Richard Martin Schwartzstein, M.D.
Title Ellen and Melvin Gordon Distinguished Professor of Medical Education Institution Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Address Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr Pulmonary 330 Brookline Ave Boston MA 02215
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Title
Director of Educational Scholarship
Institution
Harvard Medical School

Biography
1975
Philo Sherman Bennet Thesis Award, Honorable Mention
1998
Excellence in Teaching Award, Outstanding Lecturer, Class of 2001
2001
Class of 2004 Teaching Award, Best Lecturer, Integrated Human Physiology
2002
Class of 2005 Teaching Award, Best Course Director
2002
Class of 2005 Teaching Award, Best Course, Integrated Human Physiology
2002
Class of 2005 Teaching Award, Best Syllabus, Integrated Human Physiology
2002
Class of 2005, Teaching Award, Best Lecturer, Integrated Human Physiology
2002
S. Robert Stone Award for Excellence in Teaching
2003
Class of 2006, Excellence in Teaching Award
2003
Harvard Medical School Prize for Excellence in Teaching (Years 1 and 2)
2004
Class of 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award
2005
Clinical Educator Award
2005
Robert C Moellering Jr Award in recognition of excellence in teaching, research, and clinical care
2006
Best Preclinical Teacher, Class Day Award
2007
Robert J Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award
2008
Best Preclincal Teacher, Class Day Award

Overview
For the past fifteen years, the focus of much of my clinical and administrative work, as well as my teaching and research has been respiratory physiology. Within this broad field, I have developed a particular interest and expertise in the area of the physiology and language of dyspnea. I have had the unique opportunity to integrate the three major facets of my professional academic life in such a way that each component offers insights that strengthen my capabilities in the other areas. By providing care for patients afflicted with respiratory discomfort, for example, I have gained knowledge that has led to the development and testing of research hypotheses that have broadened our understanding of the physiology of dyspnea, and of the interactions between chemoreceptors, upper airway, pulmonary and chest wall receptors in the generation and modulation of breathlessness. My research on the language of dyspnea, the terms used by patients to describe their breathing discomfort, has, in turn, made me a more astute clinician.Additionally, these clinical and research efforts have made me a far stronger teacher. In fulfilling my educational responsibilities, which range from directing the integrated human physiology course for first year medical students at Harvard to continuing education courses at the annual meetings of the American Thoracic Society, I am able to make the physiology “come alive,” to make it relevant based on my own experiences in the laboratory and at the bedside. It is immensely helpful when questioned by a student about ventilatory control, for example, to be able to say: “Yes, we studied that - what do you think the subjects did under these circumstances?” Because of the trend in recent years for biomedical research to become more focused on cellular biology, there has been a movement to segregate researchers from medical educators. For me, active work as a clinical investigator has been critical to enhancing my capabilities as a teacher and has allowed me to provide a model for students to consider as they contemplate their own career choices.
In the past several years, I have added a new dimension to my teaching activities. Healthcare in America is changing at a rapid pace as the pressures of limited resources and managed care become more prevalent. It is my belief that the training of new physicians must incorporate a solid understanding of healthcare financing along with traditional clinical skills if we are to prepare them for the future. Consequently, with funding provided by the Merck Foundation, I developed a three-year program in medical economics, cost-effective and evidence-based medicine for the medical housestaff at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and serve as a mentor for senior residents pursuing projects in healthcare economics. Again, I hope to demonstrate to interns and residents that one can be a quality clinician and researcher and still be cognizant of the pressures and demands of the society in which we live.

Bibliographic
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