On June 11, 2017, a ceremony was held for the graduating class of Internal Medicine residents at Union South on the UW-Madison campus. The ceremony included remarks by Mariah Quinn, MD, assistant professor, (CHS), General Internal Medicine, who serves as an associate program director for the residency program. Several awards were also given at the ceremony.

For a photo gallery from graduation, click here. The following awards were presented during the ceremony:

Chief’s Awards, given to a PG 1, 2 and 3 resident, each of whom is recognizing for going above and beyond to help the chief residents. The 2017 awardees were:

• PG 1: Callie Plafkin, MD and William Bringgold, MD
• PG 2: Megan Lutz, MD and Daniel McCulley, MD
• PG 3: Melissa MacDonald, MD and John Nan, MD

The Lary Crocker, MD Generalism Award. Dr. Larry Crocker was a member of the Division of General Internal Medicine. Prior to his retirement in 2007 at the age of 75, he was an outstanding role model for numerous UW faculty members. Dr. Crocker was a skilled and compassionate physician, dedicated to providing the best care for his patients. He passed away in 2012. The recipient of this award is recognized by current division members as someone who embodies Dr. Crocker’s principles of patient care. The 2017 awardee is Peter Kleinschmidt, MD.

The Sunde Award. David Sunde had a multisystem illness that required the care of three physicians working closely together, coordinating their efforts and involving the patient and family in the process. As a consequence of this interaction, Dave and his employer Ohmeda Corporation established a fund with the goal of recognizing the importance of the human touch in medicine in our highly technological era. This award comes with a gift that the donors ask to be used to honor and teach residents the importance of putting one’s personal ego aside, working as a team, and treating a patient not just as someone who is an ‘interesting case” but a full-fledged human being. The 2017 awardees are Jesse Maupin, MD and Johanna Streyle, MD.

Physician’s Physician Award, presented to the faculty member who you would send your family member to or would go to yourself. This is someone you trust in terms of medical knowledge and dedication to patient care. The 2017 awardee is Kelly Lavin, MD.

Special Recognition Award, presented to a healthcare provider or health unit clerk who works with our residents and who has consistently offered education from their area of expertise to our residents. This year’s award goes to Eva Allen, APNP.

Resident Excellence in Teaching Award, which is presented to the resident who offered excellence in teaching the principles and practice of Internal Medicine. This year the award was given to Patrick Koscuik, MD.

Professionalism Award, which is presented to the faculty member who best demonstrated altruism; accountability to patients, the public and the profession; a commitment to excellence; a sense of duty, honor and integrity; and humanism, empathy and a respect for others. The 2017 awardee is Sarah Ahrens, MD.

The Sobby Mathew MD Award, presented to an intern who is hard-working, open-minded, supportive, and selfless; and who demonstrates compassion and a caring attitude for her or his patients. Sobby Mathew was taken from us prematurely in a car accident at the end of her PG-1 year. She had been a strong role model in her congregation and local Indian community. She was widely admired by her peers and faculty for her quiet serenity that was so comforting to her patients. This serenity was punctuated by a strong sense of advocacy. Her service and volunteerism were conducted with selflessness and a genuine eternal optimism toward the power of humanity to do good. The award was presented to Patrick Grogan, MD.

The Patient-Centered Award is presented to the faculty member who best embodies the attributes of empathy, humanism, patient-centered communication, and shared decision-making. The 2017 awardee is Nicholas Haun, MD.

The Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes the faculty member who offered the best opportunity to learn and was the best overall teacher in the Department of Medicine. The 2017 awardee is Dr. Eric Yanke, MD.

The Outstanding Resident in Medicine Award goes to Amber Hertz-Tang, MD.

Resident inducted into AOA Medical Honorary Society in 2017 was Yaoli Yang, MD.

A full list of 2017 graduates is below. For a gallery of photos from graduation, click here.

Categorical Program:

• Madelyn Alvarez, MD
• Justin Bucci, MD
• Ashish Chaddha, MD
• Benjamin Ciske, MD
• Megan Hall, MD
• Amber Hertz-Tang, MD
• Christopher Hoersting, MD
• Thomas Holobyn, MD
• Barrett Kenny, MD
• Patrick Kosciuk, MD
• Melissa MacDonald, MD
• John Nan, MD
• Clare O’Connor, MD
• Margaret Punt, MD
• Scott Saunders, MD
• Kate Steinberg, MD
• Sean Swearingen, MD
• Matthew Tipping, MD
• Kevin Wenzke, MD
• Mingxi Dennis Yu, MD

Primary Care Track:

• Peter Kleinschmidt, MD
• Samantha Pabich, MD
• Ryan Roth, MD
• Johanna Streyle, MD

Medical/Dermatology Combination Program:

• Lauren Craddock, MD

2016-17 Chief Residents

• Vidthya Abraham, MD, Trowbridge Endowed Primary Care Chief Resident
• Emily Joachim, MD, Bridges Family Endowed Chief Resident
• Jeff Lin, MD, Page Family Endowed Chief Resident
• Jessica Tischendorf, MD Vogelman/Carnes Family Endowed Chief Resident