Dr. Reetu Grewal Awarded Kenneth Kellner Clerkship Director Award
“It feels pretty incredible.”
That’s how Reetu Grewal, MD, FAAFP, described being named the Kenneth Kellner Clerkship Director award recipient earlier this year. Currently an associate professor in the department of community health and family medicine and director of the family medicine clerkship, Grewal was genuinely surprised she was considered for this prestigious award.
“I didn’t know I was nominated until I went to vote and my name was on the list of nominees,” Grewal said. “Receiving this award is both an honor and a surprise. To be recognized by my colleagues in Jacksonville and Gainesville for my contributions to medical education at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville is humbling.”
The Kenneth Kellner Clerkship Director Award recognizes the outstanding skill of a medical educator who inspires, advises, and mentors medical students and trainees. Grewal pulls from her own experience when mentoring the next generation of medical professionals.
“I often tell my medical students about my uncertainty regarding my specialty as I went through medical school,” Grewal said. “I put family medicine at the end of my rotations because I wasn’t interested. That is, until I experienced a family medicine rotation. I loved it because of the variety. But what sold it for me was the continuity and relationship that I developed with my patients. They have become part of my family. Many of them knew me before I had kids.”
Since joining the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, she has contributed to several clinical research projects. Grewal assumed the clerkship role in March of 2020. Almost immediately, she was met with the challenge of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. She praises Nipa Shah, MD, chair of the department of community health and family medicine, for being a proactive force in telemedicine, which uniquely positioned the department to continue seeing patients and educating students in uncertain times.
“We are big on telemedicine,” Grewal said.” “I led a project focused on telemedicine for HIV patients. We were one of the first clinics to bring students back virtually.”
When it comes to the future of education at UF, Grewal is looking forward to the opportunities the regional medical campus will provide. Additionally, the community health and family medicine clerkship program will soon roll out a longitudinal continuity clerkship, allowing students to spend more time in clinic.
Grewal would like to thank Frank Genuardi, MD, MPH; Elizabeth DeVos, MD; Nipa Shah, MD; Elisa Sottile, MD; Dani Brown, and her clerkship administrator, Becky Carnes.
“I’m very fortunate and grateful for their help and guidance,” Grewal said.
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