Editorial Corner

With the new year, we are excited to introduce the newest member of our editorial team, Michael Klein, MD. Michael is a Clinical Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he has worked in outpatient clinic since 2019. In 2023, he started as Co-Clinic Director of the Iowa River Landing general internal medicine ambulatory site. He is a graduate of University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Internal Medicine residency program. Welcome aboard, Michael!

In this issue of the Leadership Forum, we continue our conversation about the sustainability of primary care practice, focusing on ways that we can make our work more fun and fulfilling. The article by Curls focuses on a novel use of clinical time to allow faculty flexibility to explore their unique interests and develop a niche area of expertise. The article by Hopf discusses applying a new “golden rule” so you can focus on high-value work that brings out your best self. In addition to bringing joy and value back into our work, we also must recognize the critically important perspectives and skills that generalists bring to our leadership roles. Graves and Conigliaro explore these concepts further through a discussion of the fable of the fox and the hedgehog. We encourage you to read the article if you’re curious which one you might be!

As we consider improving recruitment and retention into academic general internal medicine, these articles bring important perspectives to ponder. Creating flexible time to allow junior faculty to find areas of focus is one strategy to increase recruitment. As we grow as leaders, emphasizing the strengths we bring as generalists and centering high-value work can augment retention and sustainability.