Academic Medicine Podcast

Katherine Chretien, MD, Grant Wilson, MD, and Michelle York, MD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss building meaningful relationships with patients, the small but impactful ways they show their patients they care, and the important role that learners play in connecting with patients and contributing to their care. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

For those who do excellent work, but quietly, and sometimes under the radar, the simple phrase, confidently stated—“You are in good hands”—can make all the difference. You got this.

Shailaja J. Hayden reflects on the importance of inspiring confidence in fellow members of the care team, which then inspires confidence in patients.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Rather than sheltering me from the rigors of doctoring, the museum has deepened my relationship to medicine by restoring its inherent mystery. It reminds me that the reality of our patients will always exceed our understanding of them.

Kain Kim reflects on how teaching the humanities can help normalize uncertainty in medical training.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the March 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Through all the time I had known him, and through all the rounds and presentations, many voices were heard: my own, my senior resident, my attending, the ICU team, the consult teams, the family. But the softest voice, often overcome by dysphonia, came from the bed at the center of the room, and it needed to be amplified the most.

Richard T. Tran reflects on a patient’s request for a vanilla Ensure and learning that sometimes the greatest comforts can come from the simplest of interventions.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Pilar Ortega, MD, MGM, Débora Silva, MD, MEd, and Bright Zhou, MD, MS, join host Toni Gallo to discuss strategies to address language-related health disparities and enhance language-appropriate training and assessment in medical education. They explore one specific language concordant education framework, Culturally Reflective Medicine, which recognizes and supports the lived experiences and expertise of multi-lingual learners and clinicians from minoritized communities. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

I started this letter with a question, but I pray not for an answer. I cannot accept one. Instead, please give me the strength to replace the wet mask soaked in my tears. Give me the power to continue the Sisyphean task of treating your ill and moving on to the next patient, especially on days like today.

Norman R. Greenberg writes a letter to God asking why patients must suffer and how those who treat them can continue on amidst their grief.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

As medical students, we know of death. We study anatomy through cadaver lab, we memorize mortality rates of diseases, and we hear stories from our professors about their late patients. But most of us do not know death yet.

Carlin E. Zaprowski reflects on the difficulty of losing patients and encourages supervisors to discuss this difficulty with trainees.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

I wonder what would change if students were taught that personal leadership was not about hiding their brokenness, but recognizing their wholeness. If we were not asked to sacrifice ourselves to serve our patients. What would be possible then? How would medicine be different?

Leighton Schreyer reflects on being a queer medical student and how things might change for the better in the future.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

What if I had not been at an academic institution, with a learner and a supervising teacher? Whose steadying hand would have been on my leg? I needed that hand.

Katherine C. Chretien reflects on undergoing a procedure that taught her that together, teachers and learners bring value to patient care encounters.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

When we really love it, we lend a little bit of ourselves, a little bit of our souls to the work that we do—to the art of nursing. If it is not us today, then it may be us tomorrow, and I hope that someone will be there to tell me what my view is like outside my window, too.

Doctor of nursing practice student Courtney Polimeni reflects on how the practice of nursing, including helping patients learn to cope with the tenuous nature of the human condition, is an art.

This essay placed first in the 2023 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Psychiatry was going to require all of me... To see the human body as more than machine. Yes, the heart is a pump, and our neurons entangle one another in electrical circuits. Medicine, however, transcends the physiological being.

Third-year medical student Riley Plett reflects on a transformative encounter with an Indigenous patient and learning that medicine requires much more than scientific aptitude.

This essay placed second in the 2023 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Christy Boscardin, PhD, Brian Gin, MD, PhD, Marc Triola, MD, and Academic Medicine assistant editor Gustavo Patino, MD, PhD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss the ways that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help ease the workload burden on faculty and staff, with a focus on assessment and admissions. They explore the opportunities that AI tools afford as well as ethical, data privacy, bias, and other issues to consider with their use. They conclude by looking to the future and where medical education might go from here. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

As Mr. D. stood up and attempted a few steps, tears of joy went down his cheeks. He was now free from the claws that were making his life miserable. This was much more important to him than talking about labs, medications, or dietary changes.

Medical student Federico Erhart reflects on a patient encounter where he learned that providing empathetic and compassionate care for patients sometimes manifests in unexpected ways.

This essay placed first in the 2023 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

In our suffering, sadness, and silence, we shared a language of humanity and we exchanged compassion ... It is this vulnerability, this deep and genuine connection that allows us to communicate across cultures and to feel the exchange of humanity.

Master of Science in Nursing student Leah Rothchild reflects on a global health trip to Uganda, where she learned that caring about patients is vital in caring for patients.

