Round of Applause — February 2018
Featured Round of Applause
Rohan Fernandes, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, received more than $700,000 from the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to research treatment for neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. The disease is the third leading cause of cancer-related death among children, accounting for 10-15 percent of pediatric cancer deaths. Alex’s Lemonade Stand founder and namesake, Alexandra Scott, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma shortly before her first birthday and died at the age of 8. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation named Fernandes one of the recipients of the highly competitive ‘A’ Award, a four-year grant for early career independent scientists with an interest in pediatric oncology.
Please submit your information about recent awards, recognition, and promotions
Acknowledgements
Erika Bramlette, MBA, PA, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, participated in an AAMC-sponsored panel for high school students. She and the other panelists discussed educational and career pathways to health professions for Washington, D.C., secondary school students participating in the College Bound program.
Marcia Firmani, PhD, MSPH, director of the Program in Medical Laboratory Sciences and interim chair of the Department of Integrated Health Sciences, gave two presentations, “The Use of Virtual Laboratories to Enhance the Laboratory Sciences Curriculum” and “Professional Development Assessment in Multiple Learning Formats and Environments,” at the Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference in Houston.
Steph Rasgus, MEd, and Whitney Milhouse, MS, both adjunct instructors of clinical research and leadership, will represent SMHS in a new GW initiative, TargetX Student Lifecycle CRM Project. The group will expand TargetX, used for student recruitment and admissions purposes, to the advising community on campus to strengthen GW’s commitment to enhancing the student experience.
Carol Rentas, MEd, assistant professor of integrated health sciences, presented “Leave Them Thinking: Using Interleaving to Promote Retention in a Capstone Review Course” at the Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference in Houston.
Maranda Ward, EdD, MPH, visiting assistant professor of clinical research and leadership and faculty liaison for the Academy of Health Sciences, had an abstract accepted for an oral presentation at the Beyond Flexner: Social Mission of the Health Professions Conference in Atlanta on April. Ward’s research, “Ethnocultural Empathy as a Measurable Competency of an Online Health Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum,” is part of the “Using Cultural Competency to Make a Difference” panel. Ward will also co-lead a pre-conference session, “Say it loud!!!: Using Disruptive Methods in Your Qualitative Dissertation,” at the American Education Research Association in mid-April.
Appointments and Promotions
Jona Phelan, MBA, was promoted to senior academic advisor; in her new role, she serves military students across the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership and the Department of Integrated Health Sciences.
Grants and Awards
Adam Friedman, MD, associate professor of dermatology and residency program director, received the Innovations in Residency Training Award from the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. Friedman was selected for his forward-thinking approaches to dermatology and his desire to support the next generation of dermatologists. Additionally, Friedman and clinicians from the Department of Dermatology presented on a variety of topics at the 2018 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.
Publications
Leslie Davidson, PhD, chair of the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, and eight co-authors published “Toward Return to Duty Decision-Making after Military Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Preliminary Validation of the Charge of Quarters Duty Test” in Military Medicine.
Karen Lewis, PhD, adjunct assistant professor of medicine, published an article, “The Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP),” in Advances of Simulation. The article has been accessed nearly 7,000 times since publication and is the second most accessed publication in the journal.
Margaret Plack, EdD, DPT, professor of health, human function, and rehabilitation sciences, and Debra Herrmann, MA ’01, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, along with six GW colleagues published “Systems Thinking and Systems-Based Practice Across the Health Professions: An Inquiry Into Definitions, Teaching Practices, and Assessment” in the December issue of Teaching and Learning in Medicine: An International Journal.
David Scalzitti, PhD, assistant professor of health, human function, and rehabilitation sciences, as part of an international team of physical therapists, published a Clinical Practice Guideline on knee meniscal and articular cartilage lesions. The comprehensive document updates the existing evidence on physical therapy management of these conditions and complements the Clinical Practice Guideline on Knee Ligament Injuries, which the team published in November. The current guideline and additional resources are available in the February 2018 issue of the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy.
Cynthia Tracy, MD, associate director of the Division of Cardiology, director of electrophysiology, and professor of medicine, was senior author of “2017 ACC/HRS Lifelong Learning Statement for Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialists.” The article was published in the January 2018 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Alan Wasserman, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and Eugene Meyer Professor of Medicine, served as a senior author on “2017 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway for Optimization of Heart Failure Treatment: Answers to 10 Pivotal Issues About Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction,” which appears in the January 2018 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
2017 Round of Applause to the SMHS Faculty, Students, Residents, and Fellows
Congratulations to the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) faculty, students, and residents who received appointments, awards, and honors over the past 12 months.
