You have a Voice with Dr. Alysia Kwiatkowski

Dr. Alysia V. Kwiatkowski is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology at the University at Buffalo (UB). She is the Senior Associate Program Director and Director of Curriculum Development for the Internal Medicine Training Program and an education development specialist for UB’s Medical Education and Educational Research Institute. Dr. Kwiatkowski is also the Site Director of Internal Medicine & Advanced Medicine Clerkships at Erie County Medical Center. She completed her Masters of Science at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and her DO in Medicine from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Kwiatkowski then completed Residency in Internal Medicine from the Albany Medical Center where she was also the Chief Resident. She then pursued a Fellowship in Rheumatology from Rush University Medical Center, where she received certification in teaching excellence. In 2018, Dr. Kwiatkowski was invited by the Rheumatology Research Foundation as a fellow in training and furthered her research in medical education comparing team-based learning with non-interactive learning and the incorporation of musculoskeletal examination workshops into rheumatology electives. Her awards include the Psi Sigma Alpha from the National Osteopathic Scholastic Honor Society and Sigma Sigma Phi from the National Osteopathic Service Fraternity, in addition to awards for recognition of her skills as an educator. If there is one thing we should take away from this conversation with Dr. Alysia Kwiatkowski, it is that we have a voice, and we need to use it. Today, we realize how we as learners are the ultimate stakeholders in medical education therefore our voice is just as important if not more. Dr. Kwiatkowski’s mission in medicine is to improve education and leadership for her students and generations to come. And today, we’ll learn from her story that the most powerful thing we can do is to get the best training we can, give back to our community, and make a positive impact. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Get the best training you can, and give back to your community. There is value in thinking beyond ourselves. 2. Have a voice, and use it (even when we feel intimidated). We as the learners are a valued member of decision-making as the ultimate stakeholders in medical education. 3. The mentor’s role is to help us set and achieve goals. As mentees, our role is to be open and honest with them. 4. There is no failure, just feedback.