Leadership and Professional Development
Within our Hospital Division, we have the Internal Medicine residency Program Director, three Associate Program Directors, and two Core Faculty. Hospital Medicine is also the proud home of the IM Clerkship Director, the Director of Grand Rounds, and our Department Chair. Finally, our hospitalists include the Associate Chair for Faculty Development and the Assistant Vice Dean for Clinical Education. As leaders of the medical staff, we enjoy a wonderful relationship with Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (SNGH). In fact, in 2024, Dr. Goodman will be President of the Medical Staff and Dr. Tahhan will continue in his role as Chair of the Department of Medicine for Sentara Hospitals Norfolk. We engage in many aspects of operations, serving on the Peer Review, Utilization Review, Best Practice, and other committees at SNGH. Our Division is represented on the Promotions Committee, Medical School Admissions Committee, and others.
Our Division fosters the career goals of its faculty and promotes collaboration across divisions and departments. Through flexible scheduling, we even allow some Division members to maintain clinical practices in outpatient primary care and palliative care. We remain flexible in offering part-time positions for those who prefer that option.
To help our Division members meet their career goals, mentorship and coaching from senior faculty are available one-on-one and in various group learning environments. Monthly meetings of the Leadership Club and Educational Committee encourage faculty to interact with others from across the institution and develop leadership skills which enhance our approach to educating the many learners with whom we work.
Our faculty are supported by two Departmental Research Managers, Max Prokopy and Julie Sill. Dr. Sill focuses on projects led by students and faculty, while Mr. Prokopy develops projects led by residents and fellows. There is substantial overlap in their roles, allowing for ample support of faculty who wish to conduct all manner of research projects. These talented individuals organize and oversee monthly Research Workshops and Research Journal Clubs where foundational tenets such as study design, literature review, and data analysis are taught in an interactive small group setting. Their efforts are buttressed by an Office of Research Support which retains biostatisticians and additional expert personnel. Finally, Broke VHS/Sentara offers complimentary access to a research database that tracks the electronic health records of over 110 million patients.
Together, these resources ensure our faculty are prepared to meet their career goals through guidance from senior colleagues, collaboration with peers and learners, and comprehensive support of research interests.
Beyond our Departmental resources, the university offers a school-wide Faculty Mentoring Program overseen by the Mentoring Advisory Board. Learn more about this opportunity here.