Associate Professor of Medicine Assistant Dean for Clinical Education, School of Medicine Associate Program Director, Geriatrics Fellowship

Department: School of Medicine

Sarah Hobgood, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Assistant Dean for Clinical Education, SOM, and Associate Program Director, Geriatrics Fellowship, is an essential member of the educational leadership team and a driving force in innovative programs that serve our students and the community for whom we care. Dr. Hobgood received her medical degree from VCU and completed a combined internal medicine-geriatrics residency and fellowship program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Since joining the VCU Department of Internal Medicine in 2009, she has increasingly engaged with learners across the entire health campus. She has numerous publications and presentations and has mentored and inspired innumerable students, residents, and fellows.

Dr. Hobgood’s development as a clinician educator started early in her career. She served as a key mentor in the Department of Medicine for medical students. She expanded on her role and became a small group leader for the FCM/PCM longitudinal course. Her passion for teaching was evident and led to her role as the co-creator and now director of the longitudinal geriatrics curriculum that spans all four years of medical school. She also developed and runs the M4 geriatrics elective course. In more recent years, she has created the combined internal medicine geriatrics residency track to help recruit and retain students and residents interested in geriatric medicine.

One of Dr. Hobgood's greatest strengths is her ability to create an inclusive and collaborative learning environment. She encourages active participation, fosters open discussions, and provides valuable feedback that empowers her students to take ownership of their learning journey. Her students attest to her teaching excellence: “Dr. Hobgood created a safe environment where the students felt comfortable presenting and asking questions. She made us feel like important members of the team and provided teaching points.”

Dr. Hobgood has been key in supporting educational innovation and curriculum development in the SOM. She has served as the assistant director of the competency-based graduation program, which is only offered by 15% of US medical schools and allows students to graduate in three years. The first class graduated in 2021, since followed by four classes of accelerated students. As Assistant Dean for Clinical Medical Education, she has directed important and novel curricular changes including the transitions to M3 curriculum with enhanced anti-bias and selfcare emphasis and the transitions to residency course with the novel approach of individualized boot camps designed to ensure students are prepared for their particular residencies. She has created the transitions to M4 course including the summative OSCE to ensure students are ready and have the necessary skills for more intense clinical work required during their Acting Internships. These programs help to support learners through recognized stress points within medical education.

Dr. Hobgood’s excellence has been recognized with multiple awards. These include recognition by her students and peers earning her SOM Course Teaching Excellence Awards, Department of Internal Medicine Distinguished Educator Award, and the SOM Excellence in Teaching Award. This year she was honored and inducted into the VCU Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society as a faculty member. All of these educational accomplishments were done while working as an acclaimed clinician who has been named a Richmond “Top Doc” every year since 2011.

A former VCU internal medicine resident expresses appreciation for Dr. Hobgood and shares her impact on those around her, which was echoed in similar fashion throughout her support letters: “Just passing by Dr Hobgood on a busy clinic day is sure to raise the mood of anyone who has worked with her. Her gregarious attitude is infectious, and she cannot help but imbue her passion for clinic care on those around her. Simply put, she is aspirational. I hope that one day I may be as successful a clinician, educator, and coworker as Dr. Hobgood.”

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