Academic Medicine Podcast

Discussing a new study that explores medical student learning during interprofessional interactions in clinical clerkships are author Kelsey Miller, MD, EdM, Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee member Bonny Dickinson, PhD, MS-HPEd, and AAMC MedEdSCHOLAR Kelvin Pollard, MD. They explore the “lore” about working with other health professionals that medical students learn from their peers during clerkships and how interprofessional interactions shape students’ professional identity, autonomy and collaboration skills, and sense of their role on the health care team. Read the article discussed and access the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org.

For the first time, we began to understand not just their bodies and illnesses but their lives as joyful parents, enthusiastic musicians, expert race car mechanics, and loving spouses.  David Deshpande reflects on the Service of Gratitude and the lessons learned from anatomy donors and their families. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

We are taught to think about what needs to be done in order for our patient to go home when we are on the wards, yet there is no care meeting, discharge coordinator, or bed huddle in academic medicine. Julia Meade reflects on the difficulty of knowing when to retire from academic medicine. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the August 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Throughout my medical training, I vow to make an effort to actively pursue each patient’s full story. To cleave only the fragments of their existence that anchor them to the hospital room leaves behind parts of our patients, invisible and abandoned. Madeline Blatt reflects on the importance of imagining and investigating the version of the patient who lives outside of the hospital after being discharged. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Regardless of how difficult medicine is, each small step we take to listen, be compassionate, have patience, and advocate is meaningful, even if we must start over and do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. Lisa Gong reflects on a patient who helped her to see the value in normalcy and routine. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Artists Rachel Mindrup, MFA, and Tuyet-Minh Tran, MD, discuss their artwork that was featured on the cover of Academic Medicine. They explore the inspiration and creative process behind their pieces and how medicine has influenced their art and how art has influenced how they experience medicine. They also reflect on the role of the arts and humanities in medicine and medical education and how art can foster reflection and perspective taking in physicians. Check out the artwork discussed, read the artists’ accompanying essays, and access the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org.

I, like others in medical education, had the misconception that wellness could solely be achieved by separating work from “real life.” I thought I needed to find wellness and restoration outside of medicine to be able to then empty myself again and again into this career. Jessica proved me wrong. L. Elizabeth Moreno reflects on a student who reignited her commitment as an educator. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the June 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

I had not role modeled cynicism or pessimism. Rather, my student’s statement was a sign of learning and understanding what I had taught: processing and handling the reality of medical practice. Beatrice T.B. Preti reflects on  teaching students to be aware of the systems they work in (including limitations and flaws), which helps them to prepare for future practice. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Authors Joan Cangiarella, MD, and Catherine Coe, MD, and medical student Lily Ge discuss the goals, features, evolution, and outcomes to date of accelerated 3-year MD programs, focusing on the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine FIRST Program. They explore the experiences of accelerated program medical students and how these programs fit into broader efforts to improve medical education.  Read the articles discussed and access the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org.

Authors Eric Warm, MD, and David Hirsh, MD, and medical student Kate Jennings join host Toni Gallo to discuss the unintended consequences of the shift to pass/fail grading in undergraduate medical education and current challenges in the residency application and selection process. They explore the feedback culture and incentives for pursuing clinical excellence in medical school. They also present the complex adaptive system model as a framework to consider the dynamics at play and ways to improve the transition to residency.    Read the article discussed and access the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org.

As I reflect on my initial years of training, I am deeply moved by the kindness that surrounded me, especially during hands-on interactions with patients as an anxious new trainee. The warmth and guidance that were shown to me had a profound influence on my personal learning and growth. Oscar Li and Yeonsoo Sara Lee reflects on their experience inserting a Foley catheter for the first time, and how crucial a supportive environment in medical education is. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

In some ways, I walked a mile in the refugee doctors’ shoes. I learned about culture through my mistakes instead of being explicitly taught. Although mistakes aid learning, they also have the potential to erode relationships. Samantha E. Smith reflects on her experience teaching refugee doctors and the importance of intercultural competence teaching for international medical graduates and the faculty who train them. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Lauren Maggio, PhD, MS(LIS), joins host Toni Gallo to discuss open science and innovations in education scholarship and scholarly publishing, including the role of AI. As the new editor-in-chief of MedEdPORTAL, Lauren also shares what makes the journal unique, her advice for authors, and her vision for the future.   Read the articles discussed and access additional resources and the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org.

Above all, the impact of this initial connection between us on his engagement in the care journey filled me with a profound sense of accomplishment. What would have become of Bernard without this connection? This experience confirmed for me the importance of an authentic connection with the patient. Rémi Esclassan reflects on bonding with a patient over his tattoo, which illustrated the profound beauty and complex nature of health care. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

I realize it’s my calling to hear heartache, but it’s also my calling to feel hope, see beauty, and experience life in its entirety. Final-year Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Midwifery student Hailey Sommerfeld reflects on a shift that began with sadness and doubt but ended with reassurance and optimism. This essay placed first in the 2024 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

There is an unspoken understanding that nursing is both an art and a science. Often, you will be called to use your critical-thinking skills and training to help save lives. Other days, you will need to show compassion and understanding to meet the needs of your patients. Most days involve a combination of both. And some days, it means breaking the rules to allow a cat in the ICU. Doctor of nursing practice student Megan McDowell reflects on sneaking a pet into the ICU so a patient could say a final goodbye.   This essay placed second in the 2024 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Something special happens when you work in the field. It speaks to you. It calls on the bounty of your generosity. It coaxes you to the precipice of your creativity, and it demands that you become sharper, savvier, and more self-possessed. If you listen, then in return you find it affords you the greatest gift life can offer: the privilege of having touched someone’s heart. Medical student Noor Ahmed reflects on the special year-long connection forged with a patient during her time in the field as a health outreach worker. This essay placed second in the 2024 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Andrew Orr, MD, MSEd, and Dorene Balmer, PhD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss their study of a longitudinal arts and humanities curriculum for internal medicine interns, which is part of this year’s Research in Medical Education (RIME) collection. Also joining the conversation are RIME Committee member Pilar Ortega, MD, MGM, and AAMC MedEdSCHOLAR Nicole Findlay-Richardson, MD, MPH.    This episode is the final one in this year’s 3-part series of discussions with RIME authors about their medical education research and its implications for the field. Check out last month’s episode on medical students’ experiences of failure and remediation.    Read the article discussed and access the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org.

Lynnea Mills, MD, joins host Toni Gallo to discuss her new study of medical students’ experiences of failure and remediation in the United States and the Netherlands, which is part of this year’s Research in Medical Education (RIME) collection. Also joining the conversation are RIME Committee member Mike Ryan, MD, MEHP, and AAMC MedEdSCHOLAR Anna-kay Thomas, EdD. This episode is the second in this year’s RIME series. Check out last month’s episode on perceptions of disability inclusion in medical education among students with disabilities. And tune in next month for the final episode in the series on the transformative potential of the arts and humanities in residency training. Read the article discussed and access the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org. 

Whenever I pass that room, though, I will think of it as G.’s. A sacred sanctuary—where medicine, care plans, and labels like “incontinent” and “terminal” fall away and where priority is placed instead upon two human beings connecting at two different junctures of life, united in this powerful moment of G.’s creation and a shared love of chocolate. G.’s space. His quiet place. Final-year nursing student Erin Bowdish reflects on the connection forged with a patient on comfort care during mealtime. This essay placed third in the 2024 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the October 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.