Kathleen McGann, MD, vice chair of education, recently announced the appointment of Samrat Das, MBBS, as director of undergraduate medical student education in the Department of Pediatrics, effective February 1, 2021. In this position, Dr. Das will be responsible for the educational program for Duke medical students during their pediatric clinical rotations. He will also lead the education of medical students in providing medical care to the pediatric population and will promote careers in pediatrics and its affiliated specialties.
Aditee Narayan, MD, who served as an associate program director for the Duke Pediatric Residency Training Program for a decade before transitioning into the role of director of undergraduate medical education, has accepted the position of associate dean for curricular affairs in the Duke School of Medicine. She will continue to maintain a faculty appointment in the department and will work closely with Dr. Das to ensure a smooth transition in the Medical Student Education Program.
Dr. Das joined the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics in 2017 and is an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He attended Government Medical College in Nagpur, India, and then served as faculty at Indira Gandhi Medical College. He completed a pediatric residency and chief residency at New York Medical College Metropolitan Hospital Center and was subsequently recruited to become a faculty member at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed associate program director and then program director of the Pediatric Residency Program and vice chair of education in Pediatrics. As program director and vice chair, Dr. Das made significant changes in the program and overall curriculum, resulting in the residency program being granted full accreditation and recognition by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Since joining the Duke Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Das has consistently been recognized as a highly effective educator by students and residents. Additionally, he has been selected for several key local and national roles, including membership on the Duke University School of Medicine Curriculum Committee, educator for the new Duke Clinical Immersion Course, and chair of the Mentoring Committee and president-elect of the American Federation of Medical Research (AFMR).
According to Dr. McGann, the combination of Dr. Das’ prior educational leadership experience, scholarly contributions, passion for education, and dedication to medical students make him an excellent choice for the department’s director of medical student education.