Welcome from the Program Director

Welcome to the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Boston Medical Center and the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine! I am thrilled that you are interested in our program and hope that this letter will give you an impression of the kind of education that BMC can offer. This program has a longstanding reputation for developing well-rounded physicians that share our key values: providing excellent clinical care in a patient-centered way, promoting intellectual curiosity amongst peers, and contributing to the academic pursuit of medicine. Our clinical experiences expose residents to a broad range of disease within an urban underserved patient population, supporting the longstanding social mission of BMC, as well as at the Boston Veterans Affairs Hospital. Meeting the needs of our patients has led Boston Medical Center to create innovative approaches to providing care like our health equity accelerator, in-hospital food pantry, rooftop farm and the teaching kitchen.

The residency program itself takes a forward-thinking approach to clinical training with diverse learning opportunities. Our innovations in education include our didactic curriculum, with a broad range of protected educational experiences being offered. Our educational conferences take a variety of forms, among the favorites: CREX lectures aimed at clinical reasoning, BST (“beast”) mode – a resident favorite – which includes short lectures on specific topics taught to residents, by residents. “Research in Progress” which allows faculty and residents to talk through their current research projects. During our academic half-days, we offer small group sessions and simulation-based learning. Starting in PGY-2 year, all residents have the opportunity to join one of our clinical pathways including: HIV Medicine, Health Equity, Medical Educator, Patient Safety/Quality Improvement, Clinical Informatics, Point of Care Ultrasound and the Framingham Heart Study. These pathways allow residents the chance to delve deeper into a particular area of interest within medicine and individualize their residency experience. Our Primary Care Training Program track  focuses on addressing the needs of our patients in the outpatient setting, specifically those living in underserved urban areas.

We offer opportunities for residents to gain experience in research whether they are just looking to gain experience or have a background in research and are looking for a physician scientist career. For those looking to gain experience we have a research chief resident that facilitates research projects, mentors residents and helps connect people to faculty mentors. For the future physician scientists we offer a dedicated ABIM research pathway.

Our residents are central to the culture of our program and their contributions are fundamental to the innovation and evolution of the residency experience. Coming from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences, our residents mirror our patient populations, which enriches the academic environment and patient experience. Their work on the many resident-led committees drives and affects aspects of inpatient and outpatient operations, curricula, recruitment, and more. I’m proud to be a part of this dynamic and clinically excellent residency program and am constantly inspired by the dedication and passion of our house staff.

It’s my hope that you are able to see the amazing resident and faculty culture that drew me to Boston Medical Center. Thank you for considering joining our program and I wish you all well during this coming year.

Susan Budnick, MD
Program Director