Graduate Medical Research Symposium is well received

The inaugural Graduate Medical Education (GME) Research Symposium was held Oct. 17 in the Truhlsen Events Center and was attended by more than 125 house officers, faculty, GME staff, educators and researchers from various colleges.

“We couldn’t have been more pleased. It was a wonderful turnout for a first-year event,” said Chandra Are, M.B.B.S., associate dean for graduate medical education and the designated institutional official (DIO) for UNMC. “With the increasing emphasis on scholarly activity in graduate medical education, this was a great way to provide a forum for our residents/fellows to showcase their research.

“UNMC is probably one of the few universities in the country that has such an event. It ties in perfectly with our mission of being an incubator for educational innovation.”

As DIO, Dr. Are oversees all of UNMC’s nearly 60 residency and fellowship programs, which include more than 500 residents and fellows.

UNMC Chancellor Jeffery P. Gold, M.D., opened the symposium and provided his personal insights into graduate medical education. In September, Dr. Gold began a two-year term as chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

“ACGME has done a 180-degree shift in recent years,” he told the audience. “The organization is now stressing mentorship, learning and work-life balance.”

Dr. Gold told the residents that UNMC/Nebraska Medicine “is one of the most caring organizations that I’ve ever known,” and he assured them that their residency – although quite busy – will be a memorable time in their lives.

“Nothing is more satisfying than what you are doing in your residency. You’ll look back on your residency with fondness,” he said. “Being exposed to research is important. It will enhance your skills and feed your sense of curiosity. Research will expose you to working with groups and new mentors. It will allow you to push back frontiers and ask the hard questions.”

The symposium provided the opportunity for house officers to present their research in a variety of areas including clinical outcomes, basic science, education, business, health policy and humanities.

Dr. Are said there was a total of 75 poster and oral presentations, and that nearly 70 residents participated in these presentations. He intends for the symposium to become an annual event.