Emory Division of Hospital Medicine Hosts the First Annual National Teaching Invitational

By: Monee Amin, MD; Mary Ann Kirkconnell Hall, MPH; and Meredith Trubitt, MD

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On Tuesday, May 7, the Emory Division of Hospital Medicine (EDHM) hosted their first ever National Teaching Invitational competition. Modeled after EDHM’s own Teaching Competition, where early career hospitalists from each EDHM site vie for the coveted EDHM Teaching Competition Trophy, six contestants brought their educational “A” games to duel for the first national title. For the national invitational (as for EDHM’s own event), a theme is assigned each year by the Competition Committee, and speakers select their topic from a provided list.

In addition to Emory, represented by Emory University Hospital’s own Michael Jones, MD, (the winner of the 2024 EDHM competition), participating schools also included Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Colorado, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St. Louis. The full recording of the Invitational can be viewed here.

Caption: Contestants included Eileen Lee, MD, Washington University in St. Louis; Michael Jones, MD, Emory University; Alex Horne, MD, Duke University; Spurthi Bhatt, Vanderbilt University; Hoda Farajpour Bakhtiati, MD, Denver Health Hospital and the University of Colorado; and Niloo Latifi, MD, Johns Hopkins University.

Caption: National Teaching Invitational judges included Michelle Brooks, MD, FACP, FHM, Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Education and Hospitalist at the South Texas Veterans Health Care Center; Eric Howell, MD, MHM, CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine; Lei Du Lynn, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, George Washington University; Amit Saindane, MD, MBA, Professor and Chair, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University; Lisa Willett, MD, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair of Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Paul Williams, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, “America’s Primary Care Doctor,” and host of the Curbsiders podcast.

Co-hosts Drs. Amin and Trubitt were assisted by EDHM’s Program Coordinator, Monica Perkins, who ensured that the Invitational ran smoothly behind the scenes. The competing hospitalists and their talks were:

• Eileen Lee, MD, Washington University in St. Louis: Underdressed: Contact Precautions for MRSA and VRE
• Michael Jones, MD, Emory University: To Stress or Not to Stress? Ordering Functional Stress Testing Over Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography for Evaluation of Intermediate-Risk Chest Pain
• Alex Horne, MD, Duke University: Pearls and Pitfalls for Correcting Calcium for Albumin
• Spurthi Bhatt, MD, Vanderbilt University: Inpatient Glucose Management—Routinely Holding Metformin in the Hospital
• Hoda Farajpour Bakhtiati, MD, Denver Health and the University of Colorado: Colonoscopy Prep: Which Prep Is It Anyway?
• Niloo Latifi, MD, Johns Hopkins University: Breaking the Echo Chamber: Value-Based Syncope Evaluation (WINNER)

At 5:30 p.m. EST sharp, hosts Monee Amin, MD, and Meredith Trubitt, MD, the illustrious panel of judges they recruited, and 60+ participants settled in for two hours of fun and learning. Each institution brought along a cheering section along with representation from Division and Department leadership. The spirit of competition was fierce but friendly; every contestant received lots of kudos and “warm hugs” from colleagues from their own and other institutions both before and after their talks.

Each talk was limited to eight minutes, with two minutes for questions; all contestants completed their talks within the time limits. Once all the contestants had delivered their talks, and after several minutes of tough deliberations, the judges selected Dr. Niloo Latifi of Johns Hopkins University as the winner of the National Teaching Invitational.

The first annual National Teaching Invitational was a rousing success and a great time for all, as some of the top medical educators in hospital medicine shared valuable information with colleagues and trainees from across the country. We look forward to another spirited competition next year!