Please submit your information about recent awards, recognition, and promotions
Students, Residents and Fellows
Nawaf Abaalkhail, MBBS, MRFP ’14, RESD ’17, received 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine Jorge C. Rios, MD, Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine.
Seemal Awan, MD, internal and primary care medicine resident, was named 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine Intern of the Year.
Katherine Blackmore, graduate research assistant, PhD candidate in molecular medicine, received the George Mandel Graduate Student Travel Award.
Erica Cahill, MD, RESD ’17, received the 2017 Allan B. Weingold Award, presented at the GW SMHS obstetrics and gynecology Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Research Day, May 2017.
Jimmy Chen, MD, received the 2017 Top Resident Certificate of Recognition in Psychiatry, at the 12th Annual Teaching Awards at the Inova Campus.
Jason Chien, MSIV, received the 2017 Speck Endowed Prize for Student Medical Research Award.
Sarah Cigna, MD ’14, chief resident, Obstetrics and Gynecology, received the 2017 Society of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Award.
Christina Darwish, BS ’17, received a GW Undergraduate Research Award and was selected to the Enosinian Scholars Program. Darwish co-authored the publications “Analysis of ABCA1 and Cholesterol Efflux in HIV-infected Cells,” and “Live Cell Imaging of ABCA1 Downregulation by HIV-1 Nef in an Experimental Model of HeLa ABCA1-GFP.” She also successfully defended her thesis “The Role of Calnexin in Cholesterol Transport Impairment in HIV Infection and Tangier Disease.”
Austin C. Debeaux, MD, PGY II, was named 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine Preliminary Intern of the Year award.
Taylor Gilmore, MD, obstetrics and gynecology resident, received the 2017 Sergio Fabro Award for Contribution to the Education of Medical Students presented at the GW SMHS Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Research Day, May 2017.
Betsy Kidder, MD ’11, PhD ’14, MPH ’04, received 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine VA Resident of the Year award.
Lei Lynn, MD, research instructor of medicine, was voted Fairfax Resident of the year.
Yamane Makke, MD, neurology resident, received the 2017 GW SMHS Department of Neurology Graduating Resident Award.
Caitlin Mingey, MD, received 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine Susan Hasselquist Award.
Veeshal Modi, MD, received 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine ICU Resident of the Year award.
Aung Myint, MD, RESD ’16, BA ’07, was voted the 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine Fellow of the Year.
Samah Nassereddine, MD, Leukemia fellow, was awarded top prize for a Case Report at the GME Resident Research Award competition.
Sara Pike, MD, RESD ’17, was named the 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine Primary Care Resident of the Year.
Hind Rafei, PGY II, was awarded top prize for a Case Report at the GME Resident Research Award competition.
Brittany Sanford, MD, received the 2017 Excellence in Medical Education Award, presented at the GW SMHS Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Research Day, May 2017.
Sandy Fulkerson Schaeffer, PA ’17, MPH ’17, received the 2017 GW SMHS Outstanding PA Student Award.
Murteza Shahkolahi, MD, PGY III, was awarded the 2017 Emergency Ultrasound Resident Research Award by The Academy of Emergency Ultrasound Society and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Shahkolahi was also published in the Journal of Critical Care and is one of the chief residents for the upcoming year.
Faculty
Alexei Adzhubei, MD, PhD, adjunct associate professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, co-authored the publication “Interaction Between HIV-1 Nef and Calnexin: From Modeling to Small Molecule Inhibitors Reversing HIV-Induced Lipid Accumulation.”
Melanie Anspacher, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, was a co-recipient of the 2017 Children’s National Health System Golden Apple Award for best faculty teaching in a non-required rotation.
Lisa Alexander, EdD ’03, MPH ’89, PA-C ’79, professor of physician assistant studies, elected to serve as president of the Physician Assistant Education Association executive board.
Shireen Atabaki, MD, MPH, associate professor of pediatrics, was awarded the W. Scott Schroth Scholarly Concentration Mentorship Award by the Office of Student Professional Enrichment.
