Exceptional Teachers
We are interested in collecting your stories about faculty members, residents, nurses, or anyone else, who have impacted or influenced you in a significant way. Please tell us about what those teachers did that resulted in an exceptional educational experience and how it changed you.
April 2024 Submissions
Below are the exceptional teacher recognitions shared with the Learning Environment Advocacy Committee this rotation. Thank you to these faculty for providing a great experience for our students.
Emergency Medicine
- William Taber, MD – “Will Taber is the GOAT.”
- Daniel Calick, MD – “Daniel Calick was an amazing resident. He oriented me to the department and really set me up for success as a student in the ED. He tried to get me involved whenever possible, asked me what I thought about every patient I saw instead of just telling me what he was thinking/what he wanted to do, remembered to bring me with him to see procedures or to follow up with patients, and taught me some great pearls in the ED about taking an H&P. Beyond helping me succeed on my rotation, I learned many soft skills from him in terms of how to talk to a patient in distress or a patient with a lot of anxiety. He was fantastic at making sure the patient felt heard, comforted, and never left a room without the patient understanding what was going on. His ability to speak calmly and concisely with patient is something that I am better for having saw because it is a skill that I want moving forward in medicine. I feel like he had a great knowledge base in terms of what to do for patients, but beyond that he was well equipped to handle questions that I had in terms of tests to order, presentations of patients, and interpreting information we had collected on patients. He was able to clearly answer my questions and made me feel like I left each shift I worked with him understanding why we did everything we had done that day and that was an amazing feeling. I really cannot stress enough that he was probably one of my favorite residents that I had the opportunity to work with in all of medical school. Thank you Daniel!”
Family and Community Medicine
- Randy Rhea, MD – “Dr. Rhea is an example of the type of physician I want to be some day. It was truly a pleasure learning from him and he was extremely encouraging to me. I appreciated working with him and hope to get the opportunity to work with him again in the future.”
- Adrienne Kinsey, DO – “loved Dr. Kinsey! she was a great preceptor, and I learned so much from her. Saw a wide variety of patients in her clinic everyday, and it was very helpful for the written exam. For the topics we didn't get to see patients for, she took the time to teach me those topics herself. I'm interested in anesthesiology, and she made sure to get me as much time as I wanted in the phlebotomy lab to practice as many blood draws as I wanted which I very much appreciated.”
Internal Medicine
- Jeri Lantz, MD – “I was very grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Lantz. She has a clear understanding of the barriers to care patients face. I appreciated watching her demonstrate and then later discussing with her end-of-life conversations. She was always willing to field questions and sit down with the medical students to chat about our goals. Thank you!”
- Jordan Scharping, MD – “Dr. Scharping was excellent to work with! He taught as time allowed throughout rounds and engaged both students and residents in developing the next steps/plan for our patients.”
Neurology
- Anil Yallapragada, MD – “Dr. Yallapragada was very positive and enthusiastic about teaching. I felt like he created a safe space for learning. His encouragement made me more confident in my abilities and I am grateful for that.”
- Narmada Mannem, MBBS – “Dr. Mannem is one of the nicest and most patient residents I have come across in my third year. I felt extremely comfortable learning from her. I feel that she enhanced this rotation for me.”
OB-GYN
- Ryan Bradley, MD, MPH – “Dr. Bradley was a great physician teacher and role model for students. He encouraged participation and was always available for questions and talking about a case. He created a welcoming learning environment and was very supportive of learners. Dr. Bradley also demonstrated professionalism and empathy with both his colleagues/staff and with patients. I learned a lot from working with him and observing his interactions with patients.”
- Kayla Vendetti, MD – “Dr. Vendetti encouraged participation in as many learning opportunities as possible, and she actively created a welcoming learning environment. She gave great feedback throughout the week, and I was able to apply her feedback immediately which was so valuable.”
Pediatrics
- Anne Laverty, MD – “Dr. Laverty was very thoughtful, thorough, and kind. I particularly appreciated how she provided extensive, specific feedback to students and residents and allowed for a graded progression in responsibility based on clinical competency.”
- Anne Washofsky, DO – “Dr. Washofsky is a great clinician and teacher. She sets clear expectations for all learners and is kind to her patients. She had several teaching moments during rounds, which were incredibly helpful.”
Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine
- Justin White, MD – “Dr. White is a noteworthy attending. He spends a great time with his patients, residents, students and social worker. He is very patient, listens to questions and concerns and genuinely cares. After working with Dr. White, I saw an example of what kind of physician I hope to be. Dr. White was always available to provide feedback and emphasized learning points. He mentioned areas of improvement, which I had time to work on improving. Thanks Dr. White, it was a pleasure.”
- Karin Khalid, MBBS – “Working with Dr. Khalid was very enjoyable and helpful. She takes a great pride in teaching. She used every moment she could to teach the student and residents, pertinent to patient cases. She is always available to chat despite her busy schedule. She is kind and provides valuable feedback. She provides ample opportunities to students to drive their learning.”
Radiology
- Ashley Tuttle, MD – “I had a great time working with Dr. Tuttle on Mammography. She was a great teacher and very enthusiastic about radiology.”
- Sarah Thomas, MD – “Really enjoyed my IR rotation with Dr. Thomas. She was welcoming and provided ample teaching points. I felt comfortable asking questions. She encouraged me to observe IR procedures up close and benefit from a learning standpoint as much as possible. She was kind towards all her patients while remaining very efficient in her work.”
Surgery
- Adam Maerz, MBBS – “Dr. Maerz demonstrates exemplary professional and humanistic characteristics that will serve as an example as I progress through my training. He is very welcoming to students and includes them in learning opportunities.”
- Al Hagy, MD – “Dr. Hagy was one of my favorite attendings who I have worked with during my third year thus far. He went out of the way to make me feel welcome on his team and valued me as a genuine member of the team. He went out of his way to teach and wanted to get to know me as a person. Additionally, he gave me so much confidence in entrusting me to contribute both on the floor and in the OR. He was by my side during a few long operations I was scrubbed in with him where he allowed me to practice skills that most attendings did not allow medical students to participate in because he had confidence observing me practice these skills. I genuinely wish Dr. Hagy was in the pre-clinical environment and hope he serves as a mentor for most attendings at Carilion.”