It’s that time of year again, when prospective residents start looking for the place that will house and teach them for the next three years. This year Stanford introduced its Internal Medicine Residency Program with a Zoom chat with a panel made up of doctors and current and former residents, led by Ronald Witteles, MD. Prospective residents were invited to ask any and all questions they might have about the program.

Several of the questions dealt with interest in exposure to underserved communities. Wendy Caceres, MD, clinical associate professor of primary care and population health, pointed out that in many ways Stanford itself serves as a county hospital and has a “wide variety of patients in socioeconomic status and country of origin.” Another participant asked about opportunities for community service and was told that all residency programs participate in work at free clinics, and most residents go about four times a year.

Another theme of the year was autonomy. Witteles assured prospective residents that the program is built to “customize and do what’s right for the individual,” including pods and tracks that emphasize various specialties and opportunities like the Johnson and Johnson Global Health Program to work on global health projects overseas. Current and former residents also discussed Stanford's unique programs like the Stanford 25, which aims to help residents and doctors hone their bedside skills by holding sessions to teach various exam skills. 

Finally, the hour-long chat was concluded with a 60-second vision for the Stanford Department of Medicine, provided by Robert Harrington, MD, chair of the department and professor of medicine. The department seeks to “invest in science, elevate clinical care, connect science and clinical care, and train and teach the next generation of doctors.”

The panelists were:

Robert Harrington, MD, chair of the department and professor of medicine

Errol Ozdalga, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine

Angela Rogers, MD, assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine

Neera Ahuja, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine

Ron Witteles, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine.

Wendy Caceres, MD, clinical associate professor of primary care and population health

Chief Resident Ashish Sarraju, MD

Resident Becca Tisdale, MD

Resident Amy Rogers, MD

Resident Oke Olufolarin, MD