VCU School of Medicine presents highest honors with Faculty Excellence Awards

By Malorie Burkett and Sathya Achia Abraham

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine presented its 11th annual Faculty Excellence Awards during a ceremony and reception that celebrated faculty members’ achievements.

The recognitions, awarded Sept. 23, recognize and reward faculty members for excellence in the achievement of the School of Medicine’s educational mission.

“Someone who makes a difference in a career—that’s what an outstanding faculty member does,” said Jerome F. Strauss, III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine. “My congratulations to all of the individuals that we’ve honored today and to their families who do so much for this institution. We are proud of you.”

Tomasz Kordula, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Raphael J. Witorsch, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, each received the Faculty 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.

Kordula, who came to VCU in 2004, has shared his passion and enthusiasm for science and teaching with students ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows. He has inspired a new generation of biomedical researchers and health care workers to continue on in the field through his dedication to the profession.

For more than 25 years, Witorsch has captured the hearts and minds of his students with his unique teaching style. In addition, his dedication to the craft of teaching matches an impressive portfolio of research and service contributions.

This year’s Irby-James Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching was awarded to Douglas Franzen, M.D., M.Ed., assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, in recognition of superior teaching and professionalism in clinical medicine taught in the last two years of medical school and residency training.

Those familiar with Franzen’s work believe he has transformed educational activities, medical students and the resident program in the Department of Emergency Medicine. As a result of many of his efforts, he has impacted not only the department, but also the medical school and hospital.

Clive Baumgarten, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics,  Biomedical Engineering and in the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Internal Medicine, and Richard G. Moran, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, are the recipients of the Distinguished Mentor Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the career development of others, including colleagues, residents, fellows and students.

Baumgarten, who has been with VCU for more than 30 years, has been committed to mentoring and inspiring his mentees – lending his time and efforts to helping students reach their potential and others overcome academic hurdles.

Moran has sparked excitement in his mentees – encouraging them to find answers through developing their thought processes in addition to their hands-on abilities.

The Educational Innovation Award is given to an individual faculty member, group, program or an academic unit for significant educational innovation or educational research.  The award was presented to a team – The Thomas Palliative Care Program at the VCU Massey Cancer Center.

Among their initiatives, the team was recognized for broadening awareness and adoption of statewide and national efforts in palliative care, such as the Virginia Initiative for Palliative Care, which allows all Virginia healthcare professionals to receive hands-on clinical training at VCU.

The team also has been central to efforts to increase education and the establishment of palliative care centers nationwide through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Center to Advance Palliative Care. Team members included J. Brian Cassel, Ph.D., Patrick Coyne, Carrie Cybulski, Mary Ann Hager, Laurel Lyckholm, M.D., and Thomas Smith, M.D.

Edward James Read, Jr., M.D., attending physician in Emergency Services with the Hunter Holmes McGuire Richmond VA Medical Center, 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.

Read’s countless activities include hosting weekly Bible studies for medical students and a group for medical students and spouses; sponsoring the Christian Medical and Dental Association; leading yearly mission trips to El Salvador to provide care via a mobile free clinic and treating those who would have no other way to receive care.

The Women in Science, Dentistry & Medicine Professional Achievement Award, which recognizes strong role models and mentors for women, was presented to Mary Helen Hackney, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Hackney, associate professor in the Division of Hematology Oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine, and a medical oncologist who specializes in breast cancer, is president of the WISDM Executive Council. Her colleagues commend her for her skills as an oncologist, educator and mentor.

Her efforts on behalf of Massey Cancer Center’s Rural Outreach Program, for which she served as director, have brought high-level cancer care to those who otherwise would have been unable to receive it. She also has been a long-time volunteer physician at the CrossOver Clinic, serving those in the Richmond area who have no other medical home.

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

Recognized as one of the top nephrologists in the area by Richmond Magazine, Sica directs the hypertension clinic at VCUHS and works closely with free-standing clinics and health care providers to provide education and quality health care in the area of hypertension.

Sica also has been involved in many service and leadership roles in nephrology, clinical pharmacology and hypertension organizations, is on the board of directors of the American Society of Hypertension and is a sought-after speaker at national and international meetings.

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.

Stephanie A. Call, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, received the LGME Program Director Award for her creative efforts and dedication to the internal medicine program.

Call has introduced behavioral interviewing, evidence-based practice methods and numerous other techniques to improve the program. According to a colleague, her most important attribute is what she views as her primary career responsibility, and that is as her residents’ advocate, coach, role model and mentor. 

Scott A. Vota, D.O., assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, received the LGME “Rising Star” Award for his significant accomplishments as neurology program director.

Known for his dedication to neurology education and patient care, Vota also leads a weekly electromyography/neuromuscular conference and monthly journal club for clinical neurophysiology residents. Vota is recognized for improving the program through his dedication to recruitment efforts, increasing resident morale and training both residents and fellows.

The School of Medicine also recognized faculty members for Outstanding Departmental Teacher Awards in health sciences education, undergraduate medical education’s Best Teacher in the Course, clerkship awards and faculty with high evaluation awards.