Victor Silvestre, MD
“By the time you become a physician, you’ve already had a great deal of experience teaching—exchanging knowledge and collaborating with fellow students, residents, and attending physicians,” says Dr. Silvestre. “I’ve always felt very compelled to continue this tradition.”
When asked to talk about Dr. Victor Silvestre and his skills as an educator and clinician, colleagues are nothing short of effusive. Among descriptions like “brilliant,” “humble,” and “utterly phenomenal,” there’s a subject that comes up almost invariably: “Vic’s pearls.”
Dr. Silvestre leads clinical education sessions at KP Oakland at 7:30 every Thursday morning, where his “pearls” of wisdom are legendary. His sessions are designed to help internal medicine physicians prepare for board recertification exams, but many doctors attend simply for the joy of learning, captivated by his “entertaining approach” and “stunning breadth of knowledge.”
“Dr. Silvestre’s teaching style is interactive, creative, and even whimsical,” says Peggy Desler, MD, chief of professional education for the East Bay. “He incorporates comedic or timely editorials
to make the material memorable. And he creates a safe place for discussion, for everyone from interns to senior colleagues.”
Dr. Silvestre developed these sessions in 1988 while in private practice, and then brought them to TPMG in 2005. Three years ago, he added a monthly lunchtime session that uses polling technology to accommodate a larger crowd. He also mentors colleagues on practice improvement, teaches residents, and serves as a senior medical consultant for physicians with challenging cases.
“Dr. Silvestre embodies the clinician leader we all strive to be, a physician who shares his wisdom and warmth with patients and colleagues alike,” says Rita Ng, MD, physician-in-chief, KP Oakland.