Staff Updates
Getting to Know Dr. Elizabeth Kieff–Your New Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Dr. Elizabeth Kieff will be assuming the newly created role of Assistant Dean for Student Affairs beginning this October. Dr. Kieff graduated from the Pritzker School of Medicine in 2003, conducted her residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center ,and held positions as Chief Resident of the Consultation Liaison Service, Chief Resident of the Emergency Psychiatry Service, and Chief Resident for Medical Student Education at the University of Chicago. Dr. Kieff was also recognized in 2007 as a Laughlin Fellow, awarded by the American College of Psychiatry to just ten outstanding psychiatry residents in the United States each year. The Pritzker Pulse caught up with Dr. Kieff this summer to ask her a bit about the new role.
Elizabeth Kieff, MD’03
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Why did you decide to take on this position as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs?
I spent most of my college summers and some of my time before starting medical school coaching sailing teams. I loved the work. Aside from the obvious—getting to spend time in the sun and on the water—I especially liked getting to know the people on the team, their individual strengths, their collective abilities, and the things that challenged them the most. As a psychiatrist, I don’t get to exercise as many of my “coaching” muscles as I might like. My hope is that in this new position I will be available to students as a kind of informal coach—to cheer people on, to give advice on technique, to help celebrate wins, and to cushion losses.
Tell us about your goals for the coming year. What do you hope students will gain from your work?
I have two goals for the year. The first is to have all the students start to get to know me well enough for them to feel comfortable using me as a resource when they need help. I expect this will happen through informal meetings, class events, society events, and just hanging out in the lobby of the BSLC. I hope to be someone whom students will come to feel comfortable approaching with any issues on their path to becoming a doctor. My second goal is to work collaboratively with Pritzker faculty and students as we begin to develop a four year Wellness Curriculum. Our hope is that this curriculum will provide students with real skills and tools they can use throughout their personal and professional lives. I’ll be inviting Pritzker students to participate through surveys and a Wellness Committee, as well as any informal feedback they’d like to provide.
You were both a student at the Pritzker School of Medicine and a resident at the University of Chicago Medical Center. How do you think your longstanding ties to the school will serve you in this role?
I’m what is commonly referred to as a “lifer.” I was born at the University of Chicago Hospital and grew up here in Hyde Park. I left for college and went to the University of Pennsylvania. I was thrilled to have the chance to return to Hyde Park for medical school, and thoroughly enjoyed my time at Pritzker and at the UCMC during residency. It was a special privilege to learn and work in the community in which I was raised. I hope that my longstanding knowledge of this community will enable me to help students better integrate themselves into it. I think that the U. of C. enjoys a really special location and I hope to help students navigate their discovery of Hyde Park and Chicago. In short, as a bit of an insider, I think I can be one of many who direct students to everything from the best ice cream in the hospital (Good Humor machine next to the student lounge) to the best fried green tomatoes on the south side (BJs Market on Stony Island). I also think that since I finished my residency two years ago, I have a pretty accurate sense of what it is like to be a medical student and a resident here. I hope this will help me better understand the many issues our students face.
What aspect of the job excites you the most?
Getting to work with Pritzker students. Our students are some of the most interesting and fun people I have ever met. I left Pritzker feeling very close to my classmates, and am very excited to get to know future generations of graduates.
Any parting words of wisdom to share with the Pritzker student body that you believe will help them navigate their respective academic years?
It’s tough to come up with something concise that applies to each of the four years because the challenges vary significantly from year to year. That said, I think what I would offer is this: allow yourself to realize that whatever you’re going through—good or bad—it’s part of your development as a doctor. If it’s temporary failure, go with it; you will succeed again. If it’s a particular challenge, try to delve into it and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If it’s a triumph, celebrate it, because it’s not necessarily clear when the next one is coming. Perhaps most importantly, try to remember what got you interested in becoming a doctor in the first place, and take the time to rejuvenate yourself with your friends and family. This is going to be a learning year for me (I’ve yet to find one that isn’t), and I look forward to engaging in the process with all of our students.
