Professional Development Tracks

Cultivate Your Specialty

One of the main benefits of our four-year program is our Professional Development Tracks. Residents explore a specialized area of emergency medicine and build substantial expertise within it. This in-depth training allows you to not only acquire additional competencies, but also to jump-start a career built around your passions.

Residents begin exploring professional development track options in the second year of the program and officially start the curriculum in the third year. Depending on the track, you will be invited to meet with or shadow upper residents and faculty to learn more about what you can expect.

All Professional Development Tracks offer residents:

  • Two years of specialized training.
  • Expert mentorship and development with faculty at the forefront of their field.
  • Opportunity to choose an area of interest and make it your own through individualized training.
  • Significant time to develop a niche skill set not typically available in residency.
  • Head start as a content expert in your career of choice.

Our current Professional Development Tracks include:

Health Care Administration

This track prepares residents to assume and succeed in an academic position as a physician leader in a variety of domains, including:

“The Healthcare Administrative Scholars Program has provided me with a grounded survey of operational, logistical, financial, and leadership topics in the healthcare realm. I have found the expert speakers to be incredibly valuable to learn from. The program is an excellent springboard into opportunities within hospital leadership/operational projects which I hope to pursue in the post residency realm.” 

-Zach Rotter, MD, Class of 2022

Medical Education

This track is designed to help residents develop expertise in clinical teaching and education scholarship, and to become future leaders in education. This track particularly caters to those who have interest in educational innovations, doing education research, and preparing to become a future educator. Residents will hone teaching skills, learn about education theory, literature, and methodology, develop their own education research projects, and teach others how to become better teachers. The skills residents gain from this track can be applied to any work setting, however this is typically more suited for those who are interested in pursuing academic emergency medicine.

 “The Education track provides an introduction to a lot of the things you would expect to encounter in a Med Ed fellowship: education research and staying on top of the latest literature, best practices for teaching, the ins and outs of curriculum design, evaluation & assessment, etc. It will also give you access to a great community of mentors and educators who will get you involved wherever you’re most interested within Med Ed.” 

-Max Griffith, MD, Class of 2022

Ultrasound

This track is designed to provide residents with all of the opportunities and development that an Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship would (based on the ACEP EUS Fellowship Guidelines). Track residents gain exposure to advanced ultrasound modalities through hands-on ultrasound faculty mentorship and didactic learning. In addition, participants also develop educational skills through hands-on teaching to junior learners, engage in mentored research opportunities, and gain administrative skills as they relate to ultrasound that will prepare them to be a leader within the emergency ultrasound community.

Critical Care Medicine/EC3

Residents who have a strong interest in a career focused on providing high-quality care for critically ill patients are best suited for this highly customizable track. Through this track, residents will develop advanced knowledge of resuscitation needs for critically ill patients while gaining an extensive understanding of critical care research, educational and clinical development, and how they interface with the Emergency Department, including our unique EC3 unit. This track provides the flexibility necessary for residents to get the ICU time needed to pursue a critical care fellowship.

 "The benefits of the CC track are invaluable whether or not you will pursue a fellowship in the area. For the general EM practitioner, it gives us additional understanding of the impact of the actions we take in the ED and how to better tailor our care to the wide range of critically ill patients we see in our practice. For those who plan on pursuing further training in CC, the track provides the opportunity to receive individual mentorship from world-class faculty and to develop academic projects to advance your critical care career."

-Henrique Puls, MD, Class of 2022

Pediatric Emergency Medicine

This track is designed for residents with a strong interest in caring for critically ill pediatric patients. You will have two of your ED shifts converted to pediatric ED shifts each month over the course of the year in Children’s Emergency Services, in addition to completing a pediatric scholarly project or case report, participating in pediatric subspecialty opportunities, attending conferences and labs, and giving a lecture on a pediatric core content topic. This track will position you as an ideal candidate for Pediatric EM fellowship training.

"The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Track has been an amazing adjunct to my emergency medicine training. When surveyed, many graduates from EM programs around the country cite 'pediatrics' as a subspecialty they wish they had more exposure to. Having additional PEM experience has made me much more comfortable taking care of pediatric patients, and makes me a more well rounded EM physician."

