People Profiles: Dean Lee Jones

/in , /by

Leon “Lee” Jones, MD

For Leon “Lee” Jones, MD, dean for medical education at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine, his commitment to medical education is personal.

“I’m not only an educator, and the Dean for medical education, but I’m also a son and a husband,” he said, pointing to the exceptional medical care that both he and his family have received at MedStar Health. “Those [physicians] are the people who are educating Georgetown students.”

At Georgetown University, Dean Jones oversees the medical education for more than 800 medical students. His job is to ensure that students are receiving the best possible education. It requires working across multiple disciples and departments and working in close partnership with MedStar Health graduate medical education (GME).

A psychiatrist by training, Dean Jones first pursued medicine because of his interest in science, his curiosity for learning, and his love of people. “I thought, how can I pull those three things together? It was medicine.”

It is no surprise then that Dean Jones cites the people at Georgetown University and MedStar Health as one of the reasons he loves being a medical educator. “Medical students, and also my faculty and colleagues, are energetic, they’re passionate, they love what they do, and they want to change the world,” he said. “I get to learn a lot from everybody… I’d have to go out of my way to avoid learning new things.”

More than 80% of medical student teaching at Georgetown University is delivered by Medstar Health GME residents and fellows and clinical training is conducted primarily at MedStar Health sites.

“There are 10 amazing hospitals and hundreds of phenomenal clinics that our students get to avail themselves of, where outstanding clinicians and outstanding teachers provide outstanding services to our communities,” Dean Jones said. “Our students benefit from a combination of great hospitals and great teaching from people who care.”

As dean, he has unique insight into the future of medicine. Figuring out how to provide everyone with great health care is top of his list, pointing to the income and health disparities present right here in Washington, DC. “My vision is that we train an interdisciplinary healthcare workforce so that can take of everyone, and everyone’s health is addressed,” he said. “I think we can do that. We’re making great progress. But we still have a lot of work to do.”

Outside of the medical school, Dean Jones is recognized more often for his large dogs, with people often stopping him to take pictures of his three dogs: two Saint Bernards and a Mastiff. The dogs, plus two cats, make for a lively household. “My husband and I treat them like our kids,” he laughed. “Our Mastiff had a knee surgery and can’t do stairs, so we bought a house that’s all one level so that he would be more comfortable.”

From canine companion to education leader, its apparent that Dean Jones cares deeply about others.

People Profiles: Dr. Mary Taylor Winsten

/in , /by

Mary Taylor (MT) Winsten, MD, (PGY-3, Obstetrics and Gynecology)

“It sounds so cliché, but it’s true, I’m living out my dream every day.”

Mary Taylor (MT) Winsten, MD, (PGY-3, Obstetrics and Gynecology) always wanted to be a physician, and now, she is grateful for the chance to serve women and advocate for their health during some of their most vulnerable moments.

“I think that’s really special that you get to be there in some of the most joyous parts of people’s lives and some of the hardest,” Dr. Winsten said.

Originally from Texas, Dr. Winsten was excited for the new challenges that came with a new city and a residency. “During intern year, you’re so overwhelmed by all of the new. You’re in a new city, you’re in a new environment, trying to figure out so many things – you don’t even know how to order Tylenol! – but it does get better,” she shared.

She attributes a big part of her success at MedStar Health to the sense of community between residents and attending physicians. “I feel very well supported. It makes a big difference to have a culture of support and people that you enjoy being around. It makes me feel very lucky to be here,” she said.

Now, Dr. Winsten is stepping forward to help other residents and fellows navigate residency, by serving as a resident representative on the Physician Leadership Council (PLC) alongside Dr. Sant Kumar.  As a representative of the more than 1,000 MedStar Health GME residents and fellows, Dr. Winsten is keen on working with the PLC to improve the working environment for her colleagues.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to serve as a liaison and an advocate for them. Because I think that’s huge to have leadership who actually wants to know what’s going on and wants us to be involved,” she said. “We do have the ear of the Physician Leadership Council and Dean Padmore, and we can be advocates for thoughtful changes in our healthcare system.”

One day, Dr. Winsten envisions a future where healthcare is more easily accessible to everyone. “I wish to continue to improve access to people because I think it makes a difference in – not just their health – but their quality of life,” she said.

When Dr. Winsten is not treating patients or working on behalf of her colleagues, she enjoys cooking new dishes with her husband, an Emergency Medicine resident at George Washington University Hospital.

