Pictures of last year’s new GME Trainees
In just a few days, UVA Health University Medical Center will buzz with additional energy as 286 new medical, dentistry and pharmacy, psychology, and chaplaincy residents and fellows join various clinical departments. These aspiring physician and clinical leaders will train under the supervision of our expert attending physicians and clinicians to gain the knowledge and skills needed to prepare them for independent practice.
This is an important time to highlight the role these trainees play in helping us meet the healthcare needs of today – and the future. Our residents and fellows are integral to the interdisciplinary team delivering healthcare in almost all of our clinical settings. They are first-line responders in the hospital. They are learners and teachers. They are patient advocates. They are strategic champions helping us drive advancement in patient experience, quality outcomes, medical discoveries and community impact.
As the nation faces a growing shortage of physicians and healthcare workers, residency and fellowship programs and trainees are critical to our efforts to meet the healthcare needs of our communities. New projections from the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) state that the nation will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. This is just one statistic demonstrating the severity of the workforce shortages in the healthcare industry.
To help address this trend, the training programs at the UVA School of Medicine, along with the practical clinical environments provided by the UVA Health University Medical Center, create a strong foundation for our trainees equipping them with the necessary expertise to tackle complex challenges in medicine. Our programs also prepare residents and fellows in new ways to improve greater community well-being. This includes addressing social determinants of health, responding to healthcare crises, participating in groundbreaking research projects and managing chronic diseases.
New doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals learning within an academic medical center like ours are in a unique position to leverage their commitment to lifelong learning, dedication to patient care, and enthusiasm for medical research to improve the health of our communities and benefit the healthcare workforce as a whole.
As these new colleagues join our teams, I would like to welcome them aboard and give a sincere thanks to each of you who share your knowledge and support and play a pivotal role in the training of these team members. To our outgoing trainees, thank you for your contributions to UVA Health and for trusting us with your continued training and education — we look forward to all that you will accomplish for healthcare. Working together, we are advancing our vision of becoming one of the nation’s leading public academic health systems and a best place to work — while transforming patient care, research, education, and engagement with the diverse communities we serve
Take care and be well,
Wendy