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Co-Leader, Macy/Schmeidler Medical Student OpenNotes Educational Initiative at Harvard Medical School
Anita Vanka, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a hospitalist in the Department of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Dr. Vanka is Director of the Practice of Medicine—a foundational clinical skills course for first year medical and dental students at HMS. Her interests include curriculum development, learner support and remediation, and advising.
Along with several members from the OpenNotes team, Anita developed curricula for medical students and their faculty preceptors on the core principles of patient-centered documentation in the era of open notes. Supported by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and Kate & Arnold Schmeidler, the “open notes curriculum” has been implemented at HMS and disseminated at various regional and national conferences.
In addition to her leadership with OpenNotes, Dr. Vanka spends the majority of her time in medical education. She is the Associate Director of Principal Clinical Experience at BIDMC, which is the core clinical clerkship year for second and third year medical students. She mentors and advises students across the HMS curriculum in her role as Associate Director and Advisor of the Hinton Society. As Co-Director of the Rabkin Fellowship in Medical Education, Anita directly mentors and teaches faculty involved in education of students and trainees.
Anita received her MD with Honors from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2005. She completed her internship and residency at BIDMC followed by her primary care chief residency year, prior to joining the Division of General Medicine as an attending hospitalist in 2009. Upon completion of the Rabkin Fellowship in Medical Education, she served as an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency at BIDMC for eight years. She has held several leadership positions at HMS, including several advising and course directorship roles.
