Hot Topics in MedEd

This is an audio version of a Review article from the June 2025 issue of JGME, "The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Residency Application Evaluation—A Scoping Review" by Maxwell D. Sumner, BS, T. Clark Howell, MD, MSHS, Alexandria L. Soto, BS, Samantha Kaplan, PhD, Elisabeth T. Tracy, MD, Aimee K. Zaas, MD, John Migaly, MD, Allan D. Kirk, MD, PhD, and Kevin Shah, MD.

This is an audio version of an Editorial article from the June 2025 issue of JGME, "A Practical Guide to Writing Effective Needs Assessments in Graduate Medical Education by Mallory Davis, MD, MPH, Sally A. Santen, MD, PhD, Benjamin Kinnear, MD, MEd, Jaime Jordan, MD, MA, Michael Gottlieb, MD, and Anthony R. Artino, Jr, PhD.

We know how frustrating it is to put so much work into your manuscript, finally hit that submit button, and then receive a quick rejection. In this episode, JGME Executive Editor, Dr. Nicole Deiorio, speaks with Dr. Gail Sullivan and Emily Barnash about how to avoid the dreaded desk reject and ensure your manuscript reaches the peer review stage.

In this episode, Gail M. Sullivan, MD, Rebecca Philipsborn, MD, and Thomas Cooney, MD, discuss exciting research and ideas found in the Climate and Graduate Medical Education supplement and the importance of educating physicians to be prepared to tackle climate change-related issues in their practice. Residents and fellows are clearly eager to learn about the effects of climate change on health and health care, and it is the responsibility of GME leaders to develop a curriculum that prepares trainees for practice. The Climate and Graduate Medical Education supplement is a great place to start!

This is an audio version of Leading From the Middle Empowers GME Leaders by Nancy D. Spector, MD, Jillian S. Catalanotti, MD, MPH, Donald W. Brady, MD, Karen Law, MD, and Deborah Simpson, PhD, a Rip Out article from the GME Leaders Series.

Are you looking to become a peer reviewer and don't know where to start? In this episode, Gail M. Sullivan, MD, Deborah Simpson, PhD, and Anthony R. Artino Jr, PhD, discuss what you need to know and how to actually start reviewing. As experienced reviewers, editors, and authors, they share their experiences in the field, as well as numerous resources for new (and experienced) peer reviewers.  

This episode is an audio version of "Ted Talks: Learning the Lasso Way" by Irina Kryzhanovskaya, MD, and Gurpreet Dhaliwal, MD from the June 2024 issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. The article shows how educators used clips from the show Ted Lasso to teach interpersonal competencies to their residents. The authors show how lessons from the show, such as “Be Curious, not Judgmental,” Woman Up,” “Be A Goldfish,” and “You're Just One of Eleven” can teach trainees how to look beyond biases, value diversity, learn from mistakes, and seek support from a team.  

In this episode, Gail M. Sullivan, MD, speaks with the creators of the JGME Literature Review Series, Robin Parker, MLIS, Anna MacLeod, PhD, and Lara Varpio, PhD. They discuss the need for understanding literature reviews, how this project came to be, and why there might be a better approach to your medical education question than a systematic review. This series covers 8 influential approaches to knowledge synthesis with 2 articles for each review type: an overview with background information on philosophical foundations, purposes, and expected products for readers and researchers, and a short article with steps that outline the “nuts and bolts” of this type of review. 

In this episode, Mary R. C. Haas, MD, MHPE, and Anthony R. Artino Jr, PhD, discuss their Rip Out article from the February 2024 issue of JGME about specific strategies to navigate authorship, especially ethical dilemmas that might arise. Hosted by JGME Editor-in-Chief, Gail M. Sullivan, MD, MPH, this episode provides advice to authors at all stages of their careers, from junior to experienced.

