What does it take to become an award-winning clerkship coordinator? According to Janice Crabtree, manager of medical education for the Yale Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, it helps having a dynamic team to share ideas with and support each other.

Crabtree has been honored with the 2024 Donna Wachter Clerkship Coordinator Award through the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics [APGO].

APGO established the award four years ago to recognize excellence and the outstanding contributions of a clerkship leader, as identified by department chairs.

“We are very fortunate to have Janice leading our clerkship efforts, and I enthusiastically endorse her selection for this year’s award,” said Hugh Taylor, MD, chair and Anita O’Keeffe Young Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and professor of molecular, cellular & developmental biology. “She has been an inspiration to a generation of medical students. In large part, because of her leadership, many of our top trainees opted for a career in Ob/Gyn.”

Toward the end of medical school, each student must go through several rotations or clerkships in various specialties. The clerkship coordinator oversees and manages the complex logistics of many students coming through, shadowing, observing, and learning each year. Yale Ob/Gyn sees about 140 medical and physician associates rotate through annually.

“Janice is a committed educator who recognizes and values the critical relevance of context and timeliness in effective feedback and the importance of a structured yet flexible curriculum,” said Shefali Pathy, MD, MPH, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive sciences. “Her abilities to think critically and outside the box, her willingness to examine alternative options, to synthesize information and arrive at evidence-based conclusions, and her enthusiasm and willingness to spearhead new ideas are all inspirational,” continued Pathy, who is also clerkship director for the department.

For Crabtree, a former elementary and middle school teacher, the inspiration stems from her team.

“The passion for teaching that Drs. Pathy, [Terri] Huynh, and [France] Galerneau bring inspires all of us to make the clerkship the most supportive, challenging, and enriching learning experience possible. Handing the clerkship coordinator baton to my successor [Lisa Andriole] has been exciting. She brings a fresh perspective to the things we do, and students love her,” Crabtree says. “Lisa rounds out our clerkship team perfectly and has helped with the behind-the-scenes planning for the pre-clinical students, too. I offer a shoutout, also, to the residents who inspire us to be excellent.”