COM resident program director of the month

Name: Sachin Kedar MBBS, MD
 
Medical school attended: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
 
Location of your residency/fellowship training:

• R.P. Center, AIIMS, New Delhi India — Residency in ophthalmology
• Emory University, Atlanta — Fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology
• University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss. — Residency in neurology
• University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss. — Fellowship in clinical neurophysiology

What residency/fellowship program at UNMC are you serving as program director for: Neurology
 
Number of trainees: 16
 
How long have you been the program director: 8 years (including 4 years at UNMC)
 
What made you chose to become the program director: 
I fell into this role by accident! When I joined the University of Kentucky after fellowship as a new faculty in 2010, my then chair, Joseph Berger, MD, felt I was suited for the role of residency program director. I have loved every aspect of my role – administrative, mentorship and teaching.
 
What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future: 
Preparing house officers to expect, lead and adapt to disruptive changes in health care is the single biggest challenge for graduate medical education (GME). Technological advances, big data and artificial learning will lead to paradigm shifts in disease management and innovations in health care delivery models. There will be continued blurring of physician roles and expectations. If unprepared, these changes will likely accelerate physician burnout. 
 
What are the strengths of your training program:  

• A strong, diverse and busy clinical practice; faculty who are interested and invested in education; and a robust curriculum form the foundation of our training program.
• As primary stakeholders, residents are encouraged and empowered to participate in residency administration.
• Departmental and program culture of well-being, through personal mentorship and healthy interactions among residents, faculty and staff.

List some accomplishments that you are proud of:  
I am most proud of the accomplishments of my residents:

• Neurology residents are outstanding scholars with a 100 percent board pass rate and top 10-15 percent placement nationally on the in-service examination. In 2017-18, neurology residents have published 15 articles (10 in indexed journals), 16 presentations at national conferences and two online e-modules for a national curriculum.
• Neurology residents have held leadership positions in local and national organizations and volunteered in the community.
• Most importantly, they are superb physicians and well respected by their peers!

Tell us three things about you that others may not know:

• My wife, Deepta Ghate, MBBS, MD, is an ophthalmologist at the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute. We have a 9-year-old daughter who is a budding mathematician, pianist and cellist!
• As family, we love to travel and explore when we can.
• As chair of the Curriculum Committee for the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society, I recently helped develop an online e-book of clinical examination techniques in neuro-ophthalmology.