Department: School of Medicine

Dr. Nicole Karjane is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been a member of the VCU faculty since 2004, and has served as the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program Director since 2012. Her excellence as a program director combined with her significant national graduate medical education leadership roles makes her a logical choice for the LGME Award.

Dr. Karjane received her medical degree from Pennsylvania State University and completed training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the VCU Health System. She practices general obstetrics and gynecology and has expertise and special interests in pediatric and adolescent gynecology, contraception, and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.

In her role as a Program Director, she makes every effort to know her residents in their entirety. From the moment she meets them as applicants, she becomes their passionate advocate for life. She sets the expectation that her program considers the whole candidate during the recruitment and resident selection process. Once in training, she continues her whole person approach to support each resident's needs and desires for individualized experiences to help them reach their goals for fellowship and practice. Dr. Karjane also worked with the DEI

leadership to develop a new curriculum for the Ob/Gyn residents and expanded these efforts to the department’s faculty with grand rounds and faculty development. Most recently she worked with the School of Medicine to help create a unique acting internship opportunity for underrepresented fourth year medical students. She has worked with a local family to cover housing expenses during their rotation which is often a significant barrier to participation in away rotations.

She helped set the national standards for gynecology training through her work as member, and later Chair, of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG) residency education committee. She also serves as an elected member of the national Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG.)

Having recently completed the prestigious Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program (ELAM), Dr. Karjane’s capstone project on eliminating medical student mistreatment will serve as a significant new initiative for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and others throughout the institution.

In view of her longstanding success as Director of the OB/GYN residency program, combined with her extraordinary national leadership, Dr. Karjane has proven herself to be a leader in graduate medical education.

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