This interview is one in a series of interviews with the 2026 recipients of the ACGME Awards. These 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 2026 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, taking place February 19-21, 2026, in San Diego, California.
2026 David C. Leach Awardee Rachel Moss, MD was nominated for this award as a fellow in pediatric critical care medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital where she is now an Assistant Professor and pediatric critical care attending physician.
ACGME: Why did you want to become a physician?
Dr. Moss: I wanted to become a physician because I was drawn to the opportunity to help people during some of the most challenging moments of their lives, while also building a career centered on academic curiosity and continuous learning. Working with children allows me to care not only for the patient, but also to support their families and guide them through uncertainty with compassion and clear communication. The combination of advocacy, human connection, and continual learning is what made becoming a pediatric critical care physician the right path for me.
ACGME: What was the most rewarding part of your residency?
Moss: One of the most rewarding parts of residency is when former patients return to visit. We care for children who are critically ill—on ventilators or extracorporeal life support—often for weeks at a time, and during that period we form close relationships with their families. Seeing these children return after discharge, wearing their normal clothes and living their everyday lives, is incredibly meaningful. It reminds me that we helped give them their normalcy back.
ACGME: What was the most challenging?
Moss: Pediatric critical care is a profound privilege, and the successes can be extraordinary. At the same time, the field comes with very difficult days. Caring for critically ill children and supporting their families through uncertainty, fear, and loss is emotionally challenging, but it is also deeply meaningful and reinforces why this work matters so much.
ACGME: What innovation/improvement did you implement in your program?
Moss: I created and implemented a medical Spanish program for pediatric and neonatal intensive care clinicians. One hundred physicians, nurses, social workers, and other medical support staff members participated in a 20-week language course. Participants completed an anonymous, validated self-assessment measuring empathy toward English- and Spanish-speaking patients. After the course, clinicians demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in empathy toward Spanish-speaking patients. These findings were echoed in thematic analysis of clinician interviews, in which participants described entering Spanish-speaking patients’ rooms more frequently, connecting on a more human level, and gaining greater awareness of the language-other-than-English experience.
ACGME: What does it mean to you to receive this award?
Moss: I’m honored to receive the David C. Leach Award as it reflects the privilege of caring for children and partnering with families during some of their most difficult moments. It reinforces my commitment to family-centered care and reminds me that everyday efforts to listen, advocate, and connect truly matter.
ACGME: What advice would you give to other residents/fellows who are looking to either replicate your improvement or implement an original idea of their own in their own program?
Moss: My advice is to identify the “thing” that brings you back to work each day—the part of medicine that keeps you engaged at the bedside. Lean into that passion and create something meaningful from it. Medicine can be challenging, but when your work aligns with what you care about most, it brings purpose, fulfillment, and joy to your career.
ACGME: Is there anything else you would like to add I haven’t asked about?
Moss: If you are passionate about patient communication and health care outcomes and want to collaborate, please feel free to reach out to me at Rachel.Moss@mssm.edu.
Learn more about the ACGME’s David C. Leach Award here. Register for #ACGME2026 on our conference website, where we’ll continue to celebrate this year’s honorees.