The beginning of the COVID-19 surge indicated that we could not safely see our pediatric patients in the office. But patients still needed us either for sick visits, issues related to population health, or reassurance. We could not abandon them. Within the scope of 24-48 hours, we as clinicians were training ourselves on how to teach patients how to connect to MyChart, and use Zoom for telemedicine. At the same time, we were learning how to conduct histories and physicals using telemedicine. Our neuronal connections likely grew exponentially! Soon, we found ways to educate the younger generation, to bring them along this adventure into uncharted territories full of seemingly unsurmountable difficulties which we soon learned to overcome.

Take one minute to think about the first time you realized you mattered as an educator. What happened? How did you feel?

Whether it was an action from organizational leadership taken in your favor, an encouraging word spoken over you by a student, or an object that represented deep meaning to efforts, you experienced the power of mattering: you felt valued and knew you added value.

The Harvard Macy Institute Podcast aims to connect our Harvard Macy Institute community and to develop our interest in health professions education topics and literature. Our podcast is hosted by our Program for Educators in the Health Professions course faculty Victoria Brazil, and will feature interviews with health professions education authors and their research papers.

Season 2, Episode 3 features health professions educators Lisa Jane Jacobsen and Jennifer Meka from the Jacobs School of Medicine and biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, talking about leading curricular change at their institution.           

Virtual conferences appear to be the new reality. Although this format offers a number of advantages such as better accessibility for learners and the possibility to have speakers from all over the world without the need to travel, the main difficulty lies in creating “real” connections and networking opportunities. This is paramount for a conference such as the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in the Health Professions, which offers a number of small group activities where interaction and connection amongst scholars is essential to have fruitful discussions. In this blog we offer our tips for co-facilitating in virtual environments.

In February of 2021, our monthly Harvard Macy Twitter Chat (#HMIChat) celebrated 5 wonderful years of engagement, learning, and building community worldwide. The aim has always been to connect Harvard Macy Institute scholars around the world, to continue the conversations, and learn from and with each other. The result is more than 62 chats and over 40,000 tweets. Since 2016, #HMIChat has been curated by Elissa Hall, EdD, Justin Kreuter, MD, and Teresa Soro, MS and under their leadership our chat has grown into a known and respected learning experience in the health professions education social media space.