Discussing Academic Medicine 's and MedEdPORTAL 's new policy guiding the use of AI tools in the peer review process are editors-in-chief Laura Roberts, MD, MA, and Lauren Maggio, PhD, MS(LIS), Academic Medicine associate editor Krisztina Fischer, MD, PhD, MMSc, and AAMC director of journals Mary Beth DeVilbiss. They provide an overview of the journals' new policy and use a series of common peer review scenarios to explore what's appropriate, what's not, and what you should think about before us...
Mar 10, 2026•29 min
Mrs. Jones didn't need a cure. She needed a witness to her grief—someone to sit with her in the silence, to validate the love she had for her husband and the life they built. She needed to be heard. Christine Dianne Nepomuceno reflects on a patient who taught her that healing is not always about medicine. Sometimes it is about holding space for someone in their most vulnerable moments. This essay placed second in the 2025 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published i...
Feb 23, 2026•6 min
Dora taught me that care is not just found in grand gestures or lifesaving procedures. It is in the quiet moments when someone chooses to listen, to sit beside another in their suffering, and to act when no one else will. Maria Jose Gomez reflects on a patient who taught her that compassion does not require a title, a degree, or authority. This essay placed second in the 2025 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the November 2025 issue of Academic Medicine ...
Feb 09, 2026•5 min
In the fast-paced world of health care, it's easy to focus on numbers, treatments, and protocols. But humanism requires us to pause, to listen, to acknowledge the fears, hopes, and humanity of our patients. Vonnie Cesar reflects on learning that listening is not just a skill—it is a form of healing. This essay placed third in the 2025 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the October 2025 issue of Academic Medicine . Read the essay at academicmedicine.org....
Jan 26, 2026•5 min
Discussing new research into how the physical and social context of the clinical learning environment shape power dynamics and influence equity in assessment for residents are author Hannah Kakara Anderson, PhD, MBA, Research in Medical Education Committee member Binbin Zheng, PhD, MEd, and AAMC MedEdSCHOLAR Nicole Findlay, MD, MPH. Empowering clinician educators to actively address the forces of space, place, and pace, they argue, can help promote a more equitable learning and assessment enviro...
Jan 12, 2026•42 min
Our stories make us human and shape the doctors we become. Yet, we rarely let our pasts show from beneath our white coats. Sydney Katz reflects on how little trainees and attendings know about one another outside of the hospital. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.
Jan 05, 2026•5 min
Although discussions about language services like interpreters or translators, patient–provider concordance, and linguistic equity merit much greater consideration, I can offer one reflection: the human connection we all share is more important than the languages we do not. Akila V. Muthukumar reflects on building a connection with patients when using phone interpreter services to communicate. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the Novembe...
Dec 15, 2025•5 min
When I am in the hospital, there is at least a semblance of humanity. In a room with a patient, there is the possibility of the unexpected. Alone with my computer, there is only the ruthless pursuit of the correct, and the colorful pie chart of my inadequacy. Anna Dovre reflects on how studying for medical board exams feels like a process of denaturing. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the November 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read t...
Dec 08, 2025•4 min
As I brought the blade to the patient, I tried to infer the right depth, weight, and speed by matching to my pictured recollection of all the other incisions I had seen—an act, perhaps, akin to Ansel Adams's technique of photographic previsualization. Benjamin A. Freeman reflects on how studying photography can be beneficial to medical education. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the November 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essa...
Dec 01, 2025•4 min
My hope is that, by learning to recognize how physicians interface with injustice in systems early in their training, learners will be better prepared to navigate and, when necessary, defy these systems throughout their careers. Juliana E. Morris reflects on the importance of talking openly with students and involving them in decision-making while volunteering at a medical student-run asylum clinic. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the O...
Nov 17, 2025•6 min
In the years since this experience ... I have sought to encourage trainees and students to reorient their focus from patient outcomes as a referendum on their competency and to focus instead on the process-based thinking preceding them and to try to make space for the mystery between. Benjamin W. Frush reflects on the perils of an outcome-focused culture in medicine. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the October 2025 issue of Academic Med...
Nov 03, 2025•5 min
Discussing a new study into how medical student parents navigate their dual identities as physicians-in-training and parents are author Emily Carroll, MD, MEHP, Research in Medical Education Committee member Gary Beck Dallaghan, PhD, and AAMC MedEdSCHOLAR Kiani Gardner, PhD. They also explore how medical schools can foster an inclusive learning environment for these learners. Read the article discussed and access the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org ....
Oct 27, 2025•43 min
I never saw Andrew after that night, but I think of him often. I hope that our interaction played a small part in getting him the care he needed. Sujal Manohar reflects on the importance of digging deeper into a patient's social history by expanding past the typical questions. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.
Oct 06, 2025•3 min
Discussing a new study that explores medical student learning during interprofessional interactions in clinical clerkships are author Kelsey Miller, MD, EdM, Research in Medical Education (RIME) Committee member Bonny Dickinson, PhD, MS-HPEd, and AAMC MedEdSCHOLAR Kelvin Pollard, MD. They explore the "lore" about working with other health professionals that medical students learn from their peers during clerkships and how interprofessional interactions shape students' professional identity, auto...
Sep 24, 2025•42 min
For the first time, we began to understand not just their bodies and illnesses but their lives as joyful parents, enthusiastic musicians, expert race car mechanics, and loving spouses. David Deshpande reflects on the Service of Gratitude and the lessons learned from anatomy donors and their families. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the September 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org....
