On June 10, 2018, a ceremony was held for the graduating class of Internal Medicine residents at Union South on the UW-Madison campus. The ceremony included remarks by Alexis Eastman, MD, clinical assistant professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology.

For a photo gallery from graduation, click here.

The following housestaff awards were presented during the ceremony:

Awards Presented to Trainees:

Chief’s Awards, given to a PG 1, 2 and 3 resident, each of whom is recognizing for going above and beyond to help the chief residents. The 2018 awardees were:

• PG 1: Sarah Donohue, MD
• PG 2: Patrick Grogan, MD, PhD
• PG 3: Daniel Rosenberg, MD

The Larry Crocker, MD Generalism Award. Dr. Larry Crocker was a member of the Division of General Internal Medicine. Prior to his retirement in 2007 at the age of 75, he was an outstanding role model for numerous UW faculty members. Dr. Crocker was a skilled and compassionate physician, dedicated to providing the best care for his patients. He passed away in 2012. The recipient of this award is recognized by current division members as someone who embodies Dr. Crocker’s principles of patient care. The 2018 awardees are Rafael Hastey, MD and Brian Lewis, MD.

The Sheehy Recognition Award for a resident engaged in community health projects for the underserved population in Madison: Dr. Talar Kharadjian

The Sunde Award. David Sunde had a multisystem illness that required the care of three physicians working closely together, coordinating their efforts and involving the patient and family in the process. As a consequence of this interaction, Dave and his employer Ohmeda Corporation established a fund with the goal of recognizing the importance of the human touch in medicine in our highly technological era. This award comes with a gift that the donors ask to be used to honor and teach residents the importance of putting one’s personal ego aside, working as a team, and treating a patient not just as someone who is an ‘interesting case” but a full-fledged human being. The 2018 awardees are Kristina Little, MD and Brian Lewis, MD.

Resident Excellence in Teaching Award, which is presented to the resident who offered excellence in teaching the principles and practice of Internal Medicine. This year the award was given to Matthew Brunner, MD.

The Sobby Mathew MD Award, presented to an intern who is hard-working, open-minded, supportive, and selfless; and who demonstrates compassion and a caring attitude for her or his patients. Sobby Mathew was taken from us prematurely in a car accident at the end of her PG-1 year. She had been a strong role model in her congregation and local Indian community. She was widely admired by her peers and faculty for her quiet serenity that was so comforting to her patients. This serenity was punctuated by a strong sense of advocacy. Her service and volunteerism were conducted with selflessness and a genuine eternal optimism toward the power of humanity to do good. The award was presented to Nicholas David, MD.

Awards Presented to Faculty Members and Clinicians:

Physician’s Physician Award, presented to the faculty member who you would send your family member to or would go to yourself. This is someone you trust in terms of medical knowledge and dedication to patient care. The 2018 awardee is Andrea Schnell, MD.

Special Recognition Award, presented to a healthcare provider or health unit clerk who works with our residents and who has consistently offered education from their area of expertise to our residents. This year’s award goes to Jessica Baier, RN, VA Women’s Health Nurse Case Manager.

Professionalism Award, which is presented to the faculty member who best demonstrated altruism; accountability to patients, the public and the profession; a commitment to excellence; a sense of duty, honor and integrity; and humanism, empathy and a respect for others. The 2018 awardee is Tomas Shiffler, MD.

The Wellness Award for a faculty member who has championed resident wellness and made efforts in mitigating resident burnout: Adam Gepner, MD

The Patient-Centered Award is presented to the faculty member who best embodies the attributes of empathy, humanism, patient-centered communication, and shared decision-making. The 2018 awardee is Eric Yanke, MD.

The Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes the faculty member who offered the best opportunity to learn and was the best overall teacher in the Department of Medicine. The 2018 awardee is Pierre Kory, MD.

Graduating Residents

Categorical Track:

• Saad Arain, MD
• Matthew Brunner, MD
• Ann Chodara, MD
• Kenneth Coggins, MD
• Jason Eccleston, MD
• Michael Kessler, MD
• Jason Kirk, MD
• Jake Laine, MD
• David Lewandowski, MD
• Mathew Ley, MD
• Joseph Longino, MD
• Megan Lutz, MD
• Daniel McCulley, MD
• John Miller, MD
• Samantha Murray-Bainer, MD
• Matthew Rafn, MD
• Daniel Rosenberg, MD
• Kelly Schmidt, MD
• Pete Stadmeyer, MD
• Yaoli Yang, MD
• Luke Zurbriggen, MD

Primary Care Track:

• Matthew Hartman, MD
• Rafael Hastey, MD
• Brian Lewis, MD
• Jesse Maupin, MD

2017-2018 Chief Residents:

• Amber Hertz-Tang, MD, MPH, Bridges Family Endowed Chief Resident
• Scott Saunders, MD, Page Family Endowed Chief Resident
• Kevin Wenzke, MD, Vogelman/Carnes Family Endowed Chief Resident
• Peter Kleinschmidt, MD, Trowbridge Endowed Primary Care Chief Resident