This essay placed second in the 2023 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

As I traverse the many years of medical training ahead of me, I will undoubtedly remember my week in anesthesiology, and commit to passing on my knowledge to future students with the same patience and trust that was afforded to me by Dr. S.

Sumedha Attanti reflects on the preceptor who gave her an unexpectedly hands-on role in a surgery during the anesthesiology elective in her first year of medical school.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the November 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

I tell my students that we are constellations of our peers, mentors, and patients. What we learn from each other in preclinical education—spanning not just facts and answers, but also how we treat each other—will shape the future of medicine.

Brian R. Smith reflects on creating a learning culture that is safe and empowering for students instead of humiliating.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the November 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Meghan O’Brien, MD, MBE, and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee members Tasha Wyatt, PhD, and Javeed Sukhera, MD, PhD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss new research into faculty perspectives on responding to microaggressions targeting medical students in the clinical learning environment. They explore several tensions that affected how faculty responded to the microaggressions in the study scenarios as well as some of the strategies the faculty used to respond effectively. 

This is the final episode in this year’s 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

Carrie Chen, MD, PhD, Terry Kind, MD, MPH, and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee members Cha-Chi Fung, PhD, and Daniele Ölveczky, MD, MS, join host Toni Gallo to discuss new research into faculty and student perceptions of unauthorized collaborations. They discuss several tensions in the preclinical learning environment that likely affect how faculty and students see unauthorized collaborations and the implications of those tensions for curriculum design and assessment. 

This episode is the second in this year’s 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field. Check back next week for the next episode in this series. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

Tammy Shaw, MD, MMed, and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee member Arianne Teherani, PhD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss new research into learner perspectives on the learner handover process. They discuss the role of trust in this process, the potential for bias, the purpose of handovers vs. how they're perceived by learners, and recommendations for making handovers safer and more effective.

This episode is the first in this year’s 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field. Check back next week for the next episode in this series. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

I am not sure whether she attended my graduation, but her words were with me then and have remained with me throughout my decade-long career. Each time I have wanted to quit nursing, I hear her voice and recall her words of encouragement.

Perioperative nurse and Master of Science in nursing student Nicole Diddi reflects on a deeply human exchange shared with a patient’s wife that reminded her to put humanity at the heart of her nursing practice.

This essay placed third in the 2023 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the October 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

We come into medicine wanting to heal our patients, believing that we are here solely to help them. But I could not heal my patient. Instead, my patient healed me.

Fourth-year medical student Emily Otiso reflects on a patient who reminded her that connection is the soul of her work.

This essay placed third in the 2023 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the October 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

This episode is a companion to the August 2023 Ensuring Fairness in Medical Education Assessment supplement, which was sponsored by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. The supplement focuses on creating an optimal, equitable system of learner assessment.

In this episode, Holly Humphrey, MD, president of the Macy Foundation, discusses the origins of the supplement and the recommendations shared by the authors for fostering equity in assessment. Then the authors of each of the included papers share a summary of their work, including their key findings and takeaways to guide thinking on promoting fairness in assessment. Finally, Dowin Boatright, MD, MBA, MHS, a member of the planning committee for the conference that led to this supplement, discusses where medical education should go from here. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

On a Thursday afternoon in clinic, in a situation made for learning, not grading, my learner taught me the essence of effective formative feedback. And for that lesson, I am forever grateful.

Belinda Fu reflects on a student who taught her that helpful feedback must have formative simplicity.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

The next day, I knocked on the door of Room 412 armed with a bottle of baby blue nail polish. Not an elixir, but an oath—to face the unknown together, to sit with the uncomfortable silence, and to meet her in the middle, wherever that may be.

Meher Kalkat reflects on accepting the messiness of life and the not having all the answers.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the August 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

There will be a day when you are overlooked. You are not chosen. You will have worked hard, put in the time, been the next in line, and been ready, eager, and energetic to give it a whirl and still you are told no.

Molly Uhlenhake gives her daughters advice on moving forward and continuing on despite life’s disappointments.  

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Sam Clarke, MD, MAS, and Jon Ilgen, MD, PhD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss the importance of teaching adaptive expertise to prepare learners for the types of complex cases they will encounter in clinical practice. This conversation also covers what adaptive expertise is, how simulation can be used to foster this skill in learners, and the complementary relationship between performance-oriented cases and adaptive cases in health professions education.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

Shifting eyes, quivering lips, and fidgeting fingers can tell a million stories, but only if we open our eyes to those who are silently asking for help.

Alexandra Cohen reflects on how making assumptions can harm the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

This family taught me that it is exactly these patients—who are rightfully frustrated and afraid—who will push us and our institutions to improve. Instead of resisting that critique, we should support our patients in expressing it.

