This interview is one in a series of interviews with recipients of the 2026 ACGME Awards. The awardees join an outstanding group of previous honorees whose work and contributions to graduate medical education (GME) represent the best in the field. They will be honored at the upcoming ACGME Annual Educational Conference, taking place February 19-21 in San Diego, California.
2026 GME Institutional Coordinator Excellence Awardee Catherine “Cassie” Klein is the Institutional Administrator at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
ACGME: How did you become involved in academic medicine?
Ms. Klein: After spending almost 20 years at the School of Public Health, there were no advancement opportunities for me, and I was way too young to be as far as I was going to go in my career. I applied for the position of Postdoctoral Programs Administrator (which included the GME institutional coordinator responsibilities) at the School of Medicine. At my interview, the defining moment was when the DIO [designated institutional official] started with, “I’ve reviewed your resume and you don’t have experience in anything we do here.” So, I spent the entirety of the interview convincing her why that was a good thing!
ACGME: What does this award mean to you?
Klein: Every day I do my best to bring positive change to our institution through my role with our program directors and coordinators, our residents and clinical fellows, and university and hospital leadership. Receiving this recognition makes me feel valued and appreciated by our team. It is an honor to receive this award.
ACGME: What is the most rewarding part of being a coordinator?
Klein: I enjoy mentoring program coordinators and helping them figure out ways to make their jobs easier. I love being the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) training program liaison and working with our international physicians.
ACGME: What is the most challenging?
Klein: Being at a large institution, I don’t have the opportunity to create one-on-one relationships with all of our coordinators. I also wish I had the chance to know more of our residents and clinical fellows on a personal level, not just by their demographic data and payroll transactions.
ACGME: What advice do you have for new coordinators just starting their careers?
Klein: This is an amazing career path. As a GME coordinator, you play an integral role in the training experience of the next generation of physicians. World class faculty leaders in their specialties are going to look to you to help them in the process of training new doctors. This is our contribution to improving the health of the nation and the world.
ACGME: Is there anything else you would like to add I haven’t asked about?
Klein: We have a small, but amazing GME Office team. It is a privilege to work alongside them.
Learn more about the ACGME’s GME Institutional Coordinator Excellence Award here. Register for #ACGME2026 on our conference website, where we will continue to celebrate this year’s honorees.