MedStar Health System Graduate Medical Education Committee Openings

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As MedStar Health residents and fellows, your voice is critically important and we wanted to share with you an important leadership opportunity. The MedStar Health System Graduate Medical Education Committee (System GMEC) provides residents and fellow with the opportunity to advocate for their colleagues, listen to concerns, and identify areas for improvement. The System GMEC currently has openings for two resident positions and is in search of residents or fellows from across the system who are interested in serving as an active member of the System GMEC for a two-year term.

Responsibilities include:

  • Providing a pathway for awareness, dialogue, and action with the System GMEC and GME leadership team.
  • Serving as an ambassador and link for the relay of communications both from and to residents and fellows across the system.
  • Working in close collaboration with the resident/fellow members of the Physician Leadership Council (PLC) to advance GME initiatives at MedStar Health.

The new resident/fellow members will be elected based on a peer voting process, with consideration given to hospitals and programs that are not currently represented by resident or fellow members on the System GMEC.

Those elected will serve as full voting members of the System GMEC for a two-year term.  As such, attendance at all scheduled meetings is anticipated.  The System GMEC meets monthly, with a 1.5 hour virtual meeting most months and a quarterly longer-form (four hour) in-person meeting in Columbia, Maryland in September, December, March, and June.  Given the importance of an interactive dialogue, there is no virtual or hybrid option available for the quarterly in-person meetings.  Lunch will be provided.  The full System GMEC schedule for FY24 is appended below.

 

MEETING DATE TIME
Thursday, September 7, 2023 1:00 – 5:00 pm (4 hours, in person, CCO)
Thursday, October 5, 2023 12:00 – 1:30 pm (1.5 hours)
Thursday, November 2, 2023 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Tuesday, December 5, 2023 1:00 – 5:00 pm (in person, CCO)
Thursday, January 4, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Thursday, February 1, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 1:00 – 5:00 pm (in person, CCO)
Thursday, April 4, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Thursday, May 2, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Tuesday, June 4, 2024 1:00 – 5:00 pm (in person, CCO)

Residents/fellows can self-nominate.  Requirements for nomination include:

  • Obtain a letter of support from your Program Director, confirming that you are in good academic standing, and that you can commit the time necessary to successfully meet the responsibilities of the position, including attendance at all meetings (virtual and in-person).
  • Prepare a brief personal statement outlining your interest and commitment to this position if elected. Your statement will be distributed widely to all residents and fellows across the system for voting purposes.

In order to be considered for the open positions, the letter of support from your Program Director and your personal statement must be e-mailed to my attention by 5:00pm on Monday, September 11th

Elections will be held from Tuesday September 12, 2023 through Friday, September 15, 2023. Voting will be conducted electronically via Survey Monkey.  Election winners will be announced on Monday, September 18th.

If you are interested in learning more about the positions, reach out to your Program Director, a member of the GME executive team, or any of the current resident/fellow members of the Committee:

  • Dr. Danielle Grossman, MedStar D.C. General Surgery
  • Dr. Namratha Meda, MWHC Internal Medicine
  • Dr. Wen Kawaji, MedStar Baltimore General Surgery

We thank you in advance for your interest.  Please reach out with any questions.

People Profile: Dr. Sant Kumar

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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.

CENTILE Teaching Certificate Program Sept. 8

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The Georgetown University Medical Center, Center for Innovation and Leadership in Education (CENTILE) is hosting a Teaching Certificate Program Session on Friday, September 8. This one-hour program will cover performance and workplace-based assessments and will be presented by H. Carrie Chen, MD, PhD. Register here.

GME Town Hall Sept. 12

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A one-hour GME Town Hall will be held on Tuesday, September 12. This is an important opportunity for you to learn about program updates, and residents and fellows are expected to attend. Program Directors, APDs, Program Coordinators, and faculty are encouraged to attend. It’s not too late to submit a topic or question for the Town Hall! Please submit all topics and questions through this Google Form by Friday, September 8.