Rebecca F.P. Long reflects on accepting that providers will not always meet patients’ expectations, despite their best efforts, and what to do when it occurs.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the June 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Academic Medicine's editors–Colin West, MD, PhD, Yoon Soo Park, PhD, Jonathan Amiel, MD​, and Gustavo Patino, MD, PhD–join host Toni Gallo to share practical guidance for designing and reporting quantitative research. They share tips for success and flaws to avoid around designing your study, using descriptive and inferential statistics, and analyzing and presenting your data. While the advice in this episode comes from the editors of Academic Medicine, much of it also applies to designing and reporting quantitative research for other journals and publications. 

A transcript of this episode and additional resources are available at academicmedicineblog.org.

Small gestures, such as sparking a conversation when a student volunteers a personal detail, cultivate a welcoming and inclusive environment. Performing these gestures publicly changes the status quo of how others behave and treat those around them, slowly etching away at cultures and institutions that exclude others.

An anonymous resident reflects on the sometimes unwelcoming environments she experienced as a new mother who was completing surgical sub internships.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Academic Medicine's editors--Bridget O'Brien, PhD, Jonathan Amiel, MD​, Megan Brown, MBBS(H), PhD, and Laura Hirshfield, PhD--join host Toni Gallo to share practical guidance for designing and reporting qualitative research. They make recommendations for getting started, choosing a methodology, and effectively using published guidelines. Then they dispel common myths around writing up and publishing qualitative research. While the advice in this episode comes from the editors of Academic Medicine, much of it also applies to designing and reporting qualitative research for other journals and publications. 

A transcript of this episode and links to the resources mentioned are available at academicmedicineblog.org.

It is my hope that continuing to play with some dirt on my uniform will model to others that they can pick themselves up after they are knocked down and get ready for the next play.

Benjamin Vipler reflects on getting his confidence back and turning negative experiences into positive lessons.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

The next time that I am unwell, I will take a real sick day—and I hope my colleagues, students, and resident physicians see it.

Kathryn Rampon reflects on the detrimental effects of physicians’ reluctance to take time off when ill.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

As medical professionals, our patients are putting their trust in us at their most vulnerable moments. It is our responsibility to handle that trust with respect, understand what they need from us both medically and socially, and advocate for those needs. Medicine starts at the bedside with learning about the patient and from the patient.

Caroline F. Zhao reflects on the importance of taking the time to recognize the humanism of patients and seeing them for more than just their conditions.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Author Michael Gisondi, MD, provides an overview of this recently published qualitative study in which he and his coauthors examined key stakeholders’ opinions about several proposed reforms to the residency application process. Based on their findings, Gisondi and his coauthors identified important factors to guide future reforms. This article was published in the February 2023 issue of Academic Medicine and can be read at academicmedicine.org.

Since 2020, learning to treat patients with COVID-19 reminds me that we remain humble learners of medicine. All our resources have been stretched—rooms, staff, equipment, compassion—and yet our patients are plentiful and continue to provide us with ample learning opportunities.

Cara E. Harasaki recalls two patients, seen years apart, who taught her that physicians never stop learning.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the March 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

As medical professionals, it is tempting to cultivate a razor-sharp focus on symptoms and diagnoses. Robby helped me realize our former approach was like a racehorse with blinders: fast, but risking missing something important.

Brian R. Smith recalls an encounter with a special patient that made him think about restructuring visits to better identify patients’ crucial personal life events.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the March 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Faith is relevant to the clinical interaction when it gives patients and clinicians a shared ground upon which to stand in the midst of chaos, and my experience … showed me that spirituality can effect healing when all else fails.

Troy B. Amen reflects on how sharing a faith with patients can sometimes provide comfort and support when they need it most.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the March 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

When we form enriched relationships, we allow ourselves to feel grief for the patients we lose, and likewise, joy for the patients who leave healthier than when they arrived.

Zarin I. Rahman reflects on forming connections with patients over commonalities such as faith, language, or favorite sandwiches, and appreciating knowing them for even a short time.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guests Courtney Newman and Jaclyn Albin, MD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss culinary medicine and its role in teaching nutrition, nutrition counseling, and hands-on cooking skills to medical students. The conversation also covers how culinary medicine programs build connections and community and improve the well-being of students, faculty, and patients.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org. 

Read the article discussed in this episode: Newman C, Yan J, Messiah S, Albin J. Culinary medicine as innovative nutrition education for medical students: A scoping review. Acad Med. 2023;98:274-286.

Every now and then, a patient will bring me new insights and knowledge, such as lessons on rare diseases that I would not have learned if I had not seen them in person. These rare patients … instilled in me the ability to be hyper-observant and detail oriented.

