Feinberg faculty members and fourth-year medical students gathered to be recognized for their teaching and academic excellence at the fifth annual Honors Day, held May 19.
“I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude,” said Jakita Baldwin, ’17 MD, who was presented with two awards at the event: the Daniel Hale Williams Diversity and Inclusion Award, in recognition of her work promoting diversity and inclusion at the medical school, and the American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence, for her exceptional performance during the third-year clerkship.
“It confirms that other people believed in the dream I had for myself and saw my potential to achieve it and contribute to the neurology field in the future,” said Baldwin, who is beginning her neurology residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. “Receiving these awards has honestly reaffirmed how excited I am to be continuing here for residency.”
The ceremony began with opening remarks by Eric G. Neilson, MD, vice president for Medical Affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean, who welcomed faculty, family members and graduating medical students to the event. “A chapter closes; a new one begins,” he said. “At this moment, it’s important to acknowledge the excellence in our midst.”
Diane B. Wayne, ’91 MD, vice dean for Education, presented awards to four faculty members for their outstanding teaching.
Arianna Yanes, a second-year medical student and class president, introduced Samer Attar, MD, assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, who was selected by students to serve as the Harry N. Beaty Honors Day Speaker.
“This year’s speaker is a role model for many of us,” Yanes said. “He’s an engaging educator, an excellent orthopaedic surgeon and an inspiring humanitarian. He exemplifies the qualities of humility, honor and duty.”
Attar shared his experience serving as a volunteer physician with the Syrian American Medical Society. “In 2013, I found myself in a basement in a hospital in Aleppo, Syria, where bombs were going off all around us, and there was nothing we could do to stop daily massacres,” Attar said. “That is when you realize how much of an impact as a physician you can make. Here in Chicago, if I’m not here, someone else will do my job. But when you’re in a city like Aleppo, your presence as a nurse or a doctor really means the difference between life and death.”
“In that setting, when people’s lives are hanging in the balance and their whole world is falling apart, the hospitals that they turn to are there for their hope,” he added. “This profession truly is a gift and a privilege and a blessing — and I hope you all never lose sight of that.”
During the student award presentations, Brendan Frainey, ’17 MD, received the James Kozlowski Award for Excellence in Urology.
“I am incredibly honored to receive the award and to be recognized by the department in this way,” said Frainey, who will begin a six-year residency in urology at the Cleveland Clinic. “Feinberg has provided me with exceptional, well-rounded clinical training that began on day one of medical school. While my medical training has been incredibly formative and rewarding, I am looking forward to finally being a patient’s doctor.”
Award recipients included:
George H. Joost Outstanding Teaching Awards:
- Thomas Corbridge, MD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care and of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, for outstanding teaching in a large-group setting during the first year of medical school curriculum.
- Katherine Watson, JD, adjunct associate professor of Medical Education and Obstetrics and Gynecology, for outstanding teaching in a large-group setting during the second year of medical school curriculum.
- David Salzman, ’05 MD, MEd, ’09 GME, assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Education, for excellence in the clinical teaching of medical students.
Michael M. Ravitch Award: Cynthia Barnard, ’16 PhD, MBA, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, for outstanding teaching in a small-group setting.
American College of Physicians Award: Abram Feldman, ’17 MD, for outstanding performance in the junior medicine clerkship.
John T. Clarke, MD, Award: Richard Greendyk, ’17 MD, and Alexandra Steverson, ’17 MD, MPH, for an outstanding graduating student pursuing a career in internal medicine.
Eugene Bauer, MD, Award for Excellence in Dermatology: Parul Kathuria, ’17 MD, for the best overall performance in dermatology by a graduating student pursuing a career in dermatology.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Beatrice Tucker Award: Laura Dickmeyer, ’17 MD, in recognition of outstanding commitment, service and advocacy in the field of women’s health.
Louis G. Keith, MD, PhD, Award in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Carrie Wilson, ’17 MD, MPH, in recognition of clinical and academic excellence in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
Henry B. Betts, MD, Award for Excellence in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Raymond Chou, ’17 MD, for best performance during the physical medicine and rehabilitation medical student clerkship rotation.