Sep 08, 2025•5 min
We are taught to think about what needs to be done in order for our patient to go home when we are on the wards, yet there is no care meeting, discharge coordinator, or bed huddle in academic medicine. Julia Meade reflects on the difficulty of knowing when to retire from academic medicine. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the August 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.
Aug 25, 2025•5 min
Throughout my medical training, I vow to make an effort to actively pursue each patient's full story. To cleave only the fragments of their existence that anchor them to the hospital room leaves behind parts of our patients, invisible and abandoned. Madeline Blatt reflects on the importance of imagining and investigating the version of the patient who lives outside of the hospital after being discharged. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in ...
Aug 04, 2025•5 min
Regardless of how difficult medicine is, each small step we take to listen, be compassionate, have patience, and advocate is meaningful, even if we must start over and do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. Lisa Gong reflects on a patient who helped her to see the value in normalcy and routine. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2025 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org....
Jul 21, 2025•5 min
Artists Rachel Mindrup, MFA, and Tuyet-Minh Tran, MD, discuss their artwork that was featured on the cover of Academic Medicine . They explore the inspiration and creative process behind their pieces and how medicine has influenced their art and how art has influenced how they experience medicine. They also reflect on the role of the arts and humanities in medicine and medical education and how art can foster reflection and perspective taking in physicians. Check out the artwork discussed, read ...
Jul 09, 2025•39 min
I, like others in medical education, had the misconception that wellness could solely be achieved by separating work from "real life." I thought I needed to find wellness and restoration outside of medicine to be able to then empty myself again and again into this career. Jessica proved me wrong. L. Elizabeth Moreno reflects on a student who reignited her commitment as an educator. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the June 2025 issue of ...
Jun 16, 2025•5 min
I had not role modeled cynicism or pessimism. Rather, my student's statement was a sign of learning and understanding what I had taught: processing and handling the reality of medical practice. Beatrice T.B. Preti reflects on teaching students to be aware of the systems they work in (including limitations and flaws), which helps them to prepare for future practice. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2025 issue of Academic Medicine....
May 19, 2025•4 min
Authors Joan Cangiarella, MD, and Catherine Coe, MD, and medical student Lily Ge discuss the goals, features, evolution, and outcomes to date of accelerated 3-year MD programs, focusing on the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine FIRST Program. They explore the experiences of accelerated program medical students and how these programs fit into broader efforts to improve medical education. Read the articles discussed and access the episode transc...
May 05, 2025•39 min
Authors Eric Warm, MD, and David Hirsh, MD, and medical student Kate Jennings join host Toni Gallo to discuss the unintended consequences of the shift to pass/fail grading in undergraduate medical education and current challenges in the residency application and selection process. They explore the feedback culture and incentives for pursuing clinical excellence in medical school. They also present the complex adaptive system model as a framework to consider the dynamics at play and ways to impro...
Mar 17, 2025•53 min
As I reflect on my initial years of training, I am deeply moved by the kindness that surrounded me, especially during hands-on interactions with patients as an anxious new trainee. The warmth and guidance that were shown to me had a profound influence on my personal learning and growth. Oscar Li and Yeonsoo Sara Lee reflects on their experience inserting a Foley catheter for the first time, and how crucial a supportive environment in medical education is. The essay read in this episode was publi...
Feb 17, 2025•5 min
In some ways, I walked a mile in the refugee doctors' shoes. I learned about culture through my mistakes instead of being explicitly taught. Although mistakes aid learning, they also have the potential to erode relationships. Samantha E. Smith reflects on her experience teaching refugee doctors and the importance of intercultural competence teaching for international medical graduates and the faculty who train them. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moment...
Feb 03, 2025•5 min
Lauren Maggio, PhD, MS(LIS), joins host Toni Gallo to discuss open science and innovations in education scholarship and scholarly publishing, including the role of AI. As the new editor-in-chief of MedEdPORTAL, Lauren also shares what makes the journal unique, her advice for authors, and her vision for the future. Read the articles discussed and access additional resources and the episode transcript at academicmedicineblog.org ....
Jan 20, 2025•29 min
Above all, the impact of this initial connection between us on his engagement in the care journey filled me with a profound sense of accomplishment. What would have become of Bernard without this connection? This experience confirmed for me the importance of an authentic connection with the patient. Rémi Esclassan reflects on bonding with a patient over his tattoo, which illustrated the profound beauty and complex nature of health care. The essay read in this episode was published in the Teachin...
Jan 06, 2025•6 min
I realize it's my calling to hear heartache, but it's also my calling to feel hope, see beauty, and experience life in its entirety. Final-year Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Midwifery student Hailey Sommerfeld reflects on a shift that began with sadness and doubt but ended with reassurance and optimism. This essay placed first in the 2024 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest and was published in the December 2024 issue of Academic Medicine . Read the essay at academicmedicin...
Dec 16, 2024•7 min
There is an unspoken understanding that nursing is both an art and a science. Often, you will be called to use your critical-thinking skills and training to help save lives. Other days, you will need to show compassion and understanding to meet the needs of your patients. Most days involve a combination of both. And some days, it means breaking the rules to allow a cat in the ICU. Doctor of nursing practice student Megan McDowell reflects on sneaking a pet into the ICU so a patient could say a f...
Dec 02, 2024•5 min
Something special happens when you work in the field. It speaks to you. It calls on the bounty of your generosity. It coaxes you to the precipice of your creativity, and it demands that you become sharper, savvier, and more self-possessed. If you listen, then in return you find it affords you the greatest gift life can offer: the privilege of having touched someone's heart. Medical student Noor Ahmed reflects on the special year-long connection forged with a patient during her time in the field ...
Nov 18, 2024•7 min