Nadia Falah reflects on a patient with a rare genetic condition and how learning to become a physician entails far more than simply passing an exam.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Medical students … need to build out reality-based curricula that equip future physicians to provide trauma-informed, harm-reductionist care. Patients need to be addressed in their context. Perhaps to do so, we need to take off our white coats and get our boots a little muddy.

Rebecca Bromley-Dulfano reflects on street medicine and learning to care for patients who may be without basic resources outside the clinic setting.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

On this remarkable day, however, it was clear. This woman knew who I was, months later and from only the sound of my voice, proving to me for the first time how our small actions can have a large impact.

Umer Farooq, a resident physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at Loyola Medicine/MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, Illinois, reflects on the unexpected, yet gratifying relationships formed between physicians and patients’ family members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

As faculty, we are called to instruct and mentor students. And yet ... B, my colleagues, and friends of color have taught me lessons of far greater importance.

Sara B. Police, assistant professor and director of nutritional sciences education in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, Kentucky, reflects on her meaningful journey from awareness to education to involvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

My experience that night in the ICU was the wake-up call I needed. It was a reminder to shift my priorities back to the patient. It was a reminder that my job was more than check boxes and administrative tasks.

Nicholas R. Lenze, a resident in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, reflects on the delicate balance between being an efficient resident and a doctor.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

She is a strong woman. The strongest woman I’ve probably ever met. Her strength is in her joyful spirit and the kindness she exudes to everyone she meets…. She is my mother, and she has been quite the model of unconditional love, service, kindness, and sacrifice.

Nurse practitioner Danielle Blackwell reflects on the person who inspired her to become a nurse.

This essay placed third in the 2022 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the October 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

When I think back on my career thus far, I do not remember the shifts that I left early or the days when everything went perfectly. But when Willie Nelson comes on over the radio, I can close my eyes and picture the vibrant colors of a woman’s last sunset.

Graduate nursing student Jessica Pierce reflects on what brings meaning to her job—discovering the person inside each patient and letting them see her compassion in return.

This essay placed first in the 2022 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

The editors of Academic Medicine share their advice for authors submitting their scholarship for publication and describe what they look for when they’re reviewing submissions. Also included are resources to help authors write successfully and publish their work. This episode is meant for new authors and authors new to medical education and, while the advice comes from the editors of Academic Medicine, much of it also applies to other types of medical education scholarship, to scholarly publishing in other disciplines, and to submissions to other journals and publications.

A transcript of this episode and links to the resources mentioned are available at academicmedicineblog.org.

What I do know is in the desert of the Middle East I learned that the right decision isn’t always the easiest or most appealing. Our patients don’t need our judgment; they need our help.

Medical student Mason Blacker reflects on treating patients while stationed in Iraq and what is truly right and important in life.

This essay placed first in the 2022 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

There is growth in speaking up for myself and others in my position, but I do not want to have to sacrifice inner serenity as the price of advocacy.

Rewan Abdelwahab, a third-year medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, reflects on the difficulties faced by trainees and staff from underrepresented in medicine groups when resources promoting inclusivity, like religious coverings in the OR, are not provided.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

This one, brief moment opened me up to the greatest sense of appreciation; regardless of the treatment arm, role, or results, it is the journey we embark on together, side by side with our participants, teams, and peers, that will contribute to our greater collective knowledge, advances in care, and a better future.

Vanita R. Aroda, director of diabetes clinical research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, reflects on how acting as a clinical trial investigator has changed her approach to life.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the November 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guest Heeyoung Han, PhD, joins hosts Toni Gallo and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee members Javeed Sukhera, MD, PhD, and Andres Fernandez, MD, MEd, to discuss new research into the different methodologies used in health professions education research and how rigorous, or not, the descriptions of these methodologies are in published studies. Also covered is advice for researchers who want to more creatively and rigorously conduct and write up their work.  

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

Read the article discussed in this episode:

Read the complete collection of articles included in the 2022 RIME supplement.

Medical practitioners of all specialties may lack Cassandra’s divinely inspired prophetic powers, but our training, research, and deep consideration for our patients’ wellbeing inform our prognostication. We hope that in this way, we are able to serve as guideposts along their ultimate paths.

Judy Ch’ang, medical director of the Neurointensive Care Unit and assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Unit at the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Nara Michaelson, a fourth-year neurology resident at Weill Cornell Medicine, reflect on how difficult it is for physicians to explain the intricacies of prognostication to patients’ family members.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the November 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Maybe this letter is more a letter to myself, a reminder … that mentorship is the key to training good, competent, humane surgeons. That this extra effort is what will create change, sustainability, and at the end of the pathway, is what will be remembered. That this is the type of person and surgeon I want to be.