Shant Ayanian, MD, RESD ’13, MS ’17, assistant professor of medicine, was voted 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine Attending of the Year and was inducted as this year’s faculty inductee to into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Susanne Bathgate, MD ’86, RESD ’90, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, received the 2017 Oscar I. Dodek Jr. Faculty Teaching Award.
Jeffrey Bethony, PhD, professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, and of epidemiology and biostatistics, executed the last study visit for the U01 phase 1 co-administration of hookworm vaccines in an endemic area of Brazil with clinical and immunological analyses continuing at GW. He was also on a team that was awarded U01 Phase 1 for hookworm challenge model to run at GW; a pilot study from D.C. CFAR to study the use of ultrasound guided lymph node fine needle aspirates in phase 1 vaccine studies; a Phase 1 study for a schistosomiasis vaccine in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine; and a Phase 1 study of the DNA Zika Virus in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Bethony was also co-recipient of subcontract from Antigen Discovery Incorporated to a flavivirus proteome array using serum samples from Colombia and Brazil.
Benjamin (Jim) Blatt, MD, professor of medicine, selected as the recipient of the 2017 Northeast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA) Distinguished Service and Leadership Award.
Catherine Bollard, MD, professor of pediatrics and of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, and director, Program for Cell Enhancement and Immunotherapy at Children’s National Research Center, was included on the 2017 Medicine Maker Top 100 Power List.
Alberto Bosque-Pardos, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, received a patent award for “Methods and Compositions Relating to Viral Latency, U.S. Patent US 9,719,069.” He also co-authored several studies including “Transcriptomic Analysis Implicates the p53 Signaling Pathway in the Establishment of HIV-1 Latency in Central Memory CD4 T-cells in an In Vitro Model,” “Janus Kinase Inhibition Suppresses PKC-Induced Cytokine Release Without Affecting HIV-1 Latency Reversal ex vivo,” “Benzotriazoles Reactivate Latent HIV-1 Through Inactivation of STAT5 SUMOylation,” and “Microbiota Promotes Systemic T-cell Survival Through Suppression of an Apoptotic Factor.”
Beda Brichacek, PhD, assistant research professor microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, co-authored the publications “Analysis of ABCA1 and Cholesterol Efflux in HIV-infected Cells,” “Live Cell Imaging of ABCA1 Downregulation by HIV-1 Nef in an Experimental Model of HeLa ABCA1-GFP,” “Cellular Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 5 (MCM5) is Incorporated into HIV-1 Virions and Modulates Viral Replication in the Newly Infected Cells,” “Interaction Between HIV-1 Nef and Calnexin: From Modeling to Small Molecule Inhibitors Reversing HIV-induced Lipid Accumulation,” and “Accumulation of Neutral Lipids in Liver and Aorta of Nef-transgenic Mice.”
Paul Brindley, PhD, professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, was awarded the Overseas Visiting Professorship (2017–20) by the Mekong Health Science Research Institute of Khon Kaen University in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Helen Burstin, MD, MPH, FACP, associate clinical professor of medicine, has been selected to serve as the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies.
Kathleen Calabrese, MD ’08, RESD ’12, assistant professor of emergency medicine, received a 2017 SMHS Distinguished Teacher Award.
Michael Bukrinsky, MD, PhD, professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine and of biochemistry and molecular medicine, co-authored the publications “Analysis of ABCA1 and Cholesterol Efflux in HIV-infected Cells,” “Live Cell Imaging of ABCA1 Downregulation by HIV-1 Nef in an Experimental Model of HeLa ABCA1-GFP,” “Cellular Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 5 (MCM5) is Incorporated into HIV-1 Virions and Modulates Viral Replication in the Newly Infected Cells,” “Interaction Between HIV-1 Nef and Calnexin: From Modeling to Small Molecule Inhibitors Reversing HIV-induced Lipid Accumulation,” and “Accumulation of Neutral Lipids in Liver and Aorta of Nef-transgenic Mice.”
Shawneequa Callier, JD, associate professor of clinical research and leadership, received the 2017 Genome Recognition of Employee Accomplishments and Talents Award in the Diversity and Inclusion category.
James Cawley, MPH, PA-C, professor of physician assistant studies, was appointed to a one-year term as president of the Physician Assistant Foundation board of trusties.
Susan Ceryak, PhD ’94, MS ’90, associate professor of pharmacology and physiology, received the 2017 SMHS Distinguished Teacher Award.
