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Leaders in Clinical Excellence 2023 Event Gallery

Published on: November 17, 2023 By: Staff Reports

Two women seated in auditorium, chatting.

It was an afternoon of honors and an evening of celebration as the campus community gathered for the sixth annual Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards ceremony, followed by a musical reception. Click through the photos below for a flavor of the event.

Select an image to begin the slideshow.

The awards table gleamed at the start of the 2023 Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards ceremony.

Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, UT Southwestern President, served as the host for the sixth annual Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards ceremony.

The awards program included the Patricia and William L. Watson Jr., M.D., Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine – UTSW’s highest clinical care honor.

This year’s program featured nine individual recipients and two winning programs.

Prior to the presentation of her Rising Star Award, Dr. Christina Herrera’s video was shown.

Dr. Herrera expressed her satisfaction for the work she does, saying, “It truly is a blessing to work daily to change the lives of the pregnant moms I care for and lead clinical initiatives and research to continue to make their lives and the lives of their babies better.”

Dr. Podolsky and Dr. Jessica H. Voit stopped for a photo after she received her Rising Star Award.

Dr. Voit thanked the entire Geriatrics Division within Internal Medicine and everyone involved in the Hospital Elder Life Program, along with her family for “letting me do what I do.”

Dr. Vanessa Rogers’ son, Elliot, and Drs. John Mansour and Maeve Sheehan, co-Chairs of the Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards Selection Committee (from left).

Dr. Podolsky with Dr. Anand Rohatgi, one of two 2023 Mentoring Award honorees.

Dr. Rohatgi thanked the professional mentors in his life, along with the mentees who have allowed him “to grow with them on an unbelievable and magical journey.” He thanked his family, which included a special mention of his wife and fellow UTSW faculty member, Dr. Susan Matulevicius, whom he called “my best friend, my partner, and my peer mentor.”

2023 Institutional Service Award recipients Drs. Vanessa Rogers and Rina Sanghavi (left to right) shared a few smiles during the award ceremony.

Dr. Podolsky honored Dr. Kim B. Yancey, Professor and former Chair of the Department of Dermatology, a 2023 Mentoring Award recipient.

Dr. Yancey thanked friends and colleagues and said, “The real blessing associated with this experience was the opportunity to work with so many talented young people, to watch their careers develop and flourish, and to see firsthand the impact they make in the lives of others every day.”

Dr. Mansour with big smiles while capturing some special moments.

Dr. Podolsky congratulated Dr. Rogers upon receiving an Institutional Service Award.

Dr. Rogers spoke about being excited to join UTSW as a fellow because it meant that she would get to work alongside the authors of Williams Obstetrics, the premier textbook in OB. “I got to meet the people who wrote it, and they were so amazing and such incredible role models, and their intelligence, their innovation, it was really surpassed only by their compassion. So I aspire to be like that.”

Dr. Rogers pictured with her son, Elliot, whom she thanked for making her a parent and a better doctor.

Dr. Sanghavi, one of two Institutional Service Award recipients, gave a shoutout to her 85-year-old mother and her husband, who were both in the audience.

Dr. Sanghavi shared her appreciation for her colleagues, mentors, and friends and sent a special thanks to her two teenagers, Rohan and Ria.

Dr. Podolsky congratulated Dr. Raksha Jain upon her team’s Program Development Award; she leads the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and Bronchiectasis Program.

Dr. Jain accepted the Program Development Award on behalf of her team and thanked Drs. Meghana Sathe and Preeti Sharma, co-Directors of the Pediatric CF program, and Dr. David Finklea, Associate Director of the adult program (pictured).

Dr. David B. Nelson received his team’s Program Development Award for the extending Maternal Care After Pregnancy (eMCAP) program. “These nurses are heroes that engage patients and ask hard questions. Do you have food? Do you have transportation? What is your barrier? And to listen to the patient to identify their needs,” Dr. Nelson said as he recognized members from his team for their contributions.

Dr. Nelson asked his eMCAP teammates in the audience to stand in acknowledgement. From left: Lisa Moseley, Melissa Lopez, Katherine Gonzales, Marissa Santillan, and Dr. Andrea Rizkallah.

Dr. Podolsky with Dr. Toral R. Patel, recipient of the 2023 Patient and Family Recognition Award.

Dr. Patel reminisced on her memories in the Tom and Lula Gooch Auditorium: “My strongest memories of this auditorium are as a medical student taking exams here.” She added: “I have found enduring joy in the simple act of sitting, listening, and interacting with my patients and their families.”

Dr. Podolsky greeted Dr. Ellen Kitchell, recipient of The President’s Award for Diversity and Humanism in Clinical Care.

“I am so grateful to my parents, who taught me to live this way, my husband, my team at Parkland and at UT Southwestern, my learners, who inspire me every day, and, most of all, my patients, who have encouraged me to live into that spirit of love until the day that we will prevail over HIV,” Dr. Kitchell said.

Dr. Podolsky presented Dr. Karen Kowalske with the 2023 Patricia and William L. Watson Jr., M.D. Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine.

“I think it really is about service for patients,” Dr. Kowalske said. “And every day, they remind me why I do this: because it’s super rewarding. So, I want to thank all of you for being here and for this great honor and for the other award winners. There’s a commonality here – that it’s a group of people who care, and that’s the right thing to do.”

Watson Award recipient Dr. Kowalske with colleagues from Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Following the ceremony, attendees were treated to an indoor reception.

Program Development Award winner Dr. Nelson with his family. From left: Jessica Nelson (a Physician Assistant in Urology at UTSW), Eva, and Drew.

Dr. Rogers and family.

Dr. Jain pictured with her husband, Russell Canham.

Dr. Kitchell and family. From left are her father, Dr. Michael Kitchell, mother Mary Kitchell, husband Dr. Ryan Holliman, and Dr Kitchell.

Attendees stopped by the bao bun station at the reception.

Dr. Voit with her husband, Benedict, and children, Emma, Abby, and Danny.

Dr. Herrera celebrated with her family at the reception.

The M-Cats jazz band performed for guests at the reception.

A group from the Pediatrics Department turned out in support of colleagues.

Guests mingled and noshed at the reception.

Dr. Patel (center) pictured with (from left) her sister, Dr. Shivani Patel (a 2022 Program Development Award recipient), her husband, Dr. Nathan Emerson, Dr. Ashley Hickman Zink (a 2019 Patient and Family Recognition Award recipient), and Rick Press.

Jenny Doren, Elizabeth Ellen Anderson, Ashlie McGill, Avery Bottger, and Carl Crum represented CMPA.

Dr. Sanghavi with Drs. Seth Toomay and Claus Roehrborn.

Dr. Jain with members of the CF team. From left to right: Sarah Jian, Yamei Cheng, Michelle Inocando, Marcia Castella, Maita Torralba, Dr. David Finklea, Kathy Lopez, Karen Lowe, Dr. Jain.

Nutrition Services team members paused for a photo-op.

UTSW nurse leaders Drs. Susan Hernandez and David Wyatt.