The Chiefs’ Grand Rounds, 2024

As much as they are leaders in the residency program, the Chief Residents’ acumen as clinicians and educators is rarely on full display to the entire institution and beyond. To rectify this, every year they are invited to deliver a Grand Rounds in Internal Medicine close to the end of their term in office. (View previous years’ presentations here: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020.)

Before they could begin, Manish Suneja, MD, Residency Program Director and Vice Chair of Education, presented the first results of the awards voted on by the residents themselves. (We will publish the full slate of winners next week.) The Chiefs were also recognized individually with a small token of the department’s appreciation. In the interest of time, Interim Chair and DEO Isabella Grumbach, MD, PhD, delivered her gift to the Chiefs privately before their presentation.

Before presenting them with the traditional clock, and the reminder of the importance of being on time, Suneja said:

So you all have been the driving force behind countless improvements and innovations in this program. Implementing changes that have enhanced patient safety, improved educational experiences, and elevated the overall quality of the program. Your vision, adaptability, and ability to navigate through obstacles have propelled our program to new heights. And beyond your administrative duties, you’ve exemplified compassion, you’ve shown empathy in every patient interaction and every interaction with our learners or residents or students. Your genuine concern for their well-being coupled with your clinical expertise has had a profound impact on each and every resident in this program.

I don’t know how many residents have reached out to me about how lucky they were to have you as the chiefs. As you transition into the next phase of your careers, we do want to express our deepest gratitude for your exceptional leadership, your dedication to the field of internal medicine and the countless lives you’ve touched. So Dr. Grumbach and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your amazing work and congratulate you on a year of outstanding accomplishments.

And then it was time for the Chiefs’ presentations. Reed Johnson, MD, presented a case highlighting the application of overlapping frameworks and their utility in teaching clinical reasoning. Alex Garza, MD, discussed a case of infiltrative liver disease, walking the audience through a series of differentials. Kathie Zhang, MD, explained her award-winning (more on that soon!) capstone project, the goal of which was to improve annual screening for kidney disease in veterans with diabetes in primary care clinics at the VA, and Taylor Becker, MD, discussed the important risk factors for early onset cardiovascular disease in postpartum women. Watch a recording of their presentations here.

Our congratulations to these Chiefs! We will miss them and their enthusiasm!