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Spotlight On...
Amal Mattu, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Department of Emergency Medicine at University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland
Amal Mattu, MD is Associate Professor of Surgery, Department of Emergency Medicine at University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. He serves as Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Residency and Co-Director of the Combined Residency Program in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine. In addition to publishing both articles and books on EKGs and cardiac emergencies, Dr. Mattu has lectured across the country on the topic of Cardiology in the Emergency Department.
Tell us a little bit about your medical education background.
I attended medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. I started med school interested in EM based on some earlier educational experiences, then after changing my mind several times, I came back to my original decision to follow a career path in EM. I attended EM residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. After I completed residency, I returned to the University of Maryland to join the faculty, during the first year of which I did a teaching fellowship with a focus on emergency cardiology.
What do you feel is the most rewarding part of being a Program Director?
The most rewarding part of being a PD is the opportunity to direct the curriculum. I believe that too much of the EM curriculum, in general, is focused on Board Exam preparation. The result is that residents complete residency prepared for the Exam but relatively unprepared for the career challenges they will face. Being PD has given me the opportunity to add some other innovative curricula to the residency.
What is the worst part about being a Program Director?
The worst part is dealing with the mounds of paperwork, much of which contributes minimally to resident education./p>
What is one thing your residents would be shocked to know about you?
I disliked...no, I HATED cardiology in medical school. But in retrospect, that was because so much of the way it was taught was non-clinically based. Now, emergency cardiology is my primary area of academic interest.
If you could give one piece of advice to interested applicants, what would it be?
Commit yourself to the specialty and get involved in something...anything...research, school committees, national organizations, teaching, whatever. We love to see applicants who have the energy and interest in doing more than just clocking-in and clocking-out.
You have given many talks (conferences and Grand Rounds), what makes a great presentation?
Practice, practice, practice. Practice helps you overcome nervousness and helps you avoid using slides as a crutch. The second most important thing is to limit information to just a few takeaway points. Generally, for a 1-hour lecture, I'd keep the major takeaway points to only 3-5. If you try to teach too much information, people will just forget everything. Third, make the lecture relevant to the audience, and keep the concepts simple. Finally, tape yourself and listen to it. Better yet, videotape yourself and watch it. It's often very eye-opening and educational to see and hear yourself. You'll pick up on mistakes, annoying phrases or gestures, and also find out if what you have to say is interesting.
You are often associated with the EKG, how important is it to have a niche in emergency medicine?
I believe it is very, very important to develop an interest in academics or community medicine. But you don't need to find and commit yourself to that niche in residency. Ideally, it should be something that you think about during residency, and then begin to pursue during the years post-residency.