Educational Resources

Pitt Puzzles

Pitt Puzzles are a series of online, interactive, case-based exercises with an emphasis on teaching core clinical reasoning concepts. Each Puzzle takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Pitt Puzzles were originally developed in 2018 by two internal medicine residents (Dr. Ben Smith and Dr. Michelle Fleshner) to help enrich the education of their colleagues. The Pitt Puzzle tradition continues strong today, with monthly Puzzles published by the Reasoning Certificate Residents for wide distribution.

To subscribe to our monthly Pitt Puzzles emails, please send your request to mcquadec@upmc.edu.

For more information, please see our publication about Pitt Puzzles in SGIM Forum.

Past Puzzles

Cognitive Biases

TitleLinkAuthor
Closing on a Diagnosishttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_42ZwG1RHHVwO526Greg Olenginski, MD
The Devil is in the Detailshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0cAsLaEjBmw8gSiMatt Nguyen, MD
Don’t Go With Your Gut!https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5b8hirXAhpMnSvzJacob Quaytman, MD
A Dyspneic Differentialhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Gy7txPtAo19EkRKaylie Miller, MD
Focus on Framinghttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eViDHUDxAMmQM4KRaisa Silva, MD
A Pain in the Guthttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bHqCsqx2nHDODVbBeth Oczypok, MD, PhD
Joe Rocco, MD
Pain, Pain, Go Away!https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39lgvv3SgC6tkslBeth Oczypok, MD, PhD

Diagnostic Schemas & Illness Scripts

TitleLinkAuthor
Coming Up For Airhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHeJ4PZhkxSD8SpKate Leyens, MD, MS
Diagnostic Confusionhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3QbQbwHIKGNK78WNicole Luche, MD
History Repeats Itselfhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5tHQ8IOQ7in8ayiMatt Nguyen, MD
The Patient and the Platelets are Fallinghttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5veXrA2I5Jy5uZvRachel Wojcik, MD
The Process of Eliminationhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e4CwefmXAhnjwHkDylan Fortman, MD
RAAS-el Dazzlehttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cIMxkkVEDufPxSmPhoebe Lin, MD
A Real Pain in the Butthttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b9HMrnk1R1V2eZEGreg Olenginski, MD
Scheming with Schemashttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3CaD2L0pCGaNyAeTalya Mandelkern, MD
A Short Case of Shortness of Breathhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cuLHC7mLAln2u9MJonathan Li, MD
Tanvi Rana, MD
A Tap Too Manyhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6FgOf0CakV1mCotJacob Lipkin, MD
Ben Smith, MD
Trust, but Verifyhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2lQhw32qmHVGkXcNeha Singh, MD
Maggie Shang, MD

Discordant Data

TitleLinkAuthor
Discordant Detailshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3sgOtMFeCl7EXlAAudrey Lim, MD
Getting a Leg Up on a Diagnosishttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1M2Oh6Ho9YpvACqMonica Mehta, MD
Go with the Flowhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bHNW6Wwoy7smZuKGautam Rangavajla, MD
The Knee or Not the Knee?https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgcQzWv1jRYWg7PMichelle Fleshner, MD
Ben Smith, MD
Not Just Your Average Headache: Or Is It?https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2aaLi3LtrXbFLI9Michelle Fleshner, MD
Ben Smith, MD
A Not-So-Confusing Case of Confusionhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9TAI1DFsgQF1I8tRachel Wojcik, MD
Take My Breath Awayhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eWksZ5M0aZ3NBnDAlvin Thalappillil, MD

Hypothesis-driven Inquiry, Causal Reasoning, & Testing Characteristics

TitleLinkAuthor
Baffling Bumpshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a2Xrwx1Yu6cXpJAMatt Nguyen, MD
Clinical Reasoning to Your Heart’s Contenthttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1EKBCXI9ojWThv7Kristen Ehrenberger, MD
The Devil is in the Detailshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0cAsLaEjBmw8gSiMatt Nguyen, MD
History Repeats Itselfhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5tHQ8IOQ7in8ayiMatt Nguyen, MD
Stones, Bones, and Groanshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81gzhqkqQuls29MDylan Fortman, MD
Timing, Tapping, and Testing Characteristicshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71XK96ABEXwMauqPranav Jain, MD
What is Stealing this Patient’s Breath?https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_74bkL8fX7VrnUtENatalie Griffin, MD

Problem Representation

TitleLinkAuthor
The Art of the Problemhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MjbkzqwsWVJE2OGrace Licius, MD
Closing on a Diagnosishttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_42ZwG1RHHVwO526Greg Olenginski, MD
Diagnostic Confusionhttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3QbQbwHIKGNK78WNicole Luche, MD
Focus on Framinghttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eViDHUDxAMmQM4KRaisa Silva, MD
Get a Grip: A Case of Arm Weaknesshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4IbT0vlo1njNASFCasey McQuade, MD MS
Getting a Leg Up on a Diagnosishttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1M2Oh6Ho9YpvACqMonica Mehta, MD
Timing, Tapping, and Testing Characteristicshttps://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71XK96ABEXwMauqPranav Jain, MD
What is Stealing this Patient’s Breath?https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_74bkL8fX7VrnUtENatalie Griffin, MD