How do you incorporate residents into your clinical practice?
“We truly have an incredible group of residents of such diverse backgrounds and interests and I feel challenged and inspired to be working with them. My favorite thing is to watch them “grow” and to have the privilege of playing a role in helping them gain confidence and skill as they discover their passions and identify the future path they wish to take…”
Reem Abu-Rustum, MD
“I provide supervised autonomy for evaluation and management decisions appropriate for each resident’s level, while making sure those decisions are based on an understanding of physiologic processes and best practices. I enjoy finding opportunities to enhance the ability of our residents to deliver great care to our patients.”
John Smulian, MD, MPH
“In the operating room, typically the resident is performing at least as much of the surgery as I am, of course with graduated autonomy as they progress in their training. So when operating with a junior resident there is a lot of one-on-one teaching with course correction along the way, whereas with chief residents they will often be leading the surgery while I function as an assist who is there to help troubleshoot more challenging aspects and be a safety checkpoint. My area of clinical interest in the outpatient setting is in cervical dysplasia, and over the course of the two years that residents spend in Colposcopy and LEEP Clinics with me, they similarly gain graduated independence as they build their skill set in this area – not only technical aspects, but some of the clinical decision-making and patient communication nuances that are important in this area.”
Bradley Bruggeman, MD
What is your favorite thing about working with the Ob/Gyn residents at UF?
“They are brilliant, and also extremely motivated to advocate for their patients. I am constantly blown away but how hard they work to make sure patients get the care they need. Providing OBGYN care in Florida (or in the Southeast in general) allows for unique advocacy opportunities and obstacles – our residents meet these head on and go above and beyond. Their energy inspires me to be better! Also, our residents are so much fun to work with and it’s a joy to watch them grow and learn!”
Alexandra Monaco, MD
How would you describe the UF Ob/Gyn residency program?
“The consistent theme in our department has been a focus on student, resident, and fellow education within a highly collegial working environment.”
Patrick Duff, MD
“This residency provides outstanding exposure to the breadth and depth of medical and surgical conditions encountered in the universe of obstetrics and gynecology practice. We care for the most complex patients as well as managing routine conditions. There is a great blend of specialty and subspecialty faculty and programs that allow our residents to dive deep into specific interests. Our program is also known at UF for its focus on education and having our residents serve as teachers for students, patients, faculty and each other.”
John C. Smulian, MD, MPH
What is your approach to mentorship?
“I want to respect each trainee as an adult learner and meet them where they are at in their learning to help get them to the next step. Because the learning goals for a third year medical student are different than those for an intern versus a chief resident, I need to be able to adjust my approach. In addition, I do what I can to make sure they know that I am invested in them, because I think it is a lot easier for the learner to internalize your feedback and instruction if they know that you really care about them.”
Bradley Bruggeman, MD
“It’s important to recognize that mentorship is really an evolving relationship over time in which both individuals share their talents and wisdom. I particularly enjoy mentorship that involves a mixture of personal and professional growth and so my most successful mentorships have integrated sharing my own challenges as a way to model humility and humanity in the face of extremely high professional expectations.”
Emily Weber LeBrun, MD, MS
What characteristics do you think help define a successful resident?
“Successful traits of a resident: high energy, compassion, kindness, commitment, and A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Strive always to be part of the solution to a problem, not part of the problem itself.”
Patrick Duff, MD
“I think that a successful resident is one who has a true growth mindset and who also always keeps in mind the question of “what would I want for this patient if she were my mother/sister/wife?”. Learning the skill set of our field takes time and concentrated effort, so being willing to learn something new out of each challenge, setting personal goals for learning, and integrating feedback are key. At the same time, keeping in mind that every patient is somebody’s family member and deserves our best effort allows us to keep in mind why that growth mindset is so important.”
Bradley Bruggeman, MD
What is your favorite thing to do in Gainesville?
“Waterski. Specifically, my favorite memories are watching my 6-year-old daughter teach the ObGyn residents how to waterski and wakeboard!”
Emily Weber LeBrun, MD, MS
“I think that Payne’s Prairie is one of the most beautiful places, especially during the rainy season when the water levels are up in the wetland areas, and it’s right in our backyard. So my wife and I really like to go out there with our daughter on one of the many walking trails – it’s pretty neat to see the alligators, herons, wild horses.”
Bradley Bruggeman, MD
What do you enjoy most about working at UF?
“There is a true opportunity to make a difference being at UF, especially in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Everyday in many ways we improve the lives of our patients, our community, our staff, our colleagues, our students and the profession. This makes each and every day rewarding and worthwhile in ways that matter.”
John C. Smulian, MD, MPH
“For me this is an easy and obvious one: teaching medical students and residents, and specifically watching them mature in their professional identity and clinical skills. Truly there is nothing I would rather do with my professional life. As a clinician though, I would say that that is taking care of patients within what I once heard described as “a community of care”, which to me means having the input of colleagues within my department in other fields to provide their input in order to deliver the best possible care. For any issues – medical complexities affecting pregnancy or gynecologic care, surgical challenges, etc. – there is always somebody with expertise in that area willing to lend a hand in a patient’s care. And they know they can count on me, so that over time, we build a network of shared expertise to provide as high quality of women’s care as possible.”
Bradley Bruggeman, MD