Medical Student Education and Services, asks a question of the Grand Rounds speaker; Dr. Kalet delivers her Grand Rounds presentation; Dr. Schnell enjoys the presentation; other onlookers listen.
Matt Mallum, MFA