The Section of General Internal Medicine focuses on stimulating and increasing education innovation in multiple domains, developing the next generation of leaders in clinical care, research, and education. We provide continuing medical education support to all GIM faculty, including weekly Grand Rounds and annual lecture series.
Mark A. Moskowitz Memorial Lecture
The annual Mark A. Moskowitz Memorial Lecture series was created in 2004 to honor Dr. Mark A. Moskowitz, who joined the faculty at BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine in 1981. He was appointed Chief of the University Hospital Section of General Internal Medicine in 1988. He became Chief of the combined Sections of General Internal Medicine after the merger of University Hospital and Boston City Hospital in 1997. He led numerous research projects in a broad range of areas. His studies included measuring the severity of illness for hospitalized patients, evaluating the appropriateness of coronary artery bypass surgery in the Medicare population, disseminating and feeding back information on medical care practice patterns to physicians and measuring quality in ambulatory care. An eloquent advocate for using large administrative databases to study the practice and consequences of medical care, Dr. Moskowitz was a caring role model for students and residents. He mentored scores of General Internal Medicine fellows and junior faculty who have gone on to become national and international leaders in general internal medicine and health services research. The Visiting Professor Lecture series includes the General Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, as well as the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds. Prior honorees have included GIM luminaries such as Karen DeSalvo, Said Ibrahim, Jean Kutner, and many others.
Upcoming Speaker
April 4, 2025: Monica E. Peek, MD, MPH, MSc, University of Chicago
Previous Speakers
2024: Monica L. Lypson, MD, MHPE – “Generalism is Leadership & Innovation”
2023: Karen Freund, MD, MPH – “The Joy of General Internal Medicine”
2020: Said Ibrahim, MD, MBA, MPH – “Race & Discharge Destination after Elective Joint Replacement Surgery”
Kathleen Bennett, MD Memorial Lecture in Community Medicine
The Community Medicine Unit of the Section of General Internal Medicine hosts the annual Kathleen Bennett, MD Memorial Lecture. Dr. Bennett was a Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine alumna of the class of 1984 and a member of the GIM faculty since 1989. She was a leader in health care administration at Neighborhood Health Plan and Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan. She was chief medical officer at Senior Whole Health. She served as Assistant Program Director and, later, Residency Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Boston City Hospital. She practiced primary care at Upham’s Corner Health Center, where she had cared for patients since her residency years.
Highly regarded by her patients and colleagues, Dr. Bennett was an excellent clinician, a fierce patient advocate, and a gifted teacher. She was incredibly dedicated to improving the health of underserved patient populations in every aspect of her educational, administrative, and clinical roles. Dr. Bennett was a true advocate of equity care from the very beginning. The Kathleen Bennett, MD Memorial Lecture focuses on how medicine is practiced within the community. The annual series provides a space for reflection and conversation, emphasizing the importance of centering community perspectives and including them in the solution. Dr. Bennett was passionate about community medicine meeting the needs of patients in a more thoughtful, present, and equitable way.
Upcoming Speaker
2025: TBD
Previous Speakers
2024: George J. Annas, JD, MPH – “Project 2025: Taking the Political Determinants of Health Seriously”
2023: Katherine Gergen Barnett, MD & Cheryl Harding, Community Leader – “TRUST What does it mean? And How can We (Re) Build it in Medicine?
2022: “Broadening our focus: BMC’s role in providing community-centered care for addiction”
2019: Harold Cox, MSSW, Thea James, MD, MA, Sheila Chapman, MD, Tom Ostrander, MD, MPH, Yvette Cozier, DSc, MPH, & Christopher Shanahan, MD, MPH, FACP – “The Lasting Impact of Slavery on Health and Healthcare in the US”
2018: Megan Sandel, MD, MPH – “Housing and Health: Strategies for Impacting the Health of Your Patients”
2017: Thea L. James, MD, Lucy Marcil, MD, & Alexander Y. Walley, MD, MSc – “Physician Advocacy: Models for Success”
2016: Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH – “Trauma as a Foundational Cause of Population Health: Implications for Providers”
2015: Daniel Simpson, MD – “Integrated Behavioral Health – Fresh, Locally Sourced and Good for You!”
2014: Angela Jackson, MD – “The State of Community-Based Medical Training and Education”
2013: Geoffrey Modest, MD – “Community Health: Confessions of a Believer”
Robert L. Sokolove Memorial Lecture for Complex Patient Care and Humanism
The Robert L. Sokolove Memorial Lecture for Complex Patient Care and Humanism honors Dr. Robert Sokolove, who joined the Medicine, Neurology, and Psychiatry Departments at Boston Medical Center in 1991. Dr. Sokolove received his PhD in clinical psychology from Boston University in 1975 and continued to teach at BU for the remainder of his career. Shortly after receiving his doctorate, he accepted the position of Director of Social Rehabilitation Services at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston, where he served his patients and the community for several years before joining BMC. Dr. Sokolove integrated the disciplines of medicine and psychology at BMC and developed specializations in multicultural psychology and trauma treatment. He instituted an annual conference on “The Care of the Complex Patient,” taught numerous medical residents and psychology trainees, and supported his colleagues across disciplines.
The Robert L. Sokolove Memorial Lecture speaker and topic will embody the key lessons that Dr. Sokolove taught us, including ensuring that our patients have the time and space to tell their stories of physical and mental trauma. Topics will emphasize the importance of taking care of ourselves and maintaining safe venues to discuss complex patient care, highlighting our commitment to being empathic healers and caregivers.
Upcoming Speaker
2025: TBD
Previous Speakers
2024: Anna Reismann, MD – “Thinking About My Sister’s Brain”
2023: Elizabeth Dugan, LICSW, Clinical Director of BMC’s Violence Intervention Advocacy Program (VIAP) – “Hospital Based Violence Intervention Programs: BMC VIAP An Integrated Model of Comprehensive Care”
2019: Elissa Ely, MD – “Suzy and the Goat: Some Stories it Might Do Us Well to Know”