Medical Education Fellowship

Overview and Goals

This unique 2-year clinical non-ACGME post-graduate fellowship program in Medical Education combines formal training through Harvard Medical School, deep immersion in educational programs and courses at BIDMC, and a highly dynamic research program. The fellowship program is bidirectional where fellows will work as a clinical fellow in Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at BIDMC and acquire an in-depth knowledge of medical education at Harvard Medical School. Fellows will apply the learned skills to become an independent leader and an expert educator.

Successful candidates will be enrolled in a fully funded, 2-year integrated program, culminating in a Master of Medical Sciences in Medical Education degree from Harvard Medical School. The fellowship program commences on July 1st and runs for two full years.

The Master of Medical Sciences in Medical Education is a two-year program with two primary goals:

  • To give students a solid foundation in the theories and principles underpinning health professions education, such as the science of learning, strategies of curriculum development and education design, adult learning theories, integration of education technology and principles of assessment.
  • To provide students with comprehensive tools and protected time to engage in research on the most important issues in the field. Our research objective includes empirical work and hypothesis testing using quantitative and qualitative analysis.

The fellowship program is designed to equip clinicians with skills to become expert educators and leaders in the fields of education research, innovation, simulation and administration. This program fosters development of future leaders in Anesthesia who will drive the specialty in decades to come, using innovative pedagogy in an optimized and supportive environment.

On completion of the fellowship program, you will be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Apply current theories of learning to design, develop, and deliver innovative courses
  • Identify knowledge and skill gaps in real-world educational curricula
  • Develop and sharpen personal leadership and communication skills
  • Deliver high-quality instruction to interprofessional and multidisciplinary learners
  • Conceive, implement, and evaluate simulation-based training
  • Design and complete independent education research projects

The program is committed to flexibility in order to address participants' unique goals. Modifications to the recommended curriculum may be feasible.

Eligibility/How to Apply/Contact Information

The fellowship program accepts up to two fellows per year, and we welcome both US-trained and foreign-trained candidates. Additionally, we also welcome attending (consultant) anesthesiologists who wish to pursue the MMSc-Med Ed program while employed part-time at BIDMC.

All prospective candidates are strongly encouraged to directly email the Program Director, Dr. Robina Matyal for more information.

Essential criteria for all applicants:

  • Successful completion of postgraduate training in Anesthesiology including evidence of successful board certification for current attending (consultant) anesthesiologists.
  • Full registration on the State or National Medical Register (including entry on the specialist register).
  • Confirmation of current and ongoing employment.
  • Complete post-MD anesthesia training or higher.
  • Candidates meet all three steps in order to work as part time faculty
  • ECFMG certification: The Step 1, Step 2 CK&CS must be mandatorily completed for limited licensing to work as a fellow.
  • Submit your initial application through our Fellowship Application Form for a July start. International applicants are instructed to send in their applications as early as possible.
  • Candidates must be able to pursue at a minimum the limited licensing required to practice in the state of Mass.

Desirable criteria:

  • All three USMLE steps completed.
  • A track record of excellent clinical care attributes and organizational citizenship.
  • Evidence of interest in medical education.
  • Higher academic degrees that indicate intent and ability to excel in academically rigorous environments.

Create a single PDF with the following documents, and email it the Program Coordinator (anesthesiaeducationoffice@bidmc.harvard.edu) for the fellowship:

  • A 1-page cover letter explaining why we should consider you for this program, why you are interested in working at BIDMC, and what you hope to achieve during your fellowship.
  • Updated CV.
  • Reference letters from three sources and contact information for each source.

Fellowship Director:

Robina Matyal, MD, Vice Chair of Education
Email Dr. Matyal

Fellowship Coordinator:

Email Us

Annual timeline

For starting in AY2023-24, the application deadline is May 1 and the program begins in Fall 2023.

Rotations and Schedules

The clinical rotations are fully coordinated with the academic schedule of the 2-year MMSc-Med Ed program. The education fellows will work as faculty during their clinical time.

  • On average, fellows can expect to work 20-25 hours (~2 days) per week during the ‘term time’ of their MMSc-Med Ed program.
  • Fellows will resume 100% clinical work during the weeks when the MMSc-Med Ed program is in recess.
  • Fellows can expect to take long days (late call) once a week, and dayshifts for both weekend days 6-12 times a year.
  • The appointment does not stipulate specific anesthesia or surgical specialty case-mix, and it is anticipated that the successful applicants will be exposed to a wide variety of anesthetic care within BIDMC.

Curriculum and Didactics

Curriculum for the medical education fellowship follows the two-year MMSc-Med Ed program at Harvard Medical School. It utilizes the expertise of medical education leaders to provide fellows with engaging and ingenious didactics encompassing the depth of medical education. Successful candidates will have protected time to participate in didactics at Harvard Medical School, which is walking distance from BIDMC. There is an emphasis on scholarship and completion of an applied project.

Program directors and fellows meet bimonthly to discuss progress in the fellowship, review progress on their scholarly projects, and engage in discussions surrounding innovative and evolving publications in medical education. These gatherings allow fellows to engage with program leaders and have meaningful dialogues that enhance their knowledge and skillset in medical education.

