2009 Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards

Erika A. Goldstein, M.D., M.P.H.
University of Washington School of Medicine

In the field of medical education, Erika Goldstein is a "visionary, organizer, and role model." In the eyes of students, residents, and faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSM) she is a "teacher, mentor, friend." As a medical educator, Dr. Goldstein is said to carry the medical school's heaviest work load. She helped found, and now leads, the school's highly regarded Colleges project, and is a mentor to a large cohort of each incoming medical school class.

A faculty member at UWSM for the past 25 years, and currently a professor of internal medicine, Dr. Goldstein has presided over a number of key curriculum changes. Concerned that students were not receiving enough individualized attention from faculty, she took a leadership role in the medical school's curriculum review, designing the Colleges program, which is a series of academic societies representing each of the five WWAMI states (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho). The Colleges join together faculty and small groups of students to offer focused mentorship and emphasize medical professionalism throughout all four years of training.

Additionally, not only is Dr. Goldstein head of one of the school's five Colleges, but she has the larger responsibility of directing the entire College program, as well. Overall, the Colleges system has yielded such positive outcomes that it is being used as a model by institutions all over the country, in part, said a colleague, because Dr. Goldstein "obviously puts her heart and soul into this."

The Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) I and II course series, which Dr. Goldstein has chaired and taught for 20 years, was revised and reinvigorated under the Colleges structure. Now, second-year students spend time in small groups each week with College mentors at patients' bedside. In this format, students can better focus on patient-centered care, learning the value of clinical skills such as doctor-patient communication, physical examinations, history taking, clinical reasoning, and ethics. In addition to setting specific benchmarks for performance in ICM, she added self-reflective writing exercises for first- and second-year students.

In more than a quarter century teaching the fundamental elements of the doctor-patient relationship, Dr. Goldstein has garnered accolades from students and peers alike. She has received nearly every teaching award at the university, and even had one named in her honor by the school's Medical Student Association. Dr. Goldstein truly stands in a class by herself. But perhaps the highest testimonial comes from the many patients nationwide "who, when speaking of Dr. Goldstein's students, say, 'I have a great doctor.'"

Dr. Goldstein received her B.A. degree from Middlebury College, her M.D. degree from the University of Rochester, and her M.P.H., M.A., and Ph.C. degrees from the University of Washington, where she also completed her residency training.

About the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award

The Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards were established by the AOA medical honor society in 1988 to provide national recognition to faculty members who have distinguished themselves in medical student education. The award is named for long-time AOA executive secretary Robert J. Glaser, M.D.

Find out more about the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award.