Blogs

AAIM Member Spotlight

Danelle Sullivan

Medical Student Coordinator
Nephrology Fellowship Program Coordinator
Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program Coordinator
Hennepin County Medical Center

How long have you been a member of AAIM?

I’ve been a member since 2011 when I became a student coordinator at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Describe your typical day.

I wear two different hats. I am a student coordinator, and help with orienting internal medicine students for clerkships and elected rotations for subspecialties. I also help students with other issues that pop up throughout the day. Along with the clerkship rotation, I schedule several lectures while they are here.

For the fellowship programs, I coordinate all administrative needs; duty hours; update resident management system with didactics and schedules; ensure evaluations get completed; set up the PCC meetings; coordinate the application process, and set up interviews. It’s very cyclical.

What is your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part is working with such fantastic people. I’ve learned so much from them. I like being able to see some of my students be hired on as residents in our IM department. A couple of them have actually gone on to attend one of the fellowships that I coordinate. It’s fun to be able to see them grow.

How has the AAIM membership been of value to you and your career?

The (online) discussion group that I participate in is very helpful. Sometimes a question has popped up that I’ve been wondering about or issue that I’ve been thinking about. I recently went to my first Alliance meeting at AIMW 17 and found it very helpful to meet other people who are doing the same thing I’m doing and who face the same struggles.

What's your favorite moment of your career so far?

A couple years ago when the nephrology division decided to apply for the fellowship program. I helped them get the application through until we received accreditation and then helped develop the program from the ground floor up.

What was your childhood dream job?

I always thought I’d go into nursing up until my first year of college. At that point I lost the drive and worked in the service industry and it snow balled into hospital administration.

How do you spend your free time?

I love to travel and now that my kids are out of high school I’ve traveled to Europe and just recently got back from Thailand. I also just got a Schnoodle puppy and am taking him to puppy classes hoping to get him to act like a gentleman.

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

They are surprised to learn I have 25 and 20 year-old daughters.