During his second year of residency at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Paul Gilbert faced a mystery.

An 8-year-old girl had arrived from another hospital with unexplained abdominal pain. Nobody knew what was wrong, Gilbert recalls. His job was to find out.

Gilbert logged on to his computer and began reading the scientific literature. Within a few hours, he realized that the patient had a condition called Henoch-Schönlein purpura, or HSP. It’s normally accompanied by a rash, but in her case it was not.

“Typically it’s a bad rash that also causes belly pain and hurts kidneys,” Gilbert explains. “Most kids recover just fine. It’s sometimes treated with steroids to protect the kidneys.” Gilbert took his findings to the care team, and treatment with steroids began immediately. He also discussed the case with other doctors in the hospital.

The experience was part of a six-week rotation called Resident As Educator (RAE), which Gilbert had created with fellow resident and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine alum Mirinda Gillespie. 

During the rotation, RAEs are freed from the daily responsibilities of clinical care so they can delve into complex cases. They study the literature and spend time with the patient and family. Then they teach what they learned to an entire care team, including attending physicians, patients and family members. 

Not every case is a medical mystery. As an RAE, Gilbert also got to know patients with diabetes, helping them craft disease management plans that fit their lives. 

Gilbert grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and earned a biochemistry degree from Purdue University before attending Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He says he chose the new residency program at JHACH because “it’s education-driven.” He also liked that he could tweak the new program for himself and for future residents by creating the RAE residents.

Gilbert is moving to Boca Raton, Florida, to join a pediatric outpatient practice.

—KN