The Joel Schwab, MD “On Being a Doctor” (OBD) Lecture Series is a monthly lecture series featuring Bucksbaum 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.
New for the 2023-2024 Series, BICE is now offering an OBD Certificate of Completion. As The OBD Series aims to promote the Bucksbaum 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
- Attend at least 4 out of the 6 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 to:
- Receive a digital certificate of completion from the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence
- OBD Certificate is verifiable by the BICE and can be put on a resume or school application
- Attend a special May lecture with Emily Sharp-Kellar, JD, UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine Director of Admissions
- 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 2023-2024 schedule of lectures is as follows (TBD)*:
| SPEAKER | INST. | DATE | TOPIC |
| Dan Golden, MD, MHPE Alumni Faculty Scholar Register Via Zoom | Rush University Medical Center | October 11, 2023, 5:30pm CDT | “To Doctor and Docere: Caring for and Teaching Patients as a Radiation Oncologist” |
| Wei Wei Lee, MD, MPH Faculty Scholar Register Via Zoom | UChicago Medicine | November 8, 2023, 5:30pm CDT | “Finding Joy and Meaning in Medicine” |
| Tanya Zakrison, MD, MPH Faculty Scholar Register Via Zoom | UChicago Medicine | January 9, 2024, 5:30pm CDT | “Biases in Diagnoses and Trauma Care” |
| Dara Richer Adams, MD Alumni Student Scholar Register Via Zoom | University of Illinois at Chicago | February 13, 2024, 5:30pm CDT | “Transitioning from Residency” |
| Yalini Vigneswaran, MD, MS Faculty Scholar Register Via Zoom | UChicago Medicine | March 5 2024, 5:30pm CDT | TBD |
| Andrew Fisher, MD Faculty Scholar Register Via Zoom | UChicago Medicine | April 8, 2024, 5:30pm CDT | TBD |
*Schedules and speakers are subject to change. Please check back often, leading up to your desired lecture of attendance. Please email finglima@bsd.uchicago.edu with any questions.