This Year's Faculty Award Nominations | Emory School of Medicine

RYSE AWARD

The RYSE Award recognizes Department of Medicine faculty who have made significant contributions to fostering a DOM community community and climate that allows all members to thrive by leveraging service, teaching, mentoring, advocacy, and research efforts.

Valeria Cantos, MD

Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Michael Connor, MD

Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Marshall Fleurant, MD

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Janice Lea, MD

Professor, Renal Medicine

Jose Navarrete, MD

Associate Professor, Renal Medicine

Meena Prasad, MD

Associate Professor, Digestive Diseases

Paulina Rebolledo, MD, MSc

Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Marc Saad, MD

Assistant Professor, Renal Medicine

EDUCATOR IMPACT AWARD

This award recognizes faculty who have made outstanding contributions as a medical educator as recognized by their peers.

Frehiywot Ayele, MD

Assistant Professor, Rheumatology

Jason Brown, MD

Associate Professor, Digestive Diseases

Lisa Daniels, MD

Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Meredith Greer, MD

Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Reena Hemrajani, MD

Associate Professor, Hospital Medicine

Anand Jain, MD

Associate Professor, Digestive Diseases

Audrey Jernigan, MD

Assistant Professor, Hospital Medicine

Ali Kashkouli, MD

Assistant Professor, Renal Medicine

William Nicholson, MD

Professor, Cardiology

Frederic Rahbari Oskoui, MD

Professor, Renal Medicine

Eva Rimler, MD

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Mary Solis, MD

Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Payaswini Vasanth, MD

Assistant Professor, Renal Medicine

NANETTE K. WENGER DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

This award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated outstanding service and citizenship to the Department of Medicine. One award will be given in each of the three faculty ranks: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor.

Laurence Balter, MD

Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases

Saurabh Chawla, MD

Professor, Digestive Diseases

Jason Cobb, MD

Associate Professor, Renal Medicine

Nader Dbouk, MD

Assistant Professor, Digestive Diseases

Reema Dbouk, MD, FACP

Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Ryan Ford, MD

Associate Professor, Digestive Diseases

Lauren Gensler, MD

Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Laura Hansen, PhD

Assistant Professor, Cardiology

Saria Hassan, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Julie Hollberg, MD

Professor, Hospital Medicine

Sarah Johnson, MD

Assistant Professor, Renal Medicine

Meredith Lora, MD

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Puja Mehta, MD

Associate Professor, Cardiology

Lesley Miller, MD

Professor, General Internal Medicine

Abeer Moanna, MD

Professor, Infectious Diseases

Jessica Nave, MD

Assistant Professor, Hospital Medicine

Frederic Rahbari Oskoui, MD

Professor, Renal Medicine

David Roberts, MD, FACP

Professor, General Internal Medicine

Dustin Smith, MD

Associate Professor, Hospital Medicine

Zanthia Wiley, MD

Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

OUTSTANDING CLINICIAN AWARD

This award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated outstanding clinical and collaborative care for patients.

Madiha Ahmad, MD

Assistant Professor, Rheumatology

Dylan Baker, MBBS

Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Micah Fisher, MD

Associate Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Ijeoma Isiadinso, MD

Associate Professor, Cardiology

Heba Iskandar, MD

Associate Professor, Digestive Diseases

Jonathan Masor, MD

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Vandana Niyyar, MD

Professor, Renal Medicine

Yoon Qiu, MD

Assistant Professor, Rheumatology

Annelys Roque Gardner, MD

Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases

Yoo Mee Shin, MD

Assistant Professor, Hospital Medicine

Andrew Smith, MD

Professor, Cardiology

Jonathan Suarez, MD

Assistant Professor, Renal Medicine

Natasha Travis, MD

Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Stacy Westerman, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor, Cardiology

OUTSTANDING PUBLICATION AWARD (Basic and Clinical)

This award recognizes researchers, producing outstanding basic and clinical/translational (including quality improvement and health services) research publications, at the following faculty ranks:

Instructor/Assistant Professor
Associate Professor/Professor

Publication: Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention in Men and Gender-Diverse Persons

Valeria Cantos, MD Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Multi-author recognition includes:

Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH, Infectious Diseases

Publication: Inhibition of Ribosome Biogenesis In Vivo Causes p53-Dependent Death and p53-Independent Dysfunction