-Kelsey Grace, MD, Class of 2022

Research

Residents on this track conduct research in an area of interest to springboard into a career as an academic research faculty. You will be paired with a faculty mentor with a successful research record, model them, and learn how to balance clinical and research responsibilities. This track will improve your skills in areas such as study design, data management, giving presentations at meetings and conferences, peer review, proposal writing, and how to obtain funding as you advance through your research career. Participants may choose from a wide array of faculty mentors within or outside the department. Residents are allotted a two-shift reduction per month beginning in EM3 year in order to promote your research that continues through EM4 year.

“The research track has allowed me to pursue my own independent project while having the opportunity to engage with all of the exciting developments in emergency medicine here at University of Michigan. I can’t imagine a more welcoming place to prepare for a career in academic emergency medicine!”

-Lauren Mamer, MD PhD, Class of 2022

Emergency Medical Services

In this track, residents will develop expertise in pre-hospital systems and medicine with the opportunity to pursue specialized interests in disaster medicine, search and rescue, hazardous materials, aeromedicine and tactical medicine. Residents who complete this track will be prepared to enter a service medical director position or begin an EMS fellowship position, and contribute to EMS through research, education and policy development. All residents in this track are paired with a primary community partner affiliated with the Washtenaw/Livingston Medical Control Authority, which includes Huron Valley Ambulance, Livingston County EMS, Canton Fire Department, numerous fire departments with first response capability, and Survival Flight.

"EMS track has set me up with excellent mentors that share my interests. Additionally, I've had the opportunity to really focus on care in the prehospital environment, whether that is with Survival Flight, an HVA ambulance, or providing medical care at large events throughout Michigan. Learning how to take care of a patient without all the resources of the hospital immediately within reach has made me a better Emergency Medicine doctor." 

-Logan Herbert, MD, Class of 2022

Wilderness Medicine

This track is designed for residents who love the outdoors and have an interest in austere and environmental medicine (aka wilderness medicine) with the goal of becoming a fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM). In this track, you will:

  • Develop a deeper working knowledge of the practice of medicine in austere environments.
  • Complete the Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM).
  • Develop teaching and leadership skills while educating peers and students.

Many prior residents have done this track in addition to another Professional Track.

“The wilderness medicine track has allowed me to combine my passions for the outdoors and medical education. From teaching medical students in the University of Michigan Medical School wilderness medicine elective, to reviewing austere environment medicine with Isle Royale National Park rangers, to learning from and gathering with WM enthusiasts around Michigan during our Regional Rounds events - there's no shortage of opportunities to get outside and learn. The track came up in my interview and certainly helped me land my first post-residency gig.” 

-Erika Kokkinos, MD, Class of 2022

Global Health

This track exposes residents to the complexities of critical care in low-resource settings. You will gain competency in the following areas:

  • Major global causes of morbidity and mortality.
  • How health risks vary by gender and income.
  • Priority setting and health care rationing.
  • Patterns of disease associated with migration and the spread of communicable diseases.
  • Social and economic determinants of health in various regions.
  • Populations, resources and environment.
  • Global trends in health care practice.
  • Identifying barriers to health and health care.
  • Understanding cultural and ethical issues.
  • Ability to adapt clinical skills and practice.
  • Advocating for health equity as a human right.

 “The Ghana collaborative model was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to The University of Michigan for residency. The global health track has allowed me to explore many aspects of humanitarian medicine from prisoner health issues, refugee medicine, climate change and disaster medicine. The didactic sessions are one of my favorite times each month to get together with an incredible group of people and have in-depth discussions about issues that remains my driving force to be an Emergency medicine Doctor. Being involved in the track has also provided opportunities for mentorship, friendship And collaboration. It has helped shape my future career and allowed me to become a doctor that I set out to become.” 

-Alex Miller, MD, Class of 2022

Clinical Simulation

This track offers a fellowship-trained level of expertise to residents interested in pursuing a career in academic emergency medicine. You’ll gain competencies in: technical skills related to high-fidelity simulator and task trainer use; engaging learners in a simulated environment; scenario design; and learner assessment and debriefing. You will be fully prepared to take the Certification Exam for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare by the time you complete this track.

Looking for Something Else?

If there is not a Professional Development Track that matches your specific career goals, our program leaders are open to connecting you to the resources you need to be successful and will work with you to create an individualized track.