Faculty, Staff and Students in the national spotlight

Dean Toni Ganzel is serving as chair-elect for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education for the 2020-21 academic year.

April Butler, fourth-year medical student, won the national Gold Foundation Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest for her essay, “The Healing Yellow Raincoat,” which will appear in Academic Medicine and Journal of Professional Nursing.

Priya Chandan, M.D., has received the 2019 AAPM&R Distinguished Public Service Award. This award was established in 1981 to honor individuals who, in the course of their public service activities, have made significant contributions to the development of educational research and service activities that directly impact the specialty of PM&R. Past recipients of this award include Michelle Obama, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth and Judith D. Heumann.

Kelly McMasters, M.D., Ph.D., has been named a director of the American Board of Surgery, 2018 president of the Society of Surgical Chairs, editor-in-chief of Annals of Surgical Oncology and 2019 president of the Southern Surgical Association.

Susan Sawning, MSSW, was named president-elect for the national Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education

M. Ann Shaw, M.D., M.A., received the Thomas B. Calhoun Teaching Award from the graduating class of 2019.

"Choosing a Natural Immunomodulator." by Vaclav Vetvicka, Ph.D., has been published. The book offers scientific and reliable information about natural supplements, their activities, potential and possible setbacks. It will be available on Amazon.

John Wise Sr., Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, recently received the EMGS Education Award from the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society. The award is bestowed in recognition of sincere dedication to student and young investigator members of the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society.

Other recognitions:

Eyas Hattab, M.D., M.B.A., was featured in the July issue of “Louisville Medicine,” published by the Greater Louisville Medical Society https://view.joomag.com/louisville-medicine-volume-67-issue-2/0879244001561982408/p40?short

Jennifer A. Koch, M.D., FACP, received the American College of Physicians Laureate Award at last month’s meeting of the Kentucky ACP. The Laureate Award honors Fellows and Masters of the ACP who have demonstrated, by their example and conduct, an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education and research, and service to their community, their chapter and the ACP. Koch is a professor in the Department of Medicine and serves as director of the UofL Internal Medicine Training Program.

Ahmed Saleh, 2nd year medical student, won the Greater Louisville Medical Society Richard Spear, M.D. Memorial Essay Contest for his essay, "Should Medical Marijuana have a Place in Kentucky Health Care?”

Catherine Schuster, M.D., was among the Louisville Business First Forty Under 40 for 2019.

Clayton M. Smith, M.D., associate professor of medicine, has received 1st place, Best Doctor in LEO Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Awards, winning over more than 100 nominees. Smith focuses his clinical practice on primary care internal medicine and LGBTQ health.

Laura Weingartner, Ph.D., Emily Noonan, Ph.D., Susan Sawning, MSSW and Amy Holthouser, M.D., from Undergraduate Medical Education won the AAMC-Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA) Medical Education Scholarship Award for their workshop on “Teaching Specific LGBTQ Clinical Skills using the eQuality Toolkit.”

R. Brent Wright, M.D., M.M.M., associate dean for rural health innovation, was installed as president of the Kentucky Medical Association on Sept. 21.