The fellowship program provides opportunities to learn from national and globally recognized leaders in medical education through the BIDMC Academy of Educators, the Academy at Harvard Medical School, Harvard Graduate School of Education (HSGE), and the Harvard Macy Institute.

The key benefits of this program are:

  • The curriculum is designed to accelerate your ascent to a leadership role focused on medical education and administration.
  • Learning from distinguished faculty who are recognized leaders in some of the nation’s most prestigious health care systems.
  • A bidirectional learning model that combines concrete theory with applied learning.
  • Member of an accomplished community of professional peers that you can call upon after the program ends.
  • Opportunities to connect and collaborate with leaders in medical education on a global scale.
  • A capstone project that is aligned with your goals and interests plus one-on-one mentoring.
  • The carefully designed curriculum that focuses on all operational aspects of medical education.
  • Develop proficiency in using internet and social media (YouTube, Google podcasts)-based technologies for medical education and ways of monetizing these teaching tools.

The curriculum is based on the following five core components:

Curriculum Development

  • Fellows will design innovative rotation and didactic curriculum for residents, faculty, and CRNAs.
  • Create and deliver high quality didactic sessions using innovative teaching tools (Articulate 360, 3-D printing).
  • Provide high quality bedside teaching for residents in the Department of Anesthesia and partake in Grand Round talks.
  • Craft evidence based alleviative learning plans to enhance knowledge and skillset of novice trainees.
  • Develop methods of milestone-based assessment and evaluation to help construct meaningful and impactful feedback for residents.
  • Develop evaluation tools (OSCE testing, written mock exams) to assess residents’ performance and prepare them for Anesthesiology board examinations.
  • Participate in curriculum development committees at BIDMC and acquire in-depth experience in medical education.

Education Innovation

  • Fellows will be members of an established lab—the Anesthesia Department’s Center for Education Research, Technology and Innovation (CERTAIN).
  • Train as a simulation instructor through enrollment in courses at our world-renowned Center for Medical Simulation led by experienced simulation leaders.
  • Participate in interprofessional simulation-based education programs to enhance teamwork.
  • Develop operational proficiency in mixed and virtual reality-based technologies through work in CERTAIN.
  • Construct high yield learning plans using highly realistic simulation scenarios to effectively deliver high quality modern medical education.
  • Design and implement simulation-based assessments and provide debriefing on learners’ performance.
  • Utilize various state of the art teaching tools (Vimedex mannequin, 3-D printers) to craft ingenious learning modules covering various topics related to resident education, workflow elements, protocol establishment and patient safety.
  • Acquire knowledge of ways to deliver educational sessions globally using social media platforms (YouTube, Twitter Live, Panel discussions and podcasts) and learning methods to monetize these sessions.
  • Gain proficiency in using internet and media-based technologies for medical education.

Education Research

  • Design a research project based on academic interest and ideally work towards a scholarly publication.
  • Identify methods to deliver education and training in the new era using novel techniques and technologies.
  • Draft medical education research design focusing on theoretical frameworks.
  • Develop operational proficiency in innovative teaching tools such as SimuLab CentraLineMan® trainers, Oculus® Quest 2 VR headsets with Vantari VR® software, and Microsoft Hololens 2.
  • Create methods of debriefing framework to provide impactful feedback to trainers and trainees to bridge the communication gaps and allow learners to reflect on their performance during residency.

Education Administration

  • Develop valuable leadership skills through professionalism and administrative training program.
  • Participate in administrative activities with residency leadership team to enhance management and leadership skills.
  • Develop rotation specific meaningful feedback for trainees and trainers.
  • Partake in multidisciplinary team huddle and surgical specific protocols.
  • Participate in organizing mortality & morbidity presentations and develop question/answer sessions
  • Implement in-situ simulation training and develop operational understanding of simulation sessions including innovation, budget development and marketing on social media.
  • Implementing critical objective learning in the clinical environment
  • Support writing grant proposals and ideally secure grants for innovative projects at BIDMC.

Clinical Responsibilities

  • Fellows are required to work eight (8) shifts per month (20 hours per week) in the Anesthesia Department at world-renowned Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).
  • Partake in academic activities as an instructor of BIDMC to teach and evaluate residents and faculty.
  • The diverse patient population allows fellow to master clinical skills and become an excellent clinician.

Research and Other Opportunities

Fellows are fully integrated into the Anesthesia Department’s Center for Education Research, Technology and Innovation (CERTAIN) that leverages the rich educational resources in an academic environment that sets them up for success. Under the mentorship of Prof. Robina Matyal, you will be engaged in high-end research projects that will directly impact our physicians and staff.

Resources at Center for Education Research, Innovation and Technology (CERTAIN):

  • Excellent academic mentorship for scholarly projects.
  • Innovative Learning Tools (Microsoft HoloLens 2 AR headsets, Meta Quest 2 VR headsets, Vantari VR software).
  • PhD level faculty supervision for research projects and individualized teaching.
  • Collaboration with a team of leading educators of Harvard Medical School.
  • Interprofessional collaboration and learning opportunities.