Academic Medicine Podcast

My perception of normalcy changed during the transition from pre- to post-surgery — an invaluable learning experience that helped me recognize the necessity for showing greater empathy when interacting with students with disabilities.  Mikio Hayashi reflects on temporary loss of ability post-surgery and realizing that students with disabilities and faculty members must consider the current state o...

In medicine, we are trained to infer diagnoses from signs and cues. But applying that model to the whole person is risky. We must ask, guided by humility and genuine curiosity. Hugo Ardaillon recalls learning from a patient encounter that you should never assume how someone lives or feels. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the August 2026 i...

Discussing the role of the faculty developer in academic medicine are Heather Billings, PhD, MA, Anthony Gaynier, EdD, MS, Rachel Moquin, EdD, MA, and Stacey Pylman, PhD, MA. They explore new competencies for faculty developers, the professionalization of the field, and tools faculty developers can use to self-assess their performance and growth over their careers.  Read the articles discussed in...

I head into my third-year rotations, acknowledging this distance between expectations and hopes, but knowing it is my responsibility and privilege to strive for more, to bridge the gaps where I can. Annika N. Hiredesai reflects on where the art of medicine lies — in the gap between patient expectations and hopes. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments col...

Maybe I am still stitching my white coat—thread by thread, moment by moment, one experience at a time—shaping it into something that fits the kind of doctor I want to be. Maybe I do not have it all figured out yet. But I am here. I am staying. And for now, that is enough. Keemaya Gurudutt Joglekar reflects on how every task matters during clerkship and how the smallest act can have the biggest imp...

Both faculty members and medical students can benefit by appreciating that their advising relationship "hits different" due to their respective generations. There may not be an easy translation of that expression to members of the Boomer generation. Perhaps it has to be left at this: IYKYK. Richard Andrew Schaefer reflects on advising Gen Z medical students as a Baby Boomer and how different gener...

When I care for my patients, I think of her. I am grateful for her; she gave me this opportunity to trust myself. I am grateful for her; she showed me my calling to be a physician. Megan K. Scharner reflects on a patient who helped her realize that she wanted to switch careers and go to medical school. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the...

As a caregiver myself, this experience brought recognition of my need to take the time to grieve. Acknowledging my sadness over the neurodegenerative illness which has won out again despite my valiant efforts to assist the person who has fallen victim to the disease, but also my loss of the relationships with family and caregivers who, by their strength, resilience, kindness, appreciation and humo...

While acknowledging her embarrassment, I encouraged her to hold fast to that part of her—the part that was so moved by the work she did to help a child heal that tears escaped. Those tears express our human experience, love for the patient, and deep appreciation for the healing process. Cara E. Texler reflects on the importance of retaining humanism in medicine amidst the interruptions and tasks t...

Celebrating Academic Medicine 's 100th anniversary are past editors-in-chief Addeane Caelleigh, Steven Kanter, MD, and David Sklar, MD, and current editor-in-chief Laura Roberts, MD, MA. Together, they reflect on where the journal has been and what the future might hold. They discuss how they approached the role of editor, the journal's unique place in the community and achievements over the years...

Whenever a patient or learner asked a question, instead of answering, I would look at the senior resident and WAIT for them to answer it. Turns out, in the vast majority of cases the resident handled it just fine on their own. Matthew Soltys reflects on the power of silence to make space for learners to grow independently. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning M...

Every patient is the protagonist in their own story. When we open our hearts to their narratives, we see ourselves reflected in them. We are invigorated to connect with the patients we are accompanying on their healing path, to bring forth our best selves. We heal, from our hearts to their hearts. Emily S. Hagen and Sari Hart reflect on a patient who reminded them that human relationships are at t...

Every shadow on a scan carries weight. And every patient deserves someone who knows how to read between the shadows—and then, to speak gently about what they see. Sonal Kumar reflects on clinical observation, which is not just a skill, but a language that must be taught deliberately and with care. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April...

Medicine was not just about what we did for patients—it was about how we walked with them through life and death. A typical day for me might be a patient's most vulnerable and life-defining moment. Leonard Kuan-Pei Wang reflects on participating in an honor walk, a solemn tradition where hospital staff, family, and friends gather to pay their respects to a patient donating their organs. The essay...

The candles ignited my pants that evening. But the real culprit was my anxiety over making a good first impression: in an effort to avoid the approaching dean, I unwittingly backpedaled into an open flame. Matthew R. Klein reflects on an embarrassing incident in medical school and the importance of sharing vulnerability with learners and patients. The essay read in this episode was published in th...

Discussing the unique role of the nocturnist, or the night shift clinician, in academic medicine, are Jessica Chambers, MD, MPH, Alex Rittenberg, MD, and John George, MD. They offer opportunities for pursuing scholarship related to night medicine and challenges to doing so as a nocturnist. And they emphasize the importance of collaborative, inclusive, and flexible professional development for buil...

We do not always rage against the dying of the light. Sometimes, we allow the light to fade gently, with grace, in the presence of love. Nezienwa Ezenwa reflects on a patient who demonstrated that medicine is not just about defying death. It is about honoring life. This essay placed first in the 2025 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2025 issu...

Something shifted after that conversation. It wasn't a dramatic overnight change, but it was there—the slightest flicker of fight in him again. He started pushing himself a little more, engaging in physical therapy instead of just going through the motions. He cracked a joke with the nurses. Roz Agheli reflects on a patient who was kept alive by medicine but kept fighting because of hope. This ess...

Discussing Academic Medicine 's and MedEdPORTAL 's new policy guiding the use of AI tools in the peer review process are editors-in-chief Laura Roberts, MD, MA, and Lauren Maggio, PhD, MS(LIS), Academic Medicine associate editor Krisztina Fischer, MD, PhD, MMSc, and AAMC director of journals Mary Beth DeVilbiss. They provide an overview of the journals' new policy and use a series of common peer r...

Mrs. Jones didn't need a cure. She needed a witness to her grief—someone to sit with her in the silence, to validate the love she had for her husband and the life they built. She needed to be heard. Christine Dianne Nepomuceno reflects on a patient who taught her that healing is not always about medicine. Sometimes it is about holding space for someone in their most vulnerable moments. This essay...

Dora taught me that care is not just found in grand gestures or lifesaving procedures. It is in the quiet moments when someone chooses to listen, to sit beside another in their suffering, and to act when no one else will. Maria Jose Gomez reflects on a patient who taught her that compassion does not require a title, a degree, or authority.  This essay placed second in the 2025 Hope Babette Tang Hu...

In the fast-paced world of health care, it's easy to focus on numbers, treatments, and protocols. But humanism requires us to pause, to listen, to acknowledge the fears, hopes, and humanity of our patients. Vonnie Cesar reflects on learning that listening is not just a skill—it is a form of healing. This essay placed third in the 2025 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was...

Discussing new research into how the physical and social context of the clinical learning environment shape power dynamics and influence equity in assessment for residents are author Hannah Kakara Anderson, PhD, MBA, Research in Medical Education Committee member Binbin Zheng, PhD, MEd, and AAMC MedEdSCHOLAR Nicole Findlay, MD, MPH. Empowering clinician educators to actively address the forces of...

Our stories make us human and shape the doctors we become. Yet, we rarely let our pasts show from beneath our white coats. Sydney Katz reflects on how little trainees and attendings know about one another outside of the hospital. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedici...

Although discussions about language services like interpreters or translators, patient–provider concordance, and linguistic equity merit much greater consideration, I can offer one reflection: the human connection we all share is more important than the languages we do not. Akila V. Muthukumar reflects on building a connection with patients when using phone interpreter services to communicate. The...