In this episode, Jeremy M. Lipman, MD, and Judith French, PhD, discuss their systematic review of metrics utilized in the selection and prediction of future performance of residents in the United States. They share their findings, like the fact that most metrics used are not backed by evidence, as well as practical advice for program directors to effectively recruit residents where both the resident and the program will thrive.

In this episode, Chevon Onumah, MD, and Matthew G. Tuck, MD, discuss their editorial from the October 2023 issue of JGME, “Everyone Looks the Same in ERAS! Differentiating Between an Increasingly Homogenous Pool of Graduate Medical Education Applicants.” This episode is full of strategies to assure selection of candidates who will be able to thrive in their chosen specialties and programs.

In this episode, Kathleen Rowland, MD, MS, and Lauren Anderson, PhD, MEd, discuss their study of effective Clinical Competency Committees which was conducted as part of the 2022 Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance survey of family medicine residency program directors. They offer practical and actionable advice while discussing creating formal policies, faculty development, focusing on all residents, not just those that may be failing, and psychological safety and data collection.

In this episode, JGME Editor-in-Chief, Gail Sullivan, MD, speaks with a panel of authors, Monica Saxena, MD, JD, Callie Cox Bauer, DO, Alyssa A. Vigliotti, MD, about the repercussions of restrictive laws preventing evidence-based medicine on graduate medical education and what we can do to as physicians, members of the GME community, and as humans who believe in evidence-based medicine to protect the future of care.

In this episode, Matthew G. Tuck, MD, and Rebecca Philipsborn, MD, discuss the intersection of climate health and graduate medical education including the direct effects of climate change on patients, residents, and healthcare systems, as well as the need for educational tools to prepare physicians for future climate-related health problems. This episode is part of the call for papers for a 2024 JGME supplement issue on climate and graduate medical education. 

In this episode, JGME Editor-in-Chief, Gail Sullivan, MD, speaks with Mary Owen, MD, Marghalara Rashid, PhD, and Victor Lopez-Carmen about the health care of Indigenous peoples and graduate medical education. They cover the current state by looking at the research from Dr. Rashid et al's scoping review and discuss a path forward to a safer and more equitable environment through education and trust building.

In this episode, Michelle Suh, MD, MAT, Marc David Robinson, MD, and Nicole Deiorio, MD, discuss the hidden curriculum around incarcerated patients in graduate medical education and how people can educate trainees and themselves with facts and resources about caring for this vulnerable population. They offer firsthand experience of lessons learned and guidance on how listeners can get involved with advocating for the standard of care these patients deserve.

In this episode, Halah Ibrahim, MD, MEHP, Lalena M. Yarris, MD, MCR, and Harm Peters, MD, MHPE, give a formal welcome to international authors to submit their research for publication that explores teaching and learning in graduate medical education. They discuss the inequities in medicine and publishing in our world, the importance and value of diverse publications, research, and experiences, and JGME's dedication to provide a more diverse and equitable platform for global knowledge dissemination in graduate medical education.

In this episode, Kathy Andolsek, MD, MPH, Nicole Deiorio, MD, Gail M. Sullivan, MD, MPH, and Judy Brenner, MD, discuss the issue of unmatched US medical school graduates, specifically the roles of graduate medical education and undergraduate medical education in tackling this issue to find solutions. With an increasing number of students not matching in the NRMP Match each year and the need for physicians in the United States, this issue cannot be left unsolved.

In this episode, Dr. Toren Davis shares his story of reclaiming the title of “Disruptive Physician.” His work to dismantle systemic racism and fight for equity in his health care system led him to write to the local newspaper, send letters to the Attorney General, organize signature campaigns and a town hall with community non-profit organizations, and more. You will also hear about where to start with your own advocacy work and how to build it into curriculum for learners.

In this episode, Dr. Joey Fisher and Dr. Barbara Trautner, authors of the paper “Maximizing the Academic Conference Experience: Tips for Your Career Toolkit,” offer a roadmap to academic conference success with a 3-phase framework of strategies starting with preconference preparation, then active engagement during the meeting, and finally, post-meeting action steps. You will hear personal stories of how they handle networking, juggling sessions, making an impact, and balancing rest with all the excitement.

