Sarah Hartley, MD, MHPE: Collaborating with the medical education community
Dr. Hartley’s Michigan Answer: I came to Michigan to practice medicine and explore opportunities to become more involved in medical education. I discovered a thoughtful and supportive community.
Sarah Hartley, MD, MHPE, is a clinical professor of internal medicine and associate residency program director at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her educational roles include serving as one of the associate program directors for the internal medicine residency program and as the assistant course director for Doctoring. Dr. Hartley is a Featured Educator with the Academy of Medical Educators and RISE. Here, she shares her passion for medical education and how she has thrived within the medical education community at Michigan.
How did you first become interested in medical education?
My parents were both teachers and my siblings both pursued degrees in education while I decided to pursue medicine. As a medical student, I quickly learned there is a tremendous opportunity to be involved in education in medicine. While I was in a different setting, I shared the passion my family had for education.
What is your favorite activity to do with education or learners?
I love the work of patient care with learners. The chance to watch learners connect, ask curious questions and try to find the ways that we can help patients is inspiring.
How did you develop your medical education skills?
Michigan has a tremendous resource in our medical education community, and I have been fortunate to learn from that group along the way. When I joined the faculty here in 2008, I had time with medical students and residents on the inpatient wards. I also volunteered in the physical diagnosis course at the Medical School when there was a need for faculty to fill in. Through this work I got to know the culture at Michigan and was able to identify additional opportunities to become more involved. I have participated in formal courses at Michigan as well, including the Master in Health Professions Education program.
Who is one of your role models in medical education? What lessons did you learn from them?
Dr. John Del Valle, the program director for the residency program, is a role model. I started on the residency leadership team in 2013 and over the past 10+ years of working with Dr. Del Valle, I have had the opportunity to witness daily what thoughtful, collaborative, inclusive, transparent and forward-thinking leadership looks like. Dr. Del Valle asks questions to better understand and uses curiosity, not judgment. He understands the history that led us to current state and is willing to change direction and rethink any solution from the past to achieve a better future. He cares for each of the residents in this program and wants to help them achieve success, however they define that.
How do you find community in medical education?
The medical education community at Michigan is one of the most collaborative and thoughtful groups of people I have ever met. As a junior faculty member, there were countless leaders at Michigan who were willing to meet to talk through an idea and offer input or guidance when I was unsure. They genuinely wanted to help. That same community also role models humility. If they weren’t sure of an answer, they were happy to help make a connection with someone that I may not have met yet. There are tremendous opportunities outside of Michigan as well through professional organizations like the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians.
What makes your day as an educator?
The occasional note from a learner about how they used an experience we had together to help a patient or themselves later.
What goals do you have for your medical education work in the future?
I want to continue to collaborate with others in a way that is professionally meaningful for them and will help them continue to work toward promotion at Michigan.
What is your favorite thing to do in Ann Arbor?
Take my nieces and nephews for fro-yo at Menchie’s.
In This Story
Sarah Hartley, MD, MHPE, FACP, FHM
Clinical Professor
John Del Valle
Professor
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