Office of Academic & Professional Development

Nancy J. Brown, MD, is the Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Yale School of Medicine and the C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine. Prior to coming to Yale, Dr. Brown served as chair of the Vanderbilt Department of Medicine and physician-in-chief of Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 2010 to 2020. Dr. Brown's research has focused on the mechanisms through which the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone, kallikrein-kinin, and incretin systems affect inflammation, thrombosis, metabolism and cardiovascular risk. Her lab defined the contribution of endogenous bradykinin to fibrinolysis in humans and the prothrombotic and fibrotic effects of aldosterone mediated by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. Her research group identified African ancestry and specific genetic variants as risk factors for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor-associated angioedema. Ongoing research in the laboratory focuses on the mechanism(s) of combined angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB)/neprilysin inhibitors in heart failure as well as on the cardiovascular effects of incretin-based anti-diabetic therapies. As a clinician, Dr. Brown's specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of resistant hypertension. Throughout her career, Dr. Brown has worked to promote the development of physician-scientists. At Yale, she has guided the medical school to enhance the two-year Master of Health Science degree program, which provides rigorous training to help future independent investigators and educational leaders accelerate their academic careers, and stood up the Office of Physician-Scientist and Scientist Development, which addresses the practical challenges encountered by physician-scientists at different career stages. At Vanderbilt, she established the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, served as the Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Scientist Development, and established an institutional infrastructure to support physician-scientists in the transition to independence. Since coming to Yale, she has volunteered in the student-run HAVEN clinic. Dr. Brown served on the NIH National Advisory Research Resources Council and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council. Her research has been recognized by the Harriet Dustan Award from the American Heart Association, the E.K. Frey-E. Werle Foundation, the August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research, and others. In 2018, she was named the Robert H. Williams, MD, Distinguished Chair of Medicine by the Association of Professors of Medicine. Dr. Brown is a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Association of Physicians, the American Clinical and Climatological Association, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

I am involved in the coordination of faculty development both within the Department of Psychiatry and in Yale School of Medicine with a focus of working with non-procedural and bridge departments. I have served in several research, education, and clinical leadership positions in the Department of Psychiatry and affiliated non-profit clinical, research, and policy organizations including The APT Foundation, Silver Hill Hospital, and The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse. I direct the faculty reappointment and promotion processes in my department and am involved in the development and evaluation of medical school-wide junior faculty mentoring programs. I am a trained mentor and professional coach and consult with junior faculty and departmental leaders on: promotion processes and readiness; incorporation into academic review processes improved assessments of clinical and educational excellence, professionalism, and diversity and inclusion activities, and; consultation on matters related to professional stress, burnout, and impairment. My clinical expertise is the treatment of patients with addiction and co-occurring personality disorders, and I have developed and conducted clinical trials on a specialized psychotherapy for these complex patients and founded a specialized residential treatment program for high functioning professionals (particularly physicians and attorneys) and executives suffering from these disorders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I  developed and directed a 1:1 professional support provider services program for Yale  Medicine and Yale New Haven Health healthcare workers and their families.

Dr. Fadi G. Akar, Ph.D. completed his doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and his post-doctoral training in molecular cardiology at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Akar joined the Faculty in the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in 2004, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2007 and Yale University School of Medicine in 2020. Dr. Akar's laboratory is dedicated to uncovering the mechanisms that promote arrhythmias in common structural heart diseases and to develop novel gene-based approaches to prevent these malignant arrhythmias.

