Siegel Awards Recognize Excellence in Teaching

By Dirk Hoffman

A committee of Jacobs School medical students selected the recipients — four faculty members, a resident and a medical student — who were honored during a ceremony in the Jacobs School’s M&T Auditorium.

Third-year medical student Andrew Gasper, a member of the Siegel Awards Committee, noted the awards “are our school’s foremost means for recognizing extraordinary teaching.”

“They give us the opportunity to commemorate the teachers who have significantly impacted our education throughout medical school,” he said.

David A. Milling, MD, executive director of the Offices of Medical Education, noted “we don’t always get the chance to celebrate the amazing students and amazing faculty that we have in this school.”

He took a moment to recognize all the Siegel Award winners and nominees.

“It is hard work and people dedicate a lot of time and energy to help make our students better — to bring us forward to that next level — to become that next generation of individuals who are going to be educators, researchers and physicians providing clinical care,” Milling said.

• Robert P. Gatewood Jr., MD, a cardiologist who serves as a faculty coach in the Well Beyond curriculum learning communities

Nominators’ comments included:

“He exemplifies what it means to be a lifelong learner.”

“He teaches us what it truly means to be a doctor. He goes beyond the knife and beyond the stethoscope and teaches us what one can only learn through the copious years of experience and emotional perceptibility that he has.”

“I am learning skills from this nominee that do not come in a book.”

• Andrey V. Kopot, MD, assistant professor of medicine

Siegel Awards committee member and medical student Ashtah Das noted, “As medical students, most of our growth and competence in becoming capable physicians happens at the bedside, where clinical teachers help us to bridge the gap between knowledge and rotation care.”

Nominators’ comments included:

“Consistently took the time to explain patient conditions in ways that were both understandable and clinically meaningful.”

“Stayed late to help a student walk through an Emergency Department admission, step-by-step, allowing the student to independently complete the history and physical before thoughtfully reviewing the case together.”

“What truly stood out across nominations was their intentional approach to teaching clinical reasoning.”

• Joseph L’Huillier, MD, general surgery resident

Nominators’ comments included:

“There is a difference between someone who teaches what to think and someone who teaches how to think.”

“Over time, clinical reasoning stopped feeling like a test you had to study for, but instead it became second nature.”

“There is a saying that ‘iron sharpens iron.’ This resident sharpened everyone around him — medical students, interns, nurses, scrub techs — not through intimidation but through standards.”

“He challenged you in a way that made you want to rise to the occasion.”

“Excellence in surgery is often measured in outcomes. Excellence in teaching is measured in those who think differently because of him.”

• Lauren M. Kuwik, MD, clinical assistant instructor of medicine

Nominators’ comments included:

“Profoundly shapes how her students think, learn and care for patients.”

“Her ability to connect foundational knowledge to real-world clinical application was repeatedly exercised.”

“Her impact extends beyond academics, one student shared that after a difficult family health crisis she provided “reassurance and validated my emotions and eased my fears about the uncertain future ahead.”

“She reminds students that even in the intensity of medical training, their wellbeing and balance matters.”

• Muhsinah Howlader, third-year medical student

Nominators’ comments included:

“Goes above and beyond to share her knowledge with her fellow students.”

“One of the most reliable peer educators I have worked with.”

“They pay close attention to what each person needed and explained things in a way that kept everyone on track.”

• Daniel Mirsch, DO, assistant professor of emergency medicine

Siegel Awards committee member and medical student Muhammad Zahid noted this award winner was being honored for his “commitment to hands-on learning, mentorship of future educators and the enthusiasm and competence they instill in their students.”

Nominators’ comments included:

“For many medical students, learning point-of-care ultrasound can feel intimidating at first, but this educator has built a program around a simple, but powerful philosophy that ultrasound is a skill that must be learned by doing.”

“From the very beginning, students are not passive observers. They are the ones holding the probe, scanning, interpreting images and making decisions in real time. That hands-on approach allows students to move beyond theory and begin thinking like clinicians.”

The following faculty members, residents, fellows, medical students and staff members also received Siegel Award nominations:

• Christina Andreou, fourth-year medical student
• Anthony Burdo, MD, trainee in the family medicine residency program
  
• Tatum E. Burdo, MD, MPH, trainee in the psychiatry residency program
• Christina E. Buscaglia, MD, trainee in the pediatrics residency program
• Michele M. Carr, PhD, clinical professor of otolaryngology
• Angeleah Carreras, MD, trainee in the neurosurgery residency program
• Aysenur Danis, MD, trainee in the pediatrics residency program
• Andrew Eldeiry, MBBCh, trainee in the adult neurology residency program
• Osman Farooq, MD, clinical professor of neurology
• Steven J. Foulis, MD, clinical assistant professor of family medicine
• Samantha Garas, MD, trainee in the family medicine residency program
• Suzanne C. Griffith, MD, clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology
• Andrew Grover, MD, trainee in the obstetrics and gynecology residency program
• Paula Valeria Guerra-Navarro, third-year medical student
• Ajay Gupta, MD, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics
• Justin Harvey, MD, trainee in the general surgery residency program
• Odeyuwa O. Izekor, trainee in the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship
• Katherine Lee, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine
• Lan Le, MD, trainee in the general surgery residency program
• Moustafa Mesha, MBBS, trainee in the adult neurology residency program
• Brian A. Monaco, MD, clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine
• Nathan J. O’Brien, MD, clinical instructor in the Department of Emergency Medicine
• Katherine A. O’Donnell, MD, trainee in the obstetrics and gynecology residency program at Sisters of Charity Hospital
• Joseph D. Orie, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics and chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology
• Mark D. Parker, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics
• Nicholas Pokoj, MD, clinical instructor in the Department of Emergency Medicine
• Virginia Steilberg, MD, trainee in the obstetrics and gynecology residency program
• Mehak Swami, DO, clinical assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
• Sushama K. Thandla, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor of family medicine
• Jeffrey J. Visco, MD, assistant professor of surgery
• Jeffrey J. Yu, MD, PhD, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics

Medical students who served on the Siegel Awards Committee are:

The Siegel Awards are the foremost means for recognizing extraordinary teachers in the Jacobs School.

Louis A. Siegel received his medical degree from UB in 1923 and served as an assistant professor of obstetrics-gynecology for 21 years. He was a dedicated clinical teacher who was able to inspire both medical students and house officers with enthusiasm and the spirit of inquiry.

Considerations for the Siegel Awards include: instructional skill, ability to stimulate thinking and develop understanding, demonstration of sensitivity toward the human condition, and serving as a role model for students.

A student award committee composed of representatives from each medical class reviews nominations provided by students and selects awardees.