Above: Dr. Lisa Willett, Professor and Program Director, Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Program

I am excited to announce a change in our residency program's leadership. After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to step down as the Program Director of the Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2023. I have been the Program Director for 10 years, the Associate Program Director for 10 years prior, and an Assistant Program Director for two years prior to that. So, after 22 wonderful years, I look back with enormous pride and gratitude for the time I spent as a director of our residency program.

Over my career, we implemented constant changes for accreditation, we weathered many storms, we developed important innovative curricula and tracks, and we created impactful professional development and wellness opportunities, all while ensuring exceptional clinical training across all care settings. By all measures, we have been wildly successful training physicians, with 100% ABIM pass rates for three years running, excellent ACGME surveys and Milestones, and great success in the fellowship match and resident career advancement.

Our program has set the standard of excellence nationally, but I am even more proud of the people that make up this program. The UAB Internal Medicine Residents demonstrate Excellence without Ego (our program motto) in everything they do. Their devotion to patients and our profession are beyond measure. It has been an enormous honor and privilege to have this position for many years with such an incredible team. I truly believe we are an elite program, the best in the country.

I am thrilled that Dr. Ryan Kraemer has accepted the offer to be the next program director. He is the current Assistant Program Director. He has the talents, experience and passion for the job. Dr. Kraemer and I will be co-program directors next academic year (2022-23), and then I will transition fully into the Vice Chair of Education role for the Department of Medicine. Dr. Jason Morris will stay as an Associate Program Director (Dr. Kraemer will get to choose his own Associate Program Director) with a focus on resident well-being and resident training experiences at the VA. Dr. Morris and I will be working together with Dr. Kraemer, Tammy Pickens, the chiefs, the team of APDs, and the residency staff for years to come to ensure our program continues to thrive. We are all excited for this leadership transition and look forward to seeing the program reaching new heights and become even better.

I wish to thank to all of you for your past, present and future contributions to our residency program. Our community of faculty, alumni, and friends are essential support for our residents, and serves as a daily inspiration to me.

With sincere gratitude,

Lisa L. Willett, MD, MACM