Veronica M. Gonzalez, MD, FAAP

Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine
McGovern Medical School
UTHealth Houston

Email: [email protected]
Phone:  713-500-5586

Educational Philosophy

As Ronald E. Osborn once stated, “unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” These words resonate with me and inspire me. One of the big reasons I pursued a career in medicine – apart from the time old cliché “to help others” – is because on my unrelenting desire to learn. Personally, I learn a great deal by teaching. While treating patients is an important part of my day to day activities, I have come to discover that teaching learners is my passion. My role as a medical educator reaffirms my desire to continue my work in academia.  I am by no means an expert at teaching and know that I can always improve on how to effectively teach learners in different stages in their training. Participation in the Health Educator Fellowship Program (HEFP) at McGovern has allowed me to reflect on my own teaching abilities; as a result, I have been able bolster my teaching strategies by building upon strengths.

I utilize Miller’s clinical competence pyramid in the well-known triangle that identifies the four stages of development: “knows, knows how, shows how, and does.” These cognitive and behavioral steps are at the very essence for learner progression from knowledge acquisition to task performance in clinical practice. When I am rounding on the wards, I often ask the learners “why?” during various points in their presentation to push them to critically think. My goal is to drive the students and residents to perform some self-directed learning when they get to a point when they can no longer answer a question with confidence. They are encouraged to teach their newfound knowledge to the rest of the team, thereby demonstrating their knowledge and skills by “shows how” and “does.”

Through participation in HEFP, I became more cognizant that learning is a dynamic process; it is ever evolving, and feedback is essential for both learners and teachers to foster performance improvement. I am extremely passionate about assessment and feedback as these are not only required for advancement from one training level to the next, but it also promotes self-reflection and accountability. For feedback to be effective, I work hard at ensuring it is timely, meaningful, and constructive. The learner-teacher interaction is a two-way street, and as such, I must utilize student/resident evaluations, peer observations and self-reflection to be able to make changes accordingly if deficiencies are noted. Every learner-teacher interaction is unique as each person brings their own set of knowledge and experiences to the table. As a result, to cultivate a healthy educational conversation between the two, I must be able to adapt to each learner’s abilities. To create a space in which lively discussions are held, active learning is not only encouraged, but an absolute necessity. After all, I am preparing learners to care for and treat patients in their most vulnerable states.

President John F. Kennedy once said, “by learning you will teach; by teaching, you will learn.” This is my driver as a medical educator. This is how we grow.

Education

  • Medical School
    University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
  • Residency
    University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas

Areas of Expertise and Interests

  • Pediatric Hospital Medicine
  • Patient and Family Centered Care
  • Newborn Care
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education
    • Curriculum Development
    • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Educational Research

My mission is to:

  • Provide a stimulating environment for all learners in various stages in their training to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills and demonstrate competence in various domains (i.e. patient care, interpersonal and communication skills).
  • Promote the acquisition of fundamental skills to practice medicine independently in their respective chosen fields
  • Motivate all learners to engage in life-long learning.

Past and Current Educational Activities:

  • Pediatric Clerkship Inpatient Site Director
  • Co-director of Primary Care Career Focus Track (PC CFT)
  • Principal Investigator: Council of Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) and Association of Pediatric Program Directors Longitudinal Educational Assessment Research Network (APPD LEARN) Grant, “Predictors of Success: From Medical Student to Pediatric Resident”.
  • Teaching/Clinical Attending at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital Pediatric Floor and Newborn Nursery
  • Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Facilitator
  • Faculty Preceptor for Doctoring 3 course
  • Faculty Evaluator for the Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for PGY-1 Pediatric Residents

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Pediatrics
  • Pediatric Advance Life Support Provider

Honors/Awards

  • Physician Partner of the Month, August and September 2017, January 2018 (selected by the Pediatric Nurses and Staff at Children’s Memorial Hermann)
  • Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, 2018
  • Houstonia Top Doctor, 2018
  • Positive Education Role Model, 2020 (selected by medical students as providing a positive influence in clinical learning).
  • Academy of Master Educators, McGovern Medical School, 2021