Graduation season in the Department of Pediatrics is a time of celebration, reflection, and gratitude. As we honor our graduating residents, we also want to take a special moment to recognize and thank our outgoing chief residents, Rachel Streckert, MD, and Abbie Whitman, MD. Our chief residents spent the last year balancing clinical responsibilities with training, mentoring, and supporting pediatric residents.
As they complete this important chapter in their training, we are proud to share where their paths will lead next. Streckert will be staying with the University of Wisconsin and will be joining the Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care as an assistant professor. Whitman will continue her subspecialty training in the pediatrics nephrology fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Being a pediatric chief resident is a demanding but rewarding position. We want to take this moment to recognize Streckert and Whitman’s accomplishments and send them off with a moment of shared gratitude.
We asked members of the education team to share a few thank-you notes with our outgoing chief residents.
“It has been incredibly fulfilling to see Drs. Streckert and Whitman grow as a team of likeminded, thoughtful, pragmatic, empathic, and creative chiefs, and to witness their continued individual growth. They both have deep thoughtfulness that will serve them well in their respective fields of complex care and nephrology. They are also kind, approachable, and creative in a way that will serve their teams and patients throughout their careers. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Streckert staying with us and joining the complex care team in the Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care. We also have our fingers crossed that Dr. Whitman will return after completing her nephrology fellowship at the University of Indiana.” – Dan Sklansky, MD, associate professor, residency program director, Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care
“Rachel has been an outstanding chief resident! She is smart, thoughtful, and kind. She has been a great morning report leader. She has shown such dedication to her patients and has already become a trusted member of the complex care team. We are so lucky she is staying on as faculty!” – Heidi Kloster, MD, associate professor, associate resident program director, Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care
“I couldn’t ask for better colleagues than Abbie and Rachel! Their dedication to the residents, the program, and their patients inspires me to be my best, and their kindness is truly unmatched. It’s been an absolute joy to work with them this past year. While I’m going to miss them terribly, I can’t wait to hear all about the ways they’ll thrive in their careers and lives. I firmly believe that if you’ve been a chief resident, you can do anything – and I know they will!” – Brittany Loughman, graduate medical education program manager, Education
“Abbie has done a fantastic job in her role as chief resident! She is a great teacher and role model. She has been collaborative as an attending on the wards and we so appreciate her hard work. Indiana and the nephrology field are SO lucky to have her joining their ranks!” – Heidi Kloster, MD, associate professor, associate resident program director, Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care