More than a quarter of 2025 College of Medicine – Tucson faculty awards to go to DOM

Out of 65 award winners announced Jan. 30 as part of the Faculty Awards of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, Department of Medicine faculty will take home at least 17 when the honors are presented Thursday, Feb. 27.

[Illustration with red and blue bars, the logo of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and "Faculty Awards"]That’s “at least” because two categories of awards have yet to be announced: a Clinical Investigator Award and the Basic and Translational Investigator Awards.

Department Chair James K. Liao, MD, Education Vice Chair Amy Sussman, MD, and Faculty Development Vice Chair Serena Scott, MD, MBA, lauded the current honorees for their commitment to helping educate and train physicians of the future for Arizona and beyond.

“We encourage everyone, faculty and staff, to join us in attending the ceremony to cheer on our colleagues as they receive their awards,” Dr. Scott.

To RSVP to attend the event, which will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. in the forum of the Health Sciences Innovation Building, click the link below:

REGISTER HERE!

In all, DOM faculty won:

  • One of three WIMS GRACE Excellence Awards – offered by the college’s Women in Medicine & Science group as part of its GRACE (Generating Respect for All in a Climate of academic Excellence) Project. They recognize faculty who’ve made significant contributions to improve the careers of fellow women;
  • Three of seven Mentoring Awards;
  • Three of five Vernon & Virginia Furrow Awards, which are part of the AMES Awards presented by the college’s chapter of the Academy of Medical Education Scholars whose membership includes 15 DOM faculty, including its chair, Tara Carr, MD. Dr. Carr is the Allergy & Immunology Fellowship program director in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, or PACCS;
  • Three of four AMES Awards;
  • Five of 27 Faculty Teaching Awards; and
  • Two of 13 Specialty Advising Awards.

Please congratulate the following people when you see them:

Excellence Awards [Rachna Shroff, MD, MS]

WIMS GRACE Excellence Awards

■ Rachna Shroff, MD, MS, Medicine (chief, Division of Hematology & Oncology)

[Tushar Acharya, MD, MPH, Laura Meinke, MD, and Bekir Tanriover, MD, MBA]Mentoring Awards

■ Tushar Acharya, MD, MPH, Medicine (Division of Cardiology)
■ Laura Meinke, MD, Medicine (a critical care specialist in the PACCS division, DOM vice chair, Education; and program director, Internal Medicine Residency Program)
■ Bekir Tanriover, MD, MBA, Medicine (chief, Division of Nephrology)

AMES Awards

Vernon and Virginia Furrow Awards

■ [Bujji Ainapurapu, MD, Jennifer Plitt, MD, and Amy Klein, MD]Bujji B. Ainapurapu, MD, Medicine (Division of Inpatient Medicine, IM Residency Program associate director): Excellence in Graduate Medical Education
■ Jennifer L. Plitt, MD, Medicine (Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, or GGP): Excellence in Innovation in Medical Education
■ Amy S. Klein, MD, Medicine (Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship program director, GGP division): Excellence in Innovation in Medical Education

AMES Awards

■ [Saman Nematollahi, MD, MEHP, Kris Abbate, MD, and Madhav Chopra, MD]Saman Nematollahi, MD, MEHP, Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases fellowship director): Excellence in Basic Science Teaching
■ Kristopher J. Abbate, MD, Medicine (founder and medical director of the LGBTQ Youth Program, GGP division): Excellence in Clinical Science Teaching, Undergraduate Medical Education
■ Madhav Chopra, MD, Medicine (PACCS division): Excellence in Teaching Innovation

Faculty Teaching Awards

[Amy Sussman, MD]Outstanding Achievement in Teaching by a Clerkship

■ Internal Medicine, Medicine
Accepted by: Amy Sussman, MD, Medicine (clerkship director, DOM, and Nephrology division fellowship director) on behalf of the team.

[Anthony Witten, DO]Outstanding Clinical Instructor at Banner

■ Anthony Witten, DO, Medicine (Inpatient Medicine division, IM Residency Program associate director)

[Robert Kim, MD]Outstanding Clinical Instructor at the VA

■ Robert Kim, MD, Medicine (Inpatient Medicine division)

[Ali Rasool, MD]Resident/Fellow Educator of the Year

■ Ali Mustafa Rasool, MD, Medicine (Internal Medicine resident)

[Dalia Mikhael, MD]Commitment to Quality Feedback

■ Dalia M. Mikhael, MD, Medicine (Inpatient Medicine division, and Associate Track Director for Clinician Educator Pathway, IM  Residency Program)

[Kris Abbate, MD, and Amy Sussman, MD]Specialty Advisor Awards

■ Kristopher J. Abbate, MD, Medicine (GGP division)
■ Amy Sussman, MD, Medicine (Nephrology division)

See the full list of College of Medicine – Tucson 2025 Faculty Awards winners named so far at this link.
 

ALSO SEE:
“DOM wins 11 awards at 2024 College of Medicine – Tucson Faculty Awards” | Posted Feb. 28, 2024
“Department of Medicine Does Well Again at 2023 College Faculty Awards” | Posted March 9, 2023
“Winners Announced for 2019-20 Faculty Teaching Awards” | Posted Aug. 13, 2020
“Inaugural Clinical Excellence Award Winners Feted at COM – Tucson General Faculty Meeting” | Posted Nov. 8, 2018
“Department of Medicine Faculty to Take Quarter of Honors at 2018 College Faculty Teaching Awards” | Posted Oct. 21, 2018
“DOM Takes Third of College of Medicine – Tucson Faculty Teaching Awards” | Posted Oct. 25, 2017
“DOM Faculty Repeat as Winners in the 37th Annual College Teaching Awards” | Posted Nov. 3, 2016
“DOM Faculty Spotlighted in UA College of Medicine Teaching Awards Ceremony” | Posted Nov. 19, 2015

Release Date: 
01/30/2025 - 6:30pm
Media Contact: 
David Mogollon | Communications Manager, University of Arizona Department of Medicine