Charles Cho, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Digestive Diseases

Publication: Impact of an Artificial Intelligence‑Based Solution on Clinicians’ Clinical Documentation Experience: Initial Findings Using Ambient Listening Technology

Reema Dbouk, MD, FACP Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Multi-author recognition includes:

Pamela Vohra-Khullar, MD, General Internal Medicine

Mary Solis, MD, General Internal Medicine

Miranda Moore, PhD, Family & Preventative Medicine, Secondary appointment in the Department of Medicine

Publication: Belatacept-based immunosuppression does not confer increased risk of BK polyomavirus-DNAemia relative to tacrolimus-based immunosuppression

Emily Eichenberger, MD, MHS Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases

Publication: Sox9 inhibits Activin A to promote biliarymaturation and branching morphogenesis

Adam Gracz, PhD Assistant Professor, Digestive Diseases

Publication: Polymerase delta‑interacting protein 2 mediates brain vascular permeability by regulating ROS‑mediated ZO‑1 phosphorylation and localization at the interendothelial border

Marina S. Hernandes, PhD Associate Professor, Cardiology

Multi-author recognition includes:

Bernard Lassegue, PhD, Cardiology

Douglas C. Eaton, PhD, Nephrology

Kathy K. Griendling, PhD, Cardiology

Publication: Cadmium exposure following early-life respiratory syncytial virus infection promotes lung fibrosis through autophagy inhibition

Zachery Jarrell, MAT, PhD Instructor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Multi-author recognition includes:

Dean P. Jones, PhD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Young-Mi Go, PhD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Publication: A Data-driven Approach to Selecting Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellows for Interviews

Jordan Kempker, MD, MSc Associate Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Multi-author recognition includes:

Ashish Mehta, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

J. Shirine Allam, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Publication: Cardiac Arrest During Long-Distance Running Races

Jonathan Kim, MD Associate Professor, Cardiology

Publication: Short and Long-term Body Weight Change Following the Switch to or the Addition of Integrase Inhibitors in Persons With HIV Differs by Sex

Cecile Lahiri, MD, MSc Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Multi-author recognition includes:

C. Christina Mehta, PhD, Infectious Diseases

Qian Yang, Phd, Infectious Diseases

Tsungirirai Maramba, MS, Infectious Diseases

Joffi Musonge-Effoe, MSc, Infectious Diseases

Anandi N. Sheth, MD, MSc, Infectious Diseases

Thomas R. Ziegler, MD, MSc, Endocrinology

Igho Ofotokun,MD, MSc, Infectious Diseases

Jessica A. Alvarez, PhD, Endocrinology

Publication: Early Implementation of Long‑Acting Injectable Cabotegravir for HIV Prevention in a Safety Net Hospital‑based Primary Care Center in U.S. South

Meredith Lora, MD Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Multi-author recognition includes:

Dylan Baker, MBBS, General Internal Medicine

Publication: SARS-CoV-2-specific plasma cells are not durably established in the bone marrow long-lived compartment after mRNA vaccination

Doan Nguyen, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Multi-author recognition includes:

Carlos Castrillon, PhD, Rheumatology

Martin C. Runnstrom, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Pedro A. Lamothe, MD, PhD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Ignacio Sanz, MD, Rheumatology

F. Eun-Hyung Lee, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Publication: Alveolar macrophages from persons with HIV mount impaired TNF signaling networks to M. tuberculosis infection

Jyothi Rengarajan, PhD Professor, Infectious Diseases

Multi-author recognition includes:

Sushma K. Cribbs, MD, MSc, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Publication: Synthesis, radiolabeling, and biological evaluation of methyl 6-deoxy-6-[18F]fluoro-4-thio-a-Dmaltotrioside as a positron emission tomography bacterial imaging agent

Kiyoko Takemiya, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Cardiology

Multi-author recognition includes:

W. Robert Taylor, MD, PhD, Cardiology

Publication: Novel Directly Reprogrammed Smooth Muscle Cells Promote Vascular Regeneration as Microvascular Mural Cells

Young-sup Yoon, MD, PhD Professor, Cardiology

R. WAYNE ALEXANDER EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARD

This award recognizes significant contributions to medical knowledge realized through a body of research over an individual’s career in either basic research or clinical and translational research.

