May 2025 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.
May 2025 Clerkship Submissions
Emergency Medicine
- (Resident) Zachary Carel, MD – “Dr. Zach Carel is an amazing senior resident, very good at teaching, and he took the most interest in my learning. He gave me plenty of space and opportunities to speak to patients and practice my clinical skills. He always provided consistent feedback on how to continue improving. He taught me about broadening my differentials and trying to make sense of the clinical presentation of a patient. I felt the most confident in my fund of knowledge while working with him.”
- (Attending) Jonathan Nogueira, DO – “Dr. Nogueira was amazing; we worked with him during the entirety of medical school and it was a pleasure to see him in the ED. He encouraged me to think and take ownership of my patients, and he treated me like an intern.”
Family and Community Medicine
- (Attendings) Lawrence Carpio, DO and Jeremy Llavore, MD– “Drs. Jeremy Llavore & Lawrence Carpio were both were extremely kind, excellent teachers who exemplified exceptional care for their patients, which extended to the close-knit culture of their clinic. I was fortunate to learn from them and appreciate the strong patient-physician relationships they have built with their patients. They treated me as a colleague, and I felt the most confident about and growth in my clinical judgement/skills during our month together.”
- (Attending in Internal Medicine) Cheryl Neal, DO – “Dr. Cheryl Neal was such an inspiring person to work with as she facilitated patients and their family through the active dying process of their loved one. Her and her NP's bedside manners were truly exemplary to observe.”
- (Attending in Internal Medicine) Brian Unwin, MD – “Dr. Brian Unwin was always such a joy to work with. He demonstrates an excellent bedside manner for our geriatric population, always tries to inquire what matters for our patients' quality of life, and emphasizes caring for the whole person.”
Internal Medicine
- (Attending) Jordan Scharping,MD – “I had the privilege of working with Dr. Scharping during my internal medicine rotation, and he left a lasting impression on me both as a physician and a role model. He is incredibly compassionate with patients and deeply attuned to the social disparities that many of them face. He creates a clinical environment rooted in empathy, humility, and mutual learning-always encouraging students while remaining open to learning himself. He models exactly what it means to approach patients with compassion and curiosity rather than judgment. Dr. Scharping exemplifies what it means to be patient-centered and socially conscious in his care.”
Neurology
- (Resident) Varsha Nandwana, MBBS – “Dr. Varsha Nandwana fostered a positive and inclusive learning environment, setting clear expectations and treating students as valued colleagues. She provided insightful feedback on patient management and documentation while encouraging autonomy. Her kindness and approachability made learning more effective, and her teaching style pushed me to develop confidence in clinical decision-making.”
OB-GYN
- (Attending) Anita I. Register, DO – “I think Dr. Register is one of the unspoken heroes of this rotation. She is so kind and always took time to teach. She also took interest in me as a student, which was a rare experience. I really appreciated having her as my teacher.”
Pediatrics
- (Emergency Medicine Resident) Seth Pekoe, DO – “Dr. Seth Pekoe was amazing with kiddos (watched him change a diaper while communicating a plan, what an amazing guy!). He also took pauses often to quiz me.”
- (Attending) Cara V. Tillotson, DO – “Dr. Tillotson was an absolutely incredible, down to earth, realistic teacher who considers the social context of medicine in addition to being a skilled physician. I hope she gets to teach medical students more directly, as she is a joy.”
Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine
- (Resident) Ijya Khatiwada, DO – “Dr. Ijya Khatiwada is a superb resident who made sure the learning environment was low stress and thus allowed me to make mistakes. She constantly checked my understanding.”
- (Resident) Sushma Reddy, MD – “Dr. Sushma Reddy was so kind and welcoming to me, and spent a lot of time teaching and encouraging me. She accompanied me while I interviewed patients in the afternoons and she gave great feedback. She was empathetic with everyone. It was clear how passionate she is about giving the best care to her patients. She is an amazing resident. I couldn't believe she was only a PGY1! She will excel in any role she wants to have in the future.”
- (Attending) Hajra Ahmad, MD and Natalie Cagle, DO – “Dr. Cagle and Dr. Ahmad were both wonderful. I was immediately welcomed as a member of the team and trusted to see patients independently. They gave timely and actionable feedback and were approachable and inclusive.“
Radiology
- (Attending) Jackson Kiser, MD – “I really appreciated Dr. Kiser's session. He helped us understand a lot of complicated medicine in a very short time frame, was respectful, and truly cared about our learning.”
Surgery
- (Resident) Hannah Roberson, MD – “Hannah Roberson was incredibly kind and thoughtful throughout my time with her. She always provided clear expectations for my role and kept me updated regarding any changes in that role. She ensured I was able to learn effectively by fostering a low-pressure environment while still keeping me very involved in patient care. She went out of her way to make sure I felt valued as a student.”
- (Attending) Kathryn Bass, MD – “Dr. Bass was one of the most impactful attending physicians I have worked with. She was the only surgeon during my 6 weeks who took the time in the OR to help me improve my suturing technique and she was very engaged with my learning during rounds and in the OR; allowing me to ask questions and involving me with patient care. I can tell she has a real passion for pediatric surgery and she loves what she does.”
- (Attending) Roxanne Davenport, MD – “Dr. Davenport was on breast service 2-3 times during the rotation. She was a great teacher and made sure I read some key studies before/after each case. I felt more confident on breast pathology and treatment planning only after a few days on service.”
- (Attending) Tessa Lipsey, MD – “Dr. Tessa Lipsey cares deeply for her patients and clearly showed this by advocating for them and being the most knowledgeable by far about their conditions, family members to contact, and how to appropriately use their NICU beds/prep them to return to the NICU. She allowed me to be involved in multiple different ways during pre/post-op and taught me some lessons, even though I was not on anesthesiology service with her. She feels like the most competent person in the room, and I would absolutely trust her as an anesthesiologist for myself or any of my family members.”