Faculty Recognized for Promotions & Honored with Awards at Annual Celebration

Faculty Recognized for Promotions & Honored with Awards at Annual Celebration

On Thursday, September 5, the Department of Internal Medicine hosted faculty and members of University of Utah leadership at the 15th Street Gallery for its annual Faculty Awards & Recognition Ceremony. This event recognizes recently promoted faculty members, and honors other faculty members receiving various awards at the department-level and beyond.

During the event’s social hour, guests feasted on hors d'oeuvres, viewed posters of all promotion and award winners, and chatted with colleagues from across the department. Posters with the department’s rich and varied history, including Dr. Maxwell Wintrobe’s first-ever National Institute of Health grant, were also available to view in honor of the department’s 75th Anniversary.

Recently promoted faculty, including appointments to Professor Emeritus and Awards of Tenure, were among the first recognized during the presentation portion of the event. Faculty promotions take effect July 1 of every year, but the journey to promotion can take years to meet the necessary requirements. Congratulations again to our newly promoted faculty:

 Promotion to Assistant Professor

Promotion to Associate Professor

Promotion to Professor

Award of Tenure

Appointment to Professor Emeritus 

Winners of the department’s annual teaching awards, whom are selected by students and awarded during Grand Rounds in June, were honored again at this year’s Awards & Recognition event.

For the first time ever, winners of national humanitarian awards were recognized for their efforts in bringing humanity to medicine. Dr. Adam Spivak, an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, was honored for his Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, while Dr. John Ryan, an associate professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, was honored for his Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award. Both awards are given by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

Dr. Karl Sanders, an associate professor in the Division of Respiratory, Critical Care and Occupational Pulmonary Medicine, was recognized for winning the M. Paul Southwick Prize for Clinical Excellence and Teaching through the University of Utah Alumni Association. This is a Department of Internal Medicine specific-award that recognizes outstanding medical educators, with nominations solicited from medical students, residents and colleagues.

After recognizing promotions, teaching awards and other miscellaneous awards, the awards presentation focused on announcing the top awards of the night, including the Chair Awards for Service to the Department and Lifetime Achievement, which were personally selected by David Bjorkman, interim Chair.

Chair Awards for Service to the Department were bestowed to Dr. Alfred Cheung and Dr. Paul Eleazer. Dr. Cheung was selected for this award for his numerous leadership roles within the department, including Vice Chair for Research and Chief for the Division of Nephrology & Hypertension. Dr. Eleazer was selected for his invaluable role as liaison between the Department of Internal Medicine and the VA.

This year’s Chair Award for Lifetime Achievement went to Dr. John Hoidal, former Chair of the Department of the Internal Medicine. Dr. Hoidal was an integral part of the department for over 30 years, and continues to be a tremendously respected clinician, researcher and investigator. Dr. Bjorkman selected him for this award for his long-term service to the department, especially for his time as department chair.

The event concluded with the presentation of the final three major Department Awards: the William D. Odell & Margaret F. Odell Junior Investigator Award, the John R. Hoidal, MD, Senior Investigator Award, and the Thomas H. Caine, MD, Award for Clinical Excellence.

The William D. Odell and Margaret F. Odell Junior Investigator Award is given annually to an assistant professor who demonstrates leadership potential to become an academic or political leader in Internal Medicine, and who already demonstrates honesty, integrity and maturity in personal interrelations with peers, administrators, students and patients. This year’s recipient was Dr. Andrew Gawron, a recently promoted associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology. Dr. Gawron ‘s research focuses on measuring outcomes and improving quality of care for patients with digestive diseases. One of his most significant achievements include the development of a national colonoscopy quality reporting system for the National VA Healthcare System, with plans of implementation this year.

The John R. Hoidal, MD, Senior Investigator Award, given annually to a tenured professor who continues to demonstrate excellence in research, was awarded to Dr. Matthew Samore. Dr. Samore is internationally recognized as an innovative investigator and not only serves as Chief of the Division of Epidemiology, but is also a Principal Investigator at the Salt Lake VA Informatics Decision Enhancement and Surveillance (IDEAS) Center and the VA Consortium for Healthcare Informatics Research.

The final award of the evening, the Thomas H. Caine, MD, Award for Clinical Excellence, was presented to Dr. Barbara Cahill, a professor from the Division of Respiratory, Critical Care and Occupational Pulmonary Medicine. Named for Dr. Caine’s contributions to our clinical mission, this award if given to a faculty member who demonstrates quality care and excellent patient experience. In addition to receiving this award, Dr. Cahill was also honored for her recent appointment as the Burbidge Presidential Endowed Chair; members of the Burbidge family spoke a few kind words about Dr. Cahill and her role as physician and friend in the care of the Burbidges’ father toward the end of the his life.

Congratulations again to our recently promoted faculty and to our 2019 award winners. The Department looks forward to highlighting more accomplishments of our tremendously talented faculty in the coming year.