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 Pathway

Group of doctors analyzing a medical image.

The interdepartmental Global Health Pathway 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.

Group of residents standing in front of park sign.

IU IM residents with IU foam fingers in Kenya.

IU IM residents preparing dinner in Kenya.

Global Health Pathway

Global Health Testimonial

Nihanth Damera, Class of 2023

I am very grateful to have completed the Global Health Pathway. After applying and being accepted into the pathway during the spring of my intern year, I spent the next two years attending quarterly conferences, collaborating with residents from all specialties also participating in the pathway, and exploring how to incorporate global health in my own career.

My interests in global health stem from the desire to better understand how people from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds experience illness and healthcare. The pathway at IUSM provides a diverse exposure to global healthcare both domestically and internationally. Through our academic conferences we have the privilege of discussing fundamental barriers to healthcare, pathology from all around the world, and the structure of health systems in various communities. Additionally, members of the pathway are fortunate to learn from wonderful providers that specialize in Global Health. During my time on the track, I was also able to meet with these amazing mentors that helped me to curate my own specific global health interests.

Another crucial component to the Global Health track at IUSM is the ability to travel internationally to complete a rotation. I was able to live and work in Eldoret, Kenya through the AMPATH program (Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare). This was an invaluable experience that really allowed me to see firsthand how to provide high value care in resource limited settings. I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with my Kenyan colleagues and was ultimately able to use the lessons I learned on the wards there to become a better physician. My experience on the pathway culminated in a poster presentation that I delivered during our annual IU Center for Global Health Equity’s Global Health Scholars Day. Overall, participating in this track provided me with the tools to not only pursue global health, but to become a more compassionate and experienced physician!

Clinician-Educator Training Pathway

The Clinician-Educator Training Pathway (CETP) is a two-year program that provides trainees with the knowledge, skills, and professional preparation they need to be successful in a career as a clinician-educator, recognizing that the medical education career pathway is a deliberate choice that requires a particular set of skills rather than a secondary facet to another career focus. Trainees are introduced into a community of educators that stresses the collaborative approach necessary for success.

Clinician-Educator Training Pathway

Clinician-Educator Testimonial

Eric Frontera, Class of 2023

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."

Health Equity Training Pathway

The Health Equity Training Pathway is a two-year, cohort-based professional development community for IU School of Medicine graduate medical education (GME) trainees, integrated into existing training programs. The goal of the pathway is to use a health systems science lens to educate and empower resident physicians to discuss, identify, act upon, and teach health inequities in their everyday practice of medicine.

Health Equity Training Pathway

ABIM Pathway

The IU Internal Medicine Residency offers and ABIM approved Research Pathway that allows for a shortened residency duration with protected research time and the possibility of combining residency with the sub-specialty of your choice. This is offered with approval of the sub-specialty program director as well as the IM residency leadership team.

ABIM Testimonial

Mark Fraser, Class of 2022
"Immediately after being accepted to Internal Medicine Residency at IU, I discussed my interest in research and desire to pursue a Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship (PCCM) through this pathway with the IM Program Director, who immediately connected me with the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program Director with eventual direct acceptance into the fellowship outside of the match process with ABIM approval. During residency, I was assisted by both programs to match me with a research mentor with similar interests and a track record of success in obtaining funding and history of clinically significant publications. After completing my shortened pathway through residency (24 months), I was able to begin my clinical fellowship training in PCCM starting with 12 clinical months (of the 18 required) during which I worked with the program leadership and my research mentor to plan my upcoming 3-3.5 year research plan. During my clinical training in fellowship, I was provided with a healthy mix of autonomy and support as appropriate to become proficient and comfortable in clinical practice. Upon starting my research project, I had an established plan with multiple anticipated publications that I am currently working on. My next few years will be dedicated to research (with interspersed clinical months and weekly pulmonary continuity clinic) allowing me to gather data and produce publications to establish myself in the field with the ultimate goal of becoming a funded Translational Medicine Physician Scientist at an academic institution where I can pursue my research interests and practice PCCM clinically.

I chose to do pursue this pathway after already completing an MD/PhD since I have a significant interest in research. My ultimate goal is to obtain independent NIH funding and lead a research group of my own. Through the support and facilities I have been provided from this program, I am confident that I will be successful. If you have a significant research in pursuing research after completion of residency, I strongly recommend this pathway as it will provide you with the training and support required to succeed in todays competitive research environment."