Medical school joins national project to advance respectful dialogue in academic medicine
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) is one of nine medical schools nationwide selected to identify effective methods for bridging individuals across differences in academic medicine.
The national demonstration project is championed by the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine, a movement focused on four key elements within the medical profession – character, caring, practical wisdom, and flourishing – to move change toward healthier, positive organizational cultures. The project is made possible in part by support from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation.
“The main goal is helping our learners and faculty develop the ability to communicate in complex situations,” said Jed Gonzalo, senior associate dean for medical education. “This work is directly aligned with VTCSOM’s values.”
As part of the project, faculty and students will participate in a curriculum designed by the Constructive Dialogue Institute that will help them learn to navigate difficult conversations.
“Our students are regularly exposed to diverse points of view that have increasingly become polarized in our society,” said Dean Lee Learman. “We want to prepare them to engage in productive conversations with patients, peers, and co-workers who bring perspectives that are different from their own lived experience. Constructive dialogue training will serve our students well in becoming patient-centered physicians and leaders in their communities going forward.”
Members of the participating academic medicine institutions will meet regularly for the next three years to collaborate on successes and experiences. The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine will join Duke University, Dartmouth College, University at Buffalo, Texas Tech, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin, and Wake Forest University in projects that seek to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of constructive dialogue training.
“Being part of this network of medical schools will accelerate our ability to educate our learners and faculty with critical skills in the learning environment,” Gonzalo said. “These skills will allow all of us to better meet the needs of our care teams and patients.”
In addition to Learman and Gonzalo, other members of the medical school planning group for the project are
- Kemi Bankole, chief diversity officer
- Aubrey Knight, senior dean for student affairs
- David Musick, senior dean for faculty affairs
- Brock Mutcheson, assistant dean for assessment and program evaluation
- Arthur Ollendorff, associate dean for graduate medical education
- Rebecca Pauly, vice dean
- Lisa Uherick, chief wellness officer
