Faculty educator spotlight—Dr. Kyra Bernstein

Birthplace, education, professional calling. For Dr. Kyra Bernstein, the department’s Director of Medical School Education, giving back to Columbia––where she was born, became a physician, and teaches the next generation––is about fostering the relationships that help students develop their expertise and build engagement with people in the field.

Who are your academic role models?

Dr. Saundra Curry established the importance of medical student education and codified it as a very important mission of our department, not only to teach all of our medical students about anesthesia, but to build respect for the field. Another is my predecessor in this role, Dr. Allen Friedman, who embodies presence. He responded to every student e-mail, no matter how little the question, to show that they always have access to us. I want to uphold what both of them taught me—to present the students with what our specialty does and to convey to students that the faculty also are human and that we have respect for them as people.

What are some of the unique features or strengths of our anesthesiology program?

VP&S is one of the few medical schools across the country that incorporates a one-week clerkship for all medical students. Though VP&S is undergoing a curricular reimagining, our anesthesiology clerkship will steadfastly remain a core part of the medical student curriculum. In 2024, anesthesiology was the 4th highest specialty matched among medical students at VP&S. As such, we have applicants for away electives from across the country and internationally! They make an effort to come here, despite the expense, because of our world class faculty and residents. I credit Dr. Mulaikal for fostering a warm, equitable, and personal environment as a big draw for medical student applicants.

What does a week in the life of the student anesthesia rotation look like?

The MCY clerkship is a week-long immersive experience, and heavily relies on teaching our anesthesiology residents and fellows. The students are assigned to both Milstein and Pediatric ORs, and Dr. Lisa Lynch has been deftly organizing the pediatric rotation for years. On Monday, the first day of the rotation, students start right away in the ORs to get their feet wet. They’re paired with a resident, see the environment, and see a patient through induction, maintenance, and emergence. They have didactics on Monday afternoon, learning how to intubate and manage urgent situations in the Sim Center. Then they do a practice-based learning discussion going through preparation for an anesthetic, the induction and maintenance, and waking up. They rotate through these stations with me, Dr. Oben [Associate Director of the Program], and a resident or fellow assisting us. One of the secrets to our clerkship’s success is the enthusiasm of our residents and fellows. I had a resident recently come in from vacation to serve in this role. I told him to take his time off, but he said, “I love teaching. I want to come in.”