Pediatric Education, Innovation and Research Center

Overview

The mission of the Pediatric Education, Innovation and Research Center (PEIRC) is to build the capacity of the members of the Department of Pediatrics at Mass General Brigham for Children (MGBfC) in their roles as medical education scholars so they are viewed as innovative leaders in the field, making MGBfC a leader in pediatric medical education.

Research Team

Ariel Frey-Vogel, M.D., M.A.T.
Director, PEIRC

Dr. Frey-Vogel is a med-peds attending at Massachusetts General Hospital and serves as the Founder and Director of PEIRC.

Anna Handorf, M.D.
Associate Director, PEIRC

Dr. Handorf is a pediatric hospital medicine physician at Newton Wellesley Hospital and serves as an Associate Director of PEIRC.

Michael G. Healy, Ed.D.
Associate Director, PEIRC

Dr. Healy is a Health Professions Education Researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and serves as an Associate Director of PEIRC.

Publications

Selected publications that members of PEIRC have led and or contributed include:

• Handorf A, Healy MG, Frey-Vogel A. Where do I Begin? – Determining Curricular Priorities through a Consensus Building Process. Curr Pediatr Rep. 2025; 13. doi.org/10.1007/s40124-025-00359-5
• Handorf A, Healy MG, Klouda A, et al. Let's Chalk About It: Introducing the TinyTalks Curriculum, a Paradigm for Short, Virtual Chalk Talks. Acad Med. 2024;99(8):833-840. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000005718
• Frey-Vogel AS, Dzara K, Gifford KA, et al. Development and validity evidence for the resident-led large group teaching assessment instrument in the United States: a methodological study. J Educ Eval Health Prof. 2024;21:3. doi:10.3352/jeehp.2024.21.3
• Torres C, James A, Lamour K, Dzara K, Frey-Vogel A. Needs Assessment of Residents and Nurses for Interprofessional Cross-Cultural Curriculum. Clin Teach. 2024;21(6):e13709. doi:10.1111/tct.13709
• Diacovo N, Gundewar A, Wallace A, et al. Giving Literal Thanks: An ACGME-Sponsored Initiative to Bring Residents Back to the Bedside. J Grad Med Educ. 2023;15(6):728-733. doi:10.4300/JGME-D-23-00286.1
• Moran CJ, Dzara K, Frey-Vogel AS, et al. Confidence of Faculty in Writing Letters of Recommendation for Pediatric Fellowship Applicants. Cureus. 2023;15(11):e49750. Published 2023 Nov 30. doi:10.7759/cureus.49750
• Frey-Vogel AS, Ching K, Dzara K, Mallory L. The Acceptability of Avatar Patients for Teaching and Assessing Pediatric Residents in Communicating Medical Ambiguity. J Grad Med Educ. 2022;14(6):696-703. doi:10.4300/JGME-D-22-00088.1
• Haviland C, Green J, Dzara K, et al. Psychological safety between pediatric residents and nurses and the impact of an interdisciplinary simulation curriculum. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):649. Published 2022 Aug 29. doi:10.1186/s12909-022-03709-9
• Frey-Vogel AS, Pugsley L, Dzara K. A Nurse/Intern Partnership Program Accelerates Positive Relationship Formation Between Pediatric Interns and Pediatric Nurses. Acad Pediatr. 2023;23(2):225-232. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2022.05.001