Blogs

AAIM Member Spotlight

Gopal Yadavalli, MD

Program Director
Department of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Program Director, Internal Medicine
Boston Medical Center

How long have you been a member of AAIM?

I became an APD at Case Western Reserve University in 2004 and immediately joined APDIM.

Describe your typical day.

Every day is very, very different with a mix of teaching, a lot of putting out fires, and mentoring of junior faculty. A lot of time is spent with chief residents and mentoring them on how to run the program. About 15 percent is inpatient work in general medicine and in infectious diseases.

What is your favorite part of the job?

Working with chief residents is the best part of my job. They are such high performers and so vested in the program and just really smart people.

How has the AAIM membership been of value to you and your career?

AAIM has had a huge impact on my life. It’s certainly been the biggest driver of my career development. I haven’t missed a meeting since I joined and am really excited about the new meeting in March.

I used to go to meetings for ideas and then come home and try to implement those, or be inspired to implement my own ideas. Then I got involved in the Program Planning Committee, which is still my favorite thing I have done with the organization…such a great creative group of people. Now, I am finishing my final year on APDIM Council, another really formative experience, and I am also chair of the AAIM Wellness Committee.

Through all this work, I have had the privilege of meeting some inspiring people. Some of my closest friends are people I have met through the Alliance.

What's your favorite moment of your career so far?

A BU student asked me to hood him at graduation and nominated me to be in the AOA Honor Society. I was incredibly honored and touched.

What was your childhood dream job?

To direct movies.

How do you spend your free time?

I spend any free time with my 11-year-old daughter. We love to run in the summer and ski in the winter.

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

When I was 10 years old, I starred in a commercial for a candy bar that was shown in Trinidad and Tobago. I’ve never visited, but have always assumed I am a huge celebrity there!