Cole Beeler, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Beeler is interested in the education of providers, trainees, and other hospital staff in infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and infectious diseases. He serves as the key clinical educator for the division of Infectious Diseases and works closely with residency, fellowship, and medical school educational initiatives.

How did you get interested in medical education?

I am able to learn better when I'm able to explain things. Teaching increases my practice acumen. I have a heart for others and hope that I can establish relationships and help trainees and other hospital staff grow in their careers.

How have you integrated medical education into your career?

I regularly give lectures, design curricula, and provide feedback on teaching for physicians, trainees, and students. During rounds I have a structured approach to assure knowledge gaps are explored, areas of uncertainty are assuaged using evidence-based medicine, and learners feel better about their management of infectious syndromes by the end of the rotation.

How did you transform your interest in medical education into a career?

It's all about relationships and assuring you have a servant's heart first. Education is about sacrifice, compromise, and a spirit of inquiry. When you find like-minds, doors tend to open for future opportunities. Mentorship has been key. I'm grateful to Mitch Goldman, Brad Allen, Doug Webb, Byron Batteiger, Diane Janowicz, Saira Butt, and Rich Kohler for making me a better educator.

What is one medical innovation that makes you the most proud?

Using what I learned from the development of the antimicrobial stewardship fellow education group through the IDSA, I built a home-grown Infection Prevention Curriculum to help train ID fellows and residents in infection prevention related topics and expectations for medical directors.

How have you transformed your medical education work into scholarship?

Through the IDSA, I've been blessed to be part of curriculum design groups and have developed a cadence of publications with them.

What are some of the most rewarding aspects of your career as an educator thus far?

I still get a little mushy inside when a previous trainee that I rounded with stops Vancomycin. Building relationships and promoting improvement in the application of infectious diseases principles pays dividends on a regular basis. Being able to work and educate in multidisciplinary teams and learn how hospital environments can improve makes you feel like you have the power to influence people positively. Educating at the individual level on rounds or didactic establishes lifelong relationships.