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News & Articles > Q&A with the authors of Coaching in Medical Education, 1st Edition

Interview with Maya M. Hammoud, MD, MBA; Nicole M. Deiorio, MD; Margaret Moore, MBA, MA; and Margaret Wolff, MD, MHPE 

Why did you feel that it was important to write a book on Coaching in Medical Education, 1st Edition? What does your publication add to the field? 

Dr. Hammoud: Coaching is emerging as an intriguing framework to provide professional development and assistance to learners in medical education. While long used in the business world, and more recently in physician circles, coaching is relatively new to the medical trainee world. Literature is still emerging regarding the best coaching practices that will lead to the best outcomes for our learners. To fill this gap, we offer this book. In addition to covering coaching models and competencies, this book illustrates the important relationship of coaching to the development of the master adaptive learner and offers a practical framework for educators and administrators who are forming and optimizing coaching programs in their own schools.  

What is the most exciting aspect of your book Coaching in Medical Education, 1st Edition? What chapter or topic covered in this book are you most excited about? 

Dr. Hammoud: I am excited about all of it as this book fills a significant gap to how coaching can and should be applied in medical education, but if I were to choose one chapter, I would choose chapter 8 which focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion. To support efforts to increase the representation and enhance the experience of groups historically and currently marginalized in medicine, coaching programs can help build a culture of mutual inclusivity and respect where all participants feel welcomed and differences are valued. Coaches are in an ideal position to build this culture by developing structural competency and understanding how socialization contributes to bias as well as focus on learners and their backgrounds to provide individualized coaching. 

Dr. Deiorio: I’m particularly excited about the chapter on coaching competencies. Even in the business literature, where coaching has been around for a long time, there is little advice on, or tangible tools enabling the measurement of coaching and the assessment of coaches. Framing competencies for coaches will allow readers to have a structured approach to hiring, training, and assessing coaches. 

Moore: I was grateful to support the development of coaching competencies for medical educators and present the theory and research that supports those competencies. I also appreciate the alignment of coaching with the Master Adaptive Learner framework and the ways coaching can support physicians throughout their career spans. 

Who will find the greatest value from Coaching in Medical Education, 1st Edition and why?  

Dr. Hammoud: All medical educators can benefit from this book. Coaching can be applied in most interactions with learners and in all contexts to help them develop into their best selves. Learners, including medical students and residents, can also benefit from this book because it helps empower them to understand what coaching is and seek coaching for continuous development. 

Dr. Wolff: There is something in the text for those who have been coaching in medical education for years as well as for those who are just getting started. The book is full of practical tips as well as diverse perspectives from educators across the United States.  

What new ideas, practices, or procedures do you hope your readers take away from Coaching in Medical Education, 1st Edition? 

Dr. Hammoud: Readers will learn what coaching is and its relationship to development of the master adaptive learner. They will understand coaching models and coaching competencies as well as learn about the operational aspects of coaching and think about the research we should be seeking in coaching and the future of coaching.  

Dr. Deiorio: I hope readers will be able to better understand the science behind coaching and the theories and models that allow it to succeed. At the same time, I’m optimistic they will find very practical information to guide the formation or optimization of their own coaching practice or programs.  

Moore: I hope readers develop an appreciation for the robust scientific backbone that supports the coaching toolbox. 

Dr. Wolff: Coaching is a useful tool in medical education and can be utilized to address some of the more challenging problems facing medical education. This text provides clear, practical guidance to those coaching or developing a coaching program. 

What problem do you hope the future generation of your specialty will be able to solve? 

Dr. Hammoud: I hope future generations will be able to recognize that many problems might be unpredictable. We all need to develop a growth mindset and have the flexibility to adapt to new information or new challenges and adapt quickly. 

Moore: My specialty is coaching, and my hope for physicians is that they will be able to cultivate a professional work life which is nourishing, meaningful, interesting, and challenging and supports their thriving in life and work rather than generating burnout. 

Is there anything else about Coaching in Medical Education, 1st Edition you’d like to say?  

Dr. Hammoud: I am very proud of this book and humbled by all the editors and authors I worked with. You will see the passion for coaching clearly coming through the chapters, and I believe this book will become a must read for all those involved in medical education. 

Moore: Coaching skills are a natural skillset for physicians to better design and navigate their work lives as social beings, not just taskmasters. 

About the authors:  

Maya M. Hammoud, MD, MBA, is the J. Robert Willson Research Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School. She also serves as the Chief of the Women’s Health Division and Associate Chair for Education. She has been working with the American Medical Association for the last five years as a senior adviser for Medical Education Innovations with a focus on health systems science and coaching. She completed her MD and MBA degrees and residency training at the University of Michigan and has served in many leadership roles including Assistant and Associate Deans at Michigan and at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Her research focus is mostly in medical education, specifically on the use of technology in education and the role of academic coaching in learner’s development.  

Nicole M. Deiorio, MD, is the Dean of Students and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University where she has created a coaching program for medical students around the Entrustable Professional Activities. Prior to this, she worked at Oregon Health and Science University where she also developed an undergraduate medical education coaching program around attainment of graduation competencies. She is a certified coach and strongly believes in the power of coaching techniques to enhance professional identity formation  

Margaret Moore, MBA, MA, is the founder and CEO of Wellcoaches Corporation, a coaching school. She also is the co-founder and chair of the Institute of Coaching at McLean, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. Additionally, she is the co-founder and a board member of the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching, a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Board of Medical Examiners. She is the co-author of 20 papers, eight book chapters, and three books on coaching and an entrepreneur/leader in the coaching industry. 

Margaret Wolff, MD, MHPE is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Michigan. She completed medical school at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, residency at Boston Combined Residency Program, and fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her primary work focuses on coaching in medical education through coaching of individual learners, the development and implementation of coaching programs, and faculty development. Dr. Wolff has received advanced training in coaching and coaches learners across the medical education continuum. In addition, she serves as the Associate Program Director for the pediatrics residency program, the Program Director for the medical education fellowship in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Course Director of the pediatric residency preparation course at the University of Michigan. Through these roles, she has developed expertise in coaching, self-directed learning, and curriculum development. She has multiple peer-reviewed publications in these domains and has presented widely on these topics.  

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