The 2022-23 Fellows in Diagnostic Excellence

Julie Ngoc Thai, MD, MPH
Fellow/Stanford University School of Medicine - Geriatric Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health
Hartford “Age-Friendly” Fellow
Project Summary: Develop a case-based curriculum for medical learners that focuses on improving diagnosis and reducing medical errors in the older adult patient population.
Mentor: Eliana Bonifacino, MD, MS, University of Pittsburgh

Gabor Toth, MD, PhD
Laboratory Medicine Physician, University of Debrecen, Hungary
Project Summary: Evaluate how clinicians choose laboratory tests, how/why their ordering practices differ from guidelines, and how clinical lab can support diagnostic decisions
Mentor: Kristin Miller, DrPH, MSPH, MSL, CPPS, National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, MedStar Health, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Dhara Amin, MD
Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Cook County John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, Chicago
Project Summary: Better incorporate patients with limited English proficiency in the diagnostic process by enhancing emergency room discharge practices
Mentor: Michael Kanter, MD, CPPS, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson Medical School

Susrutha Kotwal, MD, SFHM
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Project Summary: Provide diagnostic feedback in the form of “just-in-time” training to hospitalists and teaching teams after rapid response activation leading to care escalation
Mentor: Gurpreet Dhaliwal, MD, UCSF

Mary Dahm, PhD, MA
Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Communication in Health Care, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Project Summary: Characterize healthcare policy related to diagnosis in the United States and create a roadmap for the international development of diagnosis-focused policy
Mentor: Leslie Tucker, SIDM

David S. Burstein, MD, MS
Medical Director, Associates in Internal Medicine, Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center
Project Summary: Improve specificity of diagnoses in clinicians’ documentation through incentives
Mentor: Timothy Hofer, MD, MSc University of Michigan

Margaret Perlia Bavis, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor, Nurse Practitioner/Rush University – College of Nursing
Project Summary: Use simulation-based assessment of diagnostic reasoning through Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
Mentor: Frank Papa, DO, PhD Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

David Kudlowitz, MD
Education, Practice of Medicine, Module Director, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Project Summary: Enhancing measurement of team- and system-based competencies in the diagnostic process, creating a dashboard to longitudinally assess the growth of diagnostic reasoning and advancement in competencies in OSCEs
Mentor: Sandra Monteiro, PhD McMaster University

Adina Kern-Goldberger, MD, MPH
Fellow/Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Project Summary: Describe diagnostic evaluation and outcomes of obstetric patients with chest pain or shortness of breath to ultimately reduce diagnostic errors by non-obstetric clinicians
Mentor: David Meyers, MD, Johns Hopkins
Program Overview
Looking to develop additional expertise in diagnostic safety and quality?
The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) Fellowship in Diagnostic Excellence will enhance your knowledge and skills in diagnostic quality and safety, match you with experienced mentors and recognized leaders in the field of diagnostic error, connect you with the diagnostic error community, and help you develop and implement your own project.
The one-year SIDM fellowship is designed to provide professional career development through:
- A personal mentor in your area of focus within diagnosis (e.g., education, research, practice improvement, advocacy, informatics, etc.)
- Networking within the diagnostic medicine field
- A structured curriculum of webinars
- Opportunities for disseminating scholarship at our annual meeting (Diagnostic Error in Medicine conference) and through peer-reviewed publications, such as the SIDM-sponsored journal Diagnosis
Funding for the fellowship program is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
All fellows benefit from the curriculum, project mentorship, integration with the SIDM community, and financial support to attend the annual Diagnostic Error in Medicine conference.
Special award area:
With the additional support of The John A. Hartford Foundation, SIDM will award an “Age-Friendly Care” Fellow. The Age-Friendly Care Fellow will develop and implement a project to improve diagnostic quality and safety for older adults.
Who Should Apply?
Individuals who are looking to supplement their current position in the health professions with training in diagnostic quality and safety.
Individuals in an advanced fellowship and/or degree-bearing program who are developing a scholarly focus on diagnostic quality and safety and are seeking a salary stipend for their scholarly work (akin to grant funding in fellowships). Details on the application process for these salary-supported positions are found below.
Qualifications
Successful candidates will have advanced training (MD, DO, advanced practice degree), doctoral/terminal degree in relevant discipline, or other significant qualifying experience) and possess a commitment to a career in improving diagnosis and addressing diagnostic error. Selection will be based on the candidate's qualifications and the quality of their proposed project.
All SIDM Fellows will become part of the SIDM community and will attend the annual Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conference at no cost (i.e. free registration with stipends for travel and lodging).
Salary-Supported Positions
As a part of the SIDM Fellowship program, SIDM and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation sponsors three fellowship positions that provide a stipend for work done as part of an institutional degree program. Specific funding includes the following:
- Stipend towards tuition, project expenses, and salary ($35,000)
- Travel expenses to Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conference
To receive the salary-supported fellowship position, candidates must be applying to (or be enrolled in) an advanced fellowship and/or degree-bearing program, have a local mentor, and commit to a project related to diagnostic excellence. There are additional questions on the application to be considered for these positions.
The salary-supported fellowships are open to candidates enrolled in a healthcare quality- and safety-oriented program at an accredited college, university, or graduate medical training program.