People Profiles: Dr. Yewande Rukayat Alimi

/in , /by

Yewande Rukayat Alimi, MD (General Surgeon)

Yewande Rukayat Alimi, MD, (General Surgeon) holds many titles at MedStar Health. She’s a minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon; Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the Department of Surgery; co-chair for the Working Group for Racial Justice; and co-chair on the Respect in the Learning Environment reporting subcommittee. She is also enrolled in the MedStar Health Teaching Scholars program, where she is learning the skills to be an education scholar and leader.

The thread that ties all these roles together is Dr. Alimi’s desire to create a more equitable learning environment and a more diverse workforce at MedStar Health.

“I’d like to envision a future of medicine where we are educating providers that represent the U.S. – meaning that we’re getting more folks who have been previously underrepresented in medicine and in surgery into positions of leadership. I envision a workforce that looks a lot more like the patients we are taking care of daily,” Dr. Alimi says.

Dr. Alimi is working with her MedStar Health colleagues to achieve those goals through each of her leadership roles.

  • As the Director of DEI within the Department of Surgery, Dr. Alimi is focusing on health equity and expanding access to medical education for underrepresented minority students. Dr. Alimi has been granted seed funding from MedStar Health’s Academic Investment Fund to support this work.
  • The Respect in the Learning Environment Committee is working to decrease specialty disrespect and microaggressions towards student learners. In her work on the reporting subcommittee, Dr. Alimi has been focused on creating better reporting mechanisms for students.
  • The Working Group for Racial Justice serves as a consortium within the health system that focuses on issues affecting underrepresented minorities within medicine. Dr. Alimi is helping build the House Staff Diversity Council so that underrepresented physicians have an additional avenue for community and engagement among their peers.

 Dr. Alimi cares deeply about investing in residents and fellows and takes pride in mentoring the next generation of physicians, largely because she has experienced the value in those relationships. She cited the support provided by Dean Padmore, Dr. Shimae Fitzgibbons, Dr. Eleanor Drew, Dr. Patrick Jackson, Dr. Steve Evans, Dr. Lisa Boyle – and many others – that really made her feel like MedStar Health was a place where she could thrive and make an impact.

 “I’ve had mentors who are really invested in me, and the things that I’m interested in – I in turn have engaged in those mentor-mentee relationships,” Dr. Alimi says. “I particularly like the engagement that you get with trainees. Being in some of my roles, I get to be a mentor and a visual representation that folks belong! Whether or not it’s that I’m a woman, or a Black woman, it’s been really influential.”

 Dr. Alimi also holds another important title that has influenced her work: Mom.

“It’s really changed the outlook I have on how I engage with my patients, how I engage with the world in hoping that it will look a little bit different for him than when I stepped into it.”

People Profiles: Dr. Felicia Hamilton

/in , /by

Felicia Hamilton, MD, (Obstetrics and Gynecology)

“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to do medicine,” said Felicia Hamilton, MD, (Obstetrics and Gynecology). However, she didn’t always want to practice obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN). Originally, she wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. A volunteer stint at a domestic violence shelter during medical school immediately changed her mind.

“I wanted to take care of women exclusively, as they take care of all of us,” she said.

Now, as the Program Director for the OB/GYN residency program at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Dr. Hamilton is grateful for the opportunity to help teach the next generation of OB/GYN physicians.

“Being involved in the lives of so many people who will take care of women is quite an honor and a privilege,” she said. “It’s quite an honor and a privilege to take care of women as it is and there is a special honor to train those who will go out and take care of women. We are training people to go out all over the world to care of women. It’s a far-reaching and huge responsibility.”

Dr. Hamilton notes that advancing health through medical education is core to MedStar Health’s vision and strategy, and leaders across the graduate medical education (GME) program are continually making investments in resident learning. The wide scope of immense talent at MedStar Health is an asset to fellows and residents, she notes, as there are so many physicians and medical professionals to learn from and share ideas with.

“We are very resident-focused and driven. Teaching is ingrained here. GME is really involved in developing its learners and making improvements in training to achieve our educational objectives,” Dr. Hamilton said.

Dr. Hamilton’s perspective on the future of medicine has also been shaped by her time in the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, where she helped deliver medical care in communities without consistent access to care. She hopes that interest in medicine, and the infrastructure required to support that interest, continues to expand so that people in rural and underserved communities can access the care they deserve. “Maternal mortality and morbidity is unfortunately increasing, and that is a shame. If we do not have those providers, it will continue to be a problem,” she said.

