Robert D. Ficalora, MD

I am the Senior associate Program Director of the Southwest Indiana Internal Medicine Residency Program, I am proud of the residents and faculty and what we have built over the last several years. Before 2013, I held the rank of Associate Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, where I served concurrently as Chair of Education Information Technology and Senior Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program for the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education as well as Chair of Fourth Year Medicine at the Mayo Medical School. Before July 2000, I was the Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA and the Junior Clerkship Director at Tufts University School of Medicine. In addition to my role at Billings Clinic, over the last 29 years, I have served in both GME and UGME roles at two very different hospitals and medical schools. I have been fortunate to have opportunities to work in many different capacities at the two institutions. I led the initiative to create a new, accredited, Geriatrics Fellowship at Baystate Medical Center, where I became the Geriatrics Fellowship Program Director, and chaired the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC). Between service at both Baystate Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic, I have been directly involved with the management of 20 ACGME accredited fellowship programs, developed, implemented and maintained curriculum and evaluation systems for 270 other programs, and directed many different medical student educational experiences. I played a key role in curricular reform projects at Tufts Medical School and for the Internal Medicine Residencies at both Baystate and Mayo. For the last 16 years, I have been the co-editor and editor of the Alliance of Internal Medicine’s Textbook for Internal Medicine Education Programs, much of which discusses operations and accreditation requirements, and offers advice on the best ways for institutions and internal medicine departments to comply with accreditation standards. I was also privileged to be part of the ACGME Education Innovations Project, President of the Innovations collaborative, and was recognized by the Mayo Clinic for my contributions to education innovation.

Much of medical education is a very personal process. Mentoring students, residents and faculty though their respective career challenges is a role that I consider most important - and a most pleasant challenge. A program director must have knowledge of the issues facing all parties at the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education. As a medical student advisor, I have regularly offered career advice to third-and fourth-year students. I sat on the LCME Medical Student Committees at both Tufts University School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and have mentored hundreds of students through the residency application process.

Billings Clinic presented new challenges which are operative in Southwest Indiana as well. These challenges require us to look forward, using our experience not only to avoid the mistakes of others, but also to make difficult but informed choices that lead to success and minimize institutional and financial risk. We may look back on the initial building, configuration, accreditation, and acculturation of our people and processes as the easy parts. There are no precedents for our rural initiatives. However, it is also true that skilled and experienced leadership will be necessary to navigate the new environments, of new and expanding UGME strategies, and faculty recruitment in an era largely devoid of J1 waivers that will result. Facility with GME financing will be invaluable, since we are facing the most sweeping changes in governmental support since the DME/IME rules of 1987 and the Balanced Budget changes of 1996. Relationships and involvement with national leaders and organizations will be invaluable in establishing collaborations to achieve successful outcomes. We have a young faculty, who are hungry for mentorship, faculty development, and successful role models to maximize their potential and effectiveness. We need proven leaders to shepherd them. Finally, we are creating a new academic medical center that will require leaders with a broad base of knowledge skill and proven leadership.