The Wayne State University School of Medicine celebrated and honored its faculty at the annual Faculty Recognition and Awards Ceremony on Oct. 28 in the school's Margherio Family Conference Center.
Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development Linda Roth, Ph.D., and Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development Virginia Delaney-Black, M.D., M.P.H., welcomed the award winners and their guests before distributing the awards.
"It is my privilege to be here with you," said Vice Dean of Medical Education Richard Baker, M.D., who served as a guest speaker. "You are the core of the School of Medicine, and teaching is the core of our mission. This is who we are and who we should be."
The College Teaching Award is given to faculty based on instructional expertise as evaluated by students in the undergraduate medical education program, residents in the graduate medical education programs and graduate students, as well as the annual department chairs' evaluation and other factors. Recipients of the award received a certificate and a gift card.
The Research Excellence Award recognizes research excellence and achievement by the faculty, and is distributed among assistant professors, associate professors and professors from clinical and basic science departments. Recipients received a certificate and a gift card.
"It is humbling to receive this Research Excellence Award from my peers, the faculty at the School of Medicine," said Sokol Todi, Ph.D., associate professor of Pharmacology, one of six faculty members to receive Research Excellence Awards. "To have been selected among the many colleagues who are excellent scientists is a great honor, and will make me work harder, so that each time I look at the certificate I shall feel worthy of this award."
In addition, five faculty members were singled out to receive Dean's Office Awards. Established in 2012, these awards come with a $500 award in addition to a certificate.
"It's a great honor to be recognized with this award for excellence in basic science teaching. As a pathologist, I attempt to help medical students bridge the gap between their understanding of foundational basic science disciplines and principles of clinical medicine," said Barbara Bosch, M.D., associate professor of Pathology, who received the Kamran S. Moghissi, M.D., Endowed Faculty Award for Excellence in Basic Science Teaching. "My hope is that, in some small way, I contribute to medical students' understanding of the etiology, mechanisms and manifestations of human disease in order to prepare them to build on this knowledge base throughout the remainder of their medical training and professional career."
Dr. Delaney-Black noted that competition for the Dean's Office Awards was extremely intense this year. "If you were nominated, you are in a very special group of people," she said.
The Kamran S. Moghissi, M.D. Endowed Faculty Award for Excellence in Basic Science Teaching is given to faculty member who, through long and meritorious teaching of basic sciences, has left a mark of excellence and provided students with a critical understanding of the faculty member's discipline. The purpose of this award is to recognize faculty achievement, to encourage continued progress, and to provide assistance to faculty who demonstrate significant contributions to the teaching of basic science courses during the first two years in the School of Medicine.
Kenneth Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor of Pathology, nominated Dr. Bosch for the honor.
"Barbara demonstrates extraordinary abilities as a medical educator," he said. "She sets a high standard of excellence and expects compliance from her students. However, she provides them a pathway to success through her mastery of teaching, especially in motivating students to think and integrate knowledge at a higher level to enhance their long-term learning and ultimately for translation to clinical practice. She completely revised the small-group lab curriculum around the computer-based 'virtual slidebox' technology to enhance significantly laboratory experience of the students. Her clinical background, interest in adult learners, embracing of instructional technology and approachable personality all complement our existing teaching strengths in the department."
The Excellence in Clinical Science Teaching Award was presented to Robert Wahl, M.D., assistant professor of Emergency Medicine. The award goes to a faculty member who, through long and meritorious teaching of clinical or behavioral sciences, has left a mark of excellence and provided students with a critical understanding of the faculty member's discipline.
"He is a consummate teacher -- patient, methodical, knowledgeable -- with innate ability to get his point across in a manner that is understandable and retainable," said Brian O'Neil, M.D., chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, who nominated Dr. Wahl. "Bob has been an inspiration to his students as they pursue their emergency medicine residency training. He is dedicated to the technical and intellectual development of the students, focusing on their skill development, not only in clinical procedures, but also the less tangible areas of treating patients and staff with respect and kindness. He develops strong relationships with his students, and is always available to motivate and inspire them to excel."
James Rillema, Ph.D., professor of Physiology, received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award. The award is presented to a faculty member who has served as an outstanding mentor to other faculty and demonstrates a gift and passion for mentoring faculty. He was nominated by J-P Jin, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Physiology.
Dr. Rillema "always provides critical and highly constructive assessments and suggestions for tenure-track faculty to develop their independent academic career," Dr. Jin said. "Dr. Rillema's input and suggestions have positively influenced my functions in leading the department and constructively solving problems." His "years of contribution to mentoring junior faculty has made many improvements in assisting in the building of a strong and productive department and raising the reputation of our school and university. He is one of my great role models, and I give him my strongest support."
The Outstanding Research Achievement Award was presented to Robert Sokol, M.D., the John M. Malone Jr., M.D., Endowed Chair and director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth & Development. The award is presented to a faculty member in a basic science or clinical department who has made significant and career-long contributions to the advancement of an area of biomedical, behavioral, clinical or medical research. Dr. Sokol was nominated for the honor by Elizabeth Puscheck, M.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
"He is an internationally recognized expert in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders," Dr. Puscheck said of Dr. Sokol. "He established and directed the National Institutes of Health-funded WSU Fetal Alcohol Research Center in 1986 until 1997, which was the only one in the country. … He was instrumental in obtaining the two contracts … in support of the Perinatology Research Branch, valued at about $313 million over 20 years. He has been involved with over a half a billion dollars in grant and contract support here at Wayne. … Robert Sokol's contributions to biomedical science have been, and continue to be, extraordinary."
