Faculty spotlight: Joyce Wipf

Dr. Joyce Wipf grew up in rural Minnesota and completed medical school at the University of Minnesota. She joined the University of Washington in 1984 for internship and residency and was appointed acting instructor in 1987, rising through the ranks to professor in 2004.

Drawn to medicine with goals of service, she always wanted to be a teacher, enjoying the combination of science and humanism. Her father was a farmer with a hand disability after a teenage machinery accident, and was a role model for grace in the face of adversity.

She has served as the medical director for the VA Hospital Based Home Care Program (1987-1994), the associate director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program (1994-2007), director of the Women’s Program at the VA Puget Sound (2007-2013), physician director of the VA Center of Excellence in Primary Care Education (2011-2023), and VA Section Chief of General Internal Medicine since 2009.

Educator

Throughout her career, Wipf has been at the forefront of nationally recognized innovations in medical education, highlighted by Resident as Teacher curricula, studies of resident burnout, and creation of a Veterans Affairs Center for interprofessional education.  

Resident as Teacher

In her role as associate program director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, she saw that residents were expected to teach and lead teams without formal training in either.

“R2s were expected to lead the ward team in care of patients, teach students and interns, all while being learners themselves. Prior preparation was the ACLS course! I wanted residents to have skills to enjoy teaching and leadership as soon as stepping into those roles.”

She created a pioneering Resident as Teacher course in 1992 to prepare second-year residents for their roles as educators and leaders, with published evidence of benefit, and for which she received the inaugural national Society of General Internal Medicine Innovation in Medical Education Award in 1996.

This ongoing course, directed by Wipf, has been widely replicated in numerous institutions around the country for over 30 years and continues to evolve with added skills for residents to promote team inclusion and equity.  

Resident burnout

She has co-led efforts to enhance wellness during training, with three published studies of resident burnout over a decade of duty hour changes, including the first study of burnout in medicine residents.

“The high burnout out rates were shocking - over 70%, with excellent response rate. These results were replicated by other institutions. With progressive duty hour limitations over the next decade, we went on to publish additional studies of burnout, showing a slight decline, with greater satisfaction with medicine as a career. Our program developed strategies and education to recognize and reduce burnout, which also became an ACGME training requirement.”

Center of Excellence

In 2011, Wipf spearheaded the creation of Seattle’s VHA Center of Excellence (CoE) in Primary Care Education, one of five national VHA Centers established to transform primary care education out of professional “silos” to interprofessional training.

The program teaches trainees of multiple disciplines to learn and work together in integrated teams to meet the full spectrum of Veteran care needs.

Under her leadership, the CoE has integrated health professions education by establishing a team-based approach to education and patient care that includes internal medicine residents, advanced practice nursing students and residents, psychology fellows, pharmacy residents, post-baccalaureate nurse residents, and social work interns.

Several of her CoE innovations have had national impact, including the development of a population health panel management curriculum that has been disseminated widely across the nation to both VA-based and university-based sites, with an online implementation kit.

Patient care

Wipf has had a busy panel of complex patients in primary care and women’s health, serving as resident clinic preceptor, and as ward attending 4-6 weeks per year. She is known for her dedication to her patients, her support of trainees, and long-term mentorship of junior faculty.

Honors and awards

She has received countless honors and awards throughout her career, including the University of Washington Innovation in Teaching Award, the inaugural SGIM Innovation in Medical Education Award, Robert G. Petersdorf Teaching Award, the Laureate Award from the Washington state chapter of the American College of Physicians, and the Department of Medicine Mentoring Award.

In 2020, Wipf received the David M. Worthen Award for Excellence in Health Professions Education, the most prestigious educational awards presented by Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

She received the Career Achievement Award, which recognizes an outstanding health professions trainee education champion whose lifetime contributions have profoundly advanced and had widespread impact on the educational mission of VHA.

She has also served as Governor of the Washington state chapter of the American College of Physicians (term 2014-2018), received ACP Mastership in 2018, and Fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians – London in 2020.

Career satisfaction

She says that her work has been a joy and filled with learning and teamwork that has moved our educational, clinical and research programs forward together.

“I’ve cherished my relationships with patients, our amazing residents, students, colleagues, and staff – and being in an innovative environment to create new curricula and programs.”

Retirement plans/personal life

She lives in Edmonds with her husband Greg and two Bengal cats, and is closely connected with her children, Mackenzie and Alex and daughter-in-law Caroline.

The family has near weekly gatherings and enjoys annual European travel and Whistler ski trips.

She studied art history in college and has a passion for all things British/UK. Her hobbies include home renovations, cozy mysteries and watching sports, especially American football.

She is retiring for medical reasons and is grateful for the phenomenal support and encouragement universally received. She hopes to further pursue zoo philanthropy and personal reflections on 40 years in medical education. She is being proposed as professor emeritus at the University of Washington.

Retirement celebration

Faculty, colleagues, residents and leaders - including past chairs, service chiefs and residency program directors - gathered to celebrate the retirement of Dr. Wipf on Dec. 14, 2023.