Medical Students Recognize Faculty, Fellows, and Residents in Annual Evaluations
Medical students reported highly positive experiences with faculty, fellows, and residents in this year’s Learning Evaluation Survey, highlighting the strength of clinical teaching across the Department of Internal Medicine.
The Internal Medicine Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) program supports more than 650 student enrollments each year across nine courses delivered in 12 four‑week sessions. Learners rotate through four major multi‑ward sites along with approximately 30 ambulatory clinics. Conferences and lectures reinforce the clinical curriculum throughout each block.
"Students praised the quality of instruction and mentorship they received during both core clerkships and electives, noting that teaching teams consistently fostered clinical reasoning, professionalism, and confidence at the bedside," said Salahuddin Kazi, M.D., a Professor in the Division of Rheumatic Diseases and Vice Chair of Education. "Many highlighted the accessibility and commitment of faculty and trainees who create an environment that supports learning, inquiry, and patient-centered care."
The positive survey results reflect the collective dedication of teaching faculty, fellows, and residents whose contributions shape the next generation of physicians.
Comments have been edited for clarity.
Comments about our Faculty
Student Comment
“Dr. Adams truly exemplifies humanism in medicine and is a role model. She made every patient feel cared for and always advocated for her patients’ well-being. Whether kneeling next to patients during difficult conversations or providing a simple hug, her presence always reflects genuine compassion. She embodies the kind of physician who would move heaven and earth for each of her patients, and I aspire to practice medicine with the same humanity, dedication, and grace that she demonstrates every day.”
Student Comment
“Particularly during PACE meetings, Dr. Barker is very considerate of my personal situation and plans for clinical rotation scheduling.”
Student Comments
“Dr. Bavli exemplifies professionalism, communication skills, and humanism through her evident dedication to teaching in a student-driven manner. She encourages and readily accepts feedback and strives to teach students the clinical value of theoretical material. ”
“Willing to listen to student input and act on that input. Kind and considerate.”
“Immediately responsive to students, and the measures she took to address complaints or questions were intentional and effective.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Campbell demonstrated excellent humanism.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Chaubey was very comprehensive and detail-oriented when doing his clinical duties and treated patients beyond the context of their current hospitalization, oftentimes doing more than what was required due to patients’ social situations that may make it difficult for them to access care in the future.”
Student Comment
“I worked with Dr. Cullinan during my ambulatory clerkship and she was one of the most professional and caring doctors. She builds excellent rapport with her patients, listens to and addresses each concern, and communicates with them and their level.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Dalton led my college’s discussion on cultural awareness and respect, and he did an excellent job facilitating the conversation.”
Student Comment
“Dr. de Lemos’ knowledge and bedside manner on the cardiovascular intensive care unit is amazing and he is truly a role model. He cares for every patient with a personal touch, and he always takes time to encourage them in their recovery and lay out a roadmap for success in their treatment.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Greenberg helped me find my way to new interests and possibilities about my future.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Hamdi made me feel like an important member of the team, valuing my ideas and kindly and thoughtfully answering my questions. He is a wonderful person to get to know, and I feel so incredibly lucky that he was my attending physician.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Johnson consistently models professionalism and humanism in a way that shapes my identity as a trainee. During our inpatient service, he arrived each morning with printed copies of research articles specifically related to our patients’ conditions, highlighting the impact of thoughtful, up-to-date care. He routinely offered specific, constructive feedback, inviting us to reflect on our clinical reasoning and communication, and he trusted us with genuine autonomy by encouraging us to present and discuss our own plans directly with patients while he stood by as a safety net, signaling deep respect for learners and patients alike.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Kazi is a compassionate and patient attending physician with all members of the team. He recognizes the team’s strengths while also building the areas where we need improvement.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Lee regularly brought out team food on long call days.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Lee made sure the pulmonology course was engaging and was very approachable to student questioning. By far, one of my favorite professors.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Mandali is one of the best physicians I’ve ever worked for. He cares deeply about his patients and treats them like his own family members. He also emphasizes the role of humanism in medicine and emulates this in his own practice, always meeting patients at eye level, spending extra time with them, and listening to their concerns with full attention. I cannot speak more highly of him and his character as a leader. I wish we had more attending physicians like Dr. Mandali.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Mulanovich is an exemplary attending physician. He has a very clear expectation set out at the beginning of a teaching service and empowers us to take ownership of our patients by presenting on rounds and updating families ourselves (with the entire team present). He also provides wonderful feedback that is evidently based on the ideals of patient-centric care and that clearly shows he cares about our development as medical students.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Odedosu is an amazing attending physician. She trusted me, really listened to my presentations, and was super open for questions. She encouraged me to take on dermatology-related patients (my specialty of interest) and even brought us food on call days!”