Dr. Friedlaender received his BA and MD degrees from the University of Michigan and his orthopaedic surgical training at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Newington Children’s Hospital. In 1976, after 2 years service in the U.S. Navy assigned to the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Dr. Friedlaender joined the full-time faculty of Yale University School of Medicine and since 1986 has served as the Wayne O. Southwick Professor and, until 2016, Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation and Chief of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Yale New Haven Hospital. Dr. Friedlaender has also trained at Massachusetts General Hospital in musculoskeletal oncology, which remains his primary clinical and research interest.Learn more about Dr. Friedlaender>>Dr. Friedlaender has served as President of the American Association of Tissue Banks (1983-85), the American Council on Transplantation (1983-85), the Orthopaedic Research Society (1994-95), the Academic Orthopaedic Society (1995-96), the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons (2001-02) and the American Orthopaedic Association (2010-11). He has also chaired the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon’s Council of Musculoskeletal Specialty Societies and served as a member of the Academy’s Board of Directors and as a member of the AAOS Committee on Ethics. In the past, Dr. Friedlaender served as Chair of the National Arthritis Board, NIAMS (NIH), as a member of the Orthopaedic Study Section at NIH and as a member of the Advisory Council of NIAMS. He was chair of the Research Committees of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Academic Orthopaedic Society and chaired the AAOS work group on Tissue Banking Issues. He served or serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, Spine, Journal of Orthopaedic Research and the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; and he has written numerous scientific publications and received national awards for his basic science research (Kappa Delta Award of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Nicholas Andry Award of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons).

Veda N. Giri, MD is a medical oncologist with specialization in clinical cancer genetics. Dr. Giri is Division Chief of Clinical Cancer Genetics for Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital and Assistant Director of Clinical Cancer Genetics for Yale Cancer Center, where she leads an integrated and comprehensive effort in cancer genetic evaluation to inform precision medicine, tailored cancer screening, and hereditary cancer risk. She is also Director of the Early Onset Cancer Program. In 2023 she was named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO). Dr. Giri's research portfolio includes population science studies focused on genetic evaluation of cancer risk, disparities in access to genetic testing and genetic counseling, and implementation research. She has led numerous studies to advance the field of genetic counseling and genetic testing for inherited prostate cancer. Dr. Giri started the first Men’s Genetic Risk Clinic in the US in 2014 focused on genetic evaluation of inherited prostate cancer in the setting of multidisciplinary care. Dr. Giri also co-chaired the 2017 and 2019 Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Consensus Conferences that addressed development of comprehensive frameworks for genetic evaluation and implementation of genetic testing for prostate cancer. She is the Principal Investigator of multiple grant-funded prostate cancer genetic evaluation studies spanning genetic counseling, genetic testing, disparities, behavioral science, and implementation research. As leader of clinical cancer genetics, Dr. Giri plans to expand population science studies across cancer populations and in the community setting. Dr. Giri received her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College (previously Jefferson Medical College) and proceeded to complete her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at the University of Michigan. She then completed advanced training in molecular cancer genetics and cancer risk assessment at Fox Chase Cancer Center. She also has a certification in cancer risk assessment from City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Giri currently serves on several national committees including the NIH PDQ® Cancer Genetics Editorial Board, ASCO Evidence-Based Medicine Committee, ASCO Cancer Care Delivery Council, ASCO Health Equity and Outcomes Committee, and ASCO Coverage and Reimbursement Steering Committee contributing expertise in cancer risk assessment and genetics at the national level.

Mehra Golshan, MD, MBA, is a cancer surgeon and a nationally and internationally recognized leader in breast cancer treatment and research. In addition to caring for patients, he serves as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Surgical Services at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Golshan also serves as the Executive Vice Chair of Operations in the Department of Surgery and Professor of Surgical Oncology at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Golshan is a leader in the research with over 150 peer reviewed publications. He has led numerous Phase I, II and III clinical trials and translational science innovations impacting the treatment options and outcomes for women. He is an innovator in tailoring surgery and therapy for women with early stage breast cancer with funding support from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and National Institutes of Health. He is the principal investigator of several phase II trials aiming to reduce the need for second surgeries or re-excisions in women with breast cancer, one of which uses innovative image-guided operating room capabilities to capture and remove all residual tumor utilizing MRI and mass spectrometry which is used at Yale’s hybrid operating room. Dr. Golshan prides himself on being an educator having trained and mentored over a hundred breast surgical fellows as well as international surgeons and having served almost three years as interim Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Surgery. He has lectured and taught surgeons, trainees and students nationally and internationally in the field of oncology and breast cancer treatment. A recipient of the 2025 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, one of our nation's most prestigious awards for his extraordinary contribution to breast cancer treatment and research, unwavering dedication to patient care, mentoring the next generation of surgeons and supporting underserved communities around the world. Dr. Golshan is a Board Member of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), Chair of NAPBC Education Committee, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Interprofessional Education and Practice, and Commissioner Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and Board member of the MIT Sloan Alumni Board. Dr. Golshan completed his fellowship in breast surgical oncology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He earned his Medical Degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and an MBA at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management in Cambridge Massachusetts. Prior to joining Yale, he spent 17 years in Boston at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute where he was the inaugural and incumbent Dr. Abdul Mohsen and Sultana Al-Tuwaijri Distinguished Chair in Surgical Oncology. He also served as the Director of the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital and was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Golshan’s approach to breast cancer treatment is through a specialized team approach. For each new patient, Smilow brings together a team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, reconstruction surgeons, pathologists, genetics, breast imagers, radiologists, program nurses, and a robust clinical research program. “I work closely with so many colleagues dedicated deeply to treating and curing breast cancer who inspire me to be a better physician, scientist, and person every day."

