Welcome from the Program Director
Thank you for your interest in our program, and congratulations on nearing the completion of your undergraduate medical education. This is a great time to choose a career in internal medicine, and it is a great time to choose The University of Kansas Health System as your Internal Medicine residency training site.
I have had the opportunity to be involved in medical education since 2005 - initially as a chief resident and then subsequently joining the Internal Medicine residency leadership team in 2008 as an Associate Program Director. I became our Program Director in 2014; a role that I cherish given the work that I am able to do to support our resident physicians. As our program director, I have the opportunity to guide an outstanding group of physicians. We have a strong leadership team made up of talented Associate Program Directors, motivated and inspired chief residents, creative and enthusiastic Core Faculty, and dependable and involved Site Directors. Our leadership team works day in and day out to optimize the training experience for our resident physicians.
The mission of our program is to train competent and caring physicians in Internal Medicine whom are exceptionally prepared for their next professional step. This preparedness goes beyond clinical readiness for practice and/or fellowship training; our goal is for each of our residents to recognize and leverage their personality strengths, to seek coaching in areas of opportunity, and to possess the confidence and centeredness to be dynamic, humble and empathetic team leaders whom are confident to take risks in their professional life. Finally, we strive to provide our resident physicians with the tools to ensure that their personal work + life interface is sufficiently balanced so that they may find joy day in and day out in their service to patients.
Our goals for our Internal Medicine Residency Program:
- Attract the best and brightest medical students.
- Provide a rotational framework that ensures a high level of competency in all areas of Internal Medicine but still allows for an individualized education plan for our residents.
- Create an educational environment that expects excellence from our educators and learners as we know our learners will rise up to the environment that surrounds them.
We are looking to recruit physicians with a strong work ethic, a kind and empathetic personality, and an internal drive towards the achievement of excellence with maintenance of humility. We look forward to meeting you, and we are confident that you will leave KU with the sense that we are the right fit for you.
Sincerely,
Leigh M. Eck, M.D.
Internal Medicine Residency Program Director
Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
Vice Chair of Graduate Medical Education, Department of Internal Medicine
The University of Kansas Health System
The mission of our program is to provide our resident physicians with exceptional clinical and scientific training, in an environment that prioritizes inclusive excellence, allowing them to achieve distinction across all core Internal Medicine competencies. Beyond clinical readiness for practice and/or fellowship training, it is our goal to cultivate our residents’ innate desire to continually ask questions and to seek scientific answers by embodying a growth-oriented mindset. Furthermore, we aim for each of our residents to understand their personality strengths, empowering them to possess the confidence and centeredness to be dynamic, humble, and empathetic team leaders who are positioned to seek exceptional opportunities in their professional lives.
The goals of our Internal Medicine Residency Program:
- Achieve inclusive excellence in recruitment by prioritizing a selection of individuals with outstanding communication skills, a strong aptitude, an empathic personality, and an innate scientific curiosity.
- Provide a rotational framework that ensures a high level of competency in all areas of Internal Medicine, but still allows for an individualized educational plan for each of our residents through application of educational pathways, procedural track and diverse elective experiences.
- Assure varied clinical experiences in the outpatient and inpatient environments, where resident learning is a priority and faculty are supported and equipped to help residents achieve their potential.
- Deliver an innovative curriculum with emphasis on active, simulated, and experiential learning environments that positions our residents with the skills, knowledge and compassion necessary to provide equitable care to our patients in Kansas City, across the State of Kansas and in this Midwest region.
- Provide the mentorship and scaffolding necessary to develop a cohort of physician educators and physician scientists who embody the tripartite mission of our department and institution.
- Utilize well-being consults, peer debriefing and coaching to ensure that our resident physicians are able to recognize the benefits of proactive psychological support for themselves and their peers to optimize physician performance and to best serve our patients.
- Cultivate an environment within our residency program that fosters respect and kindness towards others and offers support and encouragement in all situations.
- We assume best intent.
- We believe that each team member is intelligent, capable, caring and motivated to do their best & continually improve.
- We strive for excellence and not perfection.
- We seek and provide continuous feedback in order to learn and grow.
- We approach scheduling in a fashion that recognizes the importance of work life integration.
- We accept failure as this allows us to try new things.
- We emphasize: Creativity. Continuous improvement. Innovation. Growth.
- We offer positivity to our work environment.