Siegel Awards Recognize Educators’ Admirable Traits

By Dirk Hoffman

Bradley T. Jensen, a fourth-year medical student who served on the Siegel Awards committee, greeted the audience in the M&T Auditorium, noting “the nominations’ quality, not quantity, is the basis on which the winners are chosen.”

“These awards honor the exceptional work of our educators who go above and beyond to ensure our students receive the best education possible,” he said.

Four medical school faculty members, a fellow and a medical student were among this year’s honorees.

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, also provided some opening remarks on the impact of teachers and honoring the legacy of Robert N. Taylor, MD, PhD, who died Jan. 22.

“Teaching is really the bedrock of what we do, to train the next generation of providers, physician-scientists, educators and people who care for our patients in the community,” she said. “Education is not merely about imparting information. It’s about inspiring minds, developing critical thinking and instilling a passion for lifelong learning.”

Brashear noted mentorship is an important part of effective teaching, noting it is something that guides students and inspires them along their academic journey.

“We are here today to celebrate the educators who have shared their journeys and shaped the lives of our students and have instilled in them the values of integrity, empathy, and importantly in this day in age, resilience. All of these are factors that contribute to the success of medicine.”

“I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the mentors we have lost. Dr. Robert Taylor was an outstanding mentor. He really held that as one of his core foundations and it is one of the reasons he was such an effective teacher,” she said. “He was an exceptional colleague; an exceptional mentor and he was the consummate physician-scientist. He always championed collaboration over competition.”

• Colin W. Moore, PhD, instructor of pathology and anatomical sciences

Here are what nominators had to say:

“When you are in the depths of your first year, dense medical terminology feels like a foreign language. This professor’s teaching style not only made studying more efficient, but made it memorable. And as medical students know, this is invaluable.”

“This professor guided us and made us feel less alone. He made us feel seen in our struggles and with a room of 180 perfectionists, this can’t be easy.”

“Dr. Moore is one of the best educators I have had in my entire academic career and I am thankful for his contributions each and every single day.”

co-winners:

• Ajay N. Panchal, MD, clinical assistant professor of surgery

Nominations for Panchal included the following comments:

“His hands-on teaching approach and willingness to go the extra mile in providing assistance together foster a sense of confidence and comfort among those he teaches and mentors.”

“By actively engaging students in clinical procedures and decision-making processes, he not only enhances their practical competence but also instills a sense of autonomy and confidence in their abilities.”

“He takes the time to understand the goals and aspirations of each individual, providing guidance and support to help them navigate their professional paths.”

• Jeffrey J. Visco, MD, clinical assistant professor of surgery

Nominations for Visco included the following comments:

“It is an understatement to say that he exhibits enthusiasm and skill in his professional and personal interactions with students. This doctor makes it a priority to teach and to allow residents, fellows and students to learn with a hands-on approach. He often stops what he is doing and not only verbally explains, but physically shows you in response to your question.”

Countless individuals in the operating room expressed their admiration for Visco’s teaching style.

“He clearly views the learning environment as a two-way street.”

• Adam J. Kroe, MD, clinical assistant professor of family medicine

Despite being this nominee’s first time serving as a preceptor at the Jacobs School, their nomination highlighted thorough teaching, collaboration and feedback — three pillars of clinical education.

A student wrote that they never would have guessed it was this teacher’s first year serving as volunteer faculty due to ‘their stellar teaching ability.”

Another said, “he pushed me to step out of my comfort zone when it came to developing diagnoses and he encouraged me to transition from the reportable to the interpretable throughout the rotation.”

• Ather Hussain Syed, MBBS, PGY-4 hematology/oncology fellow at Roswell Park

Nominators had this to say about Syed:

“He teaches students how to be effective, inquisitive and educated doctors.”

“He personally makes review slides at the beginning of each session, which includes a detailed, step-by-step approach for completing the physical exam that day.”

“Despite not being the primary doctor assigned to each patient on the floor, they reviewed patient cases ahead of time to find those diagnoses, cases and symptoms that matched what we were learning that day.”

“A truly humble physician who is always keeping up to date on the most recent findings.”

• William Calder Schultz, fourth-year medical student

Nominees wrote the following about Schultz:

“This nominee has been known to tirelessly volunteer for extra work.”

