In a disconnected year, the Department of Family Medicine is thrilled that Jean H.C. Wong, M.D., assistant professor and residency program director, was chosen for U-M’s Program Director Excellence Award.
An outstanding educator and leader, Dr. Wong especially rose to the challenge this past year shepherding the residency program through uncertainty with skill and finesse.
“Dr. Wong has done an outstanding job leading our residency, developing enhanced recruitment strategies to increase diversity in our program including the development of an innovative Spanish Language and Community Medicine track. She has led our Department in our mission to better care for the diverse members of our community. She also developed an innovative way to conduct recruitment of new residents, culminating a superb group of incoming interns. This is well deserved recognition of her work,” noted Eric P. Skye, M.D., associate professor and associate chair for educational programs.
Dr. Wong leads with a strong vision and commitment to diversity and has brought vision and stability to the family medicine program both before the pandemic and at a time when unpredictable change and challenges were occurring on a regular basis. She has relentlessly advocated on behalf of resident education and wellness and has successfully championed curricular changes based on resident feedback and has played a key role to make long-term structural changes to the growing adult inpatient service.
Dr. Wong has implemented initiatives aimed at increasing diversity amongst trainees, educating residents to train a diverse patient population, adapting to the educational needs of residents, and rapidly adjusting the curriculum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Dr. Wong has championed new efforts to support resident education and well-being during the COVID pandemic when residents and faculty have been called upon to make extraordinary commitments and sacrifices to provide essential patient care,” said Philip Zazove, M.D., the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine. “Dr. Wong has been an exemplary leader, educator and innovator during her tenure as the Residency Director for Family Medicine here at Michigan Medicine and is very well deserving of this honor and recognition.”
This award, part of U-M’s annual GME Awards program, recognizes a residency or fellowship Program Director who has had a significant impact by optimizing the quality of education in a training program, enhancing the residency/fellowship experience for trainees, helping individuals to reach their greatest potential, and/or enhancing graduate medical education at institutional levels (Michigan Medicine inpatient and outpatient experiences and/or VA Hospital system).
