Academic Medicine Fellowship

What was the most valuable thing you gained from participating in the Academic Fellowship? 

Having the first year out of residency to be 50% clinical and 50% admin was incredible. I was able to have breathing room to explore and develop my own interests. In particular, it gave me space to both work on my academic portfolio but also expand my procedure and POCUS skills. If I started with full-time work right out of residency, I am certain some of those would have fallen by the wayside. 

Why did you choose to participate in the Academic Fellowship at the University of Michigan?  

I wanted: 

• more targeted experiences in medical education and to be competitive when applying for a faculty position. 

• more time to focus on my own interests and skill development (own clinical skills, clinical and procedural teaching, and scholarly work skills) that I felt I didn’t have as much time for in my third year of residency (chief year, COVID pandemic impacted this). 

• to receive more targeted mentorship and a smoother transition to a faculty position (by having academic time it allowed me to really try different things out and explore different areas in medical education and find my areas of interest). 

• to trial attending on the FMB service to help decide future career decisions (in a system/with people I already knew it felt like a safer space to try this out). 

What was the most valuable thing you gained from participating in the Academic Fellowship? 

Academic time! For mentorship, to build teaching experiences, for learning experiences (MESP), and scholarly work – it was important to have this time when building my CV and applying to faculty positions which led to faster opportunities, like getting a role in medical education after fellowship year, than I otherwise would have had. 

How did your experiences in the Academic Fellowship alter, shape, or promote your professional career? 

Gave me excellent mentorship, sponsorship, networking, and experiences to pursue future/longer-term academic/educational opportunities and roles. I was able to learn a lot about residency education and get my foot in the door more easily when opportunities came up the next year (after being hired to stay) due to having built up my experience/CV already with the academic time (which I otherwise wouldn’t have had if starting at 1 FTE as a new faculty member) 

Would you recommend the Academic Fellowship to others, and if so, why? 

Absolutely! The experiences I had were well worth the investment of time and short term decrease in pay in order to help propel my academic career. 

Why did you choose to participate in the Academic Fellowship at the University of Michigan?  

I was attracted to the Academic Fellowship offering both during residency recruitment and as a resident.  It really fit my needs of gaining valuable academic experience early on in my career, without the same clinical pressures.  

What was the most valuable thing you gained from participating in the Academic Fellowship? 

This is a tough question, as there were so many beneficial parts of the fellowship.  More than the educational work, it was the relationships that I was able to build with my fellowship director, the residency leadership, and those that mentored and sponsored me during my Academic Fellowship year.  

How did your experiences in the Academic Fellowship alter, shape, or promote your professional career? 

The fellowship completely confirmed my interest in academic medicine.  It provided me with the opportunity to precept residents, teach, observe, build curricula, and pursue academic scholarship.  Then, when I applied for faculty at the University of Michigan, I already had so many experiences under my belt.  My career goal was to become core faculty, and I believe the Academic Fellowship helped me achieve this early in my career.  

Would you recommend the Academic Fellowship to others, and if so, why? 

100%.  It is such a hands-on and immersive year of medical education didactics, scholarly work, teaching, and leadership that really prepares you for life in academic medicine.  I am so grateful for my experience as the Academic Fellow.  

How did your experiences in the Academic Fellowship alter, shape, or promote your professional career? 

It allowed me to start my career as junior faculty with more experience in education than most of my peers. This set me up to get early career positions working in education that I probably wouldn’t have had I just gone right to a faculty job out of residency. 

Would you recommend the Academic Fellowship to others, and if so, why? 

Absolutely, it’s the best possible set up for a career in academic medicine. Especially if you know you want to stay at UM (although I think the skills would translate to any academic or leadership position), the fellowship is invaluable. 

What was the most valuable thing you gained from participating in the Academic Fellowship? 

Connections within the medical school, including a role that led to a doctoring position.  

How did your experiences in the Academic Fellowship alter, shape, or promote your professional career? 

I was able to take time to decide which educational goals I had and to realize I preferred working with medical students (I continue to precept residents, but decided medical student education was my longer-term goal). This has led to significant leadership positions within the medical school, scholarship, and promotion to associate professor as a clinical educator. 

Why did you choose to participate in the Academic Fellowship at the University of Michigan?  

I thought it would give me the time to explore opportunities within medical education and gain additional training in medical education through a master’s program. Often, first jobs out of residency can be very clinic-heavy, which does not allow time to explore other interests, and I wanted protected time to be able to grow as a medical educator.   

What was the most valuable thing you gained from participating in the Academic Fellowship? 

I was able to obtain my Master of Education in the Health Professions from Johns Hopkins University (my academic fellowship was a bit unique in that I was a fellow for two years to complete the program). Without the protected time the Academic Fellowship provided me, I would have not been able to take the classes and do the work required for the master’s program. I was also able to participate in committees and network with other medical educators that I would not have been able to if I wasn’t a participant in the fellowship. 

How did your experiences in the Academic Fellowship alter, shape, or promote your professional career? 

My master’s degree has opened the door to many leadership and teaching opportunities, and the fellowship connected me with so many other educators who I continue to work with. Within a few years after completing the fellowship, I have been able to apply for promotion to associate professor, given the connections I have been able to make to complete scholarly work, as well. 

Would you recommend the Academic Fellowship to others, and if so, why? 

Absolutely. If anything, it gives you the time and space to explore your interests in medical education, which is so precious.