Diana J. Kelm, M.D.

Dr. Kelm's research focus is on how to improve medical education for physicians-in-training. Much of her educational focus is geared to the intensive care unit, which is a high-stakes environment with critically ill patients. Her research includes procedural skills training and competency and simulation-based education for procedures and infrequent events such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The purpose of this research is to guarantee that our future doctors are trained adequately and appropriately for urgent invasive bedside procedures and medical emergencies; in addition, with this research, Dr. Kelm hopes to improve patient safety and patient outcomes with a reduction in post-procedural complications.

• Procedural skills. Dr. Kelm is looking into what makes effective procedural teachers so that physicians-in-training are appropriately trained. This will include the creation of an assessment tool and validation of that tool. The goal of this line of research is to create effective invasive bedside procedural teachers.
• Procedural Competency. Procedures are common in the intensive care unit and often occur in an urgent manner. This line of research will evaluate how to determine if physicians-in-training are competent in their procedural skills. The goal of this is to ensure the highest level of patient safety and improvement in patient outcomes.
• Simulation-based education. Dr. Kelm has prior experience using simulation as a means of teaching physicians-in-training for both invasive bedside procedures as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The focus of this research has been on interprofessional education, teamwork, and communication. She has used novel techniques such as mindfulness meditation as a means to improve teamwork for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.