Iowa City VA Staff Physician and Clinical Assistant Professor in Hospital Medicine Matthew Soltys, MD, MME, was recognized for his local and national commitment to engaging physicians and medical trainees in robust quality improvement (QI) and patient safety education. Nearing 80 years of partnership with American medical schools, the Veterans Health Administration recognized Soltys’s standout leadership in the VHA David M. Worthen Awards for Excellence in Health Professionals Education, one of the most prestigious awards VHA presents to healthcare’s educational leaders. Soltys is the recipient of this year’s Rising Star Award, which “recognizes an early career champion of health professions education.”
A Rising Star’s Support
“I could not have won this award without a lot of support from people within VA and at the University of Iowa,” Soltys said. “I’m thankful to work for an organization that supports my work at the VA, which allows me to chase my passions. My division supported me in getting my Master’s in Medical Education, and the UI faculty were instrumental in teaching me the concepts, skills, and attitudes I needed to become a successful educator.”
Among the many university mentors Soltys credits, he emphasizes the support of IntMed Residency Program Associate Director Krista Johnson, MD, who mentored him during his tenure as 2020-21 VA Chief Resident for Quality and Safety (CRQS). Soltys also thanks VA Site Director and Deputy Chief of Medical Service Justin Smock, MD, for his mentorship and support as he took on the position of Iowa City CRQS Site Director.
Johnson expressed gratitude for the time she served as Soltys’ mentor, recalling his routine of starting each CRQS meeting with a round of personal updates from the team.
“Matt took the idea of mentoring up to a high level. He is invested in getting to know those he works with as people,” she said. “I am certain I learned more from him than he did from me. Matt is a creative, big-ideas person who can put these ideas into action to improve healthcare education and patient care.”
Leadership in Medical Education
Now, Soltys gives back the same mentorship that helped him define his career in medical education. For the past five years, he has served as a program “den leader,” providing mentorship to six chief residents from across the nation while also mentoring local CRQS. Soltys mentors beyond his “den” as a quality improvement project coach for any of the 80 annual CRQS. And for the chief residents he doesn’t encounter through direct instruction, he reaches as a CRQS measurement and analytics curriculum developer—a position he accepted in 2023 leading QI education nationwide.
The scope of Soltys’ educational leadership extends beyond residents. Fourth-year medical students seeking practice in physician procedures can enroll in Transition to Residency, a course Soltys launched in 2023 and has since led on a volunteer basis. He created the course to help fourth-year medical students entering residency develop independent proficiency and confidence performing the 13 Core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). With the help of residents and faculty, Soltys facilitates the course through a blend of didactic instruction, immersive simulations, and timely feedback. M4 mentorship that provides guided practice navigating clinical procedures and decision-making isn’t merely beneficial for skill development. Skill proficiency gives M4s the necessary preparation to confidently enter internal medicine residency and prepare them for their long-term healthcare careers.
Soltys’ Path to Data-Driven Education
Soltys understands the role that medical school experiences play in developing a purpose-driven approach to care. “When I reflect on my journey in health care, I really was driven by a desire to improve the lives of patients, patients like my grandfather,” Soltys said during the virtual Worthen’s award ceremony. “As a medical student, I was living with him, and he was a 92-year-old World War II veteran.”
Soltys added that teaching the next generation of physicians is a crucial component of his mission to provide high-quality Veteran healthcare.
The time Soltys spent living with his grandfather coincided with his growing certainty that he would pursue a career in medical education. He claims he “got the bug for teaching” in medical school while working as a tutor and knew he wanted to be like the faculty members who taught him. However, he first envisioned teaching different content than he does now.
“In residency, I thought that I would want to teach medical students traditional medical school topics like acute kidney injury, COPD, and pathophysiology,” Soltys said. “But in my year as CRQS, I realized there was a gap in teaching medical students, residents, and chief residents about quality improvement in healthcare that rocked my world. I always thought I’d be teaching certain medical topics, and then I chose something different.”
The passion Soltys developed for QI measurement enables him to direct his efforts toward what he has always valued most in medicine and teaching: improved patient outcomes and engaged student learning. Soltys believes improving patient care starts with collecting and interpreting data that establishes current care quality. When Soltys brings his passion for QI measurement into lectures, it encourages students to use data in ways that promote stronger health care services.
“I’m passionate about measurement—how we use data to find the quality of care we’re giving and then improve it,” he said. “On the surface, it may seem dry, but I think because I’m passionate about it in lectures, other people can get engaged with it as well.”
No matter the QI content he’s teaching, Soltys said he establishes three goals with every team he instructs: 1) provide safe care; 2) provide evidence-based care; and 3) learn something while having fun. He supports these goals by taking students to the lab or pharmacy during direct instruction. In the process, students gain a deeper understanding of interacting within a larger system to deliver quality care. Soltys prioritizes immersive learning experiences for trainees and physicians because QI education can either redirect or reinforce the current national trajectory of patient outcomes.
“There are stats that show for the amount of money the United States health care system spends, our health care outcomes are not that impressive,” Soltys said. “QI and patient safety is a way to bridge that gap.”