As the program director for their Infectious Diseases fellowship, Dr. Rachel Bartash is able to work with medical students, residents and fellows as an educator. From medical student didactics to bedside rounds to divisional case conferences, her educational roles are incredibly varied. However, her greatest interest is in fellowship didactics and curriculum development.
How did you get interested in medical education?
I became interested in medical education during my Internal Medicine residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship after having so many wonderful MedEd mentors who really inspired me to go into this field!
How have you integrated medical education into your career?
By engaging and teaching fellows and residents while on clinical service, I was able to develop teaching skills that allowed me to progress as an educator and active member of our program leadership.
How did you transform your interest in medical education into a career?
I was able to transform my interest in medical education into a career by taking an active role in our fellowship as a junior faculty and looking for ways to improve and innovate our fellowship program.
What is one medical innovation that makes you the most proud?
I developed and curated a "Transplant Bootcamp" curriculum for incoming first year ID fellows. These didactics are led, not only by our Transplant ID faculty, but also by our cardiology, hepatology, nephrology, pulmonary, surgery, and pharmacy colleagues, to provide an overview of transplant for incoming fellows who may have had limited exposure during their residencies.
How have you transformed your medical education work into scholarship?
I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the IDSA MedEd COP where I have been able to be meet and collaborate with exceptional ID educators from across the country and work on developing and reviewing shared educational resources.
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of your career as an educator thus far?
The most rewarding aspect of my career as an educator has been to be able to work with wonderful learners and to watch them grow to be educators and leaders of the future. Also meeting and collaborating with the wonderful ID educators involved in the IDSA MedEd COP!