This interview is one in a series of interviews with ACGME volunteers during National Volunteer Month. Dink Jardine, MD, MS, FACS began volunteering with the ACGME as a resident and her dedication to improving resident/fellow education has continued since. She currently serves on the Back to Bedside Working and Advisory Group and will join the Institutional Review Committee in July 2025.
In July 2024, she became the designated institutional official (DIO) and associate chief academic officer for graduate medical education (GME) at Vandalia Health/Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, West Virginia. Prior to that, she was the DIO and director for professional education at Naval Medical Center, Camp Lejeune, in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
ACGME: Why did you decide to volunteer with the ACGME?
Dr. Jardine: I had an amazing program director bring me the opportunity as a young, first-year resident. Because I had served on our GMEC [Graduate Medical Education Committee], I was eligible to apply to be the Resident Member of the ACGME’s Institutional Review Committee (IRC). I was also interested in educational leadership very early on and was starting to identify what that role would be like for me as an eventual faculty member. My program director said to me, “I think you have a unique perspective, and this would be really good for you to see the work from that side.” Having someone sponsor me and believe in me in that way, especially early in my academic career, was priceless. Once I was accepted to the position, I rapidly learned how impactful thoughtful policy and requirements decisions can be in improving and sustaining excellent GME programs and by extension, health care quality for patients.
From there, with my position on the IRC, I was a part of the Council of Review Committee Residents (CRCR) at a time when my predecessors had really done a lot of work to help the group meet its mission of informing the Board of Directors on issues important to residents and fellows. We did early work in well-being, learner engagement, and leadership development within residency. I was fortunate to be selected as the Vice Chair, and then the Chair of that group, and during my tenure, we were able to launch the Back to Bedside initiative. Each of these opportunities further sustained the vision of “being a part of something bigger than me.”
ACGME: Why is volunteering important and/or rewarding to you and why?
Jardine: The opportunities offered through ACGME volunteering have been tremendous. From understanding the basics and background of accreditation, to opportunities to help shape initiatives that directly impact residents’ and fellows’ interactions with their patients through Back to Bedside—each has offered a chance to have a small role in something that I know has a “larger than me” impact. That feels very rewarding. Not to mention the wonderful co-volunteers who show up in this space. Much of the work is unglamorous (there was nothing glamorous about reviewing Institutional Review Questionnaires!), but it has such a large effect on the way we deliver care today and more importantly, how we educate and train residents and fellows to provide care tomorrow. I am continually grateful for the opportunity to be a part of that larger vision.
ACGME: What’s the most challenging/rewarding part of volunteering?
Jardine: Most challenging is the “away” time from my full-time work. Certainly that is not a unique experience for most volunteer work—the re-entry especially after a period of time away can be challenging. I balance that with the most rewarding part of volunteering. Being able to volunteer in this way means I meet and work with lots of folks in a wide variety of roles within medical education in lots of different kinds of places and institutional set-ups. Regardless of what specific volunteering work we are doing (Back to Bedside, well-being work, the Milestones, or accreditation), the discussion always comes back to what we do in our usual work environments. As a result of this, I am fortunate to hear what other places and other leaders are doing to address challenges, sometimes just hearing a different perspective. Sometimes I will have a chance to consider an issue that hasn’t yet occurred in my space but might. As a result, while my inbox is usually a little more full than I would like when I get back to my “day job,” the rich experiences I had during that volunteer work hopefully makes me a little better at addressing it.
ACGME: How has your perspective on the GME community changed since you started volunteering?
Jardine: I do not know that it has changed as much as refined. My early experience was that it was a supportive group with many sharing and gifted mentors. I still feel that way, and I now recognize how I can facilitate that mentorship experience for others. Either by being a mentor myself, or if I am not the right person to do that, finding a better mentor for the person I am working with. The circle of support, encouragement, sponsorship, and mentorship continues to revolve and evolve, and I think that is a wonderful thing.
ACGME: What motivates you to continue volunteering?
Jardine: The education leaders at all phases of academic medicine and the public I have been privileged to work with. Not a trip or meeting or event goes by that I don’t learn something from at least one of them. And usually many.
ACGME: Can you share a little bit about your background, personally, and anything else you’d like to share about who you are?
Jardine: I grew up in Fredericksburg, Texas, a historic German heritage town that boasts the Admiral Nimitz Museum [now known as the National Museum of the Pacific War] as one of its visitor highlights. I finished college in Austin (Hook ‘Em Horns!), then joined the US Navy, spending the first half of my career managing the intricate and high-stakes operations of nuclear propulsion plants on aircraft carriers—a challenge that taught me resilience and to appreciate calm seas. My final shipboard position was on the USS Nimitz, bringing a “full circle” sense to that part of my career. Life took a wonderful detour when I became a stay-at-home mom to my three amazing sons, who are now spread across the country (including one in Hawaii) as they carve out their own paths as adults.
After those formative years with my family, I stepped back into the professional journey, pursuing medical school, completing residency in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery, continuing as an academic faculty member, working in faculty development, and then following the pathway that resulted in my current position as DIO. Retiring after 26 years of service was a poignant milestone, but it opened doors to continue making an impact in GME leadership in Charleston, West Virginia, and through meaningful projects with the ACGME. The blend of service, family, and professional growth has made for an incredibly fulfilling adventure.
ACGME: Is there a memorable story from your volunteer work that you would like to share?
Jardine: The creation of the Back to Bedside initiative has a series of memorable ”exclamations” that I can still hear in my head. The first was when the term “Back to Bedside” was accidentally coined during the appreciative inquiry exercise we were doing in a CRCR meeting around creating meaningful work during residency and fellowship. We were sitting in a small group around a butcher paper easel and my fellow group leader, Dr. Anai Kothari, said from across the room somewhat loudly: “Oh! It’s about getting back to bedside!” (I am quite sure that is an apocryphal memory, but as it is the one I have, it’s one of my favorites.)
The second occurred when we were presenting the idea later in the day to John Duval, the then-chair of the ACGME Board, and then-President and CEO of ACGME, Dr. Thomas Nasca. This was a routine we had at the end of each CRCR [meeting]—to create a short report about the activities we completed and ideas that emerged in our various topic explorations. As we were discussing the proposed Back to Bedside initiative, I recall Dr. Nasca and Mr. Duval exchanging a look and saying almost simultaneously, “We could financially support that.” And with that, an initiative was born.
ACGME: What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering?
Jardine: Spend your time on things that feel meaningful to you. Once they start to feel like a chore, take stock and reconsider your “why.”