Creative writing in the On Teaching category holds an important place in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. This is a place for people in the GME community to tell their stories and a place for connection. In this episode, 3 members of the JGME Editorial Board, Dr. Gail Sullivan, Dr. Lainie Yarris, and Dr. Rachel Gottlieb-Smith, share advice for compelling writing, getting published, and On Teaching papers that have stuck with them over the years.   

Do you find the world of statistics intimidating and maybe even terrifying? In this episode, JGME Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Gail Sullivan, and Biostatistics Editor, Dr. Rich Feinn, are interviewed by Associate Editor, Dr. Charlotte Gamble, about their 2 editorials from 2021 about statistics in GME research. Listen as they dive into type I and II errors, multiple comparisons, power, ad hoc analyses, what to do with small sample sizes, and so much more.

On September 27, 2020, Universal Health Services, spanning 400 facilities, which oversees The George Washington University Hospital, was the victim of the largest ransomware attack on a health care system in US history. In this episode, Dr. Courtney Paul recounts his experience and shares an action plan and resources for institutions to be proactive in anticipating a cyberattack.

Are you interested in submitting to the New Ideas category in JGME or want to know more about these articles? In this episode we go behind the scenes with JGME editors Deb Simpson, PhD, Halah Ibrahim, MD, MEHP, and Cuff Baker, MD, to discuss what novel really means, what the editors are looking for in the New Ideas submissions, and why submissions get rejected. Check out the announcements page on jgme.org for the full submission criteria.

In this episode, Dr. Nicole Deiorio speaks with Dr. Sara Krzyzaniak and Dr. Stephen Wolf about their study on resident perspectives on remediation. Chief resident Dr. Jonathan Hootman joins the conversation and offers the resident perspective. Listen to this conversation as our guests discuss how they learned from residents how to help and support residents that are struggling, and a need for a holistic remediation process free from negative stigma.   

In this episode, JGME Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Gail Sullivan, speaks with 2 JGME authors from the June 2021 issue, Dr. Brian Antono and Dr. Daniel London. They discuss issues and challenges around residency application inflation, the role of the AAMC and ERAS, and what the main barriers to change are and how can we break through them.

In this episode, physicians from the United States (Sashank Prasad, MD, Sarah E. Conway, MD) and Canada (Teresa Chan, MD, Tara Stratton, MD, Lauren Cook-Chaimowitz, MD) discuss their JGME papers covering parental leave policies in GME. The conversation focuses on how programs can create a successful parental leave policy, striving for wellness, transparency, equity, and fairness, and barriers to be aware of in creating and using these policies.

In this episode, Dr. Charlotte Gamble interviews JGME authors Dr. Monica Vela, Dr. Kathy W. Smith, and Dr. Miguel X. Escalón about their experiences around USMLE Step 1 scores changing to pass/fail, their pledges for holistic reviews of applicants at their institutions, and how to put this into practice. You will also hear medical student Jasmine Solola read her letter to the medical community about her experience sitting for this exam as a Black woman. 

In this episode, Nicole Deiorio, MD, interviews Jeffery Berger, MD,  about his paper “COVID-19 and Graduate Medical Education Trainee Protections and Finances.” They are joined by Jessica Bienstock, MD, to discuss the financial ramifications of COVID-19 on the GME programs at their institutions.

In this episode, focused on virtual interviews in this COVID-19 era, The Journal of Graduate Medical Education hosts a dialogue between applicants and programs to discuss experiences, fears, and expectations for the upcoming virtual interview process. JGME Executive Editor, Nicole Deiorio, MD, (@ndeiorio) speaks with 3 authors of upcoming JGME papers; Jeffery Fuchs, (@JeffreyWFuchs) a fourth-year medical student, Quentin Youmans, MD, (@QuentinYoumans) a second-year cardiology fellow, and Shantie Harkisoon, MD, (@familydocsnow) a program director. This episode offers a unique view behind the scenes of residency and fellowship interviews, as well as advice from both sides of the interview process, steps to mitigate bias and find your fit virtually, and insight into what programs and applicants are really looking for in this new (or not-so-new for Dr. Harkisoon) interview process.  