“This nominee is committed to incorporating active learning and using new methods to help us engage with the course material each session.”

“Not only enriched the learning experience, but also fostered a sense of community among our peer education group.”

“Most importantly, this nominee is exceedingly kind. This nominee took the time to get to know each of us and was always willing to share about their experiences in medical school and to give us advice. Their unwavering support throughout this semester was invaluable to me.”

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

• Samir Al-Ayoubi, MD, PGY-4 trainee in anesthesiology residency program
• Remon Bebawee, MD, assistant professor of medicine
• Tamari Bekauri, second-year medical student
  
• Itai Bezherano, fourth-year medical student
• Peter G. Bradford, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology
• Christian G. Cavalieri, MD, PGY-3 trainee in internal medicine residency program
• Emilie Rose Christie, fourth-year medical student
  
• Chelsey Ciambella, MD, breast surgical oncology fellow at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Christopher S. Cohan, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of pathology and anatomical sciences
• Joseph A. Costa, PhD, instructor of pathology and anatomical sciences
• Mackenzie Cronin, third-year medical student
  
• Gabriela B. Drew, MD, PGY-2 trainee in general surgery residency program
  
• Kaitlyn Edbauer, MD, PGY-3 trainee in obstetrics and gynecology residency program
• David A. Freedman, PhD, instructor of pathology and anatomical sciences
  
• Arielle N. Grapstein, MD, PGY-1 trainee in joint ophthalmology/internal medicine residency program
• Grace Eugenia Herman, fourth-year medical student
  
• Geoffrey G. Hobika, MD, PGY-1 trainee in general surgery residency program
  
• Nariman Hossein-Javaheri, DO, PGY-2 trainee in internal medicine residency program
  
• Adam Howard, MD, PGY-1 trainee in psychiatry residency program
• Gerald P.  Igoe, MD, clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine
• Lisa Jane Jacobsen, MD, clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology
• Bradley T. Jensen, fourth-year medical student
  
• Sydney Johnson,  second-year medical student
  
• Aeryn Kangas-Dick, MD, complex general surgical oncology fellow at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  
• Will Kelly, MD, PGY-2 trainee in general surgery residency program
  
• Ellen E. Lutnick, MD, PGY-2 trainee in orthopaedics residency program
• Jennifer A. Meka, PhD, assistant professor of medicine
• Sherene Milizia, former Jacobs School registrar
• Archana Mishra, MD, clinical professor of medicine
• Alberto F. Monegro, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine
• Gaganjot Singh Parmar, fourth-year medical student
  
• Nicholas Pokoj, MD, clinical Instructor-academic scholar in the Department of Emergency Medicine
  
• Melissa L. Rayhill, MD, clinical associate professor of neurology
• Alyssa Reese, fourth-year medical student
  
• Steven D. Schwaitzberg, MD, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and chair of surgery
  
• Daniel W. Sheehan, MD, PhD, clinical professor of pediatrics
• Virginia L. Steilberg, MD, PGY-1 trainee in obstetrics and gynecology residency program
  
• Aberdeen Taylor, MD, PGY-1 trainee in general surgery residency program 
• Alyssa Tutunjian, MD, PGY-3 trainee in general surgery residency program 
  
• Brian R. Weil, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics
• Robert Ross Welliver, MD, PGY-3 trainee in the pediatrics residency program

David A. Milling, MD, executive director of the Office of Medical Education, senior associate dean for medical education and faculty adviser for the Siegel Awards, said he could not emphasize enough the importance of the awards ceremony.

“We cannot do what we do here as a medical school without our mentors and our teachers,” he said.

“We cannot have a medical school without medical students, so I hope everyone will continue to spread the word and to continue to show by example what it takes for us to produce the next group of students who are going to be amazing,” Milling added.

Milling also thanked the Siegel Awards Committee, noting that while he and student and academic affairs coordinator Julie Szrama are on the committee as mentors, everything else is done by the students.

“This is a student-run event that recognizes our faculty,” he said. “This is the students’ way of showing their support and appreciation for what you all do every day.”

Medical students who served on the Siegel Awards Committee are:

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 inspired both medical students and house officers with enthusiasm and the spirit of inquiry.

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

A student committee comprised of representatives from each medical class reviews nominations from students and selects awardees.