As many of you know, Dr. Sanjay Desai recently stepped down as program director of the Osler Medical Residency after 11 years in the position and over two decades at Hopkins. While Dr. Desai has been a pillar of the Department of Medicine for so long, we know he will now have a national impact on medical education as the Chief Academic Officer for the American Medical Association.

We quickly embarked on a nationwide search in order to find the next leader of the Osler Medical Residency and on November 5, I had the pleasure of formally introducing Dr. Natasha Chida as the newest program director of the Osler Medical Residency. I am even more excited to say that Dr. Chida is the first female program director and I am confident that her experience in educational curriculum and program development will help her excel in this new role.

Dr. Chida is an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and associate director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. Prior to assuming the role of Program Director, she was co-director of the Medical Education Pathway of the Johns Hopkins Bayview and Osler Residency Programs. She has also been Barker firm faculty and a clinical coach in the Barker firm for a number of years. She earned her medical degree and master of science in public health from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital where she served as chief medical resident. Dr. Chida came to Hopkins to complete her fellowship in infectious diseases and joined the faculty in the Division of Infectious Diseases in 2016.

I am proud of how quickly Dr. Chida has adapted to the demands of her new role. She is working closely with Dr. Heather Sateia, interim program director, and Dr. Charlie Wiener on recruitment efforts and is taking time to evaluate and establish her priorities for the future.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Natasha Chida to her new role. I am confident the Osler Medical Residency will continue to thrive under her leadership and look forward to what the future will bring.

I am wishing you all a wonderful and safe holiday season. Thank you for all that you do.