Saira Butt, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Saira Butt is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and teaches fellows, residents, and students on their consult services and ambulatory clinics. She is the Program Director of the Adult ID fellowship-training program at Indiana University. Dr. Butt also contributes to ID medical education on social media. She has been involved with IDSA program director's committee and IDSA community of practice, and is currently serving as the chair of the teaching and learning workgroup.

How did you get interested in medical education?

During my intern year, I rotated with one of the community ID physicians, Dr. Kogulan, who was one of the key people who piqued my interest in medical education. Despite his busy inpatient and outpatient schedule, he modeled taking time to teach quick ID peals, encouraged me to study, and advised me to pay it forward by teaching others whatever new I had learned.

How have you integrated medical education into your career?

It was a natural progression at various institutions that started as a chief resident, followed by a chief fellow, then an associate program director of the ID fellowship, followed by the current role of program director of ID training. It started as a chief resident with arranging medical education lectures, volunteering to present medical education content, putting attending lectures for med students into podcasts as the chief fellow, and then creating content for fellows and for the national/international community as an attending.

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

Actively seeking opportunities at local, regional, and national levels. Ensure your sponsors, peers, and mentors know your interests. Always maximize your work. For example, if you prepare a talk, present it to your original audience and seek opportunities to present it to other specialties, etc.

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

Creating #idboardreview board review style tutorials on social media

How have you transformed your medical education work into scholarship?

Working with the IDSA program directors' committee led to a couple of white papers. I have also written a few case reports with learners on interesting cases and created content along with other members of the IDSA teaching and learning workgroup, including the IDMedEd digest.

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

Seeing former trainees succeed is the best.