The Weill Department of Medicine’s Education Office recently piloted a full-day Education Retreat for faculty across the Department to share projects, programs, and initiatives directly impacting medical education practices and operations. Dr. Kirana Gudi, Vice Chair of Education, provided opening remarks for the May 7 event. Presenters included Drs. Kate Penziner and Bryan Leppert, who shared their experience involving residents in developing content for the Department’s internal medicine clerkship, best practices for evaluations, and the educational impact of simulation; Dr. Joshua Heisler, who gave an overview of a direct care night elective’s effects on workflow and its benefits in providing medical students with opportunities to address uncommon cases; and research administrator Elizabeth Baquero, Ed.D. M.S., who discussed undergraduate students contributing to scholarship through an innovative service-learning programs, enhancing their ability to articulate complex medical concepts.
Further, Associate Program Director Dr. Shira Sachs and Dr. Laura Greisman provided an overview of the Weill Cornell Medication IM Medical Education Pathway, which centers on iterative feedback development to improve feedback culture. Dr. Sachs and Dr. Alice Tang shared updates on two successful programs using the ADAPT coaching model to foster a growth mindset and enhance deliberate practice. Dr. Alex King discussed the impact of focus groups in addressing gender disparities in leadership. Drs. Kimberly Bloom-Feshbach and Swana De Gijsel showcased how facilitated group peer mentoring can elevate self-efficacy and career progression, highlighting a train-the-trainer program's scalability for Weill Cornell Medicine faculty. Finally, Dr. Madison Dennis presented her comprehensive revamp of the residency recruitment process by leaning on the expertise and best practices at other institutions and tech giants, ultimately centering on a competency-based recruitment.
The retreat concluded with a presentation by the Dr. Mark S. Pecker Clinical Master Dr. Lisa Bellini, Senior Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Perelman School of Medicine. She presented “Medical Education: Over a Century of Transformation," which included valuable insights into recent transformative events shaping medical education nationwide, advocating for the adoption of flexible, competency-based approaches to ensure training programs align with evolving healthcare needs. The retreat concluded with a reception for Dr. Bellini and Dr. Mark Pecker, an internist and former Vice Chair of Education at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Drs. Kara Ryan and Jeannie Gribben explored best practices in internal medicine teams to mitigate burnout, compassion fatigue and moral distress while promoting compassion satisfaction and medical professionalism.