Adam Goldstein, director of the Trauma Surgery Unit at The Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel, writes a letter to Dr. William Schwab thanking him for his outstanding example of mentorship.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the November 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

The medical record from the day before includes a note from the chaplain who wrote that you smiled. I resolve to end more notes this way. The patient smiled.

Medical student Molly Fessler reflects on the profound experience of caring for a patient during their final days.

This essay placed second in the 2022 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guests Luca Petrey and Laura Weingartner, PhD, MS, join hosts Toni Gallo and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee members Arianne Teherani, PhD, and Daniele Olveczky, MD, to discuss a new scoping review of the literature on the inclusion of standardized patient characters and actors with diverse gender identities in simulation cases.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

Read the articles discussed in this episode: 

Read the complete collection of articles included in the 2022 RIME supplement at academicmedicine.org. 

It is more likely emotional overload rather than apathy or insensitivity that prompts these contradictory expressions of emotion. An involuntary attempt to achieve a type of emotional homeostasis.

Sadaf Qureshi, a hematologist/oncologist at Summit Health in Florham Park, New Jersey, reflects on “appropriate” responses to misfortune.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the October 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

So often, we get caught up in studying and updating the medical chart. When we get to know our patients as human beings, however, we realize that providing care goes beyond triple-checking medication dosages. A human being is the product of every person, every success, and every misfortune he or she has encountered.

Theodora Lananh Swenson, a fourth-year resident physician in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, reflects on the importance of understanding the social context in which each patient lives.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the October 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

I was glad that I was too tired to speak at the close of the day, because by listening, I learned a lesson in humility. Madam A’s family was more knowledgeable about her than we were, treating her as a person who had hopes just like the rest of us, despite being bedbound.

Norshima Nashi, a consultant in the Division of Advanced Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the National University Health System in Singapore, reflects on the importance of preserving hope for patients, no matter how serious the situation is.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guests Addie McClintock, MD, and Joshua Jauregui, MD, join hosts Toni Gallo and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee members Andrea Leep, MD, and Paolo Martin, PhD, MS CHPR, MEd, to discuss clinical teachers’ behaviors and how they support or harm students’ sense of psychological safety in the clinical learning environment.

This is the first episode in a 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field.

Read the article discussed in this episode: 

McClintock AH, Fainstad TL, Jauregui J. Clinician teacher as leader: Creating psychological safety in the clinical learning environment for medical students [published online ahead of print August 9, 2022]. Acad Med. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004913.

Read the complete collection of articles included in the 2022 RIME supplement at academicmedicine.org.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

As I progress through my training, I see more clearly how I benefited from my intern year; my comfort with ventilator settings and ability to navigate goals-of-care discussions are a direct result of my pandemic cases. However, when I am asked how my residency has been, I am haunted by the memories of those who can no longer answer.

Michelle I. Suh, a second-year resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, reflects on how her intern year was shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Remembering my own medical experiences is an insistent reminder that disease is not mundane, no matter how desensitized we may grow to it.

Tom Fouché, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, reflects on his dual identities of provider and patient and how not keeping them separated makes him a better physician.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the August 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guests Katherine Hoops, MD, MPH, Andra Blomkalns, MD, MBA, and Allison Augustus-Wallace, PhD, MS, MNS, join host Toni Gallo to talk about firearm safety and injury prevention education. They discuss the role of physicians in engaging patients and communities in firearm injury risk reduction, the current state of firearm injury prevention education, and where the academic medicine community needs to go from here. 

Read the articles discussed in this episode: 

Read the complete collection of articles on firearm injury prevention published in Academic Medicine. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org. 

When faculty members open themselves up to the idea that the work we do in seemingly different realms can actually enhance our practice, we arguably do our greatest service to the development of others’ gardens.

Sarah-Ann Keyes, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, reflects on how difficult it can be for faculty members in academic medicine to balance clinical, educational, and scholarly work.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the August 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

After this patient encounter, I came to realize that my greatest strength, my finest therapeutic tool, was me—all of me.

Omar Sahak, a first-year fellow in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California reflects on how sometimes the best way to help a patient is to be vulnerable with them.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Next time a patient thanks me, I will not let self-conscious worries diminish their words. True thankfulness reflects deep humanistic connection and is unburdened by the hierarchies of medicine.

Paulina M. Devlin, a first-year obstetrics and gynecology resident at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, Utah, reflects on the expression of gratitude between patients and providers.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guests Chirag Bhat, MD, and Warren Cheung, MD, MMEd, join hosts Toni Gallo and associate editor Teresa Chan, MD, MHPE, to discuss their research into nurses’ perspectives about giving feedback on residents’ clinical performance. They share their findings regarding the unique perspective nurses can offer, the barriers nurses face in providing feedback, and some possible ways to overcome these barriers.

