A Transformative Journey Through All Four Harvard Macy Institute Programs

For Dr. Ju-Whi Kim, MD, PhD, the journey to becoming a leader in medical and health professions education began with a single step — a recommendation from a trusted mentor. In 2021, guided by Professor Wan Beom Park, PhD, associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Kim enrolled in Principles of Medical Education: Maximizing Your Teaching Skills, Harvard Medical School’s highly rated, fully online continuing education course. He saw it as a promising opportunity, but could not have anticipated that it was the gateway into a transformative journey with the Harvard Macy Institute at Harvard Medical School.

Inspired by his foundational faculty development experience and seeking a deeper connection and impact, Kim was motivated to take the next step. While presenting his research at the 2023 Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) conference in Glasgow, Scotland, a serendipitous meeting with Harvard Macy Institute (HMI) director Dr. Sarah Wood served as a catalyst. Their discussion illuminated the learning opportunities within the full suite of HMI programs and the unique power of the HMI community: an international network of over 6000 health professions educators committed to educational innovation, leadership, and collaboration. Empowered, Kim resolved to complete all four of the Institute’s application-based programs.  

Far more than a series of courses, HMI’s offerings provide a supportive environment for educators who aspire to drive change, build lifelong connections, and join a global community of practice. For Kim, each program is built naturally upon the last. Starting with the Program for Educators in Health Professions course, he developed a strong foundation in teaching identity and core educational practices. The Assessment and Evaluation: Systems Thinking in Health Professions Education program then offered tools and strategies for systems-level evaluation, while the Leading Innovation in Health Care and Education program emphasized how to drive innovation and lead change in complex organizations.

The Technology and AI: Transforming Health Professions Education program, he notes, was completely online and offered during evening hours Boston time, which made it extremely accessible for those who cannot travel or take time off from work. “In my view, it has the lowest entry barrier among the four, and it offered highly practical applications.” For a busy clinician-educator, this flexibility was crucial, allowing him to engage fully with the content while balancing academic and clinical responsibilities.

What stood out across all programs was the diversity of participants—ranging from fellows to deans—and the breadth of expertise shared in every classroom. Of all four programs, the Program for Educators in Health Professions had the most profound impact on Kim. “Because it is built around the core competencies of medical education, it was especially meaningful for me as a clinician in the early stages of my academic career,” he explains. 

Eman Alefishat, assistant dean of Medical Education at Khalifa University, Kim’s coach from the HMI pilot coaching program, has had a profound impact on him over the past year. He explained that her guidance was especially meaningful in supporting participants as they navigated challenges related to work–life integration and career development. Experiences such as microteaching, journal clubs, and collaborative step-back projects became touchstones for professional growth. This unique combination of structure and experiential learning offered lessons that extended well beyond the classroom.

One of the most unexpected takeaways was the strength of the Harvard Macy community. “It’s something I did not truly understand until I participated in the programs,” Kim reflects. From medical schools to nursing, pharmacy, and veterinary institutions—across countries, regions, and contexts—the network offered a reminder that despite differences, educators face similar goals and challenges. This global community has become an ongoing source of inspiration, particularly for someone who describes himself as introverted, a non-native English speaker, and new to international collaboration.

As associate director of a simulation center and an educator at South Korea’s National Teacher Training Center for Health Personnel, Kim is eager to bring lessons home. Step-back methods, hybrid structures, and flexible course durations will inform new faculty development initiatives. Equally important, his Harvard Macy experiences are shaping active learning approaches, case-based methods, and simulation education strategies. “The experiences and connections I have gained will help us transform simulation training at our school and hospital,” he notes.

His work also extends to graduate medical education, where he has presented assessment and feedback strategies to the Korean Pediatric Society. Inspired by the Assessment and Evaluation: Systems Thinking in Health Professions Education course director Louis Pangaro, MD, insights on multi-method programmatic assessment, Kim now plans to adapt ‘in vivo’ approaches to his local context. This shift in perspective continues to guide how he frames both immediate teaching projects and broader institutional initiatives. Beyond content, the relationships formed across the programs proved invaluable.

One facilitator’s story that especially resonated with Kim was Stephen Flynn, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital, who shared the published outcome of his own HMI project that he began as a scholar a year earlier. “That example helped me take a longer-term view of my own projects and reinforced the importance of careful design from the start,” Kim shares. He often recalls this lesson when considering how best to scale initiatives within his own institution.

Reflecting on his Harvard Macy journey, Kim admits there are things he wishes he had known before starting. “I wish I had spent more time reading the bios and project summaries of the scholars and facilitators before each course began,” he says. Doing so, he believes, would have deepened early connections. He notes that even small steps—such as entering a course with greater familiarity with fellow participants—can create a stronger foundation for collaboration. And while he is still rolling out the plan to apply HMI principles back at his home institution, staying connected to the Harvard Macy community through LinkedIn and ongoing conversations and collaborations continues to provide both inspiration and support.

For those considering a Harvard Macy program, Kim’s advice is simple but heartfelt: come for the learning but stay for the community. “Know that while the program may help you find answers to specific challenges, its greatest strength lies in the community you’ll join—a group of people who will help you face not just today’s questions, but also those that haven’t even come up yet.”