January 24, 2022

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Becky Blankenburg, MD, MPH, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, as Stanford School of Medicine’s inaugural Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education.

Since joining Stanford Medicine in 2005 and most recently as Associate Chair of Education within the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Blankenburg has proven herself an ardent advocate for training future leaders in medicine by conducting innovative research in education and initiating key programs that help further our school’s educational mission. Additionally, her work has helped foster more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments within our health system and beyond.

Dr. Blankenburg has held a number of leadership positions within Stanford Medicine, including serving as the Pediatrics Residency program director 2012-2019 and founder and co-director of the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship from 2013-2016. Among Dr. Blankenburg’s many achievements, she co-developed the country’s first graduate medical education coaching program and provided mentorship to four Stanford Medicine departments and 10 schools of medicine across the nation as they initiated similar programs. In the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Blankenburg co-developed medical education scholarly pathways that have enhanced the training and continuing education of residents, fellows, and faculty over the past decade.

As a researcher, Dr. Blankenburg has established herself as a leader in understanding how to build more diverse, inclusive, and equitable learning environments with a particular focus on professional identity formation and competence through longitudinal coaching and scholarly mentorship. Informed by these insights, Dr. Blankenburg played a critical role in developing and founding Stanford Medicine’s Leadership Education in Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Program.

Beyond Stanford Medicine, Dr. Blankenburg has served in several national roles that align with her professional expertise. For the last two years, she has served as the President of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors. Additionally, she leads the Association of Pediatric Program Directors’ national Pediatrics Confronting Racism Action Team, which has 15 subcommittees and 50 members across 10 organizations.

As Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Blankenburg will report to me. Please congratulate Dr. Blankenburg on her appointment and welcome her to this new role at the School of Medicine.

Laurence Katznelson, MD
Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education