Leadership Opportunities

In addition to receiving training on how to lead a medical team, GW Internal Medicine residents serve on our Housestaff Council, Diversity Network, as well as GME and GWU Hospital committees. 

Willow, the service dog

Internal Medicine Housestaff Council:

Representatives from each class (including prelim) form the 15 member IM Housestaff Council. The council helps our program director to write and enforce policies, represents the views of residents with our program leadership, and weighs in on important issues affecting patient care and resident education. 

Our Housestaff Council also focuses on many important issues, including community service and resident wellness. Willow, one of our hospital's therapy dogs, visits us in our chief residents' office.

Diversity Network:

The Diversity Network is a resident-led, Department of Medicine supported initiative, started by a multicultural group of IM residents and faculty in 2016, that helps guide out GME programs in ensuring that we are fostering an inclusive environment for all trainees with a particular emphasis on supposting traineeds from traditionally underrepresented minority groups in medicine. 


GW Institutional Committees:

Resident membership is strongly encouraged in GW Hospital and GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Committees. Committee membership is open to residents across residency programs on several hospital committees and two School of Medicine and Health Sciences committees.


GW GME Residents Committee:

This committee, made up of residents across all departments, meets monthly to address common concerns and generate ideas for improvement across all GW residency programs. Delegates from this committee sit on the GW GME Committee along with our program directors and Dean of Graduate Medical Education.  

GW GME Residents Peer Review Committee:

This subcommittee of the GW Hospital Peer Review committee brings together residents from different residency programs with the goal of identifying systems problems that impact patient safety and quality of care, and creating systems-level change where needed. The committee accepts cases referred to it from residents.

For more information about the above committees, please see our GME website on committees.


Medical Education Series:

We have several unique curricula, including our Medical Education series, in which all residents participate.  This includes several didactic sessions about learning styles, adult learning theory, teaching methods and how to tailor presentations to the setting and audience.  As PGY2s and 3s, all residents give several talks to the entire program, and are given feedback from our

faculty and chief residents.  We have even had some residents create a two week medical education elective for those who want more in-depth training and plan for careers in academia.