Read the article discussed in this episode: Bhat C, LaDonna K, Dewhirst S, et al. Unobserved observers: Nurses’ perspectives about sharing feedback on the performance of resident physicians. Acad Med. 2022;97:271-277.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org. 

Despite the emotional challenges that my anatomy course presented, I feel reaffirmed in my desire to pursue medicine and now understand the beautiful complexity of the human body in a way I never could have before.

Keldon K. Lin, a second-year medical student at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Scottsdale, Arizona, reflects on the common humanity that all patients, both living and dead, share with one another.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the June 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

As tears seeped from the corners of her eyes and stained her cheeks, I felt powerless. I reached for her hand, wishing I could offer my bare human hand instead of an impersonal blue latex glove. Holding her hand was the only thing I could do in the moment; I hoped it made her feel less alone.

Natalie C. Spach, a fourth-year medical student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, reflects on the importance of physicians demonstrating compassion and empathy towards patients when they are at their most vulnerable.  

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

The resident came into my room with one question and he got it answered. The rest was not his problem. But it was my problem.

Arthur Garson Jr, clinical professor of health systems and population health sciences in the College of Medicine at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, reflects on the importance of two-way communication between patients and physicians.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Our patients should not be our blind spots. Even with the most thorough routines, I may not catch important clues—be it some subtle discomfort or altered affect—without keen observation, clues that may drastically change a patient’s story and care.

Alan Z. Yang, a second-year medical student at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, discusses the importance of observing and truly seeing a patient during a visit rather than focusing solely on standard interview questions and physical exam.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guests Lala Forrest and Joe Geraghty join host Toni Gallo to discuss the journal’s Trainee Letters to the Editor feature. They highlight selected letters submitted in response to last year’s call for submissions about the role of trainees as agents of change and discuss how institutions can empower trainees to be leaders and how trainees can get started leading change efforts. Lala and Joe also introduce this year’s call about transformative moments in a trainee’s professional journey and describe what the editors are looking for in successful submissions.

Available at academicmedicineblog.org are a transcript of this episode and links to the 2021 and 2022 calls for trainee letters to the editor and to the articles discussed in this episode. 

Our words and actions may strike others, or strike back at us, in unexpected ways. We must therefore always be ready to show our most human sides: to absorb surprising responses, lean into awkward moments, and apologize when we have erred.

Aldis H. Petriceks, a third-year medical student at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, discusses the importance of setting aside the structure of the patient interview and embracing the patient as an authentic, living personality.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

In the following months, I started noticing a subtle change in the way my patients and the community saw me. I went from being called the doctor to our doctor.

Sharon Reece, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest in Fayetteville, Arkansas, reflects on what she learned during her immersion in rural generalism in northern Alberta, Canada.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

These golden minutes were not only setting a realtime example of intersecting roles and responsibilities but opening a window into a version of mentorship unique to virtual platforms, a kind of role-modeling that revealed granular moments of sacrifice, struggle, and negotiation.

Yoshiko Iwai, a second-year medical student at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina reflects on Zoom mentorship and the art of juggling medical practice, research, teaching, and family.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the March 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

In the ensuing weeks, I continued with my work, behaving as if the incident had no impact on me while clamping down the embarrassment of being called a racial slur in front of my team. When others asked how I was doing, I said that I was fine in an attempt to make it go away.

Takesha Valentine Cooper, program director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program and chair of medical school admissions, equity advisor, and vice chair for education in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the University of California Riverside School of Medicine in Riverside, California discusses the importance of supporting historically marginalized medical students and residents who have faced discrimination.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the March 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guests Will Bynum, MD, and Joe Jackson, MD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss new research into the nature of shame experiences in medical students and emerging work on the implications of premedical students' shame experiences for their professional development. They offer advice for educators and learners for naming, normalizing, and addressing the effects of shame and provide suggestions for fostering a safe, inclusive learning environment and a holistic admissions process that support learners and minimize opportunities for shame triggering experiences. 

Read the article discussed in this episode: Bynum WE IV, Teunissen PW, Varpio L. In the “shadow of shame”: A phenomenological exploration of the nature of shame experiences in medical students. Acad Med. 2021;96:S23-S30. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblorg.org. 

This episode was originally released in August 2019.

Guests Will Bynum, MD, Lara Varpio, PhD, and Ashley Adams, MD, join Toni Gallo and former Academic Medicine editor-in-chief David Sklar, MD, to discuss shame in medicine and medical education, what it is and isn't, how it can be studied, and their research and other work in this area.

