From Podiatry Pamphlets to Problem-Based Learning

Dr. Patrick Burns credits problem-based learning with shaping his career.

In 2023, Patrick Burns, DPM ’00, became director of podiatric medicine and surgery residency at West Virginia University Medicine-Wheeling Hospital, where he is building a new residency program. The program’s first residents were announced this past Match Day.

You’ve built a distinguished podiatry career. What was the spark?

PB: I was interested in many things, but I knew I wanted to do something in medicine. Then, I had a motorcycle accident and a foot injury — there were pamphlets about podiatry, and I pieced together applying to medical school.

How did the values of Scholl College shape your career?

PB: If you’re around a lot of bright people, you’re going to push each other. Even if you wanted to go home, eight of your buddies were still studying, so you stuck with it. It was relatively new at the time, but we worked in small groups with one mentor discussing actual cases. We would go over patient history and imaging to solve real-world problems instead of rote memorization. It was the beginning of problem-based learning, and it shaped me a lot.

How do you apply these lessons learned now working with residents?

PB: I tell them I’ve sat through every 6 a.m. Monday and Friday didactic for 18 years, and I still learn something every time. It’s fun to see other people have lightbulb moments and manage a group of students in problem-based learning.