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Dr. Mada Helou returns with her fellow Program Directors, Drs. Michelle Parra, Jack Buckley, and Robert Gaiser, to discuss what residents should expect once they’ve selected a program. Learn how PDs see their role, what misconceptions they’d most like to bust, what they think about fellowships, and what’s surprised them most about their jobs in this fast-paced, informative episode. Recorded January 2021.
Mada Fares Helou, MD, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with honors from the University of Cincinnati, and her medical degree from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. She completed her training in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award upon graduation and is board certified in both fields.
Dr. Helou joined the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center staff in 2015 and is an Assistant Professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She is the Program Director for Anesthesiology, and served as Associate Program Director for Anesthesiology and Medical Student Clerkship Director. She also serves on multiple education committees for the residency and critical care medicine fellowship, as well as hospital and national societies. Her clinical interests include liver transplant, thoracic and vascular anesthesiology and her research interests include innovative teaching methods and faculty development. She is a Cleveland native, dedicated to her hometown and the local community.
Dr. Jack Buckley is an associate clinical professor at UCLA Medical Center. He has been actively involved in the residency program for the last 8 years and currently serves as the program director. Dr. Buckley is an oral examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) and is a committee member for the ABA’s Objective Structured Clinical Examination writing task force. His clinical interests include head and neck and neurosurgery.
I am originally from Arizona and found my way to Iowa for Medical School. While at the University of Iowa, I found a spouse and a love for regional anesthesia. We ventured out east for residency training and fellowship at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. With the incredible mentors and teachers at Dartmouth my passion for residency advocacy grew. I could not picture a career that did not involve working with residents and was lucky enough to become a Program Director. When my family and I moved back to Iowa in 2015, I considered myself a former program director. After being at the University of Iowa for several years, when the opportunity arose to once again to work with the residents in this capacity! Being a program director is a honor and one of the hardest jobs I have ever done.
Dr. Gaiser is Core Program Director at Yale University School of Medicine. He previously served as Professor and Chair in the Department of Anesthesiology in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Additionally, he is a Director for the American Board of Anesthesiology and a Board Member for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Gaiser is a past president for the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology.
