The Duke University School of Medicine has announced that Saumil Chudgar, MD, MS, associate professor of medicine (General Internal Medicine) has been selected as the new Assistant Dean for Clinical Education for the School of Medicine. He will be responsible for overseeing the clinical education program, while working closely with the rest of our medical education team.
Dr. Chudgar currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education in the Department of Medicine. The department will conduct a search to fill this role in the coming weeks.
“Saumil has been absolutely outstanding as director of UME. His enthusiasm and leadership will be greatly missed, though we are fortunate he will work closely with the next Director of UME to continue excellent teaching and mentoring in the Department of Medicine," said Lisa Criscione-Screiber, MD, MEd, vice chair for education in the Department of Medicine.
Chudgar is replacing Dr. Alison Clay who served as the first Assistant Dean for Clinical Education. During Dr. Clay’s four-year tenure significant innovative changes were made to our clinical education program. While Clay is stepping down from that role she has continued working on special clinical projects for the medical student curriculum.
Chudgar joined the faculty in 2008 after completing both medical school and internal medicine residency at Duke. He holds a Master of Science in Medical Education Leadership from the University of New England. He has served as Director of Undergraduate Medical Education in the Department of Medicine for the past seven years, directing the Internal Medicine Clerkship and leading medical student education and advising in the department. He has also been the Course Director for the Clinical Skills Course, the Effective Clinical Teaching elective, and a small group leader in both years of the Clinical Skills Foundation courses and the Capstone course.
Chudgar has been actively involved in the Curriculum Innovation Initiative. He has led workshops on teaching students, residents, and faculty on how to respond to microaggressions that they observe and has been trained as a Civility Champion to meet with trainees who want to debrief a challenging interaction. He has also developed curricula and led workshops on professionalism and the hidden curriculum and its impact on students.
Chudgar works clinically as a hospitalist and teaches medical students and residents in the care of inpatients at Duke University Hospital. His research interests include medical education, curriculum development, effective teaching methods, assessment of clinical skills, and simulation. The medical students have honored Chudgar with several teaching awards including the Golden Apple Teaching Award, the Practice Course Professionalism Award, and Thomas Kinney Distinguished Teaching Award.