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Chair's Corner

June Letter from the Chair - 2024

Dr. David McManus

Dear Colleagues,

It is with great pride that I write this month’s message. As Chair, I have the honor of leading our department whose exceptionally talented faculty, trainees, and staff shine throughout the year. This past month was no exception!  




Recognition of citizenship

We kicked off the month of May with a recognition of our department’s spring Citizenship Award winners: Dr. Madona Azar, Dr. Alexandra Marchetta, Garrett Miller, Nikki Aybar, and Naomi Christenson. Citizenship is a core value in the Department of Medicine and I am so proud of these individuals who went above and beyond, and stepped up to help their teams. Thank you and congratulations!   

Career development
A huge congratulations to the ten faculty members who completed the Physician Leadership Development Program (PLDP) and Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP). These programs are opportunities for our faculty to gain knowledge that will enrich their career development and hone their skills as future leaders in our department. Graduates of this year’s PLDP include Drs. Bhavin Patel, Prince Philip, Erika Zimmons, Meghna Trivedi, and Ratnesh Chopra. Graduates of the JFDP include Drs. Varun Ayyaswami, Lindsey Bazzone, Poorva Bindal, Andrew Gillis-Smith, and Jungwon Yoon. You may read more about these programs in this Friday’s Connect newsletter.  

Distinction in education
I was delighted to see the excellent posters from our talented residents and fellows at this year’s Poster Day. Thank you to all who came out to support their work, and thank you to the faculty reviewers and especially Dr. Meghna Trivedi who led this effort!  

I would also like to congratulate Dr. Jennifer Reidy, chief of Palliative Care, for receiving the Outstanding Mentoring to Women Award at this year’s Women’s Faculty Awards. Dr. Reidy is an accomplished leader, physician, and mentor, and is highly deserving of this honor!  

Upcoming spotlights and features
Please be sure to check out this month’s Chair’s Spotlight, where we will have an in-depth feature on the work of Dr. Reidy! As evidenced by her award at this year’s Women’s Faculty Awards, she is an outstanding mentor, but she is also an innovative physician-leader. She has had a fascinating career so far and I hope you will take some time to read her story.  

Later this month, we will feature Dr. Apurv Soni as our Researcher Spotlight. Dr. Soni is faculty in the Division of Health Systems Science and a director in the Program in Digital Medicine. His lab focuses on investigating the integration of digital health technologies in clinical workflow and community-based settings to improve clinical outcomes and reduce health disparities. 

Enjoy the beautiful, summery weather. 

Sincerely,
Dave 

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