Goldflam, Khanna, and Morrison Receive Fisher Graduate Medical Education Award

Two Yale School of Medicine (YSM) faculty and one staff member won the 2024 Rosemarie L. Fisher, MD, Excellence in Graduate Medical Education (GME) Award: Katja Goldflam, MD, associate program director for the Emergency Medicine Residency; Laura Morrison, MD, program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship; and Sadhvi Khanna, MBA, MPH, program coordinator of the Anesthesiology Residency Program.

Established in 2018 and bestowed annually, the award recognizes program directors and coordinators of YSM and Yale New Haven Hospital residency and fellowship programs who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to providing a positive, world-class training environment, exceptional mentorship, and career advancement opportunities for residents and fellows.

The award is named in honor of Rosemarie L. Fisher, MD, a trailblazer and leader in GME at Yale. Fisher was the first program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program from 1987 to 1998 and the first associate dean/director of GME from 1998 to 2016. Her career has positively influenced the lives of countless trainees and served as a model for GME leaders at Yale and beyond.

“When the award was first established, and I was the inaugural award winner, I was thrilled and humbled,” Fisher said. “I am even more humbled to present the award to each of the great educators, mentors, and administrators who represent the best of all in graduate medical education at Yale.”

Fisher noted the difficulty of choosing among the outstanding nominees. “Drs. Goldflam and Morrison and Ms. Khanna represent the best of the best as their nominators described them and from what we know of their work,” she said.

YSM department chairs, program directors, program coordinators, residents, and fellows submitted their award nominations to the GME office and Fisher for consideration. After a selective review, the winners were announced in September 2024.

An accomplished educator and scholar in academic emergency medicine, Goldflam has dedicated her career to innovative curriculum development and graduate medical education, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to training future emergency physicians. As associate program director, she has elevated the Yale emergency medicine residency program to national prominence, designing and implementing multiple innovative programs in resident didactics, feedback, and evaluation. Adored by her residents, she is recognized nationally for contributing to emergency medicine education.

Goldflam often serves as the primary lead on residency issues and concerns. Residents consistently identify her as an enthusiastic supporter, role model, and champion of their personal and professional development. She is appreciated for her warm and approachable nature, diplomacy and poise, and people skills, which build favorable group dynamics within the section and residency.

In the clinical arena, Goldflam is known as a strong advocate for the learners in her charge. On shift, she engages residents in critical thinking and creates a workplace environment that empowers them to improve themselves and gain independence. Her dedication to high-quality teaching extends beyond the walls of the department. She is a nationally recognized expert in wilderness medicine and regularly gives lectures and practical field workshops on the topic.

Widely known for her role in advancing the specialty of hospice and palliative care, Morrison has made significant contributions to the national educational standards and infrastructure of palliative care education and training.

“It means a lot to me to be nominated by my palliative care colleagues and recognized by local peers and our leadership in the GME space, especially given there are so many among us committed to excellence,” Morrison said, adding that the Fisher Award is a special way that the Yale medical education community acknowledges the GME training program leadership role.

“I was privileged to work with Dr. Fisher in my first few years starting our hospice and palliative medicine fellowship,” she added. “Hearing the news from her directly and receiving the award with her name was especially meaningful.”

Next to seeing her palliative care patients, being the fellowship program director is Morrison’s professional passion. She enjoys mentoring and nurturing fellows to be the best palliative care specialists they can be as clinicians, educators, leaders, advocates, and lifelong learners.

“It’s rewarding to figure out how to optimize the training for each fellow and support an adult learning model and growth mindset,” Morrison said. “The best and fun part is seeing what they all end up doing in their lives and what they contribute to our field.”

From the beginning of her career in the health care industry, Khanna has had a strong interest in medical education and training as an integral part of health care equity and quality. An accomplished leader and national speaker on topics in graduate medical education, she has experience working with global pharmaceuticals, academic health systems, and market research health care organizations. She said she is honored to work in the Department of Anesthesiology, whose leadership is committed to excellence in education and innovation in learning.

Grateful for the privilege of playing a role in the transformative journey of a community of medical learners, Khanna was humbled to receive the Rosemarie Fisher Award.

“This recognition holds profound meaning for me, not just as a milestone in my career, but as a reflection of the heart and soul of the work we do behind the scenes to support and guide our trainees,” she said.

“The award is about focusing on developing an environment where trainees can grow and where the values of empathy, integrity, and excellence are instilled at every step,” Khanna added. “It symbolizes the collaboration, dedication, and shared commitment of our faculty, trainees, and staff toward excellence in education, patient care, and professional development.”