Dr. Dhanpat Jain is a Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine (section of Digestive Diseases). Dr. Jain graduated from Mysore Medical College, Mysore, India and received his M.B.B.S degree in 1986. He subsequently received his M.D. Pathology degree from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India in 1991. He moved to the U.S. in 1995 and completed his Anatomic Pathology residency and Fellowship in Gastrointestinal Pathology at Yale University School of Medicine, and subsequently continued as a faculty there.Dr. Jain is a nationally and internationally recognized gastrointestinal pathologist known for his diagnostic skills, research and teaching. He has more than 150 publications, many book chapters, books and reviews, all of which are largely in the field of gastrointestinal and liver pathology. He has delivered many lectures and participated in many courses at the national and international level. He is on the editorial board of several high impact journals in the field of gastrointestinal and liver disorders. His area of expertise is motility disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, for which he gets cases in consultation from across the globe. Dr. Jain is an accomplished teacher and has received many awards. He has continuously been nominated for “Best Doctors in America” for many years.

Dr. Naftali Kaminski is the Boehringer-Ingelheim Endowed Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Center of Pulmonary Injury, Repair and Therapeutics (CPIRT) at Yale's Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine (Yale PCCSM). He served as Chief of Yale PCCSM from 2013–2026. Before that he was a tenured professor of Medicine, Pathology, Computational Biology and Human Genetics, and the Dorothy P. and Richard P. Simmons Endowed Chair for Pulmonary Research at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Kaminski was the director of the Dorothy P. and Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease and the Lung, Blood and Vascular Center for Genomic Medicine at the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Kaminski received his medical degree from the Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, Israel, and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Hadassah Mount-Scopus University Hospital in Jerusalem, and a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Sheba Medical Center in Tel-Hashomer, Israel. Dr. Kaminski received his basic science training in Dean Sheppard's laboratory at the Lung Biology Center at UCSF and in functional genomics and microarray technology at the Functional Genomics laboratory at Roche Bioscience, Palo-Alto. After his fellowship in 2000, Dr. Kaminski was appointed head of Functional Genomics at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, before being recruited to head the Simmons Center at the University of Pittsburgh in 2002. Dr. Kaminski's main research interests involve applying genomic approaches to elucidate basic mechanisms and improve diagnosis and treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a chronic, mostly lethal, and currently untreatable scarring lung disease, and other chronic lung diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), severe asthma, and sarcoidosis. His group pioneered the application of high-throughput genome-scale transcript profiling in advanced lung disease. Among his key scientific achievements are: The discovery of novel molecules with significant active roles in pulmonary fibrosis, including matrix metalloproteases (MMP7, MMP19) and phosphatases (SHP2, MKP5) , demonstrating that microRNAs, a family of small non-coding RNAs, are differentially expressed in IPF, and that some of them (let-7, mir-29, mir-33) are mechanistically involved in lung fibrosis, and the discovery that the outcome of patients with IPF can be predicted based on the expression of peripheral blood proteins and genes, a finding with practical implication because of the need for risk stratification and transplant prioritization. Dr. Kaminski's team identified a potential antifibrotic role for thyroid hormone signaling, a novel discovery with significant therapeutic implications. Dr. Kaminski's is among the world leading teams in single cell profiling of lung diseases. They ahve made substantial discoveries including the aberrant basaloid cells, alveolar epithelial cells that express some markers of airway basal cells, EMT, senescenece and known activators and biomarkers of fibrosis. To democratize access to these data, they created the IPF Cell Atlas (www.IPFCellAtlas.com), now a widely used global resource, along with companion portals for the Normal Lung Endothelial Cell Atlas, COPD Cell Atlas, and Normal Lung Aging Cell Atlas, establishing an open, interoperable foundation for precision lung medicine. Dr. Kaminski has a strong interest in integrating high throughput ‘omics’ data, such as genome scale DNA variants, coding and non-coding RNAs, microbiome and metabolome information with clinical information to generate systems biology models of lung diseases and to develop precision medicine approaches that are significantly more precise, predictive and patient-centered than anything that is currently available. Since completing his clinical training, Dr. Kaminski authored more than 450 research papers (including in Nature Medicine, NEJM, Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, Nature Biomedical Engineering, NAS, Science Advances, Science Translational Medicine, Circulation, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, ARCCM and ERJ among others) review articles and book