Three of five 2024 Torchbearer Awards go to DOM faculty

[Banner image for "Celebrating Women in Medicine Month" and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson 2024 Women in Medicine & Science Torchbearer Awards] A number of Department of Medicine faculty joined the celebration on Tuesday evening, Sept. 10, for the 2024 Torchbearer Awards hosted by the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson’s Women in Medicine & Science diversity group as a way to recognize Women in Medicine Month.

In addition to the awards ceremony, they got to see and hear motivational speaker Kim Faith, executive coach and trainer for the leadership development firm Black Sheep Global. Her topic was “Influential Communication in the Ever-Changing World of Healthcare.”

While there were 52 Torchbearer Awards given at its inaugural celebration in 2023, there were five awards presented this year. They went to:

[Lisa Alschuler, ND] Lisa Alschuler, ND, professor, Department of Medicine; associate program director, Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. A naturopathic oncologist who joined the college’s faculty in 2018, she is also a past-president of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians as well as a founding board member and past president of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

[Elizabeth Connick, MD] Elizabeth Connick, MD, professor and research career development advisor, Department of Medicine; chief, Division of Infectious Diseases; program director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship; professor, Department of Immunobiology; and member, BIO5 Institute. Dr. Connick, a renowned HIV researcher who won the 2020 Constance B. Wofsy Women’s Health Award from the NIH-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group, joined the college faculty in 2016.

[Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD] Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, professor, Department of Medicine; chief, Division of Dermatology; director, Advanced Dermatology Residency Program; co-director, U of A Skin Cancer Institute; interim research director, U of A Cancer Center; and the U of A Alan and Janice Levin Family Endowed Chair for Excellence in Cancer Research. She joined the college faculty in 2004.

[Saira S. Kalia, MD] Saira S. Kalia, MD, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and earned her medical degree at Aga Khan University. She came to the U of A to complete her residency training, during which time she earned the American Psychiatric Association’s Resident Recognition Award. In 2020, she also was presented with the Arizona Psychiatric Society’s Howard E. Wuslin Excellence in Education Award. Dr. Kalia is a perinatal psychiatrist who both launched, and serves as, director of the Arizona Psychiatry Access Lines. Additionally, Dr. Kalia provides national trainings for the Postpartum Support International (postpartum.net) organization and has made significant contributions to the National Curriculum of Reproductive Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association’s first “Textbook of Women’s Reproductive Mental Health.”

[Beth E. Myerson, MDiv, PhD] Beth E. Myerson, MDiv, PhD, professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, director of its Harm Reduction Research Lab; policy director of the U of A Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain & Addiction Center; and a member of the U of A Graduate Faculty. She joined the university’s faculty with the Southwest Institute for Research on Women in 2019, and the college’s and department’s in 2023.

The biggest crowd showed up to cheer for Dr. Connick, including Division of Infectious Diseases faculty and staff: Mohanad Al-Obaidi, MD, MPH; Carolyn Bothwell; Richelle Clemente; Lori Fantry, MD, MPH; Desiree Golden, MSN, RN, FNP-C; Saman Nematollahi, MD; Alexander Perry, MD, MPH; and Tirdad Zangeneh, DO, MA.

Other DOM attendees included: Joy Bulger Beck, MD; Phet Chen; Amy Klein, MD; Chair James K. Liao, MD; David Mogollon; Indu Partha, MD; and Salma Patel, MD, MPH.

Drs. Bulger Beck, Klein and Partha were among last year’s Torchbearer Award winners. Dr. Patel serves on the WIMS executive committee.

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