A New Era

David R. Lambert, M.D., is senior associate dean for Medical School Education and a professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is a graduate of the Dartmouth Medical School and completed his residency at the New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lambert has special interests in preventive care and medical education. He has received several awards for excellence in teaching and speaking.

Eva Aagaard, M.D., FACP, is a professor of medicine and Vice Chancellor for Medical Education at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In these roles, she oversees medical education for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. Previously, Dr. Aagaard was associate dean for Educational Strategy at University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she founded and directed their internationally recognized Academy of Medical Educators. She also led development of the Society of General Internal Medicine TEACH Program and the Health Education Advanced Leadership Program in Zimbabwe (HEALZ). Dr. Aagaard is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Specialty Board, council member for the Society of General Internal Medicine, and past co-chair of the National Board of Medical Examiners Ambulatory Care Test Development Committee. She has received over 15 awards for clinical excellence, teaching, and humanism in medicine.

Preetha Basaviah, M.D., is clinical professor of Medicine at Stanford University, where she serves as Assistant Dean of Pre-clerkship Education; director emeritus of the Practice of Medicine Course for Stanford medical students; an Educator-4-CARE (Compassion, Advocacy, Responsibility, Empathy); CCAP chair emeritus (Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy); and inpatient and outpatient attending. Dr. Basaviah received her B.A. and M.D. from Brown University. She completed a residency in Primary Care Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard University. After completing her primary care chief resident year, Dr. Basaviah continued her training with a fellowship in medical education at the Harvard Institute for Education and Research.

Dr. Todd Cassese is the inaugural associate dean for Medical Education at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In this role, he works to ensure consistency across clinical sites; enhance the incorporation of science across clerkships; lead faculty educational development; create transitions from pre-clerkship to clinical experiences for students; and foster collaboration for innovations. Dr. Cassese also serves as a teaching attending hospitalist at Montefiore Medical Center. He received his M.D. from the University of Chicago, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and continued his postgraduate training as resident and chief resident.

Yoon Kang, M.D., graduated from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude in 1991 with a degree in economics and a concentration in finance. She then went on to earn her M.D. in 1995 from Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Kang completed her internal medicine residency and chief residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 1999. She subsequently became a faculty member at Washington University School of Medicine, where her primary focus turned to teaching using simulated clinical encounters, and Washington University appointed her its Director of Standardized Patient Programs.

In 2003, Dr. Kang joined the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College as Director of Standardized Patient Programs, launching the college’s simulation training programming. She was then charged with leading the task force for the design and development of the Margaret and Ian Smith Clinical Skills Center, Weill Cornell’s custom-built facility for simulation sessions. Upon its completion in 2006, Dr. Kang was appointed the director of the center.

Dr. Kang continues to develop and implement new curricula in simulation for medical students and residents. She has won numerous teaching awards and was named the Richard P. Cohen Associate Professor of Medical Education in 2009. She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, is active in the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.