chapters and has given numerous invited talks at national and international conferences, review articles and book chapters and has given numerous invited talks at national and International conferences. Since he finished his fellowship in 2000, Dr. Kaminski has been consistently funded by NIH and is the PI of multiple NIH grants. Dr. Kaminski's work and impact have been recognized rationally and internationally and among his awards are the Morgagni Award for Scientific Research from Morgagni Pulmonary Disease Association,in Italy, the Trudeau Honorary Lecture of New York State Thoracic Society, American Thoracic Society (ATS) Amberson Lecture Award, the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis Marvin Schwarz Award for Pulmonary Fibrosis, the ATS Recognition of Scientific Achievements award, the Helmholtz Institute International Fellow Award, the European Respiratory Society Gold Medal for Interstitial Lung Disease, as well as numerous named hornorary lectures. Kaminskii is also an elected member of the Association of American Physicians, and the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. Dr. Kaminski was active on the ATS and was the editor of “Gene Express”, a column on genomics in the initial days of the ATS Website, a member and chair of the Program Committee of the Assembly on Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology of the ATS, and member of the ATS Research Advocacy Committee, and Chair of the Assembly on Respiratory, Cell, and Molecular Biology at the American Thoracic Society. He was an associate editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical care Medicine, a member of multiple editorial boards and recently the Deputy Editor of Thorax, BMJ. Dr. Kaminski served as the President of the Association of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Division Directors . Dr. Kaminski is passionate about training physician-scientists and resepiratory researchers for the challenges of 21st century medicine, and especially in the vocabulary, skills and technology of the new fields of single cell genomics, bioinformatics, computational and system biology and their application to understanding the basic mechanisms that govern lung health and disease as well as to designed personalized medicine approaches. Dr. Kaminski is the contact PI and director of the highly successful NIH NHLBI “Training in Translational Lung Biology and Pathobiology“ T32 grant at Yale. He has successfully mentored over 50 mentees, many of whom are highly accomplished, independently funded researchers and academic and industry leaders. has mentored multiple MD and PhD scientists, of them many have productive and well funded independent career. H

Joy S. Kaufman, PhD is a Professor and Deputy Chair for Professional Development, Department of Psychiatry Yale School of Medicine, Executive Director of the Yale Consultation Center and Co-Director of YaleEVAL. Trained as a Clinical and Community Psychologist, Dr. Kaufman conducts large-scale, multi-level evaluations of health service delivery systems, provides consultation to governmental and community organizations regarding these evaluations, and carries out related research. These evaluations take place in under-resourced communities; involve close partnerships with state and municipal governments, community organizations, and other public stakeholders; and generate data that informs program and policy development. A unique feature of her work is the training of public stakeholders to evaluate the services they receive or to utilize data so that they can provide rigorous and systematic feedback to improve services and participate in decision-making about their community. Dr. Kaufman's research interests include the identification of contextual factors that impact outcomes for individuals with emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Viji Kurup MD is Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale. Viji completed her Residency in Anesthesiology and Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia at Yale. She has been on faculty in the department since 2005 where she has developed a career as a medical educator. She has completed her fellowship in Medical Education and is currently Vice Chair for Medical Education as well as Director of the Yale Anesthesia Media Lab and the Course Director for the Anesthesia Resident Simulations. She has led the integration of the Flipped Classroom model for Anesthesia Resident Training at Yale. Viji's academic interests include globl health and exploring innovative ways of integrating technology in medical education. She is also the Co-Chair for the Global health and outreach committee in the Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA). She has volunteered with the Health Volunteer Overseas Program (www.hvousa.org) in Vietnam. She enjoys teaching and was awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence in Education and Leadership for the Department of Anesthesiology. She is a firm believer in the importance of physician wellness and has introduced a comprehensive wellness curriculum within her department. She is the Past President of the CT State Society of Anesthesiologists and is actively involved in advocacy efforts both at the State and Federal level. She also volunteers in the community and is a regular speaker at career day for inner city schools in New Haven. She lives in Trumbull CT with her husband and two kids, and because that was clearly not keeping her busy enough, a high-maintenance cat!! In her free time, she enjoys cooking, painting (acrylic on canvas), reading and meditating..

