Group Peer Mentoring (GPM) Program is a faculty development program co-led by Kimberly Bloom-Feshbach, M.D. and Swana De Gijsel, M.D., for Weill Cornell faculty. Facilitated group peer mentoring has been shown in the literature to lead to career advancement, improve physician vitality, and have benefits in the realms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will have opportunities for faculty from a variety of career paths to join a peer mentoring group, including early and mid-career researchers, clinician-educators, leaders in medical education, and experienced faculty.
In this program, participants will:
The cost of the program is being fully subsidized by the Weill Cornell Dean's Office and the Weill Department of Medicine. Please find program dates below.
Clinical Faculty(WCM, All Departments) | October 26, 2023 December 7, 2023 February 8, 2024 May 9, 2024 |
Leaders in Medical Education(WCM, All Departments) | October 4, 2023 December 13, 2023 January 24, 2024 May 1, 2024 |
Experienced Faculty(WCM, All Departments) | November 1, 2023 January 10, 2024 March 6, 2024 May 8, 2024 |
Early Career Researchers(WCM, All Departments) | October 23, 2023 December 12, 2023 January 24, 2024 February 28, 2024 April 2, 2024 May 7, 2024 |
Department of Medicine Faculty(WCM, Weill Department of Medicine) | October 4, 2023 December 14, 2023 January 30, 2024 February 29, 2024 April 2, 2024 May 9, 2024 |
To apply, please complete this application by July 7, 2023 at 5 pm EST. If you have questions about this program, contact Deborah Ofosu, MS, Research Assistant for Group Peer Mentoring Program.
“Learning in the group is applicable to every aspect of our lives, not limited to our professional career. We are considered as whole individuals. All our identities are recognized, valued, and considered at every mentoring session. The approach is unique, so I have learned a great deal so far. Also, the environment is incredibly welcoming, so it is very easy to open and discuss even the most difficult topics.”
“I really appreciated the program and found it great to get to know colleagues across the institution. I was able to get feedback on a scholarly piece I was working on from two members of the group. I could tell that colleagues in many departments were really missing exactly the community that GPM fostered.”
“It’s been great to connect with people throughout the institution who I didn’t know well. It’s very helpful to hive mind and brainstorm for people. Often our struggles are shared, and wisdom can also be shared.”
“Following a curriculum that allows me to connect with myself. Homework assignments with a partner to keep me accountable. Relaxed, supportive tone of the emails/meetings that encourages growth through reflective listening. Connections with other faculty I otherwise would not have likely met. Time to reflect on my career path and change the trajectory. Opportunity to be myself without fear of being judged. Time well spent.”
“Different perspectives from people in different divisions/departments. Appreciate the frameworks and concrete tools provided for planning goals.”
“It is helpful to realize that across all disciplines in the hospital, people are largely feeling under-mentored. I feel less alone in this regard and more aligned with everyone's struggles. If I am not alone then I feel more energized to figure out how to work on the problem, rather than feeling resigned to the reality of the hospital system that isn't providing the best resources for the faculty. GPM really allows us to be open and honest about our struggles and different peers bring different talents, strengths, and helpful ideas to the table.”
“Life-changing program.”
Kimberly Bloom-Feshbach, M.D., is an Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical Center in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Section of Hospital Medicine and co-leads the Group Peer Mentoring Program. Dr. Bloom-Feshbach graduated from Yale University, summa cum laude, with a BA in Religious Studies and worked as an epidemiological researcher in the Division of Epidemiology and Population Studies of the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health, collaborating with researchers at the Statens Serum Institut and Roskilde University in Denmark. She obtained her medical degree from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, followed by Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital of Harvard Medical School before joining the faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine. As a physician, medical educator and investigator, Dr. Bloom-Feshbach designs and evaluates communication and mentoring strategies with the goals of increasing humanism, vitality, and diversity in medicine. She enjoys caring for hospitalized patients at NewYork-Presbyterian/Cornell Medical Center and Lower Manhattan. In addition, Dr. Bloom-Feshbach is a co-investigator with the C-Change Mentoring and Leadership Study, a 5-year NIH-funded study based out of Brandeis. At Weill Cornell, she designs and evaluates medical education curricula from the medical student through faculty development level. She directs the Patient Care and Physicianship curriculum for pre-clinical second year medical students and serves as the Director of the Virtual Hospitalist Program at Weill Cornell and the Associate Director of Medical Services at NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Behavioral Health Center. Dr. Bloom-Feshbach is also Senior Faculty with Vital Talk, teaching serious illness communication skills to clinicians at Weill Cornell and beyond.
Swana De Gijsel, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Section of Hospital Medicine and co-leads the Group Peer Mentoring Program. Dr. Gijsel graduated from medical school at the University of Amsterdam and completed her residency training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefiore Medical Center in the Primary Care and Social medicine program. She provides direct patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital and works with residents and medical students at the Weill Cornell campus on the Upper East Side. She deeply cares about effective and empathic communication with patients, providers, and within organizations. As faculty of the Academy of Communication, she leads communication workshops and Train-the-Trainer programs. She provides coaching and leads reflection groups focusing on professional identity and well-being to health care providers. In her academic time, she leads process groups for residents and fellows, and she has a passion for food and nutrition and developed a culinary medicine elective for medical students where she teaches nutrition in a professional kitchen and collaborates with chefs and nutritionists.