By DoM Communications | Date published: May 1, 2024
Department of Medicine Faculty Shine at this Year's Educational Recognition Awards & Last Lecture
On April 25, UMass Chan Medical School held the annual 2024 Educational Recognition Awards & Last Lecture. Department of Medicine awardees included:
Read Pukkila-Worley, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology and faculty in the Program in Innate Immunity, received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Graduate Education. Upon receiving this award, Dr. Pukkila-Worley’s mentorship was noted to be exemplary and “significantly influences the academic and professional growth of graduate and medical students.”
Megan Orzalli, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology and faculty in the Program in Innate Immunity, received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Research Mentoring and Commitment to Student Professional Advancement. Upon receiving this award, Dr. Orzalli was described as someone who “is more than a mentor, she’s actually a catalyst for excitement about science and plays a pivotal role in her students’ professional journeys.”
Mara Meyer-Epstein, ScD, ScM, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics, received the Educational Achievement Award in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. Upon receiving this award, Dr. Meyer-Epstein was praised for her innovation and successful development of an interprofessional epidemiology escape room simulation. “She has been the driving force in interprofessional education through her work over many years in teaching and has thoughtfully and diligently collaborated with colleagues across the institution to coordinate and deliver case-based discussions with our medical and nursing students.”
Jennifer Kodela, DO, a fellow in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, received the Fellow Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education. Upon receiving this award, Dr. Kodela was honored for her work in teaching in the respiratory block of the Vista Curriculum and developing a medical education track for the Pulmonary Medicine Program. “She’s involved in teaching on the topic of COPD and gives regular chalk talk presentations on clinical ward rotations, impacting the education of learners.”
Ann Moormann, PhD, MPH, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology and faculty in the Program in Innate Immunity, was honored with the Chancellor’s Award in Excellence in Mentoring. Upon announcing the award, Chancellor Collins noted that Dr. Moormann was unable to be at the awards because she was attending the Multilateral Initiatives on Malaria conference in Rwanda. He noted, “One of her primary reasons for attending this conference is to show support to some of her mentees who would be presenting their research at the conference,” and further commented that this was the “type of commitment to mentoring that we want to celebrate.”
We congratulate this year’s awardees!