Aileen Chang, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of medicine, was also co-recipient of subcontract from Antigen Discovery Incorporated to a flavivirus proteome array using serum samples from Colombia and Brazil.
Dan Chen, MD, FEL ’15, assistant professor of medicine, was voted 2017 GW SMHS Department of Medicine VA Attending of the Year.
Ellen Costello, PhD, PT, associate professor of physical therapy, was a co-recipient of the Elsevier Journal Sponsored Award for best platform presentation in the North American Caribbean region at the World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress 2017.
James DeBritz, MD, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, received the 2016 GW SMHS Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Outstanding Faculty Teacher Award.
Nina Deutsch, MD, FEL ’04, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and of pediatrics, received the 2017 Raafat Hannallah Teaching Award for demonstrating exceptional clinical teaching skills in the Division of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine at Children’s National Health System.
Lawrence “Bopper” Deyton, MD ’85, MSPH, senior associate dean for clinical public health and professor of medicine, was Installed as Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy.
David Diemert, MD, associate professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine and of medicine, executed the last study visit for the U01 phase 1 co-administration of hookworm vaccines in an endemic area of Brazil with clinical and immunological analyses continuing at GW. He was also on a team awarded U01 Phase 1 for hookworm challenge model to run at GW; a pilot study from D.C. CFAR to study the use of ultrasound guided lymph node fine needle aspirates in phase 1 vaccine studies; a Phase 1 study for a schistosomiasis vaccine in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine; and a Phase 1 study of the DNA Zika Virus in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Tatiana Efimova, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy and regenerative biology and of dermatology, was the 2017 faculty co-sponsor of W.T. Gill Summer Fellowship. She was awarded the GW Cross-Disciplinary Research Fund for collaborative research partnership with the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science. Efimova also received a GW Cancer Center Pilot Award.
Marcia Firmani, PhD, MSPH, director of the Program in Medical Laboratory Sciences, interim chair, Department of Integrated Medicine, and assistant professor of integrated health sciences and of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, was co-presenter of “Innovative Methods to Deliver Case Studies in an Online or Flipped Classroom,” and “Developing a Mobile Application to Support Student Learning During Clinical Rotations” at the 2017 Northeast Association of Advisors for Health Professionals Conference.
James Gehring, assistant professor of medicine, medical director of the Physician Assistant Program, was elected to a four-year term as physician director-at-large of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistant Board.
Pritha Ghosh, MD, assistant professor of neurology, completed the Master Teacher Certificate Program at SMHS.
Kristin Gorelik, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was chosen to receive a 2017 Golden Apple award by third-year SMHS MD program students.
Patrick Hanley, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, received the Amy Strelzer Manasevit Scholar Award sponsored by The Match and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
John Hawdon, PhD, associate professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, received the Henry Baldwin Ward Medal from the American Society of Parasitologists in June 2016. Hawdon was also named president-elect of the organization 2017 and was re-elected president of the Helminthological Society of Washington.
Grace E. Henry, EdD ’12, director of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, recently published the self-help / personal growth / success book, “Listening to My Mom WILL Change Your Life: 21 Life Changers for Living Relentlessly.”
Sergey Iordanskly, PhD, adjunct assistant professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, co-authored the publication “Cellular Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 5 (MCM5) is Incorporated into HIV-1 Virions and Modulates Viral Replication in the Newly Infected Cells.”
Michael Irwig, MD, associate professor of medicine, was appointed to the editorial board of Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology.
Dhinu Jayaseelan, DPT ’10, assistant professor of physical therapy, received the GW SMHS Doctor of Physical Therapy Program Outstanding Faculty Member Award.
Rosalyn Jurjus, MD, PhD, associate professor of anatomy and regenerative biology, authored the article, “How to Manage the Research Team,” in Anatomy NOW.
Anastassios C. Koumbourlis, MD, MPH, chief, Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, director, Cystic Fibrosis Center at Children’s National Health System, and professor of pediatrics, received the Distinguished CHEST Educator bestowed by the American College of Chest Physicians. He also was named a Top Doctor for 10 Years by Castle-Connolly.
Asheesh Kumar, MD ’06, BA ’02, staff anesthesiologist/intensivist, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, received the 2017 GW SMHS Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Teacher of the Year Award.
