The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce that Erinn Schmit, M.D., M.Ed., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, has been named Assistant Program Director of the Pediatric Residency Program.
A graduate of the UAB Pediatric Residency Program, Schmit brings both firsthand experience and a passion for medical education to her new leadership role. As assistant program director, she will help support resident education, mentorship and professional development while contributing to the continued success of the residency program.
“It is such an honor to be selected as an APD for the residency,” said Schmit. “I myself received wonderful residency training here at UAB, and I am excited to be able to contribute to that legacy of training outstanding pediatricians who can step into any setting and be ready to take care of every patient.”
Looking ahead, Schmit said she is excited to begin serving in her new role.
“I am most excited to get to work more closely with residents, both in a mentorship and advocacy role,” she said. “I am also looking forward to working with the wonderful residency program leadership team.”
One of Schmit’s primary goals in her new position is to build on the residency program’s existing mentorship efforts by creating more structured, career-focused guidance for residents. She hopes to develop specialty-specific mentoring resources that will help faculty mentors and residents tailor individualized curriculum experiences based on each resident’s career goals.
“I would love to help create more structure and standardization to the already excellent mentoring being provided to our residents by faculty members, specifically around career preparation and guidance,” said Schmit. “Whether going into general pediatrics or subspecialty training, each field has unique experiences that would be helpful for residents to participate in during their training. I would like to create specific career-directed guides, with the input of faculty in each specialty, for faculty mentors and residents to use in planning out their individualized curriculum time.”
In her new role, Schmit will help strengthen the Pediatric Residency Program’s commitment to developing skilled, compassionate pediatricians while supporting residents as they prepare for successful careers in general pediatrics and pediatric subspecialties.