In the October issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, residents and faculty share strategies for the upcoming interview season in the article, "Graduate Medical Education Virtual Interviews and Recruitment in the Era of COVID-19." [online early] In this episode, JGME Deputy Editor, Lainie Yarris, MD, speaks with author Kathy Chretien, MD, about virtual recruitment strategies for programs, social media, and how to overcome the challenges and fears that COVID-19 has brought to the interview process this year. 

In the June issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education you will find a timely perspective piece titled, “Remote e-Work and Distance Learning for Academic Medicine: Best Practices and Opportunities for the Future.” JGME Executive Editor, Dr. Nicole Deiorio, speaks with three of the authors, Dr. Shuhan He @ShuhanHeMD, Dr. Mary Haas @maryhaasmd, and Dr. Teresa Chan @TChanMD about their experiences and advice around working remotely, distance learning, and the role of technology.

In the June issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, an editorial explores what graduate medical education will look like in 2030. In this episode, JGME deputy editor, Deb Simpson, speaks with physician, educator, and author, James Woolliscroft, about the future of graduate medical education, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss the roles of the DIO, program director, and faculty as well as the impact of technology on the medical education system. Click here to read the full article.

Are you planning on submitting a paper to the Journal of Graduate Medical Education? JGME Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Gail Sullivan, does a deep dive into the JGME instructions for authors in hopes to smooth the path to submission. Covering a range of information from JGME format, to surveys, rigorous qualitative methods, and more, this episode is full of helpful information for first time authors, seasoned authors, and anyone in between.

In the April issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, an editorial explores a crowd-sourced vision for the future of academic writing. In this episode, Lainie Yarris is speaking with two internationally-recognized medical education leaders and writers, Lorelei Lingard and Chris Watling. This podcast will further explore what academic writing might look like in 2030, through the lens of the guests’ personal experiences and aspirations for the field. Dr. Chris Watling is a Professor in the Department of Oncology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University in Ontario, Canada. He directs the Centre for Education Research & Innovation at Western, and studies culture, coaching, observation and feedback in clinical training.  He is an academic writer, editor, and writing instructor, and believer in the power of a great sentence. Dr. Lorelei Lingard is the Founding Director and Senior Scientist of the Centre for Education Research & Innovation at Western, and is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at Western.  She has devoted her life to studying the social uses of language, and is a expert academic writing and writing instructor. Lainie Yarris is Deputy Editor for JGME, and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. She is co-director of OHSU’s Education Scholars Program and the Dept of Emergency Medicine Education Scholarship Fellowship, and has been Emergency Medicine Residency Director since 2012. She loves language and reading, and writing of all sorts, from poetry to academic writing.

Have you ever wondered what a journal will look like in 2030 or how you will be publishing your research? In this episode, Dr. Tony Artino (@mededdoc), Deputy Editor of JGME, and Dr. Seth Trueger (@MDaware), Digital Media Editor for JAMA Network Open, discuss the future of academic publishing: digital communication trends, innovative dissemination strategies, open access, funding, and peer review.   The views expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.  

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by writing a paper for publication? Have you asked yourself, "Do I have the time, energy, data, participants, rigor in my methods, and results to justify meaningful conclusions?" In this episode, Dr. Gail Sullivan (@DrMedEd_itor), Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Graduate Medical Education (JGME), and Dr. Tony Artino (@mededdoc), Deputy Editor of JGME, discuss how to determine if your poster has sufficient "good stuff" that it should be transformed into a paper. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.