Transforming Residency Education with Advanced POCUS Techniques
Lee Shapley, MD, Hospitalist at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, exemplifies dedication to advancing clinical skill development
As a member of the Teaching Academy’s 2024–2025 Clinician Educator Cohort, Lee Shapley, MD, has demonstrated a sustained commitment to clinical education, resident development, and strengthening bedside teaching at Vassar Brothers Medical Center (VBMC).
He joined Nuvance Health Vassar Brothers Medical Center in 2023, serving as core faculty for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, where he teaches daily on the wards and fosters growth in physician trainees.
Designing a Longitudinal POCUS Curriculum for IM Residents
Throughout his time with the Teaching Academy’s 2024–2025 Clinician Educator Cohort, Dr. Shapley was able to develop his scholarly project, “Design of POCUS Curriculum for Residents at a Community‑Based Internal Medicine Residency Program,” which aims to formalize and expand ultrasound education across all three years of residency training
Since then, Lee rolled out a 3–4-hour POCUS class into the academic half‑day for first- and second‑year residents using standardized patients, strengthening the third‑year elective in collaboration with Emergency Medicine, and establishing a permanent POCUS‑focused inpatient teaching team.
Developed Scholarly Relationships
Lee has also developed meaningful scholarly relationships within the Teaching Academy. He has taken notice of the work of Lisa Ricker, NP, a 2022–2023 Clinician Educator Scholar, whose realistic and applicable SIM training inspired him. Since then, they have collaborated on Ultrasound Trainers to enhance hands‑on learning for residents.
Lee’s next endeavor, developed in partnership with Lisa Ricker, NP, builds on their shared commitment to hands‑on training: together they are designing a new Procedure Team rotation to strengthen procedural skills for residents.
Deepening Expertise to Strengthen Bedside Teaching
Building on this work, Dr. Shapley also sought opportunities to deepen his own expertise. Read how he used support from PATMDTA to enhance his teaching, expand his clinical skillset, and bring new approaches back to VBMC:
“I used my PATMDTA Grant to help offset expenses associated with a weeklong conference on Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) offered at Cornell Weill. This is the preeminent conference on POCUS in Internal Medicine and is two and a half times longer than most POCUS conferences.
During my time, I felt that I really was able to hone my skills and improve my ability to teach my residents this skill.
I learned some innovative teaching techniques that I was immediately able to integrate into my POCUS curriculum at Vassar, as well as into my bedside teaching with the residents.”
‘I am grateful to PATMDTA for making this all possible. Thank you!‘
-Lee Shapley, MD, Hospitalist at Vassar Brothers Medical Center
2024-2025 Clinician Educator Cohort
Click to read his bio below
Lee Shapley, MD is originally from Philadelphia, PA. He received his bachelor’s degree in Latin from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. While at Dickinson, Lee was also highly involved in the visual and performing arts while pursuing the core requirements in pre-health. After graduation, he moved to New York City and eventually Philadelphia where he was a professional modern dancer for many nationally and internationally known companies for 10 years. After he retired from dance, he attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Special Sciences for pre-medicine and then attended Oregon Health & Science University where he received his Medical Degree in 2012. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine from Legacy Health in Portland, OR in 2015.
After his residency, Lee and his family moved to Ashland, OR where he worked as a hospitalist at Asante Ashland Community Hospital (AACH). At AACH, he initiated clinical clerkships in Internal Medicine for Western University medical students at AACH and served as a Clinical Professor at Western University. He worked extensively in administration and became the Vice President of Medical Affairs and served one year as the Administrator of the hospital during the start of the Covid epidemic. During this time, he founded one of the first outpatient monoclonal antibody infusion clinics in the country.
In 2021, Lee and his family moved to Beacon, NY. He has worked closely with internal medicine and transitional year residents while on the medicine wards at Montefiore St. Luke’s Hospital and the Hudson Valley Veteran’s Affair Hospital. In 2023, he began work at Nuvance Health Vassar Brothers Medical Center and joined the core faculty of the Internal Medicine program where he enjoys working daily with the medicine residents and teaching Point of Care Ultrasound.
get in contact with him here: lee.shapley@nuvancehealth.org
Lee’s attendance at the Cornell Weill Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Conference was made possible through travel support provided by the Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy which helps members engage in meaningful educational and scholarly opportunities.