July 2024 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 rotation. Thank you to these faculty for providing a great experience for our students.
July 2024 Submissions
Emergency Medicine
- (Residents) Daniel Calick, MD / Andrew Brown, MD / Dan Doynow, DO – “Drs. Calick, Brown and Doynow were very enthusiastic teachers and made positive impacts on my learning! I would like to highlight their exemplary efforts in getting me involved in clinical decision making, procedures and POCUS.”
Family and Community Medicine
- (Attending) Wayne L. Brackenrich, DO – “Dr. Brackenrich in an excellent provider. He taught me how to be non-judgmental with patients.”
Internal Medicine
- (Resident) Jai Kahlon, DO – “Despite his numerous responsibilities, Dr. Kahlon was a kind, patient, and respectful teacher. He played a key part in my learning this rotation.”
- (Attending) Kimberly A. Matthews, DO – “It was an absolute pleasure to learn from Dr. Matthews. From the very first day of working with her, it was clear she puts her heart and intention into each and every patient encounter. I gained a great deal from observing her thoughtful conversations at bedside. Her efforts to help patients feel heard and understood and her choice of language, careful reflection, and gentle guidance in patient care stands out. I value the way she meets questions with questions, encourages her students to reason through complex clinical reasoning, and learned many clinical pearls to pay forward throughout my career.”
Neurology
- (Resident) Davis A. Sugar, MD – “Dr. Sugar went above and beyond to explain materials to us. He welcomed any questions and took the time to fully answer them. He also encouraged wellness through discussions of vitamins and nutrition and overall leading a balanced life as students.”
- (Attending) Nitya Karki, MBBSD – “Dr. Karki was an incredible attending. She helped me understand the complexities of EEGs and was sensitive to our development as physicians while also guiding our learning. She was also very understanding about our interests; I felt comfortable enough to ask and purse them.“
OB-GYN
- (Resident) Kyle Nolan, MD – “Dr. Nolan was the best; always treating you like a valuable part of the team, thanking you for your help and (most importantly) helping you learn. He was a great teacher, really effective at providing step by step instructions and feedback. Compassionate and kind to his patients, Dr. Nolan is a model physician for students.”
- (Residents) Teresa Prinster, MD / Katie Mass, MD – “Drs. Mass and Prinster were excellent teachers who influenced my growth during the clerkship. Both challenged me by giving me some independence and then providing feedback and suggestions for next-opportunity growth. They were extremely positive and cared about me as a person outside of medicine/the hospital.”
- (Resident) Shian McLeish, MD – “Dr. McLeish is an incredible resident who played a large role in my learning this block. Her increasing expectations of me helped me grow as a student learner and expand my role. She was honest about areas in which I could improve, and challenged me, through constant questions and answers, to grow in my diagnostic critical thinking.”
Pediatrics
- (Resident) Violet Swanson, DO – “Dr. Swanson was a great teacher. She went out of her way to set aside time and teach us topics.”
- (Resident) Nima Jahromi, DO – “Dr. Jahromi did an excellent job seeking out teaching opportunities and providing helpful suggestions of things a 3rd year might not yet know.”
- (Attending) John M. Stone, MD – “Dr. Stone was very engaged. He was always willing to answer my questions, but also encouraged me to look up information on my own so that I could better understand the context of my questions and his answers.”
- (Attending) Michole C. Pineda, MD – “I think Dr. Pineda did an amazing job making sure I was ready to interact with patients from the get go. I appreciate the opportunities I had to work hands-on with the kids and learn new ways to communicate with parents and other healthcare professionals.”
Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine
- (Attending) Sooraj John, MD – “Dr. John was so invested in my learning and fostered an environment that promoted curiosity and room to grow my responsibilities. He went above and beyond to ensure I could continually feel like I was learning and was a valued member of the team. At the same time, he always ensured I was comfortable and able to ask questions/investigate gaps in my knowledge.”
- (Attending) Kemi Bankole, MBBS / Badr Ratnakaran, MBBS / Kye Y. Kim, MD – “Working with all 3 of our geriatric psychiatry attendings during this selective was a pleasure! Their passion for their patient population shined through and made a very big difference in promoting a positive learning environment. All three had such special and strong relationships with their patients – something that I hope to emulate later on in my future career!”
Radiology
- NA
Surgery
- (Resident) Carl Buchholz, MD – Dr. Buchholz went above and beyond to teach not only me but also fellow residents. He is at an incredibly high level when it comes to patient care, and he deeply thinks through the work up and differential diagnosis for certain symptoms. To top it off, he has an incredible bedside manner. I can tell he genuinely cares about the patients and loves his job.”
- (Attending) James T. Thompson, MD – “Dr. Thompson talked to me like I was a part of the team, and I was made to feel welcome. He very clearly explained challenging cases, and through this I learned a lot. I felt involved in the decision-making process.”
- (Attending) Bryan R. Collier, DO – “Dr. Collier delivered some terrible news to the parents of a pediatric trauma case during a night float and debriefed me after. It was harrowing, but he turned it into an impactful and formative learning opportunity about how to prepare and deliver bad news.”NA