Posted:

Bethany Joy Brisbin, MD, of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Receives Barondess Fellowship 

Dr. Bethany Joy BrisbinNew York (March 2, 2018) - The New York Academy of Medicine, in collaboration with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), has announced that the 2018-20 Jeremiah A. Barondess Fellowship in the Clinical Transaction will be awarded to Bethany Joy Brisbin, MD, Chief Fellow of Palliative Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

The Barondess Fellowship is unique in its goal to enhance the ability of young physicians to conduct the essential elements of the clinical transaction-capacities that are required for effective clinical care, but have significantly declined among graduate trainees in recent decades. The unique program invites junior faculty in internal medicine to develop innovative programs that enhance this fundamental element of clinical care through educational innovation.

 "The Academy is pleased to continue our partnership with the ACGME on this important initiative to improve clinical care by supporting training that focuses on the physician-patient relationship, a critical part of graduate medical education," said Academy President Judith A. Salerno, MD, MS. 

Dr. Brisbin will receive the award on March 2, 2018 at the 2018 ACGME Annual Educational Conference in Orlando, FL. The two-year, $50,000 fellowship will support Dr. Brisbin in implementing an innovative program with patient-centered aims related to the clinical transaction that focuses on interpersonal and communication skills to impact patient and physician outcomes. Empathy plays a critical role in the delivery of meaningful and effective patient-centered care. Dr. Brisbin's program will implement and evaluate a communication training intervention for three residency GME programs, selected based on program size and training duration to match controls. The intervention will target approximately 80 resident trainees at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, equating to over 7,500 meaningful patient interactions annually.

"The ACGME is proud to partner with the Academy in presenting The Barondess Fellowship to Dr. Brisbin for her novel approach to positively impacting the patient-physician relationship," said Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP, chief executive officer, ACGME. "Dr. Brisbin's project will identify new ways for residents to enhance their communication skills, leading to better healing relationships with their patients."   

Dr. Brisbin was selected from a highly competitive field of applicants by a Selection Committee chaired by Dr. David Siscovick, Senior Vice President for Research at The New York Academy of Medicine, and including representatives from the Academy and the ACGME and other experts. The Committee's review focused on the candidate, the proposed innovation, and the potential to impact the institutions' educational and training programs related to the clinical transaction.

"I am incredibly honored to receive the Barondess Fellowship in the Clinical Transaction for 2018-2020," said Dr. Brisbin. "With this opportunity, I hope to help trainees develop effective and empathic communication skills to create meaningful change in the patient-physician interaction. I am truly grateful to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, New York Academy of Medicine, ACGME, and Dr. Jeremiah Barondess for their support."

Bethany Joy Brisbin, MD is the Chief Fellow of Palliative Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The Palliative Medicine Fellowship is focused on improving clinical transaction skills for patients with She serves as a liaison between palliative medicine fellows and program faculty and supports fellows in their educational opportunities. Dr. Brisbin graduated with honors from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her Internal Medicine and Pediatric Residency at The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital. She served as the Excelling Series Co-Chair (student) and is currently a Member of the Alpha Omega Honor Medical Society.  She also served as the Vice President (student) and is currently a Member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, both at The Ohio State University. Dr. Brisbin is currently a Learning Community Member of the Teaching Skills Faculty Learning Center at The Ohio State University. In 2016, The Ohio State University awarded Dr. Brisbin with the "Michael R. Grever Award for Outstanding Clinical Resident in Hematology & Oncology" and "The Humanism Award: Senior Resident."

The Jeremiah A. Barondess Fellowship in the Clinical Transaction was established in 2016 to honor the visionary role of Academy President Emeritus Jeremiah A. Barondess, MD, in clinical medical education, and to recognize his teaching of clinical skills at the bedside to generations of medical students and residents. Dr. Barondess earned his MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, graduating with honors. He completed his clinical training at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and then joined the faculty of the Cornell University Medical College. His service included appointment as Associate Chairman of the Department of Medicine and as the William T. Foley Distinguished Professor in Clinical Medicine. His particular clinical interests have been in diagnosis and the diagnostic process. He has written extensively on clinical matters in internal medicine, medical education, clinical ethics, the training of internists and major issues in the health of urban populations. From 1990 to 2006 he served as the first full-time president of The New York Academy of Medicine.

Each year the Academy awards more than $400,000 in research grants and fellowships to medical students, seasoned physicians, and investigators to support the advancement of health care studies, including major awards in the fields of cardiology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and urology. 

About The New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine advances solutions that promote the health and well-being of people in cities worldwide. 

Established in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine continues to address the health challenges facing New York City and the world's rapidly growing urban populations. We accomplish this through our Institute for Urban Health, home of interdisciplinary research, evaluation, policy and program initiatives; our world class historical medical library and its public programming in history, the humanities and the arts; and our Fellows program, a network of more than 2,000 experts elected by their peers from across the professions affecting health. Our current priorities are healthy aging, disease prevention, and eliminating health disparities. 

About ACGME 
The ACGME is a private, non-profit, professional organization responsible for the accreditation of approximately 9,600 residency and fellowship programs and approximately 700 institutions that sponsor these programs in the United States. Residency and fellowship programs educate over 120,000 resident physicians in 130 specialties and subspecialties. The ACGME's mission is to improve health care and population health by assessing and advancing the quality of resident physicians' education through accreditation.