VCU School of Medicine Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Teaching

By Megan Schmidt

Faculty, clinicians, mentors, educators and researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine celebrated achievements and excellence in teaching during the 14th Annual Faculty Excellence Awards Program on Sept. 19.

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 faculty and those who have contributed to the School of Medicine for several decades were recognized.

"This is a highlight of the academic year ... we have many outstanding teachers here, but will only get to highlight a few," said Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine.

Margaret M. Grimes, M.D., professor of pathology, 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.

Grimes has been with VCU since she started as an associate professor in the Department of Pathology in October 1990. Her commitment to teaching is so great that despite her busy clinical and teaching obligations she pursued and earned her M.Ed. in adult learning for medical educators in 2008. She is known by faculty and staff as a teacher of extraordinary skill and has received the School of Medicine’s Outstanding Teacher Award every year since 1999.

Students seek out Grimes for her expert knowledge, organized approach and ability to explain difficult concepts as well as for her exceptional patience and respect for learners.

“Margaret is a tireless advocate for students and residents and is always looking for a way to make their educational experiences more rewarding,” wrote Betsy D. Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president of the American Board of Pathology.

This year’s Irby-James Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching was awarded to Marjolein de Wit, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine, in recognition of superior teaching and professionalism in clinical medicine taught in the last two years of medical school and residency training.

De Wit has a master’s degree in clinical research and biostatistics and is effective in incorporating evidence-based medicine into her daily teaching and relating it to bedside patient care. She has taught at VCU for 10 years and is known for her effortless ability to teach a wide range of learners, including medical students, residents, fellows, community physicians, pharmacy residents and the interdisciplinary team in the Medical Respiratory Intensive Care Unit.

“From the complex, often highly intense clinical cases, Dr. de Wit broke down material into manageable ‘bites’ and helped the entire team understand the processes that we are helping our patients through,” wrote Matthew Kappus, M.D., chief medical resident.

She also is known for her difficult balance of creating a supportive learning environment while still pushing students to the best of their ability.

This year’s program boasted two recipients of the Distinguished Mentor Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the career development of others, including colleagues, residents, fellows and students. The recipients were Louis J. De Felice, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of physiology and biophysics, and Therèse M. Duane, M.D., professor of surgery.

De Felice came to VCU in 2008 through the encouragement of his colleague, Diomedes Logothetis, Ph.D., professor and chair of physiology and biophysics.

“I could not think of a better mentor, educator, outstanding scientist and colleague than Dr. De Felice to begin my recruitments with,” said Logothetis.

Since joining the VCU faculty, De Felice has mentored one graduate student and one postdoctoral scholar, and he is currently training three doctorate students and two postdoctoral scholars. As a well-respected researcher, he has an active molecular neuroscience lab and has published more than 85 peer-reviewed original research articles, 31 reviews and book chapters and two monographs. His published work has been cited more than 3,900 times.

Wednesday’s award ceremony was especially in recognition of Duane’s talent as a dedicated clinician and mentor. Not ownly was she a recipient of the Distinguished Mentor Award, but she also received the Women in Science, Dentistry & Medicine Professional Achievement Award, which recognizes strong role models and mentors for women.

In the nine years that Duane has been a part of the VCU community, she has built a reputation as a productive researcher, dedicated teacher to students, housestaff and colleagues, and an effective advocate for patient safety. However, her greatest achievement is in mentoring others. Colleagues and students relate stories of Duane contacting them after the briefest of introductions, asking if they would like to talk. During these discussions, Duane asked questions about career planning, research interests, balancing work and personal time and followed through by offering life-changing assistance in all of these areas.

“Her willingness to not only give the fellow key pieces of advice, but to sit down with a high school student and go over career choices; to sit down with a struggling intern in the first year of residency and talk to them as though they had known each other for a long time,” wrote Andrew Young, M.D., “This is truly incredible. I know of no other like her.”

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 Lelia E. Brinegar, director of the School of Medicine Curriculum Office, and Christopher M. Woleben, M.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine and associate dean for Student Affairs. These two innovators created a service-learning curriculum titled LINC (Learners Involved in the Needs of Communities), which develops a critical link between the School of Medicine and the community it serves by allowing first-year medical students to experience firsthand the environments in which their patients spend their lives.

