Adapting the Ob/Gyn Clerkship to a 21^st Century Medical Landscape

lerkships are vital to medical education, offering students invaluable hands-on exposure to and experience in particular fields. This year, the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology welcomed Said S. Saab, MD, MEd as its new Clerkship Director.

An accomplished clinician and educator, Dr. Saab brings a unique educational background to his role. After receiving a medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Saab went on to pursue his interests in medical education through further schooling. Driven by a passion for teaching and mentorship, he completed both a Master’s Degree in Health Professions Education at Johns Hopkins and a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, University of Cambridge.

In reflection, Dr. Saab’s interest in education can be traced back to his early days as a university student. While working towards an undergraduate degree at Emory University, he served as a teacher’s assistant for several courses and participated in various mentorship programs. Years later, while enrolled in medical school, Dr. Saab continued to seek out educational leadership opportunities. During his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he served as the Co-Chief of Resident Education, a highly rewarding experience.

Dr. Saab joins the faculty at an exciting time as the leadership of the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons revises its curricula in response to the changing landscape of 21st century medical education. Dr. Saab began his new role during this pivotal time and quickly became a key contributor to the re-design of the Ob/Gyn curriculum for the clinical clerkship. “It’s our responsibility to ensure that our curriculum meets medical students where they are in their training, especially given that they only spend 5 weeks on our service. Medical education during the major clinical year should never be static, it should always be evolving alongside school-wide curricular reform, new research, and the overall needs of our patients,” says Dr. Saab.

Looking towards the future of Ob/Gyn clerkship at Columbia, Dr. Saab is passionate about improving the educational environment for students. To this end, he is currently in the process of restructuring the clerkship experience for 2024 and developing a more robust pre-clinical curriculum. This effort involves exciting new changes to the clerkship curriculum and the development of new clerkship objectives, including a focus on providing care to gender-diverse individuals. The clerkship will also be moving towards a competency-based grading system, using newly developed assessment methods to capture meaningful data from students. Under Dr. Saab’s leadership, the Ob/Gyn Clerkship program at CUIMC is turning the page on an exciting new chapter.