PDs @ SEA
PDs @ SEA is a conversation series created for anesthesiology residency leaders, faculty, and trainees who want an honest look into the evolving world of anesthesia education. The show features Residency Program Directors from across the country discussing the decisions, challenges, and real-world considerations behind recruiting, training, and supporting residents.
Hosts Bryan and Marianne draw from their own experiences while inviting colleagues to reflect on practical issues such as changes to the interview and application process, transitions in leadership, and shifting expectations in graduate medical education. Each episode offers candid dialogue, shared lessons, and the sense of community that many program directors look for but often find difficult to access in day-to-day work.
The series includes in-depth conversations with current and former residency leaders, members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Medical Student Component, and educators who are shaping how residents learn. Together, these discussions provide insight into how program directors think, how residency decisions are made, and how the field continues to adapt to the needs of students, residents, and institutions.
Produced by the Stanford AIM Lab on behalf of the Society for Education in Anesthesiology.
For questions, topic suggestions, or to join the conversation, email: pdsatsea@seahq.org
PDs @ SEA
How to Build a Program Residents Want to Stay In
In this episode of PDs @ SEA, newly appointed residency program director Dr. Erik Romanelli sits down with his mentor’s mentor, Dr. Adam Levine of Mount Sinai, who has led his residency program for nearly three decades. The conversation traces how a PD grows into the role, why the work matters beyond administration, and what sustains a career in residency leadership over time.
Dr. Levine reflects on the lessons that shaped him, the value of assuming nothing, and the core belief that program directors are first and foremost educators and advocates. The discussion touches on resident culture, recruitment in the virtual era, the balance between clinical presence and administrative leadership, and the importance of building an environment where people want to stay, train, and later return as colleagues.
This is a candid, generous exchange between two program directors at different stages of their journey. For anyone considering stepping into residency leadership, or reflecting on what it means to shape a training culture, this episode offers perspective, grounding, and a reminder of why the work is worth doing.
This episode was originally published January 17, 2024 on YouTube
