T-E-A-C-H with Dr. Todd Simon

Todd Simon, MD, is the Vice Chief and Associate Professor of Medicine and the Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. He also serves as the Chief Academic Officer & the Designated Institutional Official. Dr. Simon completed his Medical school from The New York University School of Medicine and pursued residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later appointed Co-Director of Ambulatory Education for the Department of Medicine. While at Mt. Sinai, he also earned a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Southern California. Before joining the New York Methodist Hospital, Dr. Simon served as Vice Chairman of Medicine and Residency Program Director at the Jersey City Medical Center. Dr. Simon is actively involved with APDIM, SGIM and ACP, and serves as a member of ACP’s Internal Medicine Scientific Program Committee. How do you weigh the decisions you make? Today, Dr. Todd Simon teaches us about finding our “niche” in medicine—and how good mentors will help guide us toward it. He shares the virtue of enthusiasm. That it is infectious, and you will create more opportunities for yourself when you maintain this sense of positivity. And he talks about the one reason we should pursue any field in medicine: Because it’s what we love. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Self-reflection is extremely important to become good learners as well as good educators. 2. As a mentee, we should actively solicit feedback from our mentors - that enables us to be on the same page as our mentor and helps us progress in life. 3. To be successful, especially in medicine, find a niche. Something LOVE. Find the answer to what 'turns you on' academically. 4. Developing authentic and infectious enthusiasm is one of  the key traits of most successful people.