Liza G. Icayan, MD, FACP
Residency Program Director
University of Chicago (Endeavor Health-NorthShore Hospitals)
How long have you been a member of AAIM?
I attended my first AAIM conference as a Chief Resident in 1993 and, with the exception of a few years, I've been a member ever since.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Interacting with the residents and watching them grow and develop, professionally intellectually and personally is one of my favorite aspects of this role. I also really enjoy working with our amazing team of associate program directors, chief residents, and committed faculty. Innovating and thinking about new ways to educate the next generation of physicians is both a privilege and a joy. There are so many emerging educational tools and it will be fun to see how training evolves in the next few years.
How has the AAIM membership been of value to you and your career?
AAIM is like a home base for me. It helps keep me motivated by providing fresh ideas and insights and helps me gauge how my program is doing as a whole. It is wonderful to interact with all of the program directors, program coordinators and educators from across the country and I look forward to the spring meetings every year. The meetings also give me a chance to bond with my incoming chief residents and associate program directors. I love seeing how excited everyone is when they emerge from this conference! I also look to the listserv to help me problem solve and to keep me up to date. It is incredibly useful. Membership in AAIM has been extraordinarily valuable.
When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in the medical field?
My mother was a physician and so it was always something I thought I wanted to do since I was a young child. I used to accompany my mother to the office and research lab and was fascinated by what i saw.
What or who inspires you and why?
Too many people to name! – My mother was a role model to me growing up. She somehow made being a physician while raising 4 kids look achievable. Faith Fitzgerald, who was my residency program director, also comes to mind. She was always awe inspiring. The sheer amount of knowledge she could retain and recall and her problem-solving skills were second to none. My whole leadership team, including the APDs, chief residents and program managers/coordinators inspire me every day with their ideas and commitment. And it goes without saying that our residents and learners and their enthusiasm for learning and dedication to their patients is something that gives so much meaning to this role. Others who have inspired me include Holly Humphrey and Catherine Lucey among many others.
What advice would you give to those who wish to pursue a career in this industry?
Caring for the health of an individual or populations is a privilege and extremely important work. It can be challenging at times but staying open to change and looking at opportunities to advance health care is extremely rewarding, especially with how quickly technology is progressing. We have the potential to make practicing medicine and providing patient care far more effective and efficient. These are exciting times!
I would also recommend finding mentors and supporters to help you throughout your career. They can help pave the way and can support you when challenges arise.
What is your favorite book or movie?
I love the original Star Wars series and I like many of Christopher Nolan’s films (Inception, Interstellar, Oppenheimer, etc.). I also like any movie with a good soundtrack or movies with film scores composed by John Williams or Alexandre Desplat.