In honor of our upcoming inaugural Department of Medicine Education Retreat, I will be posting interviews with some of our educational leaders every Friday leading up to the retreat on Tuesday, October 30. This week we'll hear from our ACSs at Bayview. Click here to view previous interviews with Sanjay Desai and Erica Johnson.
For more information and to register for the retreat, visit: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Medicine/education/education-retreat.html
Mays Ali, assistant chief of service for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Bayview
Mays completed her medical degree here at Hopkins before joining the Internal Medicine Residency Program where she now serves as assistant chief of service. Originally from Guelph, Ontario, she completed her undergraduate studies at Duke University and aims to pursue a career in geriatric cardiology.
Why did you choose to complete your residency at Hopkins?
As a medical student at Hopkins, I rotated through various departments within the School of Medicine. I was struck by the commitment to patient-centered care, education and research that I witnessed on each one of my rotations. It was clear that everyone strived for clinical excellence, with the patient at the forefront.
What drew you to the program?
Internal Medicine at Hopkins Bayview was my first clerkship ever, and I immediately knew that it was a special place. There was a focus on getting to know the patient as a person, with a value placed on their social history that I had not appreciated until that point. Completing my sub-internship at Bayview solidified my love of the program and so when the time came, it was a perfect fit.
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
I have always been committed to resident well-being, having been heavily involved in the Bayview Resident Wellness Committee. I believe that we cannot truly care for our patients unless we are also caring for ourselves and our colleagues. So this year, my focus is on improving wellness for all trainees at Bayview. With the support of several faculty and residents, we are excited to work on curricula focused on trainee wellness, in addition to bringing more formal and informal events centered around well-being.
What inspired you to stick with the program after completing your residency?
Having been inspired by several chief residents who I still count among my friends and mentors, I knew that I wanted to have a meaningful impact on trainees. I enjoy teaching and serving as a resource for medical students and residents. The opportunity to work with trainees, further develop my teaching skills, and serve in a leadership role has been amazing thus far. I'm really excited to see what the rest of the year brings!
Karan Desai, assistant chief of service for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Bayview
Karan hails from Voorhees, New Jersey and received his bachelor’s from Northwestern University before attending medical school at Albany Medical College. Currently an assistant chief of service in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, he aims to work in academic cardiology and medical education.
What drew you to the program?
Everywhere I turned on my interview day (and throughout my residency) - whether it be at Morning Report with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein, ICU Rounds with Dr. Nisha Chandra, or Conference with Dr. Colleen Christmas - I was surrounded by people not only practicing excellent clinical medicine, but leaving their fingerprints on the field all the while demonstrating humanistic care to their patients and kindness to their colleagues. I left my interview day thinking there was no other group of people or environment in the country from which I wanted to receive my training.
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
Dr. David Hellmann will readily admit to anyone that he has a tendency to fall into "metaphorosis" and when he met with us at the beginning of the ACS year, a certain metaphor struck a chord for me. He said if everything that makes a great resident could be compared to a healthy diet, there is an essential vitamin that separates the good resident from the great resident: the pursuit of "Eureka moments." Whether it is reviewing a blood smear and seeing schistocytes for the first time, spinning urine to see the white blood cell cast, utilizing ultrasound to see the effusion leading to tamponade or recognizing a rare genetic syndrome in a family through careful history of multiple family members, encouraging and modeling the extra effort to turn common clinical experiences into indelible moments in a resident's training through these times of "Eureka!" has become my primary mission as ACS. And what is most exciting is that the leadership in the Department of Medicine across both campuses has made pursuing these moments a foremost educational goal.
What inspired you to stick with the program after completing your residency?
I have a chance to work with some of the most talented and kind residents in this country. For one year, I get a chance to play a small role in their development, and being fortunate enough to be entrusted with such an awesome responsibility motivates me in this job every day.
Mariah Robertson, assistant chief of service for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Bayview
Mariah journeyed from her home town of Jefferson City, Missouri to Pennsylvania to earn her bachelor’s from Westminster College and then returned to complete her medical degree at the University of Missouri. She currently serves as an assistant chief of service in the Internal Medicine Residency Program on the path to pursuing a career in geriatrics and palliative care.
Why did you choose to complete your residency at Hopkins?
I went in to all of my interviews with an open mind, but on my interview day at Bayview things just clicked. It was truly the combination of a strong primary care program with a track record for excellence situated in an institution with limitless possibilities which made it the obvious perfect choice for my career goals and future growth.
What drew you to the program?
Johns Hopkins Bayview felt like a unique place to train. Everyone I met was happy to be here. There was a clear focus on patient-centered care and evidence-based medicine that felt like the right way to learn how to care for patients. I appreciated the emphasis on bedside teaching and the excitement for medical education. I felt like it was a place where I would constantly be pushed to be the best physician healer I could be. I still feel that way nearly four years later.
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
I am most excited about growing as a teacher and leader during this year. I am also enjoying the process of learning the ins and outs of program leadership. It is different than I imagined, but a very good learning experience for my future career goals. I look forward to watching our senior assistant residents match and graduate and grow to fellows/attendings, watching our junior assistant residents become strong and independent seniors and watching our interns embrace the process of becoming a resident. What a fun year this is!
What inspired you to stick with the program after completing your residency?
I feel like Bayview is an incredibly unique place. I get to learn from the smartest and most compassionate in the field of medicine day-in and day-out. I couldn't pass up the chance to spend an intensive year doing just that. I also wanted the chance to give back to a program and group of residents that I care deeply for. It is an honor to get to be a part of their growth, if only a minor part.
Tune in next Friday for interviews with our ACSs from the Osler Medical Training Program.
