The EMRA Education Committee is excited to bring you the Medical Education Fellowship Director Interview Series, which will allow Medical Education Fellowship Directors a platform to describe their fellowship program, highlight different medical education career paths, and provide resources for potential fellows.
If you are a MedEd Fellowship Director interested in submitting a profile on your program, please email EducationCtte@emra.org.
Medical Education Fellowship at Johns Hopkins
Director: Linda Regan, MD, MEd
Title: Associate Professor, Vice Chair for Education, Residency Director and Medical Education Fellowship Director
Institution: Johns Hopkins
Social Media Tags: @LRinMD; @JohnsHopkinsEM
Tell us about you and your program.
Our mission is to develop fellows who are both knowledgeable in the essential areas of medical education and ready to improve medical education within emergency medicine.
Our program includes focus on the following areas: adult learning theory, design and administration of educational programs (graduate and undergraduate medical education programs), curriculum development, skill in feedback, mentorship, and assessment and evaluation, as well as development as a skilled educator across various settings that the fellow may be in after graduation. We believe there should be some degree of individualization encouraged for the fellows; fellows may choose to focus in a specific area (i.e. simulation, residency administration, assessment and evaluation) but will be required to complete training across a wide variety of applicable topics.
How did you get involved in medical education, and what is your career path that led you to your Fellowship Director position?
I took a job right out of residency as an APD and co-clerkship director at NYU/Bellevue, which is where I trained. It was the continuation of a long love of teaching, and the beginning of a lifelong career involving the medical education of residents and students. After three years on faculty, I moved to Baltimore to work at Johns Hopkins and help build the new four-year format for their residency program. Over the years, I started mentoring junior faculty and ultimately decided to get my master’s degree in education. Running a fellowship within the residency (we have our final year as embedded fellowships) for medical education was the logical next step given my roles, experiences, and background, and it was expanded to a formal fellowship as well. I currently train both fellows within my residency in their final year and those that come from outside of Hopkins.
What are the benefits to completing a fellowship in medical education?
Fellowships offers the ability to complete a structured, guided educational experience to develop foundational skills in education within medical education programs. While you can certainly read articles and take classes on your own, having a mentor who can guide you through the process, work on scholarly pursuits, serve as a collaborator and facilitator, and help establish valuable connections is an invaluable experience that could take years to do on your own.
Does your program have a particular niche within medical education or unique aspects potential fellows should be aware of?
Our fellowship allows fellows to develop a niche within an area that is exciting to them. We have the ability to partner with any one of the many other fellowships as well (such as a core content topic with palliative care or ultrasound) if there is interest in building content expertise through any of the educational experiences the fellow will participate in. Fellows can focus within simulation, medical student or residency administration, evidence-based medical education, or take a tour through the various medical education topics available.
What are the different career paths that fellowship graduates from your program have taken after graduation?
Fellows have taken jobs within residency and medical student leadership, as well as simulation education. They vary in setting from large academic programs to small community-based academic settings that run small residencies or are sites for rotating residents.
What advice do you have for residents who are just starting to get involved in medical education, especially residents who may not have a lot of resources at their own program?
When you are just starting out, it is extremely important to identify a mentor who can help point you in the right direction. You will have many opportunities presented to you, including to teach students or other residents, to get involved in implementing a new curriculum within the medical school or residency, or to go to a national conference and meet some outside names in medical education. If you know there is someone out there who does what you want to do, I think it is perfectly fine to go ahead and reach out. EM is a small field, and we will all know each other at some point.
What qualities does your program look for in potential fellows?
We are looking for fellows who want to pursue careers in education. We do not have a cookie-cutter fellow that we want. We want fellows who will be excited about teaching within our department, who are excited about being innovative and creative, and who are looking for a tight-knit group to learn from and have fun with.
What is the application and interview process like at your program (ie, application requirements, timeline, match process, participation in CORD universal offer day)?
Our program has tried to adhere to the CORD match timeline. We review applications as they arrive. We ask for a letter of intent, CV, and two to three letters of recommendation, including one from your program director.
What are your thoughts on the value of a master’s degree in medical education? Does your program require it or accommodate fellows who want to pursue one?
Our program supports the pursuit of a Master of Education in the Health Professions (MEHP) here at Johns Hopkins over a two-year period, provided the fellow is accepted into the program. Fellows are NOT required to do this and can graduate in one year without obtaining the MEHP.
If a resident is interested in getting to know more about your program, what is the best way for them to get in touch with you?
Interested residents can email me directly at lregan@jhmi.edu. You can also visit our website or the Master of Education in the Health Professions website.