An enthusiasm for teaching

Assistant professor Ryan Nall, M.D. ’09, shares the journey that brought him back full circle to his alma mater.

By Tyler Francischine

Dec. 12, 2018 — When Ryan Nall, M.D ’09, was a student at the UF College of Medicine enrolled in the “Residents as Teachers” course with Kyle Rarey, Ph.D., he learned a valuable lesson about teaching others: If you’re not passionate about the material, your lecture will fall on deaf ears.

Today, the assistant professor, co-clerkship director in the division of general internal medicine and physician at UF Health Internal Medicine – Medical Plaza, maintains an infectious passion for medicine that he imparts on UF College of Medicine students each day. His students have responded with similar fervor by naming Nall the 2018 Clinical Teacher of the year and the 2018 Hippocratic Award winner, which honors instructors who embody “humanism, professionalism and teaching prowess.”

“From Dr. Rarey, I gained an enthusiasm for teaching. He taught us, if you’re not enthusiastic about what you’re teaching, you’re not going to impart much on the learner,” Nall says.

Nall’s journey toward a career in academic medicine began when he was an Auburndale, Florida, high school student. During his junior year, he visited UF as part of a program that introduces high-school students to the pre-medical undergraduate track. Later, as an undergraduate student studying political science at UF, he volunteered at the Florida Diabetes Camp as well as at Camp Boggy Creek, where he acted as a camp counselor for a family dealing with sickle cell disease.

“Those experiences showed me the importance of having a trusting relationship with someone you’re taking care of, as well as how the complicated lives patients lead outside of their medical condition impact their health,” Nall says. “Interacting with people affected by disease showed me I wanted a career in medicine where I can help people lead happier, healthier lives.”

Ryan Nall, M.D. '09, flanked by the UF College of Medicine class of 2018 members who selected him as the 2018 Hippocratic Award winner. Photo by Mindy C. Miller

During his medical training at the UF College of Medicine, Nall found mentors in instructors like James Lynch, M.D., and Heather Harrell, M.D., whose expertise led Nall toward a clinical career in internal medicine.

“Both Drs. Lynch and Harrell were very important educators and mentors for me in terms of understanding the patient-doctor relationship and the fundamentals of clinical reasoning,” Nall says. “They taught us that as future doctors, we have to care deeply for patients and approach challenging cases almost like a detective would — with thoughtful consideration for each historical detail and exam finding.”

In addition to mentorship from faculty members, Nall found a support system in his fellow classmates, some of whom remain his closest friends to date.

“My UF College of Medicine classmates were a huge part of my educational development,” he says. “I officiated two of my classmates’ weddings. I show a photo of that to student applicants today to show them we’re a family here.”

Nall officiating the wedding of his former UF College of Medicine classmate Tenessa MacKenzie, M.D.

Nall kept the lessons he learned at UF close to his heart as he completed a residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he instructed his fellow residents as the primary care program’s chief resident. By the time Nall completed his residency, he knew academic medicine would be his future.

“My goal as an instructor is to provide a supportive learning environment and to give important feedback that inspires my learners to grow,” he says. “With any talk I give or any clinical encounter I have with students, I want them to leave with a sense of the importance of keeping the patient central to our care. There are a lot of competing interests in medicine today, but I want students to understand the sacred relationship we have with patients. It’s not something to take for granted. You have to work hard to show patients that you care.”

Nall encourages his students to keep “gratitude journals,” in which they document things they feel thankful for and the positive influences in their lives. For Nall, his children, Janie and Oliver, and his wife, Michelle, prove constant sources of positivity and joy. As 2019 dawns, Nall shares a few tips that ensure a happier and healthier new year for all:

Opt outside: “Several studies suggest that people who spend more time in green spaces have lower self-reported feelings of depression and worthlessness.”
Reduce screen time: “Studies suggest links between increasing amount of screen time and negative impact on mood and sleep.”
Choose to focus on the positive: “With so much negativity highlighted in the media, we often overlook the positive that’s all around us. We need to make a shift and focus on the good.”
Learn something new: “When you learn something new, it keeps the mind fresh, and you meet new people along the way, which is a really healthy endeavor for all of us.”