From left to right: Dr. Rami Ahmed (simulation fellowship director), Dr. Mariju Baluyot, Dr. Nicole Novotny (winner of the top research project at the IU EM Scholars Day 2022), Dr. Alex Croft and Dr. Malia Moore (associate director of emergency medicine simulation).
On June 30, 2022, three physicians will graduate from the Department of Emergency Medicine’s simulation fellowship program. The fellowship—the first of its kind in Indiana—has graduated a total of seven physicians since it launched in 2019. “These fellows took advantage of a lot of great training during their fellowship, and with their talent and the expertise they’ve developed in simulation at IU, there’s no doubt they will leverage that experience to become national leaders in the field of simulation in their own right,” said Dr. Rami Ahmed, professor of emergency medicine. “We’re very excited to see what they do in their careers moving forward.” The three graduating fellows—Mariju Baluyot, MD, Alexander Croft, MD, and Nicole Novotny, MD, answered a few questions about their experience in IU’s simulation fellowship program.
Mariju Baluyot, MD
Where she’s headed:
Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health; Associate Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Simulation and Director of Pediatric Emergency Education
What has been most rewarding about your experience in the fellowship program?
The most rewarding part is being able to continue my growth as a medical educator and create strong connections with my program directors, co-fellows and other simulation enthusiasts.
How do you feel the program will benefit you as you move on in your career?
I've gained so much this year with having ample opportunities to practice my debriefing skills, create my own learning experiences tailored to my learners and realize ways to incorporate more simulation into my practice. I'm hoping to use my skills and knowledge gained this year to become a leader in simulation-based medical education.
What are your best memories of participating in the program?
My best memories of this program were being able to attend conferences this year—International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM). It was great to be able to present my work in person and spend time with colleagues.
Alexander Croft, MD
Where he’s headed:
Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Emergency Medicine; Assistant Director of Medical Simulation
What has been most rewarding about your experience in the fellowship program?
The most rewarding has been to be a part of such a great educational team. Learning how to debrief many different types and levels of learners, then getting to work clinically with them and see their growth has been amazing.
How do you feel the program will benefit you as you move on in your career?
The fellowship has been tremendous with regards to learning how to design, execute and debrief simulation scenarios. Additionally, I feel prepared to take on a leadership role in education and research in my future career.
What are your best memories of participating in the program?
Getting to see my co-fellows execute their amazing projects. Mariju’s project with 360 video is super innovative, and Nicole’s project with micro-aggressions is incredibly profound.
Nicole Novotny, MD
Where she’s headed:
Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana; Director of Emergency Medicine Simulation
What has been most rewarding about your experience in the fellowship program?
The most rewarding thing has been seeing my personal growth in learning a new skill set and completing a project I'm passionate about all in just a short year!
How do you feel the program will benefit you as you move on in your career?
The program has provided me with the foundational skills to develop simulation-based curricula and execute debriefing for all levels of learners.
What are your best memories of participating in the program?
My favorite memory was a recent trip to SAEM with my co-fellows where we presented our scholarly projects for the year. It was amazing to see how much growth all of us went through this year.
