Medical Education Track

Director

Dr. Jill Allenbaugh, MD — [click-for-email]

Med-Ed Track Core Faculty

Dr. Carly Sokach — [click-for-email]

Description

For many residents, teaching others provides a sense of joy and fulfillment in medicine. The Medical Education Track was developed in 2018 to meet the needs of residents who desire additional training beyond the essentials for teaching and evaluating learners, and for those who are interested in a career as a Medical Educator. 

The main objectives of this track are to:

• Advance the knowledge and skills needed for effective teaching across a wide variety of settings
• Understand the concepts of adult learning theory
• Develop sound methods of assessment and feedback
• Foster skills for medical education scholarship

Residents will be introduced to these topics through a Medical Education Immersion Elective – a week-long, small group, interactive course led by local and regional experts in the field of medical education. Over the second and third year of residency, a longitudinal curriculum is delivered to the residents during dedicated time within the ambulatory week. Track participants will receive additional opportunities to practice teaching under the observation of the track director and other medical educators, both in clinical and didactic settings. Each resident in the Medical Education track is guaranteed time on the highly sought-after Teaching Resident elective, where third year residents develop and facilitate case conferences for the 3rd year medical students on their Internal Medicine clerkship.

Each track participant is encouraged to develop an individual scholarly project (medical education research or curriculum development and assessment) with mentorship from track leadership. At the culmination of the project, it is expected that residents will submit the work to a regional or national meeting. Residents may also elect to do a mentored grand rounds style lecture for the Academic Half Day lecture series. 

How and When to Apply

Interested residents apply for this track during the winter of intern year.  The application consists of the resident’s CV and a brief personal statement expressing their reason for interest in the program.  A formal background in teaching or education is not required.

“Throughout medical school, I always would look up to the upper classmen/women and residents. The amount that they knew and the ease they had with being able to teach it on the fly was inspiring. I wanted to be like them when I finally moved past MS2 year and finally to residency. I wanted to be a mentor and improve upon my teaching skills and knowledge that I already began developing. Being part of the Med Ed track during residency has allowed me to build upon the skills I already had within, develop confidence (especially when you don't fully know everything about the topic), and learn to develop a medical education curriculum! Some of the best experiences in the track include being a teaching resident for MS3-4s, hearing experiences from Med Ed leaders during Med Ed week, and being able to man a Med Ed Twitter page!”

- Giuliana Berardi, Class of 2023