Vasilis Babaliaros, MD

Professor, Cardiology

Terry Jacobson, MD

Professor, General Internal Medicine

Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH

Professor, Infectious Diseases

Neale Weitzmann, PhD

Professor, Endocrinology

QUALITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to clinical quality improvement, or quality improvement within teaching, leadership, or research.

Mikhail Akbashev, MD

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Britt Marshall, MD

Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Mariam Mati, MD

Assistant Professor, Geriatrics & Gerontology

Anju Oommen, MD

Assistant Professor, Renal Medicine

Giorgio Roccaro, MD

Associate Professor, Digestive Diseases

Sujit Suchindran, MD

Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Stacey Watkins, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Hospital Medicine

SHANTHI V. SITARAMAN SILVER PEAR MENTORING AWARD

This award recognizes Department of Medicine faculty who have demonstrated outstanding mentoring to early career faculty within the Department of Medicine during the past year.

One award will be given in each of the two categories:

Mentoring of faculty primarily in the clinician educator or service area
Mentoring of faculty primarily in the research area

Bhavin Adhyaru, MS, MD, FACP

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Steven Keilin, MD

Professor, Digestive Diseases

Manpreet Malik, MD

Associate Professor, Hospital Medicine

Vincent Marconi, MD

Professor, Infectious Diseases

Lynn Schlanger, MD

Associate Professor, Renal Medicine

Vin Tangpricha, MD, PhD

Professor, Endocrinology

Theresa Vettese, MD

Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Susan Wall, MD

Professor, Renal Medicine

TEAM SCIENCE AWARD

Established in 2024, this award is designed to celebrate the Department of Medicine's culture of collaboration by recognizing research teams that demonstrate innovative and impactful advances in science and high quality, productive teamwork.

Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) cohort trial

Jenny Han, MD, MSc Associate Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Tiffany Walker, MD Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Rachael Abraham, PhD, MSc, CPH Director of Research Projects, Admin.Operations, Finance, Regulatory Affairs, Infectious Diseases

Walter Asencios Clinical Research Coordinator III, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Casey Beaty, MS Clinical Trials Regulatory Specialist, Infectious Diseases

Jasmine Berry, MPH Assistant Epidemiologist, Infectious Diseases

Ke'ara Brown-Smith Clinical Research Coordinator III, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Jannah Elchommali Clinical Research Coordinator II, General Internal Medicine

Imani Elsey Clinical Research Coordinator III, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Cynthia Ifejika, MPH Clinical Research Coordinator III, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Vidhi Javia Clinical Research Coordinator IV, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Valerie Lew, NP Infectious Diseases

Mara Maroney, MS Clinical Trials Regulatory Specialist I, Infectious Diseases

Chris Martin, MBA Sr. Associate Director of Programs, Infectious Diseases

Zanthia Wiley, MD, FHM, FIDSA Professor, Infectious Diseases

SPPACE INSTI Team (Sex-Specific Predictors, Pathways, and Cardiometabolic Effects of Weight Gain Associated with Integrase Strand-Transfer Inhibitors)

Cecile Lahiri, MD, MSc Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Jessica Alvarez PhD, RD Associate Professor, Endocrinology

Mohammed K. Ali, MBChB, MSc, MBA Professor, Department of Global Health and Epidemiology

Chetna Bedi, PhD Lab Director, Infectious Diseases

Kahsavyah Buckley MD/MSCR Candidate, Emory School of Medicine

Young-Mi Go, PhD Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Dean Jones, PhD Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Caitlin Kirkpatrick, MS Research Specialist, Infectious Diseases

Surya Krishnakumar MPH Candidiate, Rollins School of Public Health

Tsungirirai Maramba, MPH Research Data Manager, Infectious Diseases

Christina Mehta, PhD Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Joffi Musonge-Effoe, MD, MSc Clinical Research Coordinator III, Infectious Diseases

Igho Ofotokun, MD Professor, Infectious Diseases

Anandi Sheth, MD, MSc Professor, Infectious Diseases

Sami Teeny, MS Sr. Bioinformatics Analyst, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Chin-An (Simon) Yang PhD Candidate, Emory Laney Graduate School

Qian Yang, PhD, ME Senior Biostatistician, Infectious Diseases

Thomas Ziegler, MD Professor, Endocrinology

Emory Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx)