Deborah LaFond, NP, assistant professor of pediatrics, was a co-recipient of the 2017 Children’s National Health System Golden Apple Award for best faculty teaching in a non-required rotation.
Anthony LaMantia, PhD, professor of pharmacology and physiology and director, The GW Institute for Neuroscience, was installed as the Jeffrey Lieberman Professor of Neurosciences.
Jennifer Lesko, MD, MPH, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, received the 2017 Society of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Award.
Micael Lopez-Acevedo, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was selected to receive the department’s 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award by the graduating class of GW SMHS obstetrics and gynecology residents.
Susan Leach, PhD, PT, NCS, CEEAA, assistant professor of physical therapy, was a co-recipient the Elsevier Journal Sponsored Award for best platform presentation in the North American Caribbean region at the World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress 2017.
Amanda Levin, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, received the Elda Arce Teaching Award from Children’s National Health System.
Hui Lu, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology, received a NIH Pathway to Independence Award.
Laila Mahmood, MD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, was a co-recipient of the 2017 Children’s National Health System Golden Apple Award for best faculty teaching in a non-required rotation.
Anjali Martinez, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, received the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics’ 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Cherie Q. Marfori, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, received the 2017 Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology National Faculty Award.
Paul Marvar, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology, received the 2017 Beverly Petterson Bishop Award for Excellence in Neurophysiology from the American Physiological Society.
C. Brandon Mitchell, MD, assistant professor of dermatology, received the GW SMHS Department of Dermatology Teacher of the Year.
Sally A. Moody, PhD, interim chair, Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology and professor of anatomy and regenerative biology, was elected vice president of the Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology. Moody chaired the Gordon Research Conference on “Neural Crest and Cranial Placodes.” She was interviewed by Science Node during the March for Science in 2017. Moody was also an invited speaker at seminars at Hohenheim University in Stuttgart, Germany; University of Freiberg Medical School in Frieberg, Germany; the International Xenopus Conference in Crete, Greece; and the International Graduate School of Molecular Medicine in Ulm, Germany.
Lalit Narayan, MBBS, assistant professor of medicine, was selected to receive the SMHS Office of Diversity and Inclusion Minority Faculty Retention Initiative Grant to attend the 2017 AAMC Minority Faculty Leadership Development.
Ahdeah Pajoohesh-Ganji, PhD, assistant research professor of anatomy and regenerative biology, co-authored the publication “Topical Mitomycin-C Enhances Subbasal Nerve Regeneration and Reduces Erosion Frequency in the Debridement Wounded Mouse Cornea.”
Gurusher Panjrath, MD, director, advanced heart failure, assistant professor of medicine, was selected by the Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies to be an abstract captain.
Kavita Parikh, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, received the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Award for quality and patient safety at the July 2016 Pediatric Hospital Medicine national meeting.
Kevin Pelphrey, PhD, director of the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, and professor of pharmacology and physiology and of pediatrics, was installed as the Carbonell Family Professor in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
Jesse Pines, MD, director, Center for Healthcare Innovation & Policy Research, and professor of emergency medicine and of health policy and management, was awarded the Abigail and Gary Conrad Award by the University of Pennsylvania for outstanding contributions to emergency medicine.
Margaret M. Plack, DPT, EdD, professor of physical therapy, was awarded the 2017 Golden Apple Award by the Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2019.
Abigail Polter PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology, received a NIH Pathway to Independence Award.
Dave Popiel, MD, RESD ’08, RESD ’10, MPH, CERT ’13, assistant professor of medicine, was voted 2017 Medicine Clinic Attending of the Year.
Raj Rao, MD, chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and professor of orthopaedic surgery and of neurosurgery, was elected to serve as president-elect of the Lumbar Spine Research Society.
Carol Rentas, MEd, assistant professor of integrated health sciences, was co-presenter of “Innovative Methods to Deliver Case Studies in an Online or Flipped Classroom” and “Developing a Mobile Application to Support Student Learning During Clinical Rotations” at the ASCLS Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference.
Perry Richardson, MD, professor of neurology and of neurological surgery, and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Director, received this year’s American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Program Director Recognition Award during the 2017 AAN Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, April 22–28. Richardson also received the SMHS Department of Neurology’s John Kelly Faculty Teaching Award.
Tamara Ritsema, MPH, MMSc, PA-C, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, received the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching for the physician assistant Class of 2018.
