TMA recognizes faculty with Excellence in Academic Medicine awards

Dr. Lynne Kirk
Dr. Lynne Kirk

Dr. Lynne Kirk, Professor of Internal Medicine and of Family and Community Medicine, has received the 2015-2016 Platinum Award, the top honor in the Texas Medical Association (TMA) Award for Excellence in Academic Medicine program. She and three other UT Southwestern Medical Center faculty members – Drs. Robert Haley, A. Marilyn Leitch, and Bradley Marple – were among 10 physicians who were recognized with Gold Awards by the TMA.

The multilevel award program, created in 2012, is designed to honor academic physicians who are consummate teachers, role models, and medical professionals. Applications for bronze-, silver- and gold-level recognition are based on years in an academic position. A physician selection committee chooses the platinum winner from the pool of physician applicants in the gold-level recognition category.

“I am honored to have received this award,” said Dr. Kirk. “I find the opportunity to watch students, residents, and young faculty mature into very accomplished physicians one of the most rewarding aspects of my professional life.

Dr. Bradley Marple
Dr. Bradley Marple

“I am very fortunate to have had a career as an academic physician in Texas, where there is significant appreciation of and support for medical education. This is due in no small part to the collaboration between physician organizations, especially TMA, and academic medical institutions,” she added.

The award ceremony was on April 28 during TexMed, TMA’s annual conference. TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 49,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.

Dr. Kirk has been a faculty member at UT Southwestern for 35 years. Her career includes serving as Director of the Student Health Service, Associate Dean for Medical Education as well as Graduate Medical Education, and Associate Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine.

In addition to supervising students, residents, and fellows, Dr. Kirk also has cared for patients as a board-certified general internal medicine and geriatric physician. Currently she practices in the Acute Care for the Elderly Unit at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, and at Parkland Memorial Hospital’s Center for Internal Medicine and its resident continuity clinic.

Dr. Robert Haley
Dr. Robert Haley

“Her entire career has been dedicated to the highest standards of excellence as a clinician educator,” said Dr. J. Gregory Fitz, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School. “We are fortunate to have her on our faculty to benefit from her experience, achievements, passion, and vision.”

In all, UT Southwestern had four Gold Award recipients. No other Texas institution had more than one. Joining Dr. Kirk were:

Dr. Robert Haley, Chief of the Division of Epidemiology in the Department of Medicine, has a long distinguished career at UT Southwestern. He has cared for patients and supervised medical students and housestaff at Parkland for 20 years. He teaches several courses – epidemiology and statistics; public health, and infection control. He has a long record of involvement in public health, prior work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is a trusted advisor at the national level, including the NIH, and the VA advisory committee on Gulf War illnesses.

Dr. A. Marilyn Leitch, Professor of Surgery and a distinguished specialist in breast surgery, has served 30 years on the UT Southwestern faculty. She teaches on the surgical oncology service and gives didactic lectures for residents and students. She directs a fellowship in breast oncology that emphasizes collaboration among disciplines to improve patient care in breast disease. Dr. Leitch has been recognized for her volunteer service, including awards from the American Cancer Society.

Dr. A. Marilyn Leitch
Dr. A. Marilyn Leitch

 

Dr. Bradley Marple, Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, also serves as Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and advises medical students and residents. Dr. Marple has been a TMA and Dallas County Medical Society member for 24 years. He served as President of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and is currently on the board of directors for the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Kirk’s lifelong work mentoring medical students, residents, and physician faculty has garnered numerous awards over the years. Among these are the Regents Outstanding Teaching Award from the UT Board of Regents, the Distinguished Clinical Science Educator Award from UT Southwestern, and the Edith J. Levit Distinguished Service Award from the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Nationally, Dr. Kirk is past President of the American College of Physicians (ACP). She is an ACP delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates, AMA’s governing body, and serves on the AMA Council on Medical Education. Additionally, Dr. Kirk is a current board member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, a private, nonprofit organization that reviews and accredits graduate medical education programs and the institutions that sponsor them in the United States.

In the community, Dr. Kirk has volunteered at Monday Clinic, a medical student free clinic run by North Dallas Shared Ministries, and is a member of the Leadership Dallas Alumni.

“She has made and continues to make extraordinary national, state, and local contributions as a clinician, teacher, educational leader, and administrator,” said Dr. Craig Rubin, Chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at UT Southwestern. “She is truly an exemplary tenured faculty member here at UT Southwestern and a terrific ambassador on the national stage.”

Dr. Kirk received her medical degree with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha. She completed her residency at Boston University Medical Center, where she also served as chief resident.

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Dr. Fitz holds the Nadine and Tom Craddick Distinguished Chair in Medical Science, and the Atticus James Gill, M.D. Chair in Medical Science.

Dr. Haley holds the U.S. Armed Forces Veterans Distinguished Chair for Medical Research, Honoring Robert Haley, M.D., and America's Gulf War Veterans.

Dr. Kirk holds The Toni and Timothy P. Hartman Distinguished Professor in Internal Medicine.

Dr. Leitch holds the S.T. Harris Family Distinguished Chair in Breast Surgery, in Honor of A. Marilyn Leitch, M.D.

Dr. Marple holds the Arthur E. Meyerhoff Chair in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery.