Five Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) residents and fellows, along with two from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), have participated in the first GOLLD Scholar Program within the American Medical Association’s Reimagining Residency Initiative.
The Goals of Life and Learning Delineated (GOLLD) Project is a 14-month-long leadership program designed to provide residents and fellows with tools, resources, opportunities and mentors designed to help them form their own unique professional identity and at the same time to contribute improvement within VUMC and UMMC. The program is a collaboration between the two medical centers.
“We had an incredible group of faculty work with these motivated senior residents and fellows to propose projects for which they had the passion and knowledge to take a step further than just being an interest,” said Kyla Terhune, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President for Educational Affairs and professor of Surgery and Anesthesiology. “Since these are our future VUMC leaders, it just makes sense to cultivate these skills and interests now.”
GOLLD Scholars participate in independent learning, with guidance from coaches and mentors, in the focus areas of leadership and advocacy, health equity and systems thinking. Scholars complete a project of their choosing utilizing skills and knowledge obtained from a selection of available learning experiences. Residents and fellows interested in completing the GOLLD curricular content attend monthly leadership seminars and apply their learning to a capstone project.
The Vanderbilt residents and fellows who have completed the program are:
- Emily Datyner, MD, PGY5, Pediatric Rheumatology: “Understanding and Combatting Disparities in Mental Health Screenings for Pediatric Patients with Lupus.”
- Brendan Frainey, MD, PGY7, Pediatric Urology: “Building a Pediatric-to-Adult Transitional Clinic for Young Adults with Complex Pediatric Urologic Problems.”
- Alex Sin, MD, MS, PGY5, Advanced Sports Medicine: “Improving Health Access and Literacy Through Sports and Active Lifestyle Interventions for Patients with Intellectual Disabilities.”
- Katie Sunthankar, MD, PGY5, Cardiovascular Medicine: “Expanding Resources of Resident and Fellow Moms.”
- McKenzie Vater, MD, PGY5, Pediatric Rheumatology: “Improving Comfort with Rheumatologic Workups and Diagnoses for the Non-Rheumatologist Pediatrician.”
