Family medicine faculty member Dr. Jill Endres mentoring M4 Terri Nordin

Jill Endres ('93 BA, '97 MD), assistant professor (clinical) of family medicine in the UI Carver College of Medicine, is using her leadership skills to guide students like M4 Terri Nordin. While Endres has honed some of her skills through her professional experiences, her training as a 1996 recipient of a Nicholas J. Pisacano, MD, Memorial Scholarship from the Pisacano Leadership Foundation has helped her to succeed. Now Nordin, a 2006 scholarship winner, will have the same unique opportunity.

“The program has opened a lot of doors, and I'm grateful for the networking opportunities and training it has provided,” said Endres. “Through the program, I met some incredibly inspirational people who embody the ideals of Dr. Pisacano—providing comprehensive and compassionate patient care, striving for excellence, maintaining broad interests, and giving back to your profession and your community.”

The Pisacano foundation's mission is to promote the development of leaders in primary care by supporting medical students and physicians who demonstrate a high level of scholarship, leadership, character, interpersonal skills and service to the community.

Nordin was named as one of five medical students in family medicine in the country to receive a fellowship in 2006. She receives funding this year and it will continue each year of her residency training.

Endres' scholarship also began during her final year of medical school and continued through her family medicine residency at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Her involvement in the foundation helped her to be a better leader during her training, sparking an interest in participation at the national level. She became active in the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association.

After completing her residency, she stayed on at Wake Forest and spent two years in a faculty development fellowship, earning a master's degree in clinical epidemiology and health services research.

In 2002, Endres accepted a faculty position in family medicine at the UI Carver College of Medicine. She is still involved with the Pisacano foundation through the group's semi-annual meetings and a listserv that gives its current fellows and alumni an opportunity for scholarly dialogue on a variety of clinical topics.

“My experience with the foundation has given me a true appreciation for the family medicine field and its founding philosophies. It also has improved my leadership and mentoring skills,” said Endres. “I've taken these skills and tried to guide the College's students, help them get involved and recognize their full potential.”

Ten years after winning the scholarship, Endres encouraged Nordin to apply. Endres got to know Nordin as the faculty advisor to the Family Medicine Interest Group of which Nordin is copresident.

When Nordin was looking for a research project for her Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship, Endres helped pave the way, connecting her with other family medicine faculty members. Nordin completed two projects, one with Barcey T. Levy, PhD, ('90 MD, '93 R family practice), associate professor, and another with Arthur J. Hartz, MD, PhD, professor of family medicine. Participating in research provided her with insight about the field of family medicine.

“Caring for the health care needs of an entire family is a profound privilege,” said Nordin. “Because family interactions and dynamics play a large role in treating an individual's illness, a family physician has the unique advantage of applying information about the whole family when making decisions about a family member's care. Taking a holistic approach to treatment can be a great benefit for any physician, and family medicine is a dynamic field in which you can provide that kind of care.”

As part of her fellowship, she'll attend her first symposium in April in Orlando, Fla., where she'll receive training in negotiation skills. The symposia are meant to provide leadership training as well as stimulate discussion among the attendees about issues in family medicine.

“Terri has a lot to offer and I feel she can make wonderful contributions to the Pisacano leadership program and to the field of family medicine. She has already proven herself to be an exemplary leader,” said Endres. “We're very proud of her.”

Nordin is looking forward to the training and is grateful to Endres for helping her find family medicine and encouraging her to pursue practice in the field.

“I know that the skills and relationships I'll gain by being a part of the Pisacano Leadership Program will definitely have a positive impact on my career and personal life,” said Nordin. “It will allow me the opportunity to meet other students and physicians who are passionate about family medicine and provide me with tools to better care for my future patients.”