Gregory Martin, MD, MSc Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD Professor, Pediatrics

Blake Anderson, MD Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Leda Bassit, PhD Assistant Professor, Pediatrics

Kathy Bifulco Associate Director, Research Projects, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Ann Chahroudi, MD, PhD Professor and Vice Chair for Basic Science and Career Development, Pediatrics

Gregory Damhorst, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases

Annette Esper, MD, MSc Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Sarah Farmer, MS Research Scientist II, Georgia Tech

Shelly-Ann Fluker, MD Professor, General Internal Medicine

Jennifer Frediani, PhD, RD, ACSM-CES Assistant Professor, research track, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

David Gottfried, PhD Regents' Researcher and Associate Director of External User Programs, Georgia Tech

Daniel Graciaa, MPH, MD, MSc Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases

Morgan Greenleaf, MS Innovation Catalyst Technical Project Manager, Georgia CTSA

Mark Griffiths, MD Associate Professor, Pediatrics

Stacy Heilman, PhD Associate Professor, Pediatrics

Vidhi Javia Clinical Research Coordinator IV, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Robert C. Jerris, PhD Adjunct Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine

Russell Kempker, MD, MSc Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Mimi Le, PhD Core Director II, Pediatrics

Joshua Levy, MD, MPH Adjunct Professor, Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery

Cheryl Maier MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Kaleb McLendon Operations Manager at Emory/Children's Laboratory for Innovative Assay Development (ELIAD)

Lesley Miller, MD Professor, General Internal Medicine

Claudia Morris, MD Professor, Pediatrics

Eric Nehl, PhD Associate Research Professor. Rollins School of Public Health

Amanda Peagler, MS Research Scientist II / Director of Testing and Evaluation, Georgia Tech

Anne Piantadosi, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Anuradha Rao, PhD Assistant Professor, Pediatrics

Paulina Rebolledo, MD, MSc Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

John Roback, MD, PhD Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Chelsea Rock, CCRP Research Regulatory Specialist and Clinical Research Coordinator IV, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

Beverly Rogers, MD Chief of Pathology at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Raymond Schinazi, PhD, DSc Professor, Pediatrics

Cheryl Stone, RN Nurse Manager, Clinical Research, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Samantha Strickler, MD Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine

Julie Sullivan Senior Director of Operations of the ADJUST Center and Chief Operating Officer of RADx Tech at Emory University

Erika Tyburski CEO and co-founder of Sanguina

Eric Vogel, PhD, MS Hightower Professor in MSE, and Executive Director Institute for Materials (IMat), Georgia Tech

Miriam Vos, MD Professor, Pediatrics

Jesse Waggoner, MD Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases

Yun Wang, MD, PhD Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Grady Liver Clinic (GLC)

Lesley Miller, MD Professor, General Internal Medicine

Shelly Ann Fluker, MD Professor, General Internal Medicine

Sarah Koumtouzoua, MD Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Jennifer Lom, MD Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Nkem E. Obaze-Adegbite, NP Nurse Practitioner, Grady Liver Clinic

Andres Palacio Patient Navigator, Grady Liver Clinic

Francois Rollin, MD Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Chasity Tharpe, MPH Program Manager, Grady Liver Clinic

Natasha Travis, MD Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Dylan Wallace, PharmD Clinical Pharmacist Specialist, Grady Liver Clinic

Allison Wellington, BS Medication Access Coordinator, Grady Liver Clinic

Directed efforts to develop novel imaging agents to detect bacterial infections

Kiyoko Takemiya, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Cardiology

Mark Goodman, PhD Professor, Radiology

Niren Murthy, PhD Professor, Biomedical Engineering (UC Berkeley)

Sheng Zhao, PhD Post Doctorate, Biomedical Engineering (UC Berkeley)

1525 Academic Internal Medicine (AIM) Center Site

Pamela Vohra-Khullar, MD, FACP Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine

Reema Dbouk, MD, FACP Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Kajal Patel, MD Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Mary Solis, MD Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

Mary Stout, MD Assistant Professor, General Internal Medicine

DIVISION GEM AWARD

This award honors Department of Medicine faculty who have made quiet but outstanding and impactful contributions (in any of our mission areas) that may escape external recognition.