Medical Students Present 2018 Paff Teaching Awards to Outstanding Instructors
Thirteen outstanding Miller School of Medicine instructors were honored by their students at the 2018 George Paff Teaching Awards Ceremony on April 23. “The success of our school’s education program is due to our dedicated and talented teachers,” said Laurence B. Gardner, M.D., executive dean for education and policy, in welcoming students and faculty to the annual spring semester ceremony.
Students on the Paff Awards Committee, from left, Marina Perper, Vincent M. Hsu, Damian Brusko, Khushali Shah and Edward Hadeler.
Amiethab Aiyer, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, received the Temple Unsung Hero Award for his unwavering commitment to excellence in medical education. Three medical students, an intern and a resident were also honored for their outstanding personal character and dedicated service to their patients.
The event, held at the Jackson Memorial Hospital Diagnostic Treatment Center, was organized by second-year students on the Paff Awards Committee: Vincent M. Hsu, Damian Brusko, Dalia Kaakour, Khushali Shah, Marina Perper and Edward Hadeler.
Alex J. Mechaber, M.D., professor of medicine, Bernard J. Fogel Chair in Medical Education, and senior associate dean for undergraduate medical education, introduced the school’s legendary professor of anatomy, George H. Paff, Ph.D., who used a wide range of teaching methods to engage medical students and help them learn the core concepts of his field.
Mechaber also eulogized the late Joanne Howard, Ph.D., a former Paff Award winner who passed away in February. “She was a revered instructor of embryology and taught me when I was a med student in 1990,” he said. “Her dedication to students was unparalleled. She played an important role in our development as physicians.” She went on to become a distinguished educator in the Department of Cell Biology.
Throughout the ceremony, Miller School students from each class praised their teachers for conveying clinical and scientific concepts, while serving as mentors and role models for challenging and fulfilling careers in medicine. Here are their Paff Award winners:
M.D. Class of 2018
- Joseph Esterson, M.D., professor of medicine
- Dido Franceschi, M.D., professor of clinical surgery
- Marie-Denise Gervais, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine and community health
M.D. Class of 2019
- Pasquale W. Benedetto, M.D., professor of medicine
- Steven E. Rogers, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery
- Ana Campo, M.D., associate professor of clinical psychiatry
M.D. Class of 2020
- Warren Kupin, M.D., professor of medicine
- Daniel Sussman, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine
- Matthias Salathe, M.D., professor of medicine and molecular & cellular pharmacology
M.D. Class of 2021
- Thomas Champney, Ph.D., associate professor of cell biology and anatomy
- Carmen Gomez-Fernandez, M.D., professor of clinical pathology
- Thomas K. Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology
M.D./M.P.H. Class of 2021
- Thomas Champney, Ph.D., associate professor of cell biology and anatomy
George Paff Intern Award
- Evan Trapana, M.D.
George Paff Resident Award
- Sibi Krishnamurthy, M.D.
Fourth-year students Vibhu Chittajallu and Karam Alawa were recognized with the Thomas Crowder Award, in honor of the late Reverend Thomas Crowder, former associate dean for student affairs.
Fourth-year student Noor Joudi received the Janet Canterbury Award. Canterbury was professor of endocrinology, deputy dean for medical education, senior associate dean for student administration and senior dean for special projects in her 30-year career at the school.
Tags: Alex J. Mechaber, George Paff Teaching Awards, Laurence B. Gardner, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine