*The 3-year first-time residency attainment rate is the weighted average of the 2023-24, through 2025-26 academic years. For each year, the rate is the percent of students attaining a residency out of all graduates or expected graduates in the year who were active applicants in the NRMP match in that year or who attained a residency outside the NRMP match in that year. For 2025-26, the first-time residency attainment rate is over 98%.
Dawn Elfenbein, MD, MPH
Professor
Dr. Dawn Elfenbein joins the Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL) as a full-time faculty member, where she will focus on advancing student support systems, educational development, and faculty collaboration. She is a surgeon educator with 10 years of experience as a faculty member at two U.S. medical schools. Before attending medical school, she taught high school biology and chemistry in New Orleans, demonstrating her passion for education long before becoming a surgeon. A strong advocate for social justice, Dr. Elfenbein brings a mission-driven commitment to ensuring all students have the resources they need to succeed. Throughout her career, she has been deeply engaged in medical student education, support, and advocacy. Her leadership roles have included clinical skills course director, curriculum committee chair, and clerkship director. Most recently, she served as vice-chair for wellbeing in a department of surgery, focusing on improving the learning and working environment for all learners. Now stepping away from clinical practice, she is excited to return to her roots as a teacher, with a laser focus on building systems that support student success. Outside of her professional work, Dr. Elfenbein enjoys sailing with her husband and their 8-year-old child. Together, they’ve taken multiple chartered sailboat trips across the Caribbean and are active members of the sailing community on Sint Maarten.