Society of Hospital Medicine Announces 2021 National Hospitalist Day

March 4 Celebrations to Honor Hospital Medicine Community; Highlight to Include Roundtable Discussion with Hospitalist Panel, Hosted by Mark Shapiro, MD

The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), the leading medical society for hospitalists and their patients, announced its plans to celebrate the third annual National Hospitalist Day on Thursday, March 4. As hospitalists continue to serve on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, SHM will honor the entire hospital medicine care team on its print and digital platforms.

 “We have enjoyed celebrating National Hospitalist Day since 2019 and know that this year, it is more important than ever to support our hospitalist community,” says Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, Chief Executive Officer of SHM. “Hospitalists are still on the ground, battling the pandemic, and SHM is grateful for their continued service and proud of their commitment to patient care.”

A highlight of this year’s celebrations will be a Zoom roundtable, “The Pluripotent Hospitalist,” moderated by SHM member and hospitalist Mark Shapiro, MD, host of the Explore the Space podcast. He will welcome a diverse group of hospitalists from a variety of practice settings, including:

During the discussion, Dr. Shapiro will not only talk with panelists about their personal experiences as hospitalists during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, but also about why they chose the career paths that led them to where they are today. The roundtable will be held on National Hospitalist Day, Thursday, March 4, at 7:00 p.m. ET. To attend the webinar, please register here.

• Gurpreet Dhaliwal, MD, a clinician-educator and Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Dhaliwal sees patients and teaches medical students and residents in the emergency department, inpatient wards, and outpatient clinic at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, where he directs the internal medicine clerkship. He studies, writes, and speaks about how doctors think – how they make diagnoses, how they develop diagnostic expertise, and what motivates them to improve their practice and the systems in which they work.
• Anika Kumar, MD, a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and a pediatric hospitalist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. Dr. Kumar earned her medical degree from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and trained at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. She also serves as the pediatric editor of The Hospitalist, SHM’s monthly newsmagazine.
• Maylyn S. Martinez, MD, a clinician-researcher and Clinical Associate at the University of Chicago. Dr. Martinez is an early-career hospitalist who sees patients in the acute care setting. Her research focuses on hospital-associated disability and she recently authored a perspectives piece in the Journal of Hospital Medicine with her mentor, Dr. Vineet Arora, on why the COVID-19 pandemic might exacerbate this problem.
• Ndidi Unaka, MD, an Associate Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Unaka has served as the Associate Program Director of the Pediatric Residency Program since 2011. She is also the medical director of an inpatient unit that serves as the primary home for patients admitted to the Hospital Medicine service. Dr. Unaka spends time working on institution-level community health initiatives which reflects her passion for diversity, inclusion, and health equity.

"Hospitalists are asked to do many things -- never more so than during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also aspire to do many things while carrying skill sets that are truly remarkable,” explains Mark Shapiro, MD, host of Explore the Space and this special roundtable. “Hearing ‘The Pluripotent Hospitalist’ panelists describe their unique pathways and experiences will give a snapshot of the character of those who love and represent the profession of hospital medicine. I can't wait!"

Member profiles in The Hospitalist, SHM’s monthly newsmagazine, social media video highlights, downloadable graphics and posters, and coloring book pages are just a few of the items available for download on the official National Hospitalist Day webpage at hospitalmedicine.org/hospitalistday.