Elections - ASP

Thank you for your consideration of my application to serve as a member of the APDIM Council. APDIM is my professional “home” and embodies a community that has been essential to my growth (and sanity).  As a lifelong educator for twenty-five years, I have worked with learners at all levels—from organizing UNC related AHEC based CME activities across our state, directing the clinical skills course for preclinical students, leading our Acting Internship selective, working as the Geriatric Fellowship Director for eight years, to now serving as Program Director and our Department’s Vice Chair of Education. But it is the role of Program Director that has defined my professional “self”.  I’ve now been PD for over ten years and have found this to be my “dream job”—not a steppingstone to something else.    

As a geriatrician, I seek to bring an ear that listens to all team members and a heart that sincerely values the importance of diversity.  I am the first in my family to graduate from high school—my father was raised on a farm in Eastern North Carolina with twelve brothers and sisters. I began working in my family’s restaurant at the age of 14 and dreamed of college but was not necessarily expected to go. My experiences in college and later medical school and residency were shaped by my identity as a first-generation college student, overshadowed with a sense of imposter syndrome, and guided by strong mentors who told me that “yes, you can.” It is with this that I bring a commitment to listen and to include and to mentor and to guide. 

APDIM and AAIM have been critical forces that have guided so many changes over the past years, and I see this as a crucial time in medical education that will continue to need experienced educators who truly understand the perspectives of students, residents, and fellows – as well as the unique perspectives that each of our programs have.  Our organization represents small and large programs, academic and community-based programs, rural and urban programs – and I feel it is incredibly important to understand and listen to our core educators who are facing at times similar and at other times very different challenges.  While we need to be united, I also feel strongly that we need to continue to support and even spotlight strong programs acting in good faith to individualize their approach to recruitment, training, and career preparation. And as we anticipate difficult conversations focused on grading, applications, interviews, resident pay and benefits, faculty wellness and support, and fellowship and career preparation (just to name a few of the big issues we are facing), I hope to be able to contribute, advocate, and represent the many voices of our APDIM community if given the opportunity to serve.