Read the articles discussed in this episode: 

Bynum WE IV, Adams AV, Edelman CE, Uijtdehaage S, Artino AR Jr, Fox JW. Addressing the elephant in the room: A shame resilience seminar for medical students. Acad Med. 2019;94:1132-1136.

Bynum WE IV, Artino AR Jr, Uijtdehaage S, Webb AMB, Varpio L. Sentinel emotional events: The nature, triggers, and effects of shame experiences in medical residents. Acad Med. 2019;94:85-93. 

Sklar DP. Recognizing and eliminating shame culture in health professions education. Acad Med. 2019;94:1061-1063.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this episode are the authors’ own and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Government, or its agencies. 

Ultimately, whether it is through language, a shared interest, or another shared commonality, finding ways to connect with our patients is an invaluable skill that can transform medicine from a science into an art.

Avani M. Kolla, a fourth-year medical student at New York University Grossman School of Medicine in New York, New York, reflects on how language can act as a stepping stone to forming relationships between patients and providers.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

I realized I never processed what I witnessed, experienced, and lived through. I put it all in a box so I could keep going to work. I sealed the box so that nothing could escape and distract me from the mission at hand: caring for critically ill patients.

Amanda S. Xi, a critical care anesthesiologist in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, discusses how institutions can help trainees who experienced trauma while caring for patients during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2022 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

I choose to view this not as a story of bias against me, but instead of my attending’s patience and perseverance. His uncompromising kindness made the patient blind to his own preconceived notions. I try to be a role model for my own residents the way that he was for me.

Deepa Danan, assistant professor and medical student clerkship director in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, reflects on remaining compassionate when caring for patients, even when they make misjudgments about their providers.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

The formative experience I had long sought emerged outside the context of feedback itself. I had spent my rotation in search of people who would change me, but I had not expected to find them dressed in johnnies rather than long white coats.

Grace Ferri, a fourth-year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, reflects on the patient who helped her remember where she came from, and—most importantly—where she belonged, during a stressful day on the wards.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

With the mask muffling my voice and the omnipresent sound of monitor alarms, words too, were strained. I grew irate at the situation. The inability to talk. The inability to connect. The inability to touch.

Graduate nursing student Hunter Marshall reflects on isolation and connection during the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This essay placed first in the 2021 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Even in the age of medical miracles, there is still no intervention more powerful than a genuine human connection. There is no lab, no scan, no test, no drug, no surgery, that can replace it. For the soul heals not by human medicine, but human kindness.

Medical student Ross Perry reflects on the most important lesson he learned while caring for a very special patient during his third year of medical school.

This essay placed first in the 2021 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Dementia does not rob the ears of joy.

Recent nursing school graduate Anna Swartzlander remembers a patient with dementia who shared with her his love of music.

This essay placed second in the 2021 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org. 

Why do I find it so much easier to deal with death after the fact than I do watching its slow, looming approach, like the shadow of a cloud creeping over my face? I think of cupping water between my hands, the spaces between fingers that I cannot hold tight.

Medical student Davy Ran reflects on how their perspective on death has changed since they began medical school.

This essay placed second in the 2021 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

“My time, energy, and focus are finite; one clear, properly motivated action will come at the cost of another. It is easy to think this means I will miss out on important moments, or that I may disappoint some for the benefit of others. But the antidote is to recognize that each experience is special.”

Fourth-year medical student Fletcher Bell reflects on doctors’ overlapping duties to their patients and family.

This essay placed third in the 2021 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the October 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guest Deena Hamza, PhD, joins hosts Toni Gallo and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee member and assistant editor Dan Schumacher, MD, PhD, MEd, to discuss a new framework for evaluating innovations, including why and how this model was developed and the ways it can be used in medical education.

This is the third episode in a 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field. Find the complete 2021 RIME supplement, which is free to read and download, at academicmedicine.org.

Read the article discussed in this episode: Eco-Normalization: Evaluating the Longevity of an Innovation in Context.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

It is often minute details such as the lack of internet, transportation, or a signature that can prevent people from completing an application for food stamps or the medication they need. By acknowledging patient experiences and reflecting on what we have heard, we can more effectively tailor the support we give to find patient-centered solutions.

Katherine M. Kutzer, a recent graduate of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, reflects on her experience calling patients of a community health center at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and how she came to understand the significance of listening to—and truly hearing—patients when they speak.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the October 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

“Using my body to tell these cultural stories not only allowed for emotional mutability, but it also cultivated a sense of pride, identity, and autonomy. In dance, I was reminded that the body was not a victim of medical circumstance but an instrument rewriting the story in her own language through dance and music.”

