Dr. Elnicki is a clinician-educator. Teaching in ambulatory clinical settings is his primary educational interest. This includes teaching medical students on clinical clerkships and residents in their continuity clinics. He has won numerous awards for teaching from trainees themselves, the University, and national medication organizations. He was a founding member of the Academy of Master Educators at Pitt. A major portion of his time is now devoted to establishing a new medical school in Astana, Kazakhstan that is being built on the University of Pittsburgh's model.
Medical education, at both the UGME and GME levels, is the primary focus of Dr. Elnicki's scholarship. he has published on educational topics that include improving aspects of the internal medicine clerkship, early clinical exposures for medical students, assessment issues, improving the learning environment, teaching evidence-based medicine skills, providing feedback to learners, and teaching telephone medicine skills to residents. Her currently is part of programs to develop curricula on pain management issues, to address issues of student mistreatment, and improving residents' continuity clinics.
Dr. Elnicki is designated as a specialist in clinical hypertension by the American Society of Hypertension (ASH), and hypertension is his chief clinical interest. He maintains a hypertension clinic for complicated hypertension patients. That clinic has access to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and input from a clinical pharmacist.
- BS, Allegheny College, 1979
- MD, University of Pittsburgh, 1983
- Internal Medicine Residency, University of Rochester, 1986
Education & Training
Elnicki DM, Aiyer MK, Cannarozzi ML, Carbo A, Chelminski PR, Chheda SG, Chudgar SM, Harrell HE, Hood LC, Horn M, Johl K, Kane GC, McNeill DB, Muntz MD, Pererira AG, Stewart E, Tarantino H, Vu TR. An EPA-based framework to prepare fourth year medical students for internal medicine careers. JGIM. 2017; 32(11):1255-1260.
O'Brien K, Mechaber A, Ledford C, Harrell H, Klocksiebe F, Fagan M, Kaib S, Elnicki M, Van Deusen R, Moerdler S, Jagsi R, Frank E. Perception of medical student mistreatment: Does specialty matter? Acad Med. 2021; 97(2):247-253.
Elnicki DM, Drain P, Null G, Rosenstock J, Thompson A. Riding the rapids: COVID-19, the Three Rivers Curriculum, and the experiences of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. FASEB Bio Advances. 2021; 3(5):387-391.
Heist BS, Torok HM, Elnicki DM. Effective clinical externships for international medical students: A qualitative study. JGIM. 2024; 39(16):3278-81.
- Society of General Internal Medicine's Innovation in Medical Education Award, 1996
- Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine Educational Research Award, 1999
- Kenneth E.Schuit Award, Dean's Award for Master Educator, 2015
- Society of General Internal Medicine, Career Achievement in Medical Education, 2009
- AAMC Chair of the Research in Medical Education Committee, 2008
- President of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine, 2005
- Excellence in Teaching Award from UPMC Shadyside Internal Medicine Residents, 2010
- Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine, Ruth Marie Fincher Service Award, 2008
- Elmer Holzinger Award, Residency Teaching, 2015
- Master of the American College of Physicians, 2016
