School of Medicine Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Teaching

Faculty, clinicians, mentors, educators and researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine celebrated achievements and excellence in teaching during the 13th annual Faculty Excellence Awards on Sept. 21.

The ceremony represents a high point in the academic year – a time to celebrate the accomplishments and dedication of faculty to the university community. Both new faculty and those who have contributed to the School of Medicine for a number of years, as well as faculty and colleagues at the VCU-Inova Campus and the Veterans Affair Medical Center, were recognized.

“Our president with us today emphasizes the importance of this ceremony and of our faculty to our education mission,” said Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine.

Craig E. Cheifetz, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the VCU School of Medicine Inova Campus in Fairfax, Va., received the Enrique Gerszten, M.D., Faculty Teaching Excellence Award – the school’s highest teaching recognition that honors extraordinary accomplishment in all aspects of education. The award is given to a faculty member who is an outstanding teacher with a compelling record of contributions to education.

In 2005, when the Inova Campus in Fairfax welcomed its first group of medical students, Cheifetz was responsible for developing comprehensive educational programs for third- and fourth-year students. The goal was to develop educational programs on the young campus comparable to the educational experiences available to the medical students in Richmond. Further, he developed student support services and teaching facilities on-site, and trained faculty. Also, for the Inova faculty, he created a development course on clinical teaching that has trained more than 130 attending physicians to date. Cheifetz was recognized for his dedication and for the “richness and diversity” of the Inova Campus learning environment by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

Cheifetz monitored how the curriculum progressed and developed programs to meet these needs, and created an atmosphere where both students and faculty were supported in their roles. Examples of these programs include a pre-residency “boot camp” to prepare M4 students for internship; learning experiences to prepare new clinical students for their M3 year; a “Positive Teacher-Student Alliance” developed with Samantha Buery-Joyner, M.D., clerkship director in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Inova Campus, to support a safe learning environment. He also developed programs to present new research opportunities; integration of simulation training; new “Quality and Safety” and “Cultural Competency” courses; and a program to improve teaching skills and confidence for residents.

This year’s Irby-James Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching was awarded to Frank A. Fulco, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at VCU and the McGuire Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, in recognition of superior teaching and professionalism in clinical medicine taught in the last two years of medical school and residency training.

Fulco has profoundly influenced the training of countless students, and has not only served as a role model for his students, but for his colleagues as well. One colleague described Fulco as, “one of the best and brightest internists I have ever encountered. He not only imparts great clinical wisdom to his trainees, he walks the walk of excellence in his own clinical practices. He leads by example in patient interactions, discussions, evidence-based and patient-centered management and documentation.”

Daniel H. Conrad, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, is the recipient of the Distinguished Mentor Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the career development of others, including colleagues, residents, fellows and students.

This was Conrad’s second time receiving the Distinguished Mentor Award – which he first received in 2001. He is the first faculty member to receive the same teaching excellence award twice. He is known for his “good humor, unending support and enthusiasm, and careful guidance.” 

The Educational Innovation Award is given to an individual faculty member, group, program or an academic unit for significant educational innovation or educational research. This year, the award was presented to Pawan Suri, M.D., assistant professor and chair of the Division of Observation Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine.

Suri joined the VCU faculty in 2008 and has been dedicated to improving patient care and clinical teaching. He was instrumental in designing the Clinical Decision Unit, or CDU, which has dramatically changed admitting and care practices of faculty for patients coming to the emergency department. Not only did Suri recognize the benefits of the CDU for patients, but also the educational opportunities for his residents, and developed the country’s first required Observation Medicine rotation. The CDU was designed to provide care to patients requiring treatment best not performed in the emergency department, but not requiring in-patient admission.

William O. McKinley, M.D., professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold Gold Foundation. This award underscores the value of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families.

Since 1989, McKinley has been dedicated to advancing the art and science of rehabilitation and has been recognized as an outstanding clinician in his work with patients and their families facing the challenges of spinal cord injury. As a dedicated teacher and mentor, McKinley “instills into the minds of his students the values and principles associated with his mission to restore hope, function and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injury.”

The Women in Science, Dentistry & Medicine Professional Achievement Award, which recognizes strong role models and mentors for women, was presented to Lenore M. Buckley, M.D., M.P.H., professor of pediatrics and Elam C. Toone, Jr. professor of internal medicine.

Buckley excels as a researcher, teacher, clinician and an administrator.  She has served in a number of leadership roles and was the first woman appointed to the MCV Hospital Authority Board. She conducts research on the effects of inflammatory arthritis and its treatment on bone health and ways to identify high-risk lupus patients for early preventative treatment. As a dedicated clinician, she treats patients from childhood to adulthood with “compassion and calm demeanor that puts everyone at ease.”

The MCV Physicians Distinguished Clinician Award, which recognizes clinical excellence among faculty, was presented to Mark A. Wood, M.D., professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Wood has been described as a skilled and compassionate clinician, dedicating his career to patient safety. During the past 10 years, he has been instrumental in developing quality systems and processes that have resulted in “a remarkable zero percent complication rate in the cardiac electrophysiology laboratories.” To support the best patient care and improve communication, Wood instituted a daily meeting when all patient providers, including physicians, fellows, nurses and students participate and discuss patients. Wood’s philosophy of clinical practice is that at every encounter, the patient deserves your undivided attention.

The VCU/VCUHS Leadership in Graduate Medical Education Awards recognize outstanding contributions to medical education by residency and fellowship directors. These include awards for program director and fellowship director.

Susan R. DiGiovanni, M.D., professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, received the LGME Fellowship Director Award for work as director of the Nephrology Fellowship Program. Her exceptional skill to balance the educational and clinical skills needs of fellows has allowed her to transform the program, adding a board review program, journal club and renal grand rounds. DiGiovanni’s program has become a model for others and resulted in two successful accreditation cycles. She was named assistant dean for medical education in 2010 and has been playing a key role in the ongoing undergraduate medical curriculum redesign.

Wilhelm A. Zuelzer, M.D., professor and vice chair in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, received the LGME Program Director Award. He is known for wearing many hats - guiding his residents through a rigorous five-year training program, maintaining a busy clinical practice and being strongly committed to basic science research through his involvement on four Ph.D. committees. Since 2002, he has led the program through two successful Resident Review Committee evaluations, receiving full accreditation with commendation.

The School of Medicine also recognized faculty members for Outstanding Departmental Teacher Awards in health sciences education, and Outstanding Teacher Awards in undergraduate medical education.