While the field of medicine was not an obvious career direction for Eve Colson, MD ’89, a history major as an undergraduate at Brown University, she instinctively knew it was the one she had to follow. And Colson’s thesis project at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) inspired her career trajectory.
That project imbued in Colson a passion for research and digging beyond the numbers to understand the root causes of problems in medicine, identify areas of opportunity, and envision improvements. In short, it spurred her to pursue the use of data for advocacy.
In so doing, she established herself as a leader in pediatrics and medical education—at YSM, Washington University School of Medicine, nationally, and internationally.
Thesis Project and Advisor
Colson focused her thesis project on the HIV epidemic, still in its early years in 1988, working with her thesis advisor Ralph Horwitz, MD, then head of the Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship program. With the guidance of her advisor, she explored the patterns of use of zidovudine (AZT) in clinical practice in a cohort of patients infected with HIV.
She says, “I went to the center where HIV patients were receiving health care and read through their charts, gathering data about their tolerance of the medication. Consequently, I read incredible stories of people’s lives and how this disease was impacting them. The stories were poignant, and they really influenced me and what I thought about doing with my career. The project helped me realize that I wanted to continue to do clinically oriented research.”
The project also fostered a valued working relationship between advisor and student. Colson notes her appreciation for how Horwitz thought through things and how the duo worked through ideas.
Colson’s interest in clinical research grew even stronger after her residency, when she pursued a general academic pediatrics fellowship. That experience allowed her to take the time to learn to do clinical research, particularly the qualitative part. She notes, “It was the springboard for an academic career.”
Colson dove into that career in 1998 when she landed a faculty position in the Section of General Pediatrics at YSM and was named director of the Well Newborn Nursery, where she cared for thousands of families and their newborns and was inspired to focus on infant mortality prevention. She won numerous teaching awards while training countless medical students and residents about the care of newborns and their families, recognizing the importance of this life transition for her patients. She remained a dedicated faculty member at YSM for the next 20 years.
Contributions to YSM
In addition to teaching and caring for patients while at YSM, Colson served as pediatric clerkship director and then director of all clerkships, participated on numerous committees, conducted research and, inspired by her own experience as a YSM student, mentored many students in their thesis projects.
Colson’s interest in enhancing medical education led her and a collaborator to establish an elective in Argentina for YSM students. That collaborator was Marcelo Orias, MD, PhD, a nephrologist who had done his fellowship at YSM. Colson and Orias came up with the elective idea after Colson completed a six-month sabbatical there when she was an associate professor of pediatrics. She and her family were hosted by Orias and had an outstanding experience. She wanted others to enjoy learning in that setting as well. With the help of Dr. Robert Rohrbaugh at YSM, she and Orias were able to get an elective up and running. Commenting on the nephrology elective in Argentina, which Orias ran for many years, Colson says, “I think the students had an excellent and rewarding experience.”
She left YSM six years ago, relocating to St. Louis, Missouri,for a leadership opportunity, joining the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine. She now serves as a professor of pediatrics and the associate dean of program evaluation and continuous quality improvement in the Office of Education,working with Dean Eva Aagaard and an outstanding medical education team. In this new role, she and her research colleagues continue to receive NIH funding for their health equity-focused research. She leads a team conducting program evaluation and quality improvement in medical education, has been deeply involved in the school’s innovative curriculum renewal, and has successfully led its recent accreditation visit.
Advancements in Pediatrics and Med Ed
In pediatrics, continuing work she began at Yale, Colson currently leads several NIH R01 grants aimed at understanding and decreasing infant mortality, an area in which her work is internationally recognized. Partnering with colleagues across the country, she has led in-depth studies aimed at promoting equity in health outcomes. In this work, the team recognizes the importance of partnering with families and other key stakeholders in designing and implementing their interventions. Understanding the reason behind what is happening is critical to success.
In medical education, Colson and collaborators aim to promote equity in trainee assessments by examining disparities in outcomes such as grades. Most recently, Colson has worked with medical educators around the country to gain a better understanding of the factors that underlie these disparities to inform potential interventions. She says, “We want all our trainees to have a good and equitable experience so that they can become the best physicians they can be.”