“In my opinion, LINC sets a new national standard for medical education curricula that aim to prepare culturally and economically sensitive physicians,” said Lynn Pelco, Ph.D., director of VCU’s Service Learning Program. “In particular, I have been impressed by the care and consideration (Brinegar and Woleben) have put towards developing and stewarding collaborative relationships with community partners to ensure that LINC meets community-identified needs while still providing students with innovative and engaging learning experiences.”

Catherine M. Kelso, M.D., associate professor of internal Medicine at the Richmond Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VAMC), received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. This award underscores the value of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families.

As an expert in geriatric medicine and palliative care, Kelso seeks to use her knowledge by working with very diverse populations who are not always familiar or comfortable with “end of life” planning and care.

“Where other physicians might avoid such challenging patients and care situations, Dr. Kelso seeks them out… her demeanor is always respectful, calm and reassuring, and her bedside manner radiates approachability to patients, family members, trainees and staff,” wrote Judy Brannen, M.D., clinical director of undergraduate and graduate medical education.

In addition to her role as an associate professor, Kelso has also served as the Ethics Consultant Coordinator at the VAMC since 2006, where she incorporates medical ethics and professionalism in her discussions with students, residents and fellows. She also has developed an innovative approach to pain management that has been copyrighted and is used in numerous nursing facilities.

The MCV Physicians Distinguished Clinician Award, which recognizes clinical excellence among faculty, was presented to Wilhelm A. Zuelzer, M.D., professor of the orthopaedic surgery.

For 22 years, Zuelzer has been an exemplary model of service to the School of Medicine and excellence in teaching, research and patient care. Students and trainees look to him as a role model.

“When taking care of patients, his motto is truly ‘Do no harm,’” wrote Victoria Kuester, M.D., former trainee and now assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery. “He will only operate when he deems it necessary and best for the patient and he will tirelessly make sure that the patients are doing well pre-operatively and post-operatively.”

Despite his many clinical, teaching and administrative responsibilities, Zuelzer is known for quickly returning a phone call from a patient, coming to the bedside to assist a trainee and promptly responding to a colleague’s question.

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.

The LGME Program Coordinator Award was given to Donna Barrett, for her efficient, detail-oriented, competency as a program coordinator.

Barrett served as the residency program coordinator for the Department of Pediatrics for five years before moving to the Obstetrics and Gynecology residency program earlier this year.

“Within a month, she got all of the records up to speed, duty hours in order and developed a wonderful relationship with the faculty and students,” wrote Nicole Karjane, OB-GYN Program Director.

Colleagues in both pediatrics and OB-GYN list some of Barrett’s best qualities, remarking that she leaves no detail to chance, learns how to pronounce new residents’ names, coaches others so the new residents feel welcome and works long hours to be sure every facet of recruitment is perfect, all while coordinating multiple educational activities smoothly.

Angela Gentili, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine, received the LGME Fellowship Director Award for work as fellowship director of the Internal Medicine Geriatrics Training Program.

For 15 years she has been a creative and innovative force in her program. Some of Gentili’s innovations include a mini-CEX on falls in older patients and a checklist for nursing home admission notes and recertification notes, allowing fellows to make sure they are meeting all of the Federal and Joint Commission requirements. Gentili also developed a system of chart reviews wherein fellows self-assess to be sure they are applying what they learn in didactics to the care of their patients.

With a nearly 20-year record of excellence in directing residency programs, Suzanne R. Lavoie, M.D., professor and chief of pediatric infectious disease, is the 2012 LGME Program Director awardee for her role as the Pediatric Residency Program Director.

Colleagues describe her as quiet and efficient, a daily inspiration and an outstanding mentor. Lavoie is quadruple board-certified in pediatrics, internal medicine, pediatric infectious diseases and internal medicine infectious diseases and is recognized as an outstanding clinical teacher.

“I think that being a program director is an extremely difficult position,” said Michael Foxworth II, M.D., a fifth-year pediatric infectious diseases fellow, in reflecting on Lavoie’s work at the School of Medicine.

“Like a parent, you care for the well-being of all of the residents, knowing that in the moment, it may be difficult for them to see how much you do with only their best interest in mind. Also, like a parent, you don’t do these things with expectations to receive anything in return, except for the joy in seeing their growth and future success.”

This definition of care that Lavoie instills in her work can also be used for all of the award winners.

“These people do their jobs very, very well. They're an inspiration to all of us," said Strauss.

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.