Diane Levine, M.D., associate professor of Internal Medicine, received the Women in Medicine and Science Leadership Award, which goes to a faculty member who has supported and/or brought recognition to women faculty members or activities for women faculty.
"She is a prototype of what a compassionate physician and visionary educator should look like," said Basim Dubaybo, M.D., chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, who nominated Dr. Levine for the award. "She demonstrated impeccable skills as a gifted teacher, a supportive mentor, and an advocate for students, residents, junior faculty and certainly patients. Dr. Levine has guided, encouraged and promoted numerous junior faculty and has specifically been an exceptional advocate for the promotion of other women faculty. ... Her presence, integrity and willingness to share her thoughts have motivated many to become better doctors, teachers and leaders."
A complete list of award winners follows:
COLLEGE TEACHING AWARDS
Anatomy
Jean Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D.
Biochemistry
Sharon Ackerman-Gatti, Ph.D.
JianJun Wang, Ph.D.
Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics
Russell Finley, Ph.D.
Maik Huttemann, Ph.D.
Gregory Kapatos, Ph.D.
Francesca Luca, Ph.D.
Emergency Medicine
Erik Olsen, M.D.
Family Medicine
Juliann Binienda, Ph.D.
James Janisse, Ph.D.
Internal Medicine
M. Safwan Badr, M.D.
Zeenat Bhat, M.D.
Willane Krell, M.D.
Marie-Claire Maroun, M.D.
Noreen Rossi, M.D.
Berhane Seyoum, M.D.
Neelima Thati, M.D.
Jarrett Weinberger, M.D.
Neurology
Pratik Bhattacharya, M.D.
Edwin George II, Ph.D.
Kumar Rajamani, M.D.
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Yoram Sorokin, M.D.
Pathology
Shijie Sheng, Ph.D.
Oncology
Carter Bishop, M.D.
Julie Boerner, Ph.D.
Jacob Burmeister, Ph.D.
Wei Chen, Ph.D.
Abhinav Deol, M.D.
Gregory Dyson, Ph.D.
Lawrence Flaherty, M.D.
Shirish Gadgeel, M.D.
Elisabeth Heath, M.D.
Lance Heilbrun, Ph.D.
Michael Joiner, Ph.D.
Lawrence Lum, M.D.
Larry Matherly, Ph.D.
Philip Philip, Ph.D.
Charles Schiffer, M.D.
Michael Snyder, Ph.D.
Joseph Uberti, Ph.D.
Jeffrey Zonder, M.D.
Pediatrics
Sanjeev Aggarwal, M.D.
Sanjay Chawla, M.D.
Pharmacology
Rodrigo Andrade, Ph.D.
Michael Bannon, Ph.D.
David Kessel, Ph.D.
Raymond Mattingly, Ph.D.
Izabela Podgorski, Ph.D.
Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and Pharmacology
Thomas Kocarek, Ph.D.
Physiology
Douglas Yingst, Ph.D.
Psychiatry
Rebecca Klisz-Hulbert, M.D.
David Ledgerwood, Ph.D.
RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics
James Granneman, Ph.D.
Kezhong Zhang, Ph.D.
Pharmacology
Sokol Todi, Ph.D.
Emergency Medicine
Philip Levy, M.D.
Thomas Sanderson, Ph.D.
Robert Welch, M.D.
DEAN'S OFFICE AWARDS
Kamran S. Moghissi, M.D., Endowed Faculty Award for Excellence in Basic Science Teaching - Barbara Bosch, M.D., associate professor of Pathology and director of Pathology Education.
Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award - Robert Wahl, M.D., assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and director of Emergency Medicine residency program.
Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award - James Rillema, Ph.D., professor of Physiology.
Outstanding Research Achievement Award - Robert Sokol, M.D., the John M. Malone Jr., M.D., Endowed Chair and director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development.
Women in Medicine and Science Leadership Award - Diane Levine, M.D., associate professor of Internal Medicine and vice chair for Education and clerkship director of Internal Medicine.
VOLUNTARY FACULTY PROMOTIONS
The following voluntary faculty members were promoted to adjunct associate professor:
Pamela Harding, Ph.D., Department of Physiology, Henry Ford Health System
The following voluntary faculty members were promoted to adjunct professor:
Qing-Sheng Mi, Ph.D., Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Detroit Medical Center
The following voluntary faculty members were promoted to clinical associate professor:
Mehmet Bayram, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Detroit Medical Center
Gregory Berger, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit Medical Center
Debashish Bhattacharya, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Detroit Medical Center
Julie Buch, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Detroit Medical Center
Youssef Dakka, M.D., Department of Neurology, Henry Ford Health System
Nasser Durgham, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Detroit Medical Center
Margaret Gall, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Detroit Medical Center
Georges Haddad, M.D., Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health System
Vijay Kudesia, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Detroit Medical Center
Daniel Morris, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, Henry Ford Health System
Sankar Rajan, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Detroit Medical Center
Jason Schwalb, M.D., Department of Neurosurgery, Henry Ford Health System
Ramsey Shehab, M.D., Department of Orthopaedics, Henry Ford Health System
Lori Stricker, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Detroit Medical Center
Arina Talpesh, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Detroit Medical Center
Karen Weaver, M.D., Department of Family Medicine, Oakwood Hospital
Joel Young, M.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Detroit Medical Center
John Zappia, M.D., Department of Otolaryngology, Detroit Medical Center
The following voluntary faculty members were promoted to clinical professor:
John Hopper, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Ramegowda Rajagopal, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Detroit Medical Center