Celebrating 2024 Educator Appreciation Day

photo collage of 27 Department of Medicine faculty members honored during Emory's 2024 Educator Appreciation Day

Honoring Department of Medicine Educators Who Have Made A Difference For Our Trainees

 In recognition of Educator Appreciation Day, the Recognitions Committee at Emory School of Medicine sent out a call for nominations for educators across the school who go above and beyond the call of duty as teachers and mentors. Emory educators were nominated by their peers and colleagues for their passion and skills to educate, encourage, and support scholars and learners across the university. The committee reviewed each nomination and selected those who exemplify the outstanding faculty of the Emory School of Medicine.

Read more about all the inspiring SOM educators and faculty here. Please join us in congratulating this group of outstanding individuals!

 


Nader Aboujamous

Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital

Dr. Nader Aboujamous is a kind, insightful educator who really has helped his colleagues at Emory St. Joseph’s navigate high censuses and continue to learn and grow as physicians by creating on-the-fly teaching sessions for them. He also does a great job serving as their Assistant Site Director for Education.

 

Bhavin Adhyaru

Grady Memorial Hospital

Dr. Bhavin Adhyaru is an exceptional small group advisor, known for his encouraging demeanor, vast knowledge, and unwavering support. With a knack for inspiring growth, he fosters an environment where members feel empowered to excel. His wealth of expertise ensures insightful guidance, while his supportive nature instills confidence and trust. Dr. Adhyaru’s dedication to nurturing each individual’s potential truly sets him apart as a remarkable advisor. He has been an amazing small group leader. He’s a fantastic teacher who explains concepts clearly and leads every small group session with clear objectives. He is always there for his mentees and checks in with us regularly, especially as we’ve gone through rotations and had various experiences. We know he is there to support us both inside and outside the classroom.

 

Monee Amin

Atlanta VA Medical Center

Dr. Monee Amin is the consummate medical educator. She leads the Division of Hospital Medicine’s Teaching Competition and co-hosts (and produces, books, and edits) the highly popular Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast. She is beloved by trainees and colleagues alike for her compassionate teaching skills.

 

Alexandra Arges

Emory University Hospital

Dr. Alexandra Arges has done an excellent job exploring multiple education roles, including serving on the IM teaching services, presenting at noon conference for the residents, and most recently, representing Emory at a national teaching competition.

 

Yelena Burklin

Emory University Hospital Midtown

Dr. Yelena Burklin is the Site Assistant Director of Education at Emory University Hospital Midtown, where she constantly encourages her colleagues to learn and engage in scholarship. Currently, she is involved in a national-level project to develop a curriculum to teach junior faculty how to write clinical vignettes and cases effectively.

 

Shen Chen

Emory Johns Creek Hospital

Dr. Shen Chen is the consummate physician educator. She is wise, thoughtful, funny, and is a great teacher. She has won several teaching awards, and she presents at every Division of Hospital Medicine Clinical Vignette Competition, our Research Day, and even last year’s Division Teaching Competition. She is a med ed superstar!
She does an excellent job as our EJCH Assistant Site Director for Education and is a great teacher.

Patricia Cheung

Grady Memorial Hospital

Dr. Patricia Cheung has been instrumental in bringing point of care ultrasound education to the M4 sub internship and leads this valuable curriculum. She is an excellent ward attending and loved by residents.

 

Gwinyai Chikwava

Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital

Dr. Gwinyai Chikwava was Emory St. Joseph’s representative at the 2024 Division of Hospital Medicine teaching competition. He is an excellent teacher whose talents for explaining complex clinical topics are recognized across the division.

 

Kevan Desai

Emory Johns Creek Hospital

Dr. Kevan Desai was Emory Johns Creek Hospital’s Teaching Competition representative this year. Dr. Desai brings his good humor and clarity of thinking to his teaching, allowing him to make challenging topics understandable.

 

Michael Gallagher

Grady Memorial Hospital

Dr. Michael Gallagher is a phenomenal mentor and educator with a vision of providing longitudinal mentorship beyond training. He provides incredibly honest and insightful advice and feedback that make it clear that he is truly invested in the success of his students. I am beyond grateful for the guidance and mentorship he has provided me thus far, and I believe he sets the example for what an ideal mentor should be.

 

Maura George
Grady Memorial Hospital

Dr. Maura George is a small group advisor, course director for Community Learning and Social Medicine, track director for the Health Equity and Policy residency track, and a peer mentor. She is an educator at all of these levels. She has over a decade of experience in the field of social medicine and is able to curate experiences appropriate for each learner’s level of training. She is thoughtful and constantly takes feedback to adapt her courses and make them better with each iteration.

 

Harika Gorti
Atlanta VA Medical Center

Dr. Harika Gorti has a Division of Hospital Medicine-wide reputation for her teaching and communication skills. She was recognized and asked to lead a well-received workshop at a recent teaching conference hosted by the Division of Hospital Medicine. She is an excellent educator dedicated to providing exemplary teaching to residents and colleagues alike. She has led several initiatives aimed at enhancing education, including a workshop focusing on learners facing challenges at “Learning to be Better Ward Teacher” and organizing a seminar on upstander training for attending physicians at the VA. Her exceptional teaching skills are reflected in consistently high evaluations from residents, highlighting her talent in fostering a safe, inclusive, and high efficiency learning environment.

 

Nicole Herbst

Grady Memorial Hospital

Dr. Nicole Herbst is an amazing educator. She teaches medical students as the critical care assistant clerkship director and also attends in the Grady ICU with teams of residents and fellows. Her passion for critical care is evident in her bedside and hands-on teaching. She teaches compassion by emphasizing the importance of talking to loved ones of those in the ICU. Her learners appreciate how she conceptualizes and explains even the most difficult concepts with ease.

