Preface

Graduate medical education (GME) is a vast, highly complex, and controversial topic, with numerous subtleties, nuances and intricacies. As implied in its very definition, GME's primary goal is to oversee the development of competent physicians, with the intent of ensuring health-care continuity, quality, and value well into the future. Key challenges facing GME today include increasing regulatory burden, spiraling health-care costs, demographic trends, looming shortage of providers, physician burnout, and rapidly evolving consumer expectations, among other issues.

In addition to the increasing complexity and demands of our modern GME systems, important demographic and population trends place further strain on our current and future physician workforce. The expected growth of the geriatric population segment, coupled with the system-wide demand for high-quality, safe and affordable health-care, create both a challenge and an opportunity to transform how we diagnose and treat patients. Graduate medical education is one of the critical components of this ongoing transformation.

This inaugural tome of a multi-volume collection, titled *Contemporary Topics in Graduate Medical Education*, provides an excellent introduction to many of the topics directly relevant to modern GME theory and operations. Beginning with an invited commentary on leadership in graduate medical education by Professor Jay M. Yanoff, the book goes on to discuss a broad range of contemporary issues encountered by GME programs across the world. These topics include curriculum development, resident autonomy issues, physician burnout and wellness, postdoctoral research programs, and finally an important discussion on reductionism and holism in the context of balanced patient care education.

More than 20 authors contributed to this book, representing an impressive group of academics, from some of the top teaching hospitals in the United States. And while the book itself represents a collection of chapters, each chapter illuminates its unique perspective across the wealth of topics discussed throughout the first volume of the cycle. The diversity of academic views and opinions is one of the key strengths of this inaugural tome. Consequently, the Editors intend to ensure that this focus on excellence continues throughout the entire series.

As the Editors of *Contemporary Topics in Graduate Medical Education*, we hope that the current compilation will not only provide the reader with superb value and knowledge, but also help establish the current book cycle as an important source of

**II**

**Chapter 7 113**

**Chapter 8 127**

**Chapter 9 143**

The Importance of Post-Doctoral Program to GME in an Academic

*by Tracy L. Butryn, Parampreet Kaur, Vikas Yellapu, Alyssa Green* 

Wellness in Residency: A Paradigm Shift *by Roderick M. Quiros and Elspeth Black*

*by Nguyet-Cam V. Lam and Elspeth Black*

Medical Center

*and James Dalkiewicz*

Implementing Wellness Curriculum in Residency

cutting edge information in this dynamically evolving and critically important area of expertise within the health-care sector.

> **Stanislaw P. Stawicki, MD, MBA and James P. Orlando, EdD** St. Luke's University Health Network, USA

> > **Michael S. Firstenberg, MD** The Medical Center of Aurora, USA

> > > **1**

Section 1

Introductory Remarks

**Thomas J. Papadimos, MD, MPH** University of Toledo Medical Center, USA Section 1
