As the new executive vice dean for academic affairs, Debra Weinstein, M.D., has the big job of preparing Michigan Medicine learners to be leaders in the world of medicine. Here, she talks with us about her vision for medical education, the biggest lessons of the pandemic, and the surprising career she might have chosen if she hadn’t gone into medicine.
In some ways it has changed a lot, and in other ways not nearly enough. There is certainly more diversity among medical students and residents, but still not as much as there should be. There is more attention to maintaining caregiver well-being (including work hours limits and facilitated access to counseling), but more needs to be done in this realm, including destigmatizing mental health care and getting help in general. There is greater emphasis on team-based care, but some old hierarchical habits remain. Medical education has undergone important changes in becoming curriculum-based and competency-based, but hasn’t moved to the next logical extension: time-variable training. So, there is still much to be done!
Ah, there have been many …
Ingenuity, flexibility, and teamwork are essential in a crisis.
Caregivers are brave, dedicated, and often selfless.
Misinformation is dangerous on a very large scale.
Important connections aren’t dependent on physical proximity.
People are resilient.
Read more of this Q&A with Dr. Weinstein in Medicine at Michigan magazine.