 

Jason Higdon

The Emory Clinic

Dr. Jason Higdon is a tremendous inspiration and role model to many levels of learners at Emory and beyond. As Educational Lead in the Seavey Clinic, he has championed intra-professional team-based practice and education, implementing programs to improve clinical decision making, creating exceptional operational protocols, launching a comprehensive orientation process, and offering weekly conferences to students, residents, and many healthcare professionals. He chairs the medical student program for the American College of Physicians, motivating students to submit abstracts, participate in workshops and begin their career-spanning involvement as active organization members to expand their professional impact. For his continued focus on improving medical education, he is most deserving of this recognition.

 

Michael Jones

Emory University Hospital

Despite being in his first year as an attending, Dr. Michael Jones has hit the ground running as an education champion! Most recently, he won the Emory Division of Hospital Medicine Teaching Competition where he beat out far more senior faculty for the prize. He is an amazing teacher and will represent all of Emory at the national-level teaching competition next month.

 

Erin Kim

Atlanta VA Medical Center

Dr. Erin Kim is a phenomenal teacher who has stepped up to play a key role in our Division’s efforts to find, bring in, and learn from visiting professors. She is loved by trainees for her calm demeanor and her clear way of explaining complex ideas.

 

Abiodun Kukoyi

Grady Memorial Hospital

Dr. Abiodun Kukoyi is the ultimate educator. She is the Associate Program Director for the pulmonary and critical care fellowship and was voted by the fellows as the teacher of the year. The following quote by a learner summarizes it all: “She is an incredible teacher, clinician and role model. She took dedicated time out of her shift to teach and assist with procedures. She does everything kindly, and with a blend of humility and confidence. She is very perceptive and is able to meet each learner and trainee where they are which is a very rare skill for an attending. I wish she could always be on her service.”

 

Karen Law

The Emory Clinic

Dr. Karen Law embodies all aspects of a medical educator. She has mentored and championed countless trainees and junior faculty. She is constantly thinking of ways to elevate her mentees and frequently sends them information on opportunities and career advice. She is an advocate for residents and has led multiple gender equity initiatives for trainees.

 

Manpreet Malik

Grady Memorial Hospital

Dr. Manpreet Malik is a nationally recognized expert in point-of-care ultrasound. Each year, he teaches multiple courses at regional and national conferences on how to use this modality, which improves patient care and experience while lowering length of stay, burden to subspecialty providers, and unnecessary costs. He also serves as the Program Director for our Emory Medicine Transitional Year program!

 

Annie Massart

Emory University Hospital

Dr. Annie Massart is a ceaseless advocate for effective medical education. She is a renowned teacher at the national level, where her talks draw huge crowds at conferences. She is a leader of our Division’s Education Council and a caring mentee to trainees and colleagues alike—even to other mentors!

 

Nyina Muigai

Emory University Hospital Midtown

Dr. Nyina Muigai is one of our nocturnists and despite working at night, she is actively engaged in teaching! She represented Emory University Hospital Midtown in this year’s hospital medicine teaching competition. She also engages in our Division’s Clinical Vignettes competition with our group. She is an engaging, energetic teacher who never fails to bring humor to her teaching.

 

Ronnye Rutledge

Emory University Hospital

Dr. Ronnye Rutledge is an exemplary educator for patients, residents, students, and colleagues alike. Dr. Rutledge’s passion for medical education is unparalleled, and it fuels her incredible desire to advocate for all people in need. Her chalk talks are especially impressive, easily captivating the mind while driving home essential information within a short window of time. It is a pleasure to watch her work.

 

Meredith Trubitt

Atlanta VA Medical Center

Dr. Meredith Trubitt brings her calm, thoughtful teaching energy to her role as a hospitalist physician at the Atlanta VA Medical Center as well as a co-host of the Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast. Dr. Trubitt has won several teaching awards and never misses an opportunity to cheer on and promote her learners.

 

Srihari Veeraraghavan

Emory University Hospital

Dr. Srihari Veeraraghavan is the director of the interstitial lung disease clinic at Emory. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of both pulmonary and critical care medicine which he does not hesitate to share with his learners. He further fosters an environment of learning by pushing his learners to present a teaching point on rounds each day. Veeraraghavan role models empathy and advocating for patients both in clinic and the intensive care unit.

 

Pam Vohra-Khullar

The Emory Clinic

Dr. Pam Vohra-Khullar is the director of the Outpatient Experience (OPEX) for medical students and the resident clinic at 1525 Clifton Road. She is a strong advocate for students and residents in these roles and is dedicated to ensuring a supportive learning environment. In her role as site lead for the Academic Internal Medicine Center, she fosters the professional development of her colleagues at the 1525 clinic as well as an environment of growth and collaboration.

 

Andrew Webster

Atlanta VA Medical Center

Dr. Andrew Webster understands the value of education and teaching to the learner and teacher. He is able to provide clear explanations and guidance, ensuring that his learners fully understand the concepts being taught. Dr. Webster takes the time to listen and uses clear and concise language to convey his thoughts and perspectives. He established the Infectious Diseases Microbiology rounds at the VA, in addition to teaching students and residents.

 

Byron Williams Jr.

Emory University Hospital

Dr. Byron Williams Jr. has served as the program director of the cardiology fellowship for over 10 years. In this position, he has dedicated himself to the education and mentorship of hundreds of fellows. As Dr. Williams moves into a new role this year, it is fitting to recognize him for all his dedication and hard work.

About the Author

Emory Department of Medicine
The Department of Medicine, part of Emory University's School of Medicine, promotes excellence in education, patient care, and clinical and basic research.

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