Dear Selection Committee,
I am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of my student, friend, and colleague Dr. XXXX. As a professor who is also board certified in Gastroenterology as well as Internal Medicine, I feel strongly that I have the capacity to recognize greatness in our field and that XXXX has what it takes to become an outstanding GI fellow and make significant contributions to research in our area, especially over the the long term.
I have worked side by side now with XXXX for some time and have had vast opportunities to observe her work and listen to her counsel. I got to know her about two years ago when she just started her medical residency. She came to me for advice concerning her career development. I was incredibly impressed by her strong interest in Gastroenterology at our very first meeting. Unlike other new US medical graduates, XXXX started as an experienced researcher and clinician. She obtained her MD degree at a top medical school in China and then finished a one-year general medicine rotation there. She also earned a US master's degree in Neuroscience and a US master's degree in Nursing. She worked in the SICU as a critical care nurse and charged nurse for four years. She told me that she developed a profound interest in clinical gastroenterology as well as academic research during past extensive exposure. She asked excellent questions and appeared intelligent and motivated.
XXXX arranged a GI elective rotation at the beginning of her intern year, when I had a chance to work with her on a daily base. She worked closely with the consulting GI fellow under my supervision. She quickly demonstrated her supremacy in many aspects, including solid medical knowledge, an outstanding ability to diagnose, keen clinical judgment, efficient working habit, dexterous hand skills, and a dependable personality. She is courteous, articulate, and well-liked by the whole team. She always volunteered to come earlier and leave later to follow up on old patients, see new consults, help with bedside procedures and participate in research activities.
We have been spending lots of time talking about different topics of gastroenterology, the center of our mutual worlds. I am surprised by her passion and devotion to her determined goal to become a future gastroenterologist. She has a broad interest in gastroenterology, including but not limited to the high-tech procedure, liver disease, and GI malignancy screening. She spent lots of spare time researching during her hectic residency training. She published one case report and literature review with a GI fellow and me in a peer-reviewed journal in her intern year. She is also involved in many ongoing projects. I am serving as XXXX’s research adviser for two projects. One project is submitted for presentation at the forthcoming ACG annual conference. She is the first author of this project. She is also the acting leading investigator for the other project, which is a study on the efficacy and necessity of prophylactic intubation before endoscopic intervention for variceal bleeding. She wrote the study protocol independently and followed through with the institute IRB review. I was especially taken by XXXX’s creative mind and independent work ethic while working with her closely. She continued to read the literature independently and generate exciting hypotheses. She often presented inspiriting thoughts and up-to-date information that was new to me. She showed remarkable leadership in coordinating a team approach to our project, which involved attending, GI fellow, residents, and medical students. With her outstanding effort and hard work, our task is progressing smoothly. We are aiming for a presentation at the DDW conference next year, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
In summary, XXXX is one of the best residents I have ever had. She is brilliant, curious, motivated, and creative. She has just the right combination of assertiveness and respect to make her a joy to work with a team. I believe that XXXX has the aptitude, demonstrated skill, tenacity, and drive to become an outstanding gastroenterologist. I wholeheartedly support her application for your coveted Gastroenterology fellowship without reservation. She is the most worthy applicant that I have ever had the privilege to recommend. Please feel free to contact me in support of her application.
Sincerely,
