Thomas G. DeWitt, MD, FAAP

Clinically, my specialty is primary care. This interest was sparked during my early years in medical school while working with an enthusiastic pediatric resident, Dr. Alex Stalcup. He introduced me to the joys of pediatrics and caring for children.

I am interested in medical education research. More specifically, the critical evaluation of the effectiveness and impact that medical education has on patient care.

In the case of medical education research, I realized that there was little research about the effectiveness of educational approaches, especially concerning patient outcomes. My research goal for medical education is to identify more effective and efficient educational strategies that will ultimately result in better patient outcomes.

I’m also focused on early reading research as it relates to the developmental trajectory of literacy in young children and brain correlates of that trajectory.

Concerning literacy, I realized that reading is not learned spontaneously. It has to be taught and some teaching methods can be improved to facilitate this process. It is also essential to document brain changes that reflect that progress and the methods that enhance it. In the area of literacy/reading research, I want to determine how early reading environments and approaches prepare brain connections for reading and are most effective.

During my career, I have received many awards and appointments, including:

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Professional Educator Award
• Academic Pediatric Association (APA) Education Award for my work in medical education
• Senior Educator Award for over two decades of leading physician education at Cincinnati Children's
• Chair of the AAP Committee on Pediatric Education
• Steering committee chair for the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) network
• Past member of the AAP Council on Pediatric Research
• The United States Preventative Services Task Force and chair of their methodology workgroup

In addition to the committee leadership positions noted above, I have served as an associate chair at Cincinnati Children's. I was president of the APA and served as a reviewer for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) training grants. I was a member of two Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) review committees, Transition Year and Pediatric Residencies. I have authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and was senior editor of two general pediatric textbooks.