Office of Faculty Development hosts 2022 FEED Conference

The Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics co-hosted the 2022 Faculty Education, Enrichment and Development (FEED) conference March 11. More than 45 faculty members attended this year’s virtual event.

As one of the signature events offered by the Department of Medicine’s Office of Faculty Development, the annual conference aims to provide career advancement support for clinician educators, clinical researchers, and basic scientists. Through didactic presentations, panel discussions, and small group exercises, the half-day CME-accredited program provides learning opportunities for faculty of all levels.

This year’s first general session, “Navigating the Aftermath and the Lingering Effects (of the Virus That Must Not Be Named),” included presentations from faculty on the practical strategies they have developed to deal with pandemic induced problems/situations. Michael Sterling, MD moderated a panel of faculty members who discussed challenges they face such as training learners in more difficult clinical settings, continuing research with limited supplies, and developing self-care priorities. Panelists included Alejandra San Martin, PhD; Amy Miller, MD; Kimberly Workowski, MD; Nitya Bakshi, MD; and Jennifer Stapel-Wax, PsyD.

Following the first session, participants broke into clinician educator and research breakout rooms. The clinician educator group session, “Getting the Most Out of Clinical Case Conferences: An Educator’s Toolkit,” helped clinician-educators plan case conferences more intentionally to effectively develop clinical reasoning skills. Speakers included Varun Phadke, MD and Meredith Lora, MD.

The researcher group session, “Building a Legacy Through Supporting Trainees and Early Career Researchers,” included a discussion on best practices from the research trainee and mentor perspectives, and an overview of preparing a successful trainee grant. The session was moderated by Alejandra San Martin, PhD. Speakers included David Guidot, MD and LouAnn Brown, PhD.

For the last general session, “Combating Misinformation and Mistrust in the Time of COVID,” panelists discussed difficult exchanges with patients, families, colleagues, friends, and people on social media about the diagnosis, treatment, and even existence of COVID. They shared ways to use this opportunity to promote meaningful dialogue and how to use these situations as teachable moments for learners. The panel was moderated by Nathan Spell III, MD and included Tina-Ann Thompson, MD; Carlos del Rio, MD; Marshall Fleurant, MD, MPH; and Andrea Shane, MD, MPH, MSc.

Participants described this year’s conference sessions as exceptional and illuminating. Attendees also appreciated the diversity of the panelists’ experiences.

Special thanks to event co-leads Michael Sterling and Alejandra San Martin, and all conference presenters, panelists, and attendees!

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