Dr. Wadman named associate dean for graduate medical education

Michael Wadman, M.D., has been named associate dean for graduate medical education for the College of Medicine. He replaces Robert Wigton, M.D., who retired on June 30 after 37 years in the position.

Dr. Wadman is associate professor of emergency medicine and has served as assistant dean for graduate medical education since 2012. In 2003, he was the founding program director of the emergency medicine residency program and served as program director for seven years.

As associate dean, Dr. Wadman will be responsible for all aspects of graduate medical education (GME) within the College of Medicine, including:

• serving as the chair of the COM’s standing committee for Graduate Medical Education;
• providing expertise on national GME issues such as the Next Accreditation System (NAS), which places an emphasis on the educational outcomes of house staff and maintaining a strong learning environment that stresses quality of care and patient safety;
• providing oversight of the College of Medicine’s 21 residencies and 24 fellowships so that they maintain accreditation;
• providing overall program budgetary oversight for all residencies and fellowships; and
• providing ongoing strategic vision for GME for the college.

The GME office oversees more than 550 resident physicians. In his new position, Dr. Wadman also will serve as UNMC’s Designated Institutional Official for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

“Mike Wadman brings a wealth of experience to this position,” said Gerald Moore, M.D., senior associate dean for academic affairs. “His expertise will be especially important as we transition to the new ACGME guidelines. Bob Wigton’s years of dedication to this job are deeply appreciated.”

With the implementation of NAS, Dr. Wadman said it was a good time to make the transition in GME leadership.

“It is an honor to follow Dr. Wigton in this position. Under his leadership, the office has run very smoothly for a long, long time,” he said. “The Next Accreditation System marks a major shift in GME. We want the program directors to focus more on educational outcomes, and the GME office will work with the hospital to ensure the quality of the clinical learning environment.”

Dr. Wadman noted that federal funding of resident physicians has not increased for several years. This has created challenges for medical schools, he said, as UNMC and other medical schools have increased their enrollment but new residency slots have not been created to meet the increased need.