Pathways

Residents participating in the Internal Medicine Residency program at IU School of Medicine receive comprehensive clinical training. Residents can apply for additional training tracks after the first year of training, including primary care, clinical education, global health and research.

Global Health Track

The interdepartmental Global Health Track engages residents from all specialties to better understand the social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors that contribute to health and disease throughout the world. The program includes didactic sessions, journal clubs, and case-based discussions as well as the opportunity to participate in domestic and international global health electives. One popular global health elective is through the AMPATH-Kenya program, which is among the largest collaborative health care efforts in the world. At any given time, 20-40 IU School of Medicine faculty physicians from various specialties are practicing medicine in Kenya at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Residents have the opportunity to spend 2 months in Kenya as part of the AMPATH program. Upon completion of the program, residents receive certification in global health from the IU Center for Global Health. Requirements of the track: 80% attendance at quarterly half-day didactic sessions, a scholarly project, mentorship, and a local or international global health elective.

Global Health Pathway

Global health testimonial

Matthew Glick, Class of 2021

One of the most meaningful additions to my training at IU has been the Global Health Track. A GME-wide educational track that residents enter into during the winter of their intern year, the Global Health Track seeks to integrate scholarly activities, mentorship, and multi-disciplinary networking within our clinical duties.
For me, the track allows continued focus on global health despite the pull of clinical duties. In quarterly meetings throughout the year, residents from all specialties throughout IU meet to discuss current events and research in global health. This multi-discipline approach helps both to foster a sense of a global health community on campus. In just the last year in the program I have had the chance to participate in disaster simulations to test staffing and resource utilization in emergency departments, learn about grant writing for global health research, and hear from colleagues sharing their research in other countries, among many other activities. Being a part of an organization with residents from every specialty allows you to gain different perspectives on how global health issues such as inequality and resource allocation affect different patient populations.

One of the most integral parts of the Global Health Track is the international clinical assignment for two months during your third year of training, often with the AMPATH program in Kenya. Started in 1990, the AMPATH program (“Academic Model Providing Access To Healthcare”) is a globally recognized health consortium located in Western Kenya. Led by IU in coordination with 11 universities throughout the world, the AMPATH program is a bi-directional partnership with Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. Medical students, residents, fellows, and staff are all able to participate in clinical service in two month blocks while living amongst the Kenyan people in a medium-sized city. AMPATH is uniquely invested in not just the education of American and Kenyan doctors but also the health of the Kenyan public. This investment has allowed for the creation of a sustainable partnership that is all-encompassing throughout service, research, and education, and touching all areas of life including medicine, pharmacy, sustainable agriculture, and infrastructure development. I was able to participate in this program as a medical student and plan to go back as a resident in Winter of 2020-21. For more about this amazing program check out AMPATH Kenya and Men of Health.

Clinician education testimonial

Asad Torabi, Class of 2020

I signed up for this pathway because I wanted to have a better idea of what it is like to be an academic physician. Dr. Dilly, pathway key educator, provides you with all the tools plus more than I expected. The training goes beyond the process of learning how to develop your career as an academic physician (there are so many tracks!) and goes into the different tenets of learning theory. You have the opportunity to create your own curriculum and participate in medical education research. By the time you complete the program, you've also had someone evaluate your teaching style and you start to develop your own teaching philosophy. It's a very interactive program. The meetings are monthly. This is a unique opportunity and you receive a certificate at the end of your training. I enjoyed the program and created a lot of mentors in my area of interest, which is cardiology. This pathway is unique to IU and in large part thanks to Dr. Dilly and her team. You also learn the inherent overlap between being a strong clinician and teacher.

Primary Care Track

The primary care track is designed to optimize residency training to prepare residents for careers in primary care. Schedules are modified for at least 50% ambulatory training with expanded opportunities for outpatient electives including required electives in endocrinology, sports medicine, dermatology (with procedures), and community practice. While residents are on upper level elective months, they also are assigned to a second continuity clinic, either in general medicine or a rotating subspecialty clinic (e.g. endocrinology, renal, infectious disease, dermatology). Residents are expected to complete online primary care modules and participate in education by teaching student clinics.

Primary care testimonial

Karthik Subbu, Class of 2021

I applied to the primary care track at IU because of my interest in outpatient medicine, particularly diabetes management and endocrinology. I liked how the track afforded me the ability to have a second half-day of clinic each week during non-ward months, which I dedicated to an endocrine clinic where I worked with different attendings in the community setting. I gained valuable exposure that I wouldn't have had otherwise, including exposure to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors which are not as common in the inpatient setting. One of the attendings I worked with over the months has also been tremendously supportive to me as my career mentor as I work towards applying for endocrine fellowship.

American Board of Internal Medicine Research Pathway

This pathway is offered to residents with more extensive research experience who intend to seriously pursue a career in basic science or clinical research. Residents who pursue this pathway have often completed a PhD, though this is not required. Two years of full-time clinical training in medicine and three years of research training with a mentor are required to complete this track for general internal medicine. During research training, at least 20 percent of each year must be spent in clinical experiences, including at least one half-day per week in a continuity clinic. Notably, graduates of this pathway are not eligible for the ABIM Internal Medicine Certification Examination as they complete less than the standard three years of clinical training. However, they are well-equipped for careers in research and can earn a PhD while on this track. It is also possible to participate in the ABIM research pathway for subspecialty training with coordination between the internal medicine and fellowship program directors at Indiana University or other institutions. This requires a total of six-to-seven years, depending on the subspecialty.

ABIM Research Pathway

Health Equity Advocacy and Leadership (HEAL) Pathway

*NEW* Coming in 2023! Doctor patient holding hands