When Dr. Hamilton is not treating patients, working with residents, serving on the Graduate Medical Education Committee (System GMEC) – or several other leadership positions throughout the MedStar Health system – she enjoys spending time with her family, including three boys and Basenji dog Louie.

People Profile: Dr. Qingwen (Wen) Kawaji

/in , /by

Qingwen (Wen) Kawaji, MD (PGY-5, General Surgery)

Qingwen (Wen) Kawaji, MD, (PGY-5, General Surgery) has a Charm City Football flag hanging in her office as a reminder of the town she calls home. Baltimore is not only where she met her husband and completed higher education, but it’s also where she was first inspired to pursue medicine while working on a research project with a general surgeon at Johns Hopkins University. She’s fallen in love with the hands-on work of surgery and the impact she can make on her patients.

“You see a problem, you fix it, and patients have an immediate change of symptoms. If a patient comes in with appendicitis, you take out the appendix, and the next day that pain is gone,” Dr. Kawaji says. “That is always extremely gratifying. A lot of times in medicine you don’t always get to see those immediate results.”

Dr. Kawaji has stepped into leadership roles during her time at MedStar Health, serving as the Academic Chief Resident for the MedStar Baltimore general surgery residency program and a resident representative on the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC). She is passionate about her work on the GMEC and the opportunity to work alongside her colleagues on the GMEC as well as GME leadership to turn resident concerns into action items.

Dr. Kawaji encourages residents and fellows to take advantage of the peer-to-peer listening sessions hosted by the resident GMEC representatives and submit feedback so the GMEC can improve the program and strengthen the educational opportunities available to residents and fellows.

“It’s really hard if GME leadership doesn’t know what we need, and that’s where me and my colleagues get to be that channel to make sure that resident concerns and needs are brought to the right people,” Dr. Kawaji says.

Dr. Kawaji’s work on the GMEC is driven by her desire to turn problems into solutions, and by her appreciation for the comradery and community among the residents and fellows. It’s one of the things Dr. Kawaji appreciates most about working at MedStar Health. She explains that even though there are times where medicine can be tough, it’s important to share those challenges with your colleagues. “However you feel, you’re definitely not alone,” she says.

Dr. Kawaji encourages her colleagues to look at the big picture: “Everything you do, as little as it is – it could be a diet order you’re putting in – that will have an impact. You’re taking care of a person, and that’s truly a privilege. What you do truly has a meaning, it has an impact.”

“We’re all here in the hospital to do the same thing: take exceptional care of our patients.”

People Profile: Dr. Sant Kumar

/in , /by

Sant Kumar, MD, (PGY-3, Internal Medicine)

From a very early age, Sant Kumar, MD, (PGY-3, Internal Medicine) was exposed to the world of medicine through his mother’s work as physician in their hometown of San Francisco. Dr. Kumar quickly learned that he was interested in not only the science of medicine, but the need to work across multiple disciplines to solve medical problems and treat patients.

“In internal medicine, you really get to play this role of medical detective where a patient comes in with a chief complaint, and you need to try to piece together and solve what’s going on with the patient,” Dr. Kumar said.

Dr. Kumar and his cat Ferdinand moved from San Francisco to Washington for medical school at Georgetown University, and then residency at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Here at MedStar Health, he has put his passion for lifelong learning to good use.

“One of the best parts about internal medicine and medicine as a whole is that you’re always learning – there’s really no finish line,” Dr. Kumar said.

Dr. Kumar pursued Internal Medicine thanks in part to the supportive culture of the department, and leadership’s commitment to helping residents achieve their goals. And Dr. Kumar draws inspiration from his resident colleagues, saying, “I think my peers are all exceptional physicians.”

Dr. Kumar also serves as a resident representative on the MedStar Health Physician Leadership Council, advancing Graduate Medical Education (GME) initiatives on a system level and representing the voice of the more than 1,000 MedStar Health GME residents and fellows. Not only has Dr. Kumar gained valuable insight into the more administrative and policy aspects of medicine, but he’s been able to share that insight with his colleagues and work towards positive change.

“I would like my colleagues to know that their voices do matter,” Dr. Kumar said. “And the more that we can raise awareness about issues or raise awareness about specific things that are impacting us, both positively and negatively, the more likely change is to occur. And the administration does want to know what our experience is and what’s going on.”

As for the future of medicine, Dr. Kumar would like to see greater attention given to creating equity in health care, more resources devoted to addressing mental health and its effect on physical health, and greater incentivization to encourage medical students to pursue primary care and close the growing gap in essential primary care services.