McGillen recognized for Exceptional Moments in Teaching

Dr. Brian McGillen, hospitalist in internal medicine, is featured for April in the “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program.

“Dr. McGillen is an excellent educator,” a current student wrote. “He spends rounds discussing and sharing his phenomenal clinical knowledge and reasoning behind patient pathology but takes this one step further by also reflecting on the health systems and humanities implications. He was constantly offering constructive feedback and spent every afternoon teaching a topic of the team’s choosing.

“He treated students like important members of the clinical team and considered all of our treatment or DDX proposals. If he disagreed, he explained why without dismissing the suggestion, which only served to build upon our knowledge base. Further, he has a bedside manner with his patients that can be modeled by students. He holds us to high standards that we can’t help but strive to meet. Excellent learning experience.”

McGillen is a graduate of Jefferson Medical College (now known as Sydney Kimmel Medical College), Philadelphia. He completed his internal medicine residency, including a year as chief resident, at ChristianaCare Health System in Delaware, serving as an attending hospitalist there for one year. After that, he was an assistant professor of medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I., and an attending hospitalist at Rhode Island Hospital, also in Providence. In 2014, McGillen joined the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, where he currently is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He also serves as medical director of Care Transitions, directs the Internal Medicine Residency Program’s Health Systems Science track and is the faculty advisor to the High-Value Care Medical Student Interest Group. His interests lie in the clinical application of health systems science, particularly involving the intersection of clinical reasoning, high-value care and implications of social determinants of health on care transitions across the care continuum. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Kate, and their three children, and is an avid fan of English Premier League football.

Penn State College of Medicine’s Office for a Respectful Learning Environment recognizes exceptional faculty, residents and fellows with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. Each month, one faculty member and one resident/fellow are highlighted for their contributions. College of Medicine students are invited to submit narratives about faculty members, residents, nurses or any other educators who challenge them and provide an exceptional learning experience using the online nomination form.

The Office for a Respectful Learning Environment fosters an educational community at Penn State College of Medicine in which all learners and educators feel supported, challenged, valued and respected. It serves all learners at the College of Medicine: medical students, graduate students, physician assistant students, residents and fellows.

See previous faculty and resident/fellow honorees here.

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