More than 1,100 residents and fellows train for graduate medical education at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine across 100 programs, 74 of which are unique to UAB in Alabama.
The House Staff Council (HSC) is a group of residents and fellows that meets monthly with Graduate Medical Education (GME) Office leadership to represent the voice of residents and fellows throughout all programs. These representatives advocate for trainees by discussing issues related to resident work and addressing needs or concerns with GME leaders.
HSC leadership positions are served by rotating terms. Below, a few outgoing leaders speak about their time on the HSC and look ahead to the future of HSC leadership.
Stephanie Rakestraw, M.D.
Resident, PGY-3 General Surgery
2023-2024 HSC Position
President
How long have you been part of the HSC?
I have been a member of the House Staff Council for three years. I started as a member at large, served as wellness chair last year, and am currently serving as president.
Why did you want to be involved?
I wanted to be involved with the House Staff Council to help make UAB better for residents and fellows. I also wanted to meet people from other specialties I would otherwise only interact with at work.
What led you to become an HSC leader?
I wanted to help implement initiatives to improve the resident and fellow experience. I love the ability to advocate for our house staff and work with GME leadership to expand benefits and provide additional resources for trainees.
What project during your HSC leadership are you most proud of?
I am most proud of our wellness center and the collaboration between HSC and GME to make a space dedicated to our house staff. The wellness center has been a labor of love, and we're nearing completion, which is very exciting.
What upcoming initiatives are you looking forward to, from your team and/or from future HSC leadership?
I am looking forward to completing the wellness center. We've been working on this project for a while, and I'm excited to see the house staff start using it this summer. I think it's a testament to how much UAB cares about the house staff that we are able to make a place for trainees to relax and decompress while at work.
Adam Lucy, M.D.
Resident, PGY-3 General Surgery
2023-2024 HSC Position
Vice President
How long have you been part of the HSC?
Four years
Why did you want to be involved?
I wanted to get involved in HSC to make sure residents and fellows were involved in hospital administration and had a voice in the decision-making process because we play a large role in making the hospital run. Providing hospital leadership with first-hand insight regarding the planning, design, and delivery of care is important to me. The residents and fellows have a powerful voice that needs to be shared.
What led you to become an HSC leader?
As a member at large for general surgery, I saw how efficiently and effectively my co-surgery residents and past HSC presidents ran our group and the real impact their leadership had on the resident experience. I wanted to help take the group to the next level.
What project during your HSC leadership are you most proud of?
I am proud to have been part of the transition to electronic consent and team consent and to using CORES to its full potential. I am also proud of our colleagues' work in making it easier for house staff to access healthcare appointments.
What upcoming initiatives are you looking forward to, from your team and/or from future HSC leadership?
I am excited to see how HSC can continue to shape the future of health care and child care for house staff. I also want to see the momentum the resident wellness center has. The current plans look incredible.
Wendelyn Oslock, M.D.
Resident, PGY-3 General Surgery
2023-2024 HSC Position
Vice President
How long have you been part of the HSC?
I joined the House Staff Council as an intern, serving as a general surgery representative PGY1-2 and then serving as Secretary during my PGY3/first research year.
Why did you want to get involved?
I was interested in improving the experience of fellow trainees, particularly in improving the onboarding process for interns.
What led you to become an HSC leader?
I wanted to become secretary as a way to increase transparency between hospital leaders and trainees. During my first two years on HSC, I really enjoyed learning from different speakers who presented during our monthly meetings. We learned about resource availability (librarian support, expanded dining hours, etc.) as well as updates to things like wound vac power plans and renovations to the ED. Nonetheless, the information often felt like it stayed within HSC and didn't make it to all trainees.
What project during your HSC leadership are you most proud of?
As secretary, I worked to improve this system by creating Communications Liaisons for each program and crafting short summaries of each meeting that highlight the points most relevant to all trainees. This has allowed Communications Liaisons to share updates with their respective program and increase trainee awareness of resources, policy updates, and events.
Hyndavi Kandala, M.D.
Fellow, PGY-6 Division of hematology and oncology
2023-2024 HSC Position
Wellness Chair
How long have you been part of the HSC?
I have been a member for two years now. I started last year and am currently serving as a wellness chair.
Why did you want to get involved?
I did my residency in New York during the pandemic. It made me realize how important a council that advocates for residents’ needs and wellness like this is.
What led to becoming an HSC leader?
I wanted to be a part of advocating for the residents and fellows and have some part in contributing to their wellness.
What project during your HSC leadership are you most proud of?
We are working on improving the lactation facilities at UAB for the residents and fellows. Also, the fall and spring wellness events are fun to host.
What upcoming initiatives are you looking forward to, from your team and/or from future HSC leadership?
I am very excited about the wellness center. It will be a great addition to the training experience at UAB. I’m also excited about the lactation focus group we are working on with the GME wellness sub-committee. I am hopeful this will allow new moms to navigate motherhood and training with ease.