September 2022 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.
This Month's Submissions
Below are the exceptional teacher recognitions shared with the Learning Environment Advocacy Committee this month. Thank you to these faculty for providing a great experience for our students.
September 2022 Submissions
Family and Community Medicine
- Dr. Adrienne Kinsey - “Dr. Kinsey really helped my learning during this rotation in many ways. She made sure to give time for me to not only learn in the clinic but also sufficient time to study outside of the clinic. She asked me questions and kept me engaged throughout the rotation. She kept the rotation fun by sharing memories and stories about her medical career.”
- Dr. Beth Polk - “Incredible lecture. I learned a lot. Great feedback to student questions.”
Internal Medicine
- Dr. Ann Austin - “Great attending in every regard-kind, patient, enjoys teaching, understanding.”
- Dr. Chelsea Ryan - “Senior resident Dr. Chelsea Ryan made a huge impact on me this rotation - she is a kind, competent, and gracious leader who gave me every opportunity to learn and try while never making me feel like I was on my own. She handled very difficult patient interactions with quiet confidence and poise and she was also extremely fun to work with. Laughing and hanging out alongside her made the long hours not so challenging.”
Neurology
- Dr. Thomas Kodankandath - “Dr. Kodankandath was an amazing attending to work with and I hope that every student rotating through neurology gets to work with him. He challenged us to think critically every day rather than just letting us passively watch/learn. It improved my skills and neurology knowledge immensely. He also consistently made sure we were involved in the decision making process, and I always felt like part of the team. He went out of his way to make sure we got to see interesting patients, make short presentations on interesting topics that were worth learning more about, and made sure we had the opportunity to write notes. He gave very useful and poignant feedback also on our presentations/notes/thought process, and again, that helped improve my skills. On a short 2 week rotation, I felt like I got the most out of it that I could, and that was much in part thanks to Dr. Kodankandath.”
- Dr. Nasser Mohammed - “Dr. Mohammed was a fantastic teacher and resident to work with. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge and consistently went out of his way to teach us and break down very complex topics (even though he was very busy!). I appreciated his genuine interest in us students, and how much he made me feel like a part of the team.”
OB-GYN
- Dr. Jerod Greer - “Dr. Greer is an excellent surgeon and clinician. He's highly professional and helped me understand some of the finer points for the operations he was performing and the clinical decision making that goes into decided the best course of treatment for a patient.”
- Dr. Kayla Krajik - “Dr. Krajick got me involved in the clinic right from the start, which I appreciated very much. Working with her helped me improve leaps and bounds in my encounters and she gave great feedback. She specifically helped me work on my assessment and planning skills; I gained a lot of confidence in that area from her. The clinic picture of an OB patient became very clear to me thanks to her feedback and ability to answer my questions. Her rapport with patients is excellent and she works well with other learners. I'm grateful to have rotated with her.”
Pediatrics
- Dr. Brent Sherwood - “Dr. Sherwood was very approachable and willing to answer questions. I appreciated his feedback and good advice on writing patient notes.”
- Dr. Maria Soriano - “Dr. Soriano did a great job of incorporating students into patient visits. I liked her demeanor with patients and will take some of the things I learned from her along with me.”
Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine
- Dr. Michael Greenage - “You were a great attending to work with! Very much appreciated the hands-on teaching in regards to developing a method of thinking through the case rather than relying on memorization. Allowed the student ample opportunities for patient care, medication management, etc. Provided immediate feedback that allowed student to learn and adjust as the time went on. Loved the humor that you brought to an often heavy specialty, would work with you again anytime.”
- Dr. Rachel Martin - “Dr. Martin was an awesome resident to work with - she set really great examples when it came to understanding how to connect with patients in difficult situations and getting them to feel comfortable talking to you when they only just met you. I appreciated how she openly spoke about her assessment and plans on patients and would try new treatment ideas for treatment resistant patients. She helped guide me with writing notes for psychiatry which I was also very appreciative of - as writing notes for psychiatry is very different from other clerkships. Thank you so much Rachel!”
Radiology
- Dr. David Johnsen - “Dr. Johnsen went out of his way to be encouraging and explained concepts very clearly.”
Surgery
- Dr. Martin Nde - “Incredibly kind, actively engaged me, great teacher and a source of knowledge. Used each patient interaction as a teaching opportunity. Great resident to have in your program, a true asset.”
- Dr. Daniel Tershak - “Delightful to work with. Great at teaching and very supportive even when my answers are wayyyy off.”