Chi Liu received his Ph.D. in 2008 from Johns Hopkins University with emphasis on quantitative SPECT/CT imaging. Following his graduate work, he was a postdoctoral fellow at University of Washington, specializing in oncological PET/CT studies with emphasis on compensation algorithms for respiratory motion. In 2010, he joined Yale University as a faculty member. He is board certified in Nuclear Medicine physics and instrumentation by the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine. His current research focuses on quantitative cardiac and oncological PET/CT and SPECT/CT imaging, including deep learning algorithms, reconstruction algorithms, data correction, dynamic imaging, and translational imaging. The translational and clinical applications of these projects include early detection of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity, multimodality imaging of heart failure, and eliminating respiratory motion variability for assessing response to therapy. Many of the imaging technologies developed in his lab has been or is being implemented in clinical PET and SPECT scanners. In 2012, he was awarded with the Bruce Hasegawa Young Investigator Medical Imaging Science Award from the IEEE Nuclear Medical and Imaging Sciences Council for “contributions to the imaging physics of SPECT/CT and PET/CT, with emphasis in quantitative imaging and motion correction”. He was the President of Physics, Instrumentation, and Data Sciences Council (PIDSC) of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) between 2022-2023.

Dr. Ehud Mendel joined Yale in September 2021 as a Professor of Neurosurgery. He serves as the Disease Center Director of the Spine Oncology Program and member of the Executive Leadership Group at Smilow Cancer Hospital/ Yale Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Hospital. He also serves as the Division Chief of the Spine section, Neurosurgery, and the Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine.Dr. Mendel comes to Yale from Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University (OSU) and the James Cancer Hospital Solove Research Institute, where he served as the director of the Spine Oncology Program and clinical director of the Ohio State University Spine Research Institute. While at OSU, Dr. Mendel led a multidisciplinary team that made incredible advances in oncological spine surgery. Among many things, his team pioneered a new surgical technique to reconstruct the spine following surgery to remove spinal tumors and has spent his career developing numerous spine tumors research protocols and spine surgery techniques. A true academic surgeon, Dr. Mendel comes to Yale with a wealth of experience in teaching, research, and clinical affairs. In 2006, he became the first honoree of The Justine Skestos Endowed Chair in Minimally Invasive Neurological Spinal Surgery and was recognized for his excellent contributions to education with the Lawrence Mervis, MD Teacher of the Year award in 2016. In addition to seeing patients, Dr. Mendel also served as vice chair for clinical affairs and was elected by his peers to the OSU University Senate and OSU Faculty Council. An honors graduate from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Dr. Mendel also holds an MBA from The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business. He completed his residency at the University of Southern California Medical Center and a fellowship in reconstructive spinal surgery-combined neurosurgery/orthopedics at the University of Florida School of Medicine.From 2017 to 2019, he served as president of the Ohio State Neurosurgical Society. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a member of AOA Honor’s Society and was selected for the American Academy of Neurological Surgery.

