Bryce Binstadt is not just a teacher. The physician-scientist, who specializes in pediatric rheumatology, also considers himself a student.
In every class he teaches, whether an 8000-level course in immunology or one of his undergraduate classes for medical students, he imparts the same message. “Each patient has a lesson to teach us,” he says. “My role is to help each student recognize those lessons and to appreciate their importance in the care of the patient.” Small wonder, then, that he feels that his “most effective clinical teaching happens in the patient’s room.”
A colleague observes that it’s “remarkable to see the size of the entourage at times, and the energy emanating from this group as they discuss the intricacies of patient care and the pathophysiology relevant to the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of these cases.”
For each learner, I strive to identify an independent project that will allow the learner to hone his or her critical thinking skills, hands-on laboratory skills and/or presentation and writing skills.—Bryce A. Binstadt
Binstadt’s commitment to teaching extends beyond formal classes or patient rooms. At his NIH-funded lab, where he leads research into pediatric rheumatology, he regularly involves high school, undergraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral fellows, as well as fellows from the Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Program, which he developed.
“He advocates tirelessly for the graduate students and postdoctoral associates affiliated with his group,” writes a colleague. “Advocacy for his trainees has taken the form of repeatedly identifying internal and extramural training grants, awards, and venues to present data, and of steadily assisting trainees with applications for such career-building opportunities.”
