Author: Dr. Eva Aagaard

On Gratitude: Reflecting on Our Shared Commitment to Learning and Growth In the fast pace of academic medicine, it is easy to move quickly from one milestone to the next without pausing to appreciate the collective effort that sustains our shared purpose. This season invites us to do just that—to recognize the people and experiences […]

Finding Joy Amidst Challenge As we enter October, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that this year has presented us all with a myriad of challenges. Whether in our professional lives or personal journeys, many (maybe all) have faced both uncertainty and change, and this month is certainly no exception. Our resilience and […]

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth. Robert Frost from “The Road Not Taken” In this newsletter, we announce the departure of two people who have given tirelessly to […]

In July, I celebrated my 25th year of being ‘on service,’ that is, supervising residents and interns on the inpatient Internal Medicine Service. July is a time of transition; new interns begin their first clinical rotations as MDs, with new responsibility and accountability, and new residents transition to roles of supervision of interns and students. Each […]

“Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” – Vicki Harrison I should have seen it sooner, but I didn’t. I was in a meeting about budget cuts and reductions in travel and […]

As I reflect upon the past month, it is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the profound challenges that have tested our resilience. The devastating tornado that tore through our region has deeply impacted our community – uprooting individuals, damaging our environment, and tragically claiming lives within the greater St. Louis area. Many of […]

As we transition into May and Commencement, I find myself reflecting on the transformative journeys that we have shared with our learners. The end of April was a particularly poignant reminder of the enduring impact of mentors and teachers, as we celebrated our annual Alumni Weekend and the Distinguished Service Teaching Awards. Reconnecting with alumni […]

Caring for Yourself and Others in Times of Change and Challenge Amid our turbulent political climate, shifting medical, research and educational landscapes, and the normal, but still challenging, ups and downs of life, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. March and April are filled with milestones, both exciting and stressful, some annual and some intermittent: Match […]

At the February Academy of Educators meeting, Dr. Casey Reimer (Director of Deaf Education Studies and Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology) submitted a terrific teaching pearl. She challenged us to reflect on our most impactful teachers, exploring why they stuck out. I LOVE this teaching pearl, and I loved the answers my colleagues shared. The exercise […]

In the words of Lucian De Crescenzo, “We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.” I frequently get asked what brought me to WashU Medicine. My answer is simple: the opportunity to link two things that have always driven me – educational innovation and […]