Stephen M. Stahl Award for Excellence in Psychiatry: Renee Drolet, ’17 MD, for an outstanding graduating student in psychiatry.
Edward A. Brunner Medical Student Award in Anesthesiology: Abram Feldman, ’17 MD, in recognition of the highest level of academic excellence demonstrated by a graduating student pursuing a career in anesthesiology.
American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence: Jakita Baldwin, ’17 MD, for the graduating student who demonstrated excellence in neurology during the third-year clerkship as well as the selective experiences in neurology, awarded by the American Academy of Neurology.
Jan Reddy Excellence in Pathology Award: Po-Han Chen, ’17 MD, for excellent effort and learning on the pathology elective rotation.
Gayle E. Woloschak Medical Student Award for Excellence in Radiation Oncology: Timothy Sita, ’17 MD, PhD, for excellence in radiation oncology.
James Thomas Case Radiology Award: Yusuke Yagi, ’17 MD, for best overall performance in radiology by a graduating student pursuing a career in radiology.
Clare Giegerich Award for Outstanding Promise in Orthopaedic Surgery: Joseph Weiner, ’17 MD, awarded to a graduating student who demonstrated outstanding performance in the field of orthopaedic surgery.
James A. Stockman III Award for Excellence in Pediatrics and Child Health: Samaa Kemal, ’17 MD, and Michael Smith, ’17 MD, for outstanding performance in the pediatric clerkship and a passion for advancing the care of children through advocacy, education and research.
John P. Phair Award: Amanda Rosen, ’17 MD, awarded to a graduating student who excelled on the infectious disease rotation in both the intellectual and human side of medicine.
Julius Conn Jr., MD, Award: Kevin Blair, ’17 MD, for outstanding performance in the surgery clerkship.
Lee M. Jampol, MD, Award: Joel Kaluzny, ’17 MD, for outstanding achievement by a graduating student in ophthalmology, in clinical care and vision science research.
Martin Lipsky Award for Excellence in Family Medicine: Lee Haggenjos, ’17 MD, granted to the graduating student entering a family medicine residency who most exemplifies the characteristics of altruism, compassion and intellectual curiosity; named for the inaugural chair of Family and Community Medicine.
Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award: Michael Conrardy, ’17 MD, awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence in the specialty of emergency medicine.
James Kozlowski Award for Excellence in Urology: Brendan Frainey, ’17 MD, presented to the graduating student with the most outstanding performance in urology.
Frederick and Harriett Stenn Award for Humanism in Medicine: Karolina Kucybala, ’17 MD, nominated by a classmate for demonstration of humanism and compassion in the practice of medicine.
Neil Stone Award for Professionalism and Compassion in Medicine: Richard Greendyk, ’17 MD, nominated by a clerkship director in recognition of commitment to professionalism and compassion in medicine.
Kenneth M. Viste, Jr., ’66 MD, Student Service Recognition Award: Chase Anderson, ’17 MD, in recognition of outstanding service and contribution to Feinberg School of Medicine.
Daniel Hale Williams Diversity and Inclusion Award: Jakita Baldwin, ’17 MD, in recognition of a graduating student who excelled in promoting diversity and inclusion at Feinberg School of Medicine.
Jonathan Philip Reder Award: Parul Kathuria, ’17 MD, for outstanding leadership and extracurricular accomplishments by an Honors Program in Medical Education graduate, with exceptional involvement in In Vivo.
Phi Rho Sigma Dennis Award: Elizabeth Bleed, ’17 MD, Abram Feldman, ’17 MD, Richard Greendyk, ’17 MD, Mia Helfrich, ’17 MD, Parul Kathuria, ’17 MD, Molly Lohman, ’17 MD, Neal Moehrle, ’17 MD, Christopher Nash, ’17 MD, Alexandra Steverson, ’17 MD, MPH, and Brittany Vieira, ’17 MD, for outstanding performance in junior year clerkships.
