First-year fellows marked the commencement of their program journeys earlier this week when they picked up their pagers outside the Medical Alumni Auditorium before joining together to learn about some small commonalities they shared with those in other specialities. 

Representing a variety of the department’s 17 fellowship programs, the brand-new F1s tuned into some instruction and shared laughter from associate program director Brian Gehlbach, MD; Vice Chair for Education Manish Suneja, MD, and program administrator Denise Floerchinger—whom Gehlbach distinguished as “the most valuable of us three.”  

When instructing fellows to introduce and share a fun fact about themselves, Gehlbach said that the exercise was an opportunity for fellows to “find their fellow intramural soccer or basketball player.”  

While no fellows appeared to form intramural alliances, several shared similar anecdotes about raising children throughout their careers in medicine. Whether rising at spontaneous intervals in the night to soothe a crying infant, baking sourdough to perfection, or reigning undefeated in Sudoku, each fellow shared a small piece of their lives beyond their specialty. 

Gehbach and Suneja followed up the fellows’ introductions with reminders about HIPAA policy and physician-patient privileges. Suneja also emphasized fellows’ responsibility to be a positive presence for medical students and residents, encouraging them to lean into chaotic moments as opportunities to mentor new learners.   

Although the first-year fellows in attendance have dedicated so much of their lives to their respective specialities, not every F1 may graduate from their fellowship. For instance, a fellow whose fun fact detailed his love for playing the Powerball shared his plan in the scenario he hits the jackpot.

“If I win, I will quit medicine,” he said.  

Regardless of specialty or Powerball-victory departure plans, Gehlbach reinforced that the orientation’s facilitators each serve as advocates for fellows across all programs.  

“We are here if there is something you don’t want to handle internally in your program,” Gehlbach said. This sentiment, while containing a clever pun, highlights the department-level standards all programs strive toward, as well as the shared mission among fellows across all internal medicine specialties.