Gillette has a rich history of teaching students, residents and fellows. In particular, we’re known for training others across our specialties about the care for patients who have complex conditions, rare diseases and trauma.

To ensure that this strong tradition continues and that students continue to learn from the extensive experience of Gillette’s providers, Gillette has established a teaching emeritus/emerita distinction. Dr. Steven Koop will be the very first Teacher Emeritus at Gillette.

“We have the best instructors here, and we don’t want to lose their knowledge and expertise when they retire,” says Micah Niermann, MD, chief medical officer and executive vice president of Clinical Affairs.

The teacher emeritus/emerita is a voluntary position who will help the director of Graduate Medical Education (GME) and the residency site directors instruct learners. This can take the form of lectures, interactive workshops and mentoring. We will also continue to support the emeritus/emerita instructors with CME funding.

“This program further strengthens the collaboration between teachers and the institution to promote our longstanding tradition of training future medical professionals, especially those caring for children who have complex needs,” says Deb Quanbeck, MD, Gillette’s director of GME.

Selecting Steve was a natural choice. “My first experience with Gillette was through residency and the instruction of Dr. Koop,” says Micah. “It was one of the best learning experiences I had through residency. Dr. Koop has taught so many of us so much, especially on the fundamental principle of keeping the patient at the center of your work. I couldn’t be more pleased that Steve accepted our invitation to become our inaugural teacher emeritus.”

“Steve is the ideal first recipient because he has been a deeply committed champion of medical education his entire career,” says Deb. She calculates that Steve has contributed to the development of more than 600 medical students, residents and fellows in orthopedic surgery alone. “Steve meets learners at their levels of understanding and adapts his teaching style to individual needs. He is an educational treasure, and I as well as others, cherish the ability to spend more time with him in this important mission.”