Forty one awards were presented at the University of Arizona Department of Medicine 2018 Annual Awards Assembly hosted at the Arizona Inn on Wednesday evening, April 11.
Included among winners were several graduating medical students who will be joining internal medicine residency programs at Tucson and South Campus, graduating residents who’ll stay on as recently announced chief residents and incoming fellows.
Dr. Anthony Witten and family (left) awaiting his award announcement. He's among graduating residents who'll stay on an extra year to serve as chief residents in internal medicine.
A couple of folks were double award winners, such as Dave Reyes who’ll join us in July as member of the UA Internal Medicine Residency Program at Tucson Campus and also won med student of the year for both Nephrology and Pulmonary.
Shilpa Junna, MD, was outstanding resident for Gastroenterology and winner of a Bressler-Alpert Society Travel Award to present her research on frailty as a predictor of colonoscopy outcomes at Digestive Disease Week in Washington, DC, in June.
For the third year in a row, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellow, Tammer El Aini, MD, won the Outstanding Medicine Fellow, a teaching award chosen by internal medicine residents, for Tucson Campus. Another PCCM fellow, David Miller, MD, won the award for South Campus.
The full list of honorees and their awards can be found below or at this link to the program: 
2018-dept-medicine-awards-_program_final.pdf
A photo gallery of the night's festivities can be found here: 2018-04-11_gallery_dom-annual-awards-assembly.pdf
Medical student and resident physician winners included:
- Janel DeSalvo (MS-4), J.W. Smith Award for Outstanding Medical Student, UA College of Medicine Office of Undergraduate Medical Education
- Mathew Bull (MS-4) and Jack Rusing (MS-4), Zenas B. Noon Award for Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Cardiology
- Elise Vo, MD, and Nathan Coffman, MD, Charles W. Hall Jr. Memorial Award for Outstanding House Officers, UA Division of Cardiology
- Shannon Zullo, Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Dermatology
- Sumana Veeravelli (MS-4), Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Endocrinology
- Jayasree Jonnadula, MBBS, Outstanding Resident, UA Division of Endocrinology
- Chelsea Alfafara, Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Gastroenterology
- Shilpa Junna, MD, Outstanding Resident, UA Division of Gastroenterology
- Danny Hintze, John T. Boyer Award in Geriatrics for Outstanding Graduating Senior Medical Student, UA Division of Geriatrics, General Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine
- Rui Wen Pang, MD, John T. Boyer Award in Geriatrics for Outstanding Internal Medicine Resident, UA Division of Geriatrics, General Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine
- Eric Lander (MS-4), Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Hematology and Oncology
- Radhamani Kannaiyan, MBBS, Outstanding Resident, UA Division of Hematology and Oncology
- Cameron Johnstone (MS-4), Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Infectious Diseases
Matthew Adams, DO, (at right with ID division chief Dr. Liz Connick), Outstanding Resident, UA Division of Infectious Diseases- Dave Reyes (MS4), Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Nephrology
- Ryan Wong, MD, Outstanding Resident, UA Division of Nephrology
- Joseph Harkins (MS-4), Outstanding Medical Student in Sleep Medicine, UA Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
- Dave Reyes (MS4), The Dr. Milan V. Novak & Dorothy F. Novak Pulmonary Award for Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
- Anthony Witten, DO, Outstanding Resident in PACCS, UA Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
- Maryam Hosseini (MS4), Outstanding Medical Student, UA Division of Rheumatology
- Elly Varma, MBBS, Outstanding Resident, UA Division of Rheumatology
- Ryan Wong, MD, Program Director’s Outstanding Humanism & Professionalism Award, UA Internal Medicine Residency Program – University Campus
Daniel Orta, MD (a recently announced 2019-20 chief resident at right with Dr. Eugene Trowers), Program Director’s Outstanding Humanism & Professionalism Award, UA Internal Medicine Residency Program – South Campus
In addition, recognized with Bressler-Alpert Awards by the department’s Office of the Vice Chair for Education were: Norman Beatty, MD (PGY-4, ID), Francisco Mora, MD (PGY2, SC), Roberto Swazo, MD (PGY3, SC), Luke Gabe, MD (PGY6, PCCM), Shilpa Junna, MD (PGY2, UC), and Chithra Poongkunran, MD (PGY4, Sleep). Learn more about the Bressler-Alpert Society, how to join, the travel awards and how to apply at this link.
Outstanding Medicine Fellow Awards
Teaching awards chosen by internal medicine residents:
- Tammer El Aini, MD, Outstanding Fellow Award – Tucson Campus
- David Miller, MD, Outstanding Fellow Award – South Campus
Excellence in Teaching Awards
As named by the Department of Medicine Chair’s Office and presented by the Chair, Monica Kraft, MD (in middle at right with Drs. Partha and Dagar), were:
- Meenakshi Dagar, MD, Outstanding Assistant Professor – Outpatient
- Indu Partha, MD, Outstanding Assistant Professor – Outpatient
- Amy Sussman, MD, Outstanding Associate Professor – Outpatient
- Merri Pendergrass, MD, PhD, Outstanding Full Professor – Outpatient
- Eugene Trowers, MD, MPH, Outstanding Full Professor – Outpatient
- Anna Stepczynski, MD, Outstanding Assistant Professor – Inpatient
- John Bloom, MD, Outstanding Associate Professor – Inpatient
- Joseph Alpert, MD, Outstanding Full Professor – Inpatient
ALSO SEE:
"Chief Residents in UA Internal Medicine Named; See Who’ll Serve in 2018-19, 2019-20" | Posted April 10, 2018
"2018 Match Day for UA College of Medicine – Tucson Wows Crowd in New Venue" | Posted March 16, 2018
"See Fellows Match in Internal Medicine Subspecialties Both at, from UA Department of Medicine" | Posted March 6, 2018
“Forty Honored at 2017 DOM Annual Awards at Arizona Inn” | Posted May 6, 2017
“DOM Annual Awards Honor Forty at Arizona Inn” | Posted May 18, 2016