Name: Liz Harlow, MD
Medical school attended: Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta)
Location of your residency/fellowship training: UNMC internal medicine residency (2008-2011), geriatrics fellowship (2011-2012)
What fellowship program at UNMC are you serving as program director for? Geriatric medicine
Number of trainees: One to four
How long have you been the program director? October 2023
What made you chose to become the program director?
I have been involved in the educational aspects of our division from very early in my career. I have traditionally been focused more on medical student education; however, I began to transition to residents in 2018 with leadership of our medicine/geriatrics combined residency/fellowship track. When the fellowship program director opportunity came up, it seemed like a wonderful opportunity for me to continue to shape educational programs within our division and grow as an educator. I have loved stepping into the program director role and continuing to grow an outstanding program. It has offered me a unique opportunity to share my passion for geriatric medicine with involvement with learners at all levels of training.
What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future?
One of the greatest challenges for us continues to be recruitment to a specialty that is not often considered the most desirable by many. Much of our recruitment (and retention of faculty) is possible due to the passion and mentorship provided by my colleagues. As pressures for productivity continue to increase, I do have fears that time allotted for academic pursuits (and education/mentorship of learners) will make this increasingly difficult.
What are the strengths of your training program?
Our greatest strength is the outstanding faculty that I work with. They are passionate about geriatric medicine and educating learners. I also believe that the flexibility of the program (several different tracks) allows us to train fellows in a direction focused on their future careers.
List some accomplishments that you are proud of:
- Development of the Medicine/Geriatrics combined program. We are one of the original three programs that is part of an ACGME AIRE (Advancing Innovation in Residency Education) pilot program to develop similar programs throughout the country (there are now 10).
- Strong mentorship of learners throughout their training (from medical school through fellowship)
Tell us three things about you that others may not know:
- I have four kids, aged 7-14, so most of the time when I am not at work I can be found driving a child to some sporting activity.
- When I came to interview in Nebraska for residency, I got off the plane, called my husband and told him “I am never moving here…”. A few days later I interviewed at UNMC, and the program and the people I met convinced me otherwise. I had truly found “my people” in Nebraska!
- I love to bake, but I am clearly not an artist. The only class I have ever failed out of was cake decorating (they are never pretty, but they taste good)!