Student Comment
“Dr. Pedersen is a very approachable course director and makes the course fun. During the CBLs, he would sit at our tables and make conversations and jokes while still being an excellent educator.” “In one of our sessions, he made a concerted effort to remind us that we are all working hard and are doing our best. It was helpful to have that nice thought in the lead-up to our final.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Salazar is an invaluable resource during pre-clerkship training. He consistently embodies patient listening, respectful dialogue, constructive feedback, and genuine encouragement.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Sutaria is an excellent team leader and role model for learners.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Voit is a phenomenal physician. She is truly a pleasure to work with and demonstrates a great example of an empathetic, professional, and knowledgeable physician. For example, I spent a significant amount of time with her in clinic one day, talking with a patient who had developed significant MDD in the setting of losing his daughter. She leaned down by the patient’s chair, embraced him, and offered him the time and space to feel heard. She always takes time to explain conditions and medications to her patients. She is a true pleasure to work with.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Wingfield does a great job of maintaining a professional and safe team environment. There was a time during my rotation when a patient yelled at me for asking routine H&P questions. The patient had also been disrespecting the nurses. When we rounded later, Dr. Wingfield stood up for me and spoke with the patient about the importance of respecting the entire team, including the medical students.”
Comments about our Trainees
Student Comment
“Dr. Bismar exemplifies humanism in medicine to the highest degree. Her rare balance of intellect and compassion make her an inspiring educator, empathetic physician, and leader in the intensive care unit.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Dalal often gives us pointers on how to improve our presentations and encourages us when we do well.”
Student Comment
“Dr. De Castro leads our care team with ease and grace. He is extremely knowledgeable, kind, and humble. He connects with every intern and medical student personally and knows how to break down complex topics so that every learner can understand at their own level. He can seamlessly float between teaching, forming solid treatment plans with faculty, and truly caring for patients and their families.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Doumat is a great teacher. He gives resources for looking up the workup needed for different conditions, helps structure presentations, and then gives feedback on a practice run before giving a patient presentation. This is incredibly helpful and allows us to feel more confident when presenting to attending physicians.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Gajewski is led by service. He always stays until the last team member finishes their work. He never complains about stepping in to help do “intern work.” He goes above and beyond to help his colleagues with procedures around the hospital. He gives chalk talks about anything we want to learn and never makes us feel like we have a dumb question. Such an amazing leader and physician!”
Student Comments
“Dr. Hernandez creates a collaborative, high-energy environment, making sure students and residents are actively involved in patient care. She knows everyone’s name on the wards and takes time to help us improve our EKG interpretation in a supportive, non-judgmental way. Her enthusiasm for teaching and patient care is contagious.”
“Her attitude is wonderful, and she never hesitates to keep the team in good spirits with her great sense of humor and fun. She takes extra time to get to know patients and their families. As an educator, she provides individualized help to medical students, interns, and residents, and serves as the backbone of the CVICU team.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Hopkins is one of the best residents. She’s incredibly kind, teaches a lot, helps medical students in so many ways. She wants the best for students and patients. Truly a professional and extremely knowledgeable.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Khwaja is a really great educator. He also really cares for his patients and always goes above and beyond for their treatment.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Klatzkow has a wonderful teaching style, and she is kind and patient with medical students. Excellent at communicating with patients and team members. I will try to emulate her style and humanism in my future practice.”
Student Comments
“Dr. Mason is always very supportive of us as medical students and makes time to teach us in a way that is well-prepared and useful, with super helpful handouts and PowerPoints to review.”
“He is an excellent physician who takes so much time out of his schedule to provide daily teaching and tips.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Nieto takes care of patients holistically. He is always available as a resource, and routinely keeps medical students in the loop regarding specific patient care updates and goals.”
Student Comment
““Dr. Santinelli Pestana demonstrates exemplary professionalism, team-building, communication skills, and humanity and empathy towards his patients. He creates a collaborative, comfortable team environment on a busy service. He always makes time for a coffee break and our personal needs, recognizing our humanity openly and without judgement.””
Student Comment
“Dr. Ray is wonderful.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Sharma embodies professionalism and humanism in the way she cares for patients and learners. Even on the busiest call days, she actively seeks out teaching moments, pausing to help students learn to read echocardiograms and bedside ultrasounds so they can connect what they are seeing to their patients’ physiology. She consistently encourages student autonomy by having them propose and refine their own assessment and plan, then backs them up in front of the team and patients, building support and trust as developing physicians.”
Student Comment
“Dr. Telford is a great role model for patient interaction and is a big advocate for students on her team.”
Student Comments
“Dr. Wilden goes above and beyond to create a safe and welcoming environment for medical students and her other colleagues. She takes time to discuss treatment plans with students and provide constructive feedback on notes and presentations. She is consistently kind and encouraging.”
“Dr. Wilden is authentic, compassionate, and the best at everything she does. She takes the time to provide us with really helpful and immediate feedback.”