Allison Ponce earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Connecticut and completed her postdoctoral training in the Yale Department of Psychiatry before joining the faculty. She is the Director of Education at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Dr. Ponce has research, administrative, and clinical interests in public mental health, particularly with regard to serious mental illness. Another major area of focus is the education and training of psychologists and other mental health professionals. She also provides consultation to faculty on organizational and professional development issues. Dr. Ponce co-chairs the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) Standards and Review Committee and chaired APA's BEA/BPA Task Force on Doctoral Competencies and Policy and Planning Board. She is Past-Chair of the APPIC Board of Directors and currently belongs to the Council of Former APPIC Chairs (CoFAC). She serves as Associate Editor of the APA journal Psychological Services and is an internship site visit chair for the APA's Commission on Accreditation.

Dr. Leslie M. Rickey specializes in helping women suffering from problems related to the pelvic floor, including weaknesses of the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue that support healthy bladder, vaginal, and bowel function. Dr. Rickey treats patients with urinary incontinence (urine leakage), overactive bladder (urinary urgency and frequency), fecal incontinence (bowel leakage), pelvic organ prolapse (when a pelvic organ like the bladder or uterus drops, or “prolapses,” down and causes vaginal pressure or bulge symptoms), and genital-urinary tract fistulas (a connection between the vagina and the bladder that causes continuous urine leakage).Dr. Rickey’s residency and fellowship training included a unique integration of the urology and gynecology specialties. Her training in both areas has allowed her to provide comprehensive, interdisciplinary care to women with urinary tract or pelvic floor issues.“Urologic conditions are interwoven with so many other health conditions,” Dr. Rickey says. “I see many women who have been avoiding activities such as exercise, hiking, swimming, or traveling due to their bladder or prolapse symptoms. It is extremely gratifying to have the ability to do an office, outpatient or minimally-invasive procedure that allows them to return to the lifestyle they enjoy.”Dr. Rickey is committed to furthering research and continuing to advance new studies in women’s health. She previously served on the Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network and is now the Yale site Principal Investigator for the Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Research Consortium, both sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.“Each woman has a different complex of symptoms, lifestyle and activities that are affected by her pelvic floor symptoms. Patients also have different treatment goals,” Dr. Rickey explains. “Many of these pelvic floor conditions co-occur, so I think it is absolutely critical to go to a physician who is going to query all of the pelvic floor symptoms a woman might have, including bladder, uterus, vaginal, and bowel issues. We take a very multi-disciplinary approach to patient care.”With her training in public health, Dr. Rickey also seeks to empower women and involve them in their own treatment, giving her patients the information they need to make the choices that are right for them.“These conditions are quite common,” she says. “I always discuss a range of treatment options with my patients, from behavioral and lifestyle changes to office procedures and surgery, when appropriate. I think an educated patient can be more empowered to make lasting changes that will reduce their incontinence, prolapse and bowel symptoms.”

Donna M. Windish, MD, MPH has a passion for medical education and educational scholarship. She has created and led many programs to train fellows and faculty in educational scholarship. She founded the General Internal Medicine Medical Education Fellowship in 2016 which has produced national leaders and scholars in UME, GME and CME education. She developed a novel faculty development program in educational scholarship for Yale's Department of Internal Medicine called ACES (Advancement of Clinician Educator Scholarship). She mentored all 30 ACES participants and ran the program for 5 years. She developed a similar faculty development program for Yale School of Medicine in 2024: the Educator Scholar Fellowship. This program trains faculty who are interested in educational scholarship across all Departments of the School. Dr. Windish also established and co-leads a national education scholarship faculty development program for faculty across the country through the Society of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Windish has mentored numerous students, residents, fellows and faculty at Yale and across the country in educational scholarship initiatives. Her mentorship has been recognized nationally through the Society of General Internal Medicine who awarded her with the Frederick L. Brancati Mentorship and Leadership Award and most recently the Mid-Career Education Mentorship Award.

Dr. Hua Xu is Robert T. McCluskey Professor and Vice Chair for Research and Development, Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science at Yale School of Medicine (YSM). He also serves as Associate Dean for Biomedical Informatics at YSM. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics from Columbia University. His primary research interests include biomedical natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), and AI agents, as well as their applications in clinical practice and biomedical research. His research is funded by multiple agencies (i.e., NLM, NCI, NIGMS, NIA, AHA, and CPRIT), and methods/tools developed in his lab have been widely used to support diverse biomedical applications. Dr. Xu is a fellow of both the American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI) and the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI). See more information about Dr. Xu's lab here.