Shilpa Darivemula, a fourth-year obstetrics and gynecology resident at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, reflects on the importance of cultural arts as a medium for self-expression and the processing of bodily trauma for women of color while treating a patient who undergoes an unexpected cesarean delivery.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the October 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Just like technical expertise, expert caring can be taught and deliberately practiced. As educators, we must study it, measure it, and build consensus on an ideal framework. And above all, we must value it, not only in medical students and doctors, but in everyone.

Bonnie M. Miller, professor of medical education and administration at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee and senior director of scholarly communications at the Kern National Network for Caring and Character in Medicine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, reflects on the significance of caring, and how it is just as important to doctoring as procedural knowledge and skills.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the August 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guest Richard Baron, MD, joins hosts Toni Gallo and deputy editor Colin West, MD, PhD, to discuss the importance of trust in patient-physician relationships and ways physicians can build trust and overcome mistrust with patients and communities, including in conversations about COVID-19.  

Read the article discussed in this episode: A Trust Initiative in Health Care: Why and Why Now?

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

“The importance of fostering trust with families cannot be overstated, and effective communication techniques make up just one part of the complex puzzle. Body language is often considered to be the most important part of communication, but in extraordinary times, we had to rely on other tools such as tone of voice and content of speech.”

Edwin Wei Sheng Thong, a senior resident in the Department of Haematology-Oncology at the National University Health System in Singapore, discusses the importance of effective communication and the intricacies required while treating a patient in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the October 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Joining hosts Toni Gallo and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee member Javeed Sukhera, MD, PhD, to discuss their research on the experiences of trainees and physicians from minoritized communities in the United States and Canada are Taryn Taylor, MD, MEd, Nicole Rockich-Winston, MS, PharmD, EdD, Tim Mickleborough, PhD, and Tina Martimianakis, PhD. They address creating safe and brave spaces to discuss bias and discrimination, how professional norms may be harmful to those from minoritized communities, and fostering inclusive learning and practice environments.

This is the second episode in a 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field. Find the complete 2021 RIME supplement, which is free to read and download, at academicmedicine.org.

Read the articles discussed in this episode:  

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

“I have learned that no matter how much I study and practice, there will come a time when I cannot help—or, even worse, when my help is not wanted. While such moments do create the potential for moral distress, they also offer space for renewed motivation.”

Pallavi Juneja is a first-year neurology resident at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York. She reflects on how her time at home as a fourth-year medical student during the pandemic made her more aware of her limitations and gave her a new appreciation for helping patients.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Guest Jesse Burk-Rafel, MD, MRes, joins hosts Toni Gallo and Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee member Mahan Kulasegaram, PhD, to discuss the development of a decision support tool that incorporates machine learning and the use of that tool in residency applicant screening. They also talk about the residency application process and potential ways that artificial or augmented intelligence (AI) might mitigate current challenges.

This is the first episode in a 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field. Find the complete 2021 RIME supplement, which is free to read and download, at academicmedicine.org. 

Read the article discussed in this episode: Development and Validation of a Machine-Learning-Based Decision Support Tool for Residency Applicant Screening and Review. 

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org.

"Holding his hand, we had been alone in a room fighting a virus with no cure. Though he lay prone and I stood standing, we were equals in our fear in facing overwhelming unknowns. Neither of us knew what would happen over the next few hours or days."

Eric Kutscher, a resident physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at NYU Langone Health in New York, learned how to maintain dignity in vulnerability from a special patient while working in the intensive care unit at the height of the pandemic.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

This episode was originally released in August 2018.

Guest Carl Stevens, MD, MPH, joins hosts Toni Gallo and former editor-in-chief David Sklar, MD, to discuss the peer review process. Carl is a 10-time winner of the journal’s Excellence in Reviewing Award. He shares his reasons for serving as a peer reviewer and his process for evaluating submissions, including practical advice about the logistics of completing a review and what he looks for in a submission. This episode is meant to be a resource for new and seasoned reviewers who want to improve their reviewing skills.

Other resources for reviewers are available on AM Rounds and academicmedicine.org.

A transcript of this episode is available at academicmedicineblog.org. 

"Our patients and their families are living that one-in-a-thousand life. Even if focusing on rarity helps us cope with the unpredictability of our own pregnancies and of the world in pandemic, rarity cannot protect us from the truth that the terrible is possible."

Katharine Callahan is a neonatology fellow, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and an ELSI genomics fellow, Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Salazar is a neonatology fellow, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. As two neonatologists, both navigating pregnancies in a landscape of uncertainty, Katharine and Elizabeth find strength and inspiration in the families they serve and support.

This essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.