Certificate Program Registration for the 2025-2026 Series are now open. Follow the instruction below carefully. The Zoom lectures will be available for individual registration as soon as all speakers are confirmed.
The Joel Schwab, MD “On Being a Doctor” (OBD) Lecture Series is a monthly lecture series featuring Bucksbaum-Siegler Faculty Scholars from UChicago and around the US presenting on a selected aspect of effective clinical care.
For over 30 years, Joel Schwab, M.D. was a beloved pediatrician, faculty member, and mentor at the University of Chicago. He conceived of this series as a way to help our undergraduates learn more about the doctor-patient relationship and explore their interests in medicine. Upon his passing in June of 2013, the series was renamed in his honor.
While the OBD series is a required component for the UChicago Clinical Excellence Scholars, the lecture series is open to students from across the country and around the world.
Continuing with this 2025-2026 Series, the Bucksbaum-Siegler Institute offers an OBD Certificate of Completion. As The OBD Series aims to promote the Bucksbaum-Siegler philosophy, the more students we can engage with, the better this outcome will be. This philosophy is particularly relevant in today’s context, where students are experiencing reduced opportunities for meaningful doctor-patient interactions. One of the primary objectives of the program is to instill the importance of the doctor-patient relationship from an early stage of medical and healthcare education. Through the OBD Series, students will explore how this relationship takes shape in various medical specialties and stages of the profession, enhancing their understanding of its diverse manifestations.
“On Being a Doctor” Certificate Requirements
Any current and gap-year student interested in the OBD Lectures, but not the certificate program, may sign up via Zoom registration for any lecture(s) located BELOW.
Students interested in the OBD Certificate must:
- Use this form to sign-up for the Certificate Program
- Register for each lecture using the Zoom links below
- Attend a minimum of 4 of the 5 scheduled OBD Lectures
- Submit a 500 word reflection of your learning outcomes from the lectures
Benefits of the OBD Certificate:
Students who satisfy these requirements will be eligible for the following:
- Receival of a digital certificate of completion from the Bucksbaum-Siegler Institute for Clinical Excellence
- OBD Certificate is verifiable by BSICE and can be put on a resume or school application
- Those who attend all FIVE lectures will be invited to attend a special May lecture with Emily Sharp-Kellar, JD, UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine Director of Admissions (note: all six lectures must be attended, not viewed at a later time).
- For those applying to health professions schools, this is a great opportunity to learn more about building your application in general and what schools look for in a candidate
Please click on the “Zoom” link following each lecture’s topic to register.
The 2025-2026 schedule of lectures is as follows:
| SPEAKER | INST. | DATE | TOPIC |
| Catherine Groden, MD Zoom Link | University of Chicago Medicine | November 24, 2025 5:30pm CDT | Conversations in the Quiet Hours: The Art of Communication in Neonatal Care |
| Elizabeth Kertowidjojo, MD Zoom Link | University of Chicago Medicine | January 13, 2026 5:30pm CDT | Invisible Connections: The Pathologist’s Role in Caring for Patients We May Never Meet |
| Amber E. Johnson, MD, MS, MBA Zoom Link | University of Chicago Medicine | February 11, 2026 5:30pm CDT | Heart to Heart: Lessons in Caring from the Clinic |
| Jonathan Emerson Kohler, MD, MA Zoom Link | UC Davis Health | March 11, 2026 5:30pm CDT | Beyond the Operating Room: Caring for Children and Families in Crisis |
| Brian Callender, MD & María José Mompeán Mejías Zoom Link | University of Chicago Medicine | April 14, 2026 5:30pm CDT | The Art of Understanding: Using Graphics to Bridge the Doctor–Patient Divide |