Critical Values and Characteristics in a Successful Neurology Educator: Galina Gheihman, MD; Roy E. Strowd, MD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"Demonstrating humility is just—it’s like a superpower, and when students see that, when residents see that, it opens up a key learning opportunity."

The 2024 Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN) Annual Meeting, held September 14th, in Orlando, Florida, featured an array of educational sessions that focused on strengthening neurology education and collaborating on the best practices to shape the future of neurology. The meeting kicked off with the Neurology Educator Advancing Teaching (NEAT) workshop, where several clinicians and department leads explored how to integrate emerging neuroscience discoveries into medical education.

In the session, presenters discussed the challenge of keeping up with rapidly advancing science in neurology and how to effectively teach both foundational principles and cutting-edge treatments like gene-based therapies. Led by moderators Tracey A. Milligan, MD, and Roy Strowd, MD, the group designed an active learning workshop where neurology educators developed their own teaching sessions, emphasizing skills like team-based and problem-based learning. Furthermore, the session aimed to equip participants with strategies to incorporate new advancements into the classroom and training environments.

During the meeting, Strowd, vice dean for medical education at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Galina Gheihman, MD, a general neurologist at Mass General Brigham in Boston, Massachusetts, sat down to provide perspectives on the core values that go into a successful neurology educator. The duo emphasized the importance of passion, intellectual humility, collaboration, curiosity, and inclusivity as essential traits for fostering an effective and vibrant learning environment. Passion and enthusiasm were highlighted as key drivers of engagement, while intellectual humility encourages openness to learning.