Sean Robinson, DHSc, PA-C, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, was appointed as feature editor for the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.
Narine Sarvazyan, PhD, professor of pharmacology and physiology, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award.
Lisa Schwartz, EdD, assistant professor of integrated health sciences, was a recipient of the GW Shenkman Career Services Fund Faculty and Staff Innovation Grant to launch the VSTC pre-health professional film series titled “Lights, Camera, Action – Developing Pre-Health Professional Student Career Development through Film.” Schwartz also co-authored the publication “Transition to Independence: Characteristics and Outcomes of Mentored Career Development (KL2) Scholars at Clinical and Translational Science Award Institutions.” She also presented “What’s Your Style? Enhanced Interprofessional Communication and Practice Using the Communication Wheel” at the 2017 Northeast Association of Advisors for Health Professionals Conference.
Thomas Scott, MD, assistant clinical professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, was one of two faculty members to receive the 2017 GW SMHS Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Teacher of the Year Award.
Michael Seneff, MD, RESD ’90, anesthesiology and critical care medicine, was voted GW SMHS Department of Medicine Non-Medicine Attending of the Year.
Ed Seto, PhD, associate center director for basic sciences at the GW Cancer Center, and professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine, was installed as the GW SMHS King Fahd Professor of Cancer Biology.
Marc Siegel, MD, associate professor of medicine, received the Sol Katz Teaching award, from the DC chapter of American College of Physicians.
Frank Slaby, PhD, professor of anatomy and regenerative biology, published the book titled “The Anatomy of Injury & Illness.”
David Steinhorn, MD, professor of pediatrics, was a co-recipient of the 2017 Children’s National Health System Golden Apple Award for best faculty teaching in a non-required rotation.
Mary Ann Stepp, PhD, professor of anatomy and regenerative biology and of ophthalmology, was awarded a grant from the NIH for the study, “Molecular Mechanisms of Corneal Recurrent Erosion Formation.” Stepp was also an invited speaker at the Association for Research and Vision and Ophthalmology meeting, the International Society for Eye Research Meeting in Tokyo, Japan, as well as seminars at University of California Berkeley, Baylor University, and University of Pittsburgh. She recently co-authored several studies including, “Corneal Epithelial Cells Function as Surrogate Schwann Sells for their Sensory Nerves,” “Topical Mitomaycin-C Enhances Subbasal Nerve Regeneration and Reduces Erosion Frequency in the Debridement Wounded Mouse Cornea,” and “Alterations in Corneal Sensory Nerves in Response to Aging and Injury in Mice Lacking the Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan.”
Howard Straker, MPH, PA-C, assistant professor of physician assistant studies, was re-elected to a second term as secretary of the Physician Assistant Education Association executive board. Straker is also the recipient of the 2016 Department of PA Studies Public Service Award and Patron of the Profession Award from the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program.
Dmitri Sviridov, MD, PhD, adjunct professor of microbiology, immunology, and tropical medicine, co-authored the publications “Interaction Between HIV-1 Nef and Calnexin: From Modeling to Small Molecule Inhibitors Reversing HIV-Induced Lipid Accumulation,” and “Accumulation of Neutral Lipids in Liver and Aorta of Nef-transgenic Mice.”
Nora Taylor, MD, assistant professor of medicine, was awarded the American College of Rheumatology Clinician Scholar Educator Award.
Alexandros Tzatsos, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy and regenerative biology, was awarded a grant from the NIH for the study, “Epigenetic Regulation of Metabolic Reprogramming in Pancreatic Cancer.”
Rushi Vyas, MD, clinical instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, 2017 Top Fellow Certificate of Recognition, at the 12th Annual Teaching Awards at the Inova Campus.
Homan Wai, MD, RESD ’09, assistant clinical professor of medicine, was named the 2017 Inova Fairfax Hospital Attending of the Year.
Jichuan Wang, PhD, research professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology and biostatistics, received the CRI Mentorship Award.
Karen Wright, PhD, PA-C, interim chair, Physician Assistant Studies, and assistant professor of physician assistant studies, was appointed to a two-year term as American Academy of Physician Assistant medical liaison to the National Association of Minority Educators.
Philip Zapanta, MD, associate professor of surgery and associate otolaryngology residency program director, was recognized by the Department of Medicine as the Non-Department of Medicine Faculty Member of the Year.
