This interview is one in a series of interviews with the 2025 recipients of the ACGME Awards. These awardees join an outstanding group of previous honorees whose work and contributions to graduate medical education (GME) represent the best in the field. They will be honored at the 2025 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, taking place February 20-22, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee.
2025 David C. Leach Awardee Dr. Alex Schoenberger is a PGY-4 rising internal medicine-pediatrics chief resident at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
ACGME: Why did you want to become a physician?
Dr. Schoenberger: My interest in medicine began in high school, when I was drawn to its unique combination of science, puzzle solving, and direct patient care. However, my passion for becoming a physician truly solidified during my time as a special education preschool teacher, when I witnessed firsthand the significant gaps in our understanding of neurodiversity and the lack of systemic support available for individuals with disabilities. Health care offers the unique opportunity to follow individuals throughout their lifespan, providing not just medical care and guidance, but also meaningful support and advocacy.
ACGME: What, so far, has been the most rewarding part of your residency experience?
Schoenberger: Residency has been filled with moments of utter joy. On our best days, we truly change lives—we welcome new babies into the world, deliver news of remission, and even bring people back to life. But the most rewarding experiences often come from walking alongside others as they navigate life-altering moments with incredible resilience and hope. These may be moments of celebration, like when we get to share news of remission or celebrate a long-awaited milestone. At other times, these moments are defined by deep and profound sorrow, and we are walking beside people at the worst times of their lives. And sometimes, the most meaningful moments aren’t about patients at all, but are instead about the people who’ve become family during this journey. Watching a residency family member thrive—whether it’s teaching their team about a topic they love, providing exceptional care to a patient, or reaching their own personal or professional goals—never fails to inspire me.
ACGME: What has been the most challenging?
Schoenberger: Two aspects of residency have been particularly challenging. First, we are imperfect people working within an imperfect system. Our health care system, despite the best intentions of those within it, is not designed to fully support all patients and often perpetuates systemic inequities as a result. The growing tension between policy (including insurance coverage) and evidence-based medicine in recent years has added to this complexity, creating a unique form of moral distress when we are unable, for various reasons, to provide the care we know our patients need.
Secondly, and on a more personal level, the hardest part of residency has been walking alongside people on the worst days of their lives—not occasionally, but on more days than not. This is a profound privilege but at times can feel stifling.
ACGME: What innovation/improvement did you implement in your program?
Schoenberger: Dr. Abigail Nye and I have developed—and continue to refine—a GME curriculum aimed at addressing knowledge gaps in caring for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our goal is to enhance the quality of care provided to this patient population within the adult health care system. This curriculum was created based on a local needs assessment and has been designed and implemented with invaluable support from our local medical education expert, Dr. Ben Kinnear, as well as with the collaboration and encouragement of countless colleagues in the internal medicine and internal medicine-pediatrics departments (and beyond).
ACGME: What does it mean to you to receive this award?
Schoenberger: Many individuals involved in this project—especially Dr. Nye—have been dedicated to this work for years without formal recognition. It’s an incredible privilege to shine a spotlight on the remarkable people at UC [the University of Cincinnati] and the exceptional environment that GME at UC fosters for innovation, particularly when it drives improvements in patient care.
ACGME: What advice would you give to other residents/fellows who are looking to either replicate your improvement or implement an original idea of their own in their own program?
Schoenberger: The worst they can say is “no,” but we’ll never know unless we ask. In medicine, there are many barriers to change—often tied to large-scale policies and financial constraints. It’s easy to assume people are part of that resistance, especially if past attempts have been met with rejection. However, our experience has been that most people genuinely want to improve care and support others’ passions. Time and again, I’ve been amazed by how often the response to our requests has been “yes” or “let’s give it a try.” Never underestimate the power of an ask backed by enthusiasm and a willingness to do the hard work.
Learn more about the ACGME’s David C. Leach Award, and nominate a deserving resident or fellow for the 2026 award – nominations are due by March 12, 2025.