There are over 25 med-peds trained faculty in various departments at MassGeneral, many of whom are doing research in their respective fields (subspecialty, global health, health services). The faculty projects listed below are only a sampling of those involving Med-Peds resident education.
Susan Hata, MD
Increasing connection between physicians to enhance joy in practice and prevent burnout: A study of physician well-being groups
With colleague Dr. Arabella Simpkin in the Department of Medicine, we studied the value of regular small group meetings with colleagues to reduce burnout and increase a sense of connection and community. We conducted the study in one population of faculty (2018) and one population of internal medicine fellows (2018-19). In addition to collecting validated survey data on burnout, uncertainty, and engagement, we also collected biomarkers of oxytocin and cortisol in urine, hair and saliva, to examine whether there is a physiologic correlation with increased bonding and reduced stress. In 2019-2020, collaborated with Dr. Simpkin on a study measuring hair cortisol longitudinally in internal medicine residents to observe physiologic markers of stress and correlate with self-perception of burnout via survey data. This research was funded by a grant from the Center for Education, Innovation, and Scholarship, MGH Department of Medicine, and by a grant from the Foundations of Human Behavior Initiative, Harvard University. It has currently resulted in one publication accepted and two more in the submission process.
A Video-Based Curriculum to Teach Direct Observation Skills to Faculty
With other internal medicine faculty (Kathleen Finn, Alaka Ray and Hasan Bazari), we videotaped residents documentary-style on Bigelow rounds and in clinic, for the purposes of teaching faculty to give feedback more consistently. This research was funded by an ECOTE Education and Teaching Pilot Project Award, and the workshops are used internally at MGH.
Implementing a Personal and Professional Development Curriculum for Resident Well-being
With two other colleagues, Dr. Robert Meyer and Dr. Avi Traum, we created a curriculum of monthly reflection sessions to support pediatric and med-peds residents in processing the experiences of residency. In the first three years of this curriculum, we collected survey data about resident burnout and other aspects of their training experience, and this resulted in one publication.
Creating and Implementing a Preceptor Development Curriculum for Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Clinic Preceptors: A Multi-Site Study
With the Med-Peds programs at Ohio State, University of Rochester, and Medical College of Wisconsin, we developed and tested a curriculum of faculty development workshops for med-peds preceptors, to enhance their skills in outpatient teaching.
Madeleine Matthiesen, MD
Working with the Department of Medicine Anti-Racism and Equity Curriculum group to increase the quality of medicine residency noon conferences, making them more anti-racist and equitable, pairing trained coaches with presenters to edit slides to diversify photos, highlight inequities, and bring attention to disparities in research, among others. Also part of this work is Dr. Aisha James and Dr. Mike Kelly.
With Mike Kelly, Class of 2022
We conducted a focus group, qualitative study of feedback in clinical training, seeking to understand why learners have difficulty identifying feedback, particularly in the context of teaching. Our goal is to identify strategies that help learners identify and implement the feedback they receive on the wards.
OSTE project:
We first adapted Observed Structured Teaching Exercises (OSTEs) for the pediatric curriculum from existing medicine cases to help provide pediatric residents with defined opportunities for feedback on their teaching. We are now working to implement and study their utility for pediatric second-year residents as they transition from intern to supervisor.
With Seth Tobolsky, Class of 2021
Seth and one of his co-residents implemented a novel LGBTQ resident chat program during the MGH Department of Medicine residency recruitment to connect current LGBTQ-identifying residents with applicants for off-the-record, non-evaluative chat sessions incorporated into the residency interview day itself. We published a paper about this work here in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education.”
Ariel Frey-Vogel, MD
Ariel is an Associate Program Director for the MGHfC Pediatric Residency Program, the founder and director of the MGHfC Pediatric Education, Innovation, and Research Center (PEIRC), and Director of Child and Adolescent Services at the MGH Transgender Health Center where she sees people of all ages who identify as non-binary, transgender, and/or are questioning their gender identity.
Her research covers topics such as curriculum design and evaluation, collecting validity evidence for educational instruments, and conducting qualitative research on topics relevant to resident education.