Clerkship Coordinator Contreras among UAHS Excellence Award Nominees

Congratulations to Lucia “Lucy” Contreras, who was the UA Department of Medicine’s representative among nominees for the UA Health Sciences 2017 Awards for Excellence.

Lucy, who is senior program coordinator, DOM Clerkship and Sub-Internship Program, was among 23 people across the UAHS colleges and centers that were nominated. She coordinates the schedules and more for all third- and fourth-year medical students in Department of Medicine clinical electives.

The awards were presented April 12 in DuVal Auditorium by each of the college deans, with UA College of Medicine – Tucson Dean Charles Cairns, MD, doing the honors for the college's Lura Hanekamp Award for Excellence awards. The college had the largest group of nominees at eight for three awards given. While she did not win, it was an honor to be chosen for consideration, Lucy said.

Click here to see video of the ceremony: http://bit.ly/2o8uksv

Several department faculty and staff offered Contreras kudos on her nomination.

“Best clerkship coordinator and indispensable to Medicine!” said DOM Vice Chair for Education Amy Sussman, MD, an associate professor who also is clerkship director and program director for the Nephrology Fellowship.

“Congratulations Lucy!” said Tirdad Zangeneh, DO, associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and associate program director, UA Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus.

“Three cheers for our favorite nominee!” said Michele Dalmendray, a senior program coordinator in the Tucson Campus IM residency office.

Contreras has been with the Department of Medicine since December 1988, 21 years with the UA and seven with UMC (now Banner). Among positions she’s held are Gastroenterology Section manager and fellowship coordinator, and fellowship coordinator for the Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases sections.

Among her many tasks as Medicine clerkship coordinator, she organizes orientation and presenters for each education block, coordinates didactics and lectures, works up rotation schedules for ambulatory and inpatient wards, schedules midpoint evaluation meetings with the director, tracks attendance and evaluations through New Innovations and H&Ps uploaded into AZMed, and arranges everything from EPIC access to meal cards, badges and parking. There’s also proctoring shelf exams, preparing final grades for the director, and uploading grades into Oasis and UAccess.

Angie Hessell, executive assistant, Office of the Chair, Department of Medicine, was on the UAHS awards committee for the College of Medicine - Tucson. Separately, Hessell was a nominee for the university-wide Classified Staff Council Special Award as part of the UA Awards for Excellence. An article on the winners appeared in the April 27 issue of the UA@Work Lo Que Pasa newsletter: Click here to view.

Release Date: 
04/12/2017 - 5:00pm