On June 13, 2021, the Department of Medicine held a virtual graduation ceremony for the internal medicine resident class of 2021. The ceremony began with congratulatory remarks and a song from interim internal medicine residency program director Jeremy Smith, MD, and words of reflection from department chair Lynn Schnapp, MD. Graduation speaker Michael Lucey, MD, spoke about the resident’s resourcefulness, grace, courage and skill when faced with profound challenges. The ceremony concluded with an awards presentation, found below.

Trainee awards

The Chief’s Awards recognize residents who go above and beyond to help the chief residents. This year, two residents from each year were chosen. The 2021 recipients are:

• PG 1: Devon Miller, MD, and Margaret Walker, MD, for demonstrating great attitudes and a willingness to help colleagues, including offering to fill in for others during the coronavirus pandemic.
• PG 2: John Davis, MD, and Sarah Floden, MD, who went above and beyond to assist their colleagues, brighten someone’s day, participate in educational sessions, and contribute to the “pay-it-forward” climate of the residency program.
• PG 3: Andrew Pap, MD, Corey Sadd, MD and Katrina Wolfe, MD, who enthusiastically volunteered to help others, robustly participated in our educational conferences and curriculum design, and radiated their passion for lifelong learning.

The Nephrology Master Award is presented to the resident who has displayed an outstanding knowledge base and enthusiasm for learning in renal pathophysiology and clinical Nephrology.

• PG 1: Nenita Maganti, MD
• PG 2: John Davis, MD
• PG 3: Jennifer Li, MD

The TEACH Pathway and Distinction Class of 2021 honors residents that showed their commitment and dedication to medical education by engaging in many extra hours of conferences and journal clubs, by having their teaching directly observed and receiving feedback, and for those in the Pathway, by completing an education capstone project. This year’s TEACH Distinction residents are Benjamin Clement, MD, Scott Laurenzo, MD, and Matthew Weiss, MD. The TEACH Pathway Residents are Christina Hughey, MD, Stephanie Pritzl, MD, Amy Taylor, MD, and Katrina Wolfe, MD.

The Global Health Pathway graduates are residents who participated in research and a curriculum oriented at teaching physicians cultural humility, and how to care for individuals in resource-poor settings. This year’s Global Health Pathway graduates are Nimrod Deiss-Yehiely, MD, Lindsay Matthews, MD, and Anatoliy Nechyporenko, MD.

The inaugural Health Equity Pathway graduates complete scholarly projects, clinical activities, and an online curriculum, all with the goal of evaluating the causes and effects of structural health inequities and developing the skills to address and reduce them in their careers. This year’s Healthy Equity graduates are Christina Hughey, MD, Ryan Smith, MD, and Amy Taylor, MD.

The Larry 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 2021 recipient is Emily Owen, 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 2021 recipient is Sarah Floden, MD.

The Sobby Mathew, MD, Award is given 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 being so comforting to her patients and their advocate. Her service and volunteerism were conducted with selflessness and a genuine eternal optimism toward the power of humanity to do good. The 2021 recipient is Erin Floyd, MD.

The Wellness Promotion Award is awarded to a resident who has shown consistent care and love for their fellow residents, extending joy and compassion, through their actions. It is intended to honor a resident who improves well-being and fosters connection and warmth in our community. The 2021 recipient is Lindsay Matthews, MD.

The Resident Teaching Award is presented to the resident who displayed excellence in teaching the principles and practice of Internal Medicine. The 2021 recipient is Nimrod Deiss-Yehiely, MD.

Faculty and clinician awards

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 2021 recipient is Alexis Eastman, MD.

The Physician’s Physician Award is presented to the faculty clinician to whom you would send a member of your family or would go to yourself. This is someone you trust in terms of medical knowledge and dedication to patient care. The 2021 recipient is Briana Jelenc, MD.

The Special Recognition Award is presented to any healthcare provider who works with our Residents and who has consistently offered education from their area of expertise. The 2021 recipient is Alex M. Martinelli, DNP, RN, AGACNP-BC in the TLC.

The Professionalism Award 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 respect for others. The 2021 recipient is Sean O’Neill, MD.

The Best Teacher Award recognizes faculty members who offered the best opportunity to learn and were the best overall teachers in the Department of Medicine. The 2021 recipients are Zachary D. Goldberger, MD, and Sean O’Neill, MD.

Congratulations to all of the graduating residents and award recipients!

Above: 2020-21 chief residents, Drs. Lauren Banaszak, Sarah Donohue, Katherine Fell and Victoria Gillet.

First row (L-R): Drs. Anandan, Clement, Deiss-Yehiely, Ebben, Frommelt
Second row (L-R): Drs. Halsey, Hetzel, Hughey, Laurenzo, Ley, Li, Macrander, Maier
Third row (L-R): Drs. Matthews, Massey, Nechyporenko, Owen, Pap, Poterala, Pritzl, Sadd
Fourth row (L-R): Drs. Segal, Smith, Taylor, Weiss, Wheeler, Wolfe, Zahalka, Zeman