Returning home after such an intense course as the Harvard Macy Educator's course, the initial instinct is to 'spread the love!'  One of the final thoughts offered at the course was to avoid being a 'wet dog.'  This sage advice was captured in a brief story: you are taking your dog to the park and he jumps in the pond.  Soaking wet, he returns close to those he loves and proceeds to shake his moisture off on his family.  The instinct by his loved ones is to 'step back'.  This analogy captures the instinct to 'share all you learned' with your colleagues with the risk of them stepping back.  I learned a great deal from the course but now am trying to figure out how to apply incremental change without coming across as a 'wet dog.'

It has been a long time since I posted something to my blog. However, this course inspired me - it is a sincere privilege to share a 'learning space' with so many leaders of #meded around the world. The pace of the course is rapid, to say the least. The fact that we are discussing 'cognitive load' of our learners is very ironic given the pace of this course and the readings!

I highly recommend this for anyone who is passionate about medical education. Whether you are a clinician or a pure education specialist, this course offers something for everyone! There are so many opportunities to work with experts in the field as well as opportunities for self-reflection that any participant is going to come away with a wealth of knowledge.

While there are only a few days left of this segment of the course (we return in May), my mind is so full of ideas to bring back to my host institution! I cannot wait to apply my learning and continue to strive to 'make a difference.' Kudos to the folk @harvardmacy for putting on such a spectacular program! Looking forward to coming back next year! You can follow the course highlights on Twitter via the hashtag #hmieducators

For those interested, upcoming @harvardmacy programs are described at harvardmacy.org.

Just attended an amazing plenary at a tuberculosis conference.  The owner of the Rosen hotel chain in Florida is a remarkable philanthropist.  He likened the desire to success in business a 'gene' that has gone bad but can be turned around.  He has done a great deal through his foundation to help impoverished communities and the latest, Haiti.  With no more than a sketch on a piece of paper, he started a likely revolution in community development with his 'Little Haiti House.'  He plans to roll this out in communities in Haiti at less than $5000/unit: homes that families can buy over a 100 year mortgage with 1% interest.  The money is reinvested in a community bank to help finance micro-credit - this model could be used in many places around the world!

Although the theme of the conference is tuberculosis, Rosen's discussion was moving and shows that one can be corporate and successful yet change the lives of thousands at the same time, providing comfort for the soul.

Check out: http://www.rosenhotels.com/haiti/