Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS, has been named assistant dean for Graduate Medical Education in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, a new position created to support initiatives improving residents’ and fellows’ ability to practice medicine in a safe and welcoming learning environment.
Lindeman, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, has served as associate designated institutional official for the clinical learning environment at UAB Hospital, working alongside the GME leadership in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and the hospital, since 2017.
Her promotion to assistant dean was effective Oct. 1.
“I am excited to take on this role to work with leadership that continues to foster a safe learning environment for our residents and fellows as they take the next steps in their medical training,” Lindeman said.
As assistant dean, her role will include collaborating with the Dean’s Council on Graduate Medical Education and GME office team, along with program and department leadership, on oversight and compliance with ACGME requirements; chair the DCGME subcommittee on wellbeing and partner with the House Staff Council Wellness chair to promote policies and initiatives focused on trainee well-being; lead the administration and reporting of the annual GME Working Environment Survey; and partner with others within the UAB Health System and Heersink School of Medicine for quality improvement projects involving the training environment, including patient safety initiatives.
She will report to Alice R. Goepfert, M.D., associate dean for Graduate Medical Education.
“Dr. Lindeman’s leadership over the past several years as associate DIO, along with her work in medical education, makes her the natural choice to lead as the school’s first assistant dean for Graduate Medical Education,” Goepfert said. “She is an incredible educator who truly has a vision for ways to make sure our trainees have space to care for themselves and their wellbeing while they are growing in their medical careers. This is a critically important skill for physicians at all levels, but especially in residency and fellowship training.”
A native of Kentucky, Lindeman received her M.D. from Vanderbilt and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. She did her residency in general surgery at Johns Hopkins University and completed a fellowship in endocrine surgery at the Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her clinical interests include thyroid cancer, benign thyroid disease, hyperparathyroidism, adrenal disease, and surgical treatment of inherited endocrine syndromes.
Lindeman is chief of the Section of Endocrine Surgery in the Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, director of the Endocrine Surgery Fellowship Program, and chief wellness officer in the Department of Surgery.
Among her professional work, she has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of American Medical Colleges for four years. She is also a Councilor for the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and the American Board of Surgery as well as a Director of the General Surgery Board and Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